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Different Kinds of Relationships in Adulthood

Ysabella Rosete

110136986

PSYC 2250: Adulthood and Aging

Professor Jess Goletz

University of Windsor
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In 2019, when COVID hit, I remember I felt very lonely. I realized that what always

made my day or my week was the relationships I had with my friends and family members. Once

that was taken away from me, it was difficult to come back from that. I just felt kind of alone and

getting motivated to do anything by myself was really hard. At least for school, I could be

motivated to see my friends, but when school moved online there was no more motivation, there

was no point anymore. I missed the social interaction between classmates, teachers, friends, and

family. COVID really highlighted that being around others is a fundamental human need and

lack of these relationships can have a significant impact on our lives (Cavanaugh, 2024).

Throughout my life, every problem or situation that I needed help with was always

resolved with the help of my relationships. There are so many different kinds of relationships and

each relationship serves us in a different way. The relationships we have from both adolescence

to adulthood shape our lives and who we are. The ones that we will discuss are what I think are

the 3 most important relationships in adulthood. These relationships are friendships, love

relationships, and family relationships. Within these topics, we will discuss the significance of

these relationships and how each one plays a role in adulthood. As well as the effects that having

or not having support within your relationships will affect your health.

Friendships

I know that without my friends, I don’t think I could get out of situations I put myself

into. Friendships come with shared experiences that only you guys share together, knowing that

you already have a bond that you don’t have with anyone else. Our friendships are the people

that we choose to be around, the people that come naturally and we aren’t born meeting them.

Adult friendships are based on three key aspects (Cavanaugh, 2024):

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1. Affective or emotional basis: friendships need trust, loyalty, and commitment, which

allows for opening up about problems as well as support and appreciation.

2. Shared or communal aspect: these friendships involve engaging in activities that both

people have a mutual liking of

3. Sociability and compatibility: friends give joy, fun, and amusing experiences

Some of the time the friendships are the people that we experience first’s together if you are the

same age, especially the first’s in adulthood. There is one theory that explains that humans are

inherently inclined to seek social relationships to reduce risks and conserve energy, this is called

the social baseline theory (Cavanaugh, 2024). These friends become a part of how you guys

define yourselves. As we go through adulthood, our friendships have multiple transitions that

change depending on what stage of adulthood we are in, in our lives. These friendships are more

crucial in adulthood because they have a deeper meaning, in adolescence sometimes you’re

forced to hangout with certain friends, or you have more time. However, in adulthood

friendships, everyone is in a different stage, you choose to hangout with these friends, you make

the effort yourself, it is more intimate, and sometimes you’re not even living in the same city. My

friendships are one of my most important relationships and the friends that I have are basically

almost family. In older adulthood, having strong friendships have great health benefits, including

lower risk of stroke and mortality, reduced levels of depression, hopelessness, negative emotions,

and perceived limitations (Chen Y, Chopik WJ, Kim ES, Wilkinson R, VanderWeele TJ, 2023).

Love Relationships

Love relationships are essential to our emotional and psychological well-being, playing a

significant role in shaping our experiences throughout life, especially in adulthood, because that

is when the love relationships really start to develop and deepen. They provide vital support,
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foster personal growth, and create a sense of belonging that enhances overall happiness. By

understanding the complex feelings that we call love, we can appreciate how these connections

influence our lives and relationships. Neuroscience research sheds light on the intricate brain

processes involved in romantic love, suggesting that love functions as one of three

interconnected emotion systems (Cavanaugh, 2024). Being in these love relationships

encourages a lot of personal development, because your partners know a new level of intimacy

that even your best friends don’t know. Your partners can inspire and motivate you to pursue

goals, confront fears, and explore new interests. The growth that comes with these partners

enhances self-esteem and contributes to a greater sense of identity, especially in adulthood when

you’re feeling lost. Strong love relationships can lead to better physical health outcomes, because

partners encourage healthier behaviors and emotional support given from these relationships help

reduce stress-related health issues. I have first-hand experience knowing that the relationship I’m

in, I’m more confident in my identity and more inclined to be brave on certain topics. Research

shows that individuals in fulfilling love relationships experience higher levels of life satisfaction

and happiness. Love relationships are a fundamental aspect of human life, providing support the

way friendships can’t as well as emotional support and fostering personal growth. Our partners

adapt to our changing needs over time, reflecting the stages of life we navigate. By

understanding the dynamics of love, you understand that in adulthood it has a big impact on our

happiness and wellbeing. Ultimately, this type of connection enriches and enhances the overall

satisfaction of adulthood. Lastly, embracing what these love relationships will provide, builds

stronger, more fulfilling relationships.

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Family Relationships

Even in adulthood our family relationships are important. In adulthood, we still may be

navigating through new experiences that only our parents or our siblings will be able to help us

solve. As parents age and you emerge into adulthood and middle adulthood, the dynamics start

changing in which you start to become your own person, start becoming independent, and

parents have to accept that and adjust to their new roles of no longer being a caregiver

(Cavanaugh, 2024). Even in adulthood we rely on our parents, especially when we start trying to

have a family of our own, the parents help navigate the troubles of that world. Making it easier

for you during adulthood, lightening the load of responsibilities. Moving on to sibling

relationships in adulthood. Our siblings know us from when we were born until when we die.

They see all our phases and know all the secrets and they are essential to every part of our lives,

although experiences may vary depending on a number of factors, siblings are bonded together

through shared and/or emotional experiences (Cavanaugh, 2024). Sibling relationships are

important in family caregiving, especially when parents age and need assistance. Siblings often

work together to provide care, share responsibilities, and offer each other emotional support.

Family relationships are important, these people know you from the very beginning of your lives,

they know what you’re thinking without you saying anything, it is essential that they stay with

you throughout adulthood and aging as well especially during the difficult times.

Social relationships are characterized by the mutual influence individuals have on each

other. There is a rising awareness of how these relationships affect health, particularly regarding

the well-being of at-risk groups like older adults. In our increasingly fragmented industrialized

societies, nurturing strong social connections is vital for enhancing health and quality of life, as
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these relationships can offer emotional support, alleviate loneliness, and improve overall

well-being (Barbara Hanratty, Mona Kanaan, Nicole K Valtorta, Simon Gilbody, 2016). To

conclude, the relationships we cultivate with friends, romantic partners, and family members are

the foundation to our well-being and personal growth in adulthood. These connections provide

emotional as well as physical support, as well as enrich the lives as we navigate the ever

changing roles of adulthood. As we age from adulthood, maintaining and nurturing these

relationships become important, reminding us that our social bonds are vital in our lives through

our experiences we go through. Embracing and having these different kinds of social

relationships can lead to greater happiness and resilience as you face life’s challenges together.
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References

Cavanaugh, J.C. (2024). Adult Development and aging, 9th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-04837-1

Valtorta NK, Kanaan M, Gilbody S, et al. Loneliness, social isolation and social

relationships: what are we measuring? A novel framework for classifying and comparing tools.

BMJ Open 2016;6:e010799. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010799

Kim ES, Chopik WJ, Chen Y, Wilkinson R, VanderWeele TJ (2023). United we thrive:

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https://doi.org/10.1017/S204579602300077X

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