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Attraction, Rejection, and/or Intimate Relationships
Few human experiences are as all-consuming as attraction and rejection. Most individuals can recall their first attraction and rejection experiences that went to dominate their lives. Though there is no consensual definition of the terms, attraction is perceived as an individual’s predisposition towards another person through positive feelings. Attraction takes many forms and may include love, lust, admiration, and liking. Rejection, on the other hand, is the opposite of attraction and exists when a person is eliminated purposefully from a social relationship. Rejection entails romantic, familial, and interpersonal forms, but can be equally active in teasing, bullying, ignorance, and ridicule. Intimate relationships are defined as strong and positive emotional bonds that entail understanding and support. All individuals experience divergent levels of attraction and rejection. In social psychology, attraction and rejection interplay within individuals determining the nature of relationships.
The
degree of intimacy and rejection between two individuals
determine the intensity of intimacy in their relationship. In close
relationships, the divergence between the inner self and the other is negated to gain an understanding
of the other person, know reasons behind their behaviors, and influence their
set of behaviors (Baumeister and Eli 415). If attraction supersedes rejection,
there is enhanced interaction in the intimate relationship resulting in
stronger commitments. In essence, the individuals have the desire to affirm
their relationship for a long period.
This is normally seen during the
beginning of relationships and marriages. On the other hand, if rejection
supersedes attraction, individuals become less attached and committed. In
intimate relationships, rejection might lead to loneliness, aggression, anger, depression,
and cognitive pain (Baumeister and Eli 421). This is normally seen in break ups and divorce. Intimacy, in its broader
context, is a simple balance of the intensity of
attraction and rejection.
Work Cited
Baumeister, Roy F, and Eli J. Finkel. Advanced Social Psychology: The State of the Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.