What are Positive Relationships?
The relationships we have can be varied, perhaps it’s with your friends and family, a pet or a group you’re involved in. In order to determine whether a relationship is positive or not have a think about the questions below:
“When reflecting on time spent with them, do you enjoy it most of the time?”
“Is it a balanced relationship where both people are giving and receiving?”
“How does the relationship make you feel?”
In most cases positive relationships are those in which we partner with the other individual and help each other towards our personal goals. We also want to spend time with the person and it is an enjoyable experience. We feel good when thinking about the other person and we feel comfortable being with them.
Being social is the most successful form of higher adaptation known, and studies have shown that close relationships have a positive impact on health and wellbeing with an important factor being the quality of the relationships. However, this is quite individual as some people are more social than others and life experiences may lead some to be more cautious about relationships. There is also a choice about what depth of relationship we develop with others, not all relationships will be like that of a close friend or family member.
Aims
We hope by the end of this topic you will have:
- Considered the role of positive relationships in your overall wellbeing.
- Recognised the features of a positive relationship that you have experienced.
- Learnt about the 4 different response styles when receiving positive information.
- Considered and had the opportunity to try active, constructive responding.
Consider more:
1) Can you think of the features that make your relationships with others positive?
2) What do you hope to gain from this part of the course?
You might want to make notes at this point. These may help you remember things, work out what you want or see how much you’ve changed if you read them again in a few years’ time.