Friendship between men and women

The friendship are those in which people share selflessly some aspects of their personal lives, because they agree on some values, beliefs, hobbies, etc…

They are relationships between women and men without distinction, however, there are some taboos if the friendship relationship arises between a man and a woman.

Some prejudices and stereotypes are:

1. “It is frowned upon have friends of the other sex
It is usually thought that this relationship is based on the sensual or sexual attraction between both “Friends”.
2. ““Everyone will think that you have a partner”
And for this reason, these types of personal relationships are usually avoided or hidden, as they say socially.
3. ““They are always looking for something more.”
This prejudice is another reason why friendship relationships that could arise are avoided, in this case, due to fear of what will happen or what the other person will want, especially if we fear that it is not the same as what we want. .

Where do these prejudices and stereotypes come from?

In life, we do not choose our parents, our children, our coworkers, or our neighborhood colleagues, however, we choose our friends for compatibility in some facet of our life, and also our partner, who does. Well, in addition to choosing it for compatibility, there has to be something more in the couple for them to become a couple, and that is a feeling that makes the friendship relationship different from the relationship as a couple.

Although, it seems that we forget it, and although we choose both relationships because there is compatibility in something, they are different relationships, with very different feelings. And as a consequence we have the social prejudice of mistakenly believing that all friendships with the other sex can become a couple or a sexual relationship.

And on the other hand, both relationships are differentiated by their character, with the couple relationship having a private nature, where both people will seek intimate and close environments, compared to the friendship relationship, which has a social and public character, not looking for the intimate, close and private environment that couples, or those who want or are looking for something more, will look for.

We can be just friends?

If we understand the difference between both types of relationships, friendships and relationships, then we can be just friends without fear or hiding, and without caring what society thinks.

Conflict arises when this is not clear, and we continue to think or fear that because we are friends we already have the “right” to something more.

Is there friendship in relationships?

Certainly, in many cases, the origin of a couple is the friendship that united them, which allowed them to get to know each other well, and which later led to the emergence of another feeling, be it attraction, infatuation, love, etc…

However, not all relationships are the same, sometimes the “crush”, attraction and falling in love arise before friendship, and this, in some cases, comes later.

Why mark the differences?

It is important to mark the differences of what type of relationship we have or wantsince this way we can fully enjoy it, without fear, avoidance, or concealment.

Openly expressing and discussing what each person wants or expects from the relationship means not being deceived, not looking for or expecting something that the other person does not want, and this even serves to not harm the already existing relationship with erroneous expectations.

Furthermore, not being clear about it leads to emotional conflicts, since we can confuse what a friendship is with another type of relationship, such as one in which a feeling arises between both, or one in which we seek to cover some emotional need or lack on the part of someone in the relationship.

How do we know what type of relationship we have?

It is as simple as explaining to the other person what we expect or want from the relationship, at the same time, we listen to what the other person has to tell us, in this way, we will know what relationship we have, and what to expect. From here on, the fear of something happening that we do not want will disappear and therefore, We will allow ourselves to enjoy a healthy friendship relationship or the one we choose, as long as it is how we have decided together with the other person.

Is it possible to maintain friendship with a person of the opposite sex, even if you have a partner?

If the friendship is well defined, and so is the relationship, there will be no conflict.

When we decide to have a partner, we do not give up our social lifeneither the one that already existed before the couple, nor the one that can be generated from having a partner.

In fact, couple relationships, which condemn themselves, renouncing or demanding that the other person renounce their social life, are doomed to failure, due to the dissatisfaction that this will generate, personal annulment and isolation, triggering all this an unhappiness with the chosen partner.

Therefore, not only is it possible, but it is advisable to maintain friendship relationships, in addition to the relationship as a couple. Whether these are shared with the couple and common with them, or as personal friendships.

How can I maintain my friendships without my partner finding it bad?

At all times it is advisable to keep trust and sincerity intact in the couple..

Friendship is not a sin, but a social and inherent aspect of the human being. Therefore, in the same way that we do not hide from our family members, we should not do so with our friends either.
The best way for your partner to accept the friendships you have with people of the opposite sex is to make your partner participate in that friendship.and that they can participate in that friendship if they feel like it, since, as we have said, friendship relationships are in the public and social sphere, and therefore, they admit very well, being shared with more people, since they do not seek intimacy .

On the other hand, treat friendship naturally, without hiding or lying to your partner, since, then, It will seem to your partner to be what it is not, since you will be transferring the friendship to the private sphere.secret, and intimate to which relationships that are something other than friendships or that pretend to be belong.

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