The Benefits

Benefits of Romantic Relationships

Romantic relationships in the teen years are not just exciting, they can bring a surprising number of benefits – through experience and practice and through successes and disappointments.

Please Note – these benefits can also come through peer friendships, relationships with parents (yes, really), bosses, co-workers, extended family, etc. They are simply often more intense in romantic relationships.

Good Feelings Experienced

Connection – not alone
Intimacy – sharing
Someone has my back
Affection
Companionship
Increasing emotional autonomy – from parents
Acceptance
Confidence
Self-esteem
Sexual identity
Feeling understood
Resilience – bouncing back from disappointment

Capabilities That Can Develop

Learning to give and receive
Learning how to listen and share feelings
Learning how to attend to and support someone
Learning to ask for what you need
Learning to hear and give what others need
Learning how to manage strong emotions
Developing empathy
Building interpersonal skills
Learning how to manage sexual relationships (having or not having sex and having healthy sex)

An intimate relationship does not banish loneliness. Only when we are comfortable with who we are can we truly function independently in a healthy way, can we truly function within a relationship. Two halves do not make a whole when it comes to a healthy relationship: it takes two wholes.
Patricia
Fry