Monday, March 9, 2009

Relationships...

What kinds of relationships exist in your life? What are qualities of successful relationships? Why are some relationships so difficult? What makes relationships fall apart? Why do we need relationships?

53 comments:

AllisonM2012 said...

In life I believe that there are many different types of relationships. There are obvious relationships such as mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, ect. But also there are ones that are less thought of such as celebrities, teacher, etc. Also, a relationship does not just stop at person to person but can extend to objects and items as well. The relationships that people have such a difficult time with are the human relationships.
We need relationships because they are the only way that people can interact. It is also known that a human needs social interaction, making relationships a necessity.
Relationships cannot fall apart. A relationship is a relationship whether it is good or bad. A positive relationship rather can be altered by miscommunication.

Anonymous said...

Relationships in my life... Family and friends, the generic answer, I suppose. But it's true. However, I build strong trust with my friends... I try not to have a lot, so I don't feel like I'm stretching myself out over ten, fifteen people all trying to hang out or go to the movies with me.
Successful relationship qualities... I believe trust is a major factor; without trust, no one would be willing to share information with anyone about their lives, which is another key factor in relationships. If two friends don't know each other whatsoever, how can they be friends? They won't know what to talk about, whether they like the same things, or if they have the same friends.
Relationships falling apart... I don't quite know, it's hard for me to say. I can't base my knowledge off of movies, because these are movies, and shouldn't always be believed. I also agree with Allison, on the fact that relationships cannot fall apart. However, I shall change the question a little, and ask myself 'what causes relationships to change?' I suppose an intruding factor, such as another person intervening, is a great relationship breaker. Sub-categories of this consist of affairs, jealousy, etc.
We need relationships because without them, we wouldn't interact. Without interaction, nothing would have been invented, because there would have been no one but the inventor to test the invention. Without the egg, we cannot have the chicken. Without the chicken, we cannot have the egg.

ashleys2012 said...

There are many different kinds of relationships in my life. I have a great family relationship. Everyone in my family is really close and we always support one another. I also have some of the best friends a girl could ask for. New or old friends, they are all a major part of my life. I also have a great boyfriend and we have a good relationship. Relationships are very important and are a crucial part of everyone’s life.

Qualities of a good relationship include having trust, communication, being yourself and understanding one another. At times, some people over complicate relationships. Whether that is family, friends or love interests, people always find a way to over complicate it. Good relationships should not be too complicated. If you are working too hard to make everything perfect, you are wasting your time. Relationships will never be perfect. There will always be some obstacles but these obstacles are what makes relationships interesting. There could be many reasons why relationships could fall apart. First, if there is jealousy or hurt feelings, it could lead to frustration and damage the relationship. Second, if people do not communicate well or do not see each other, the relationship could be in jeopardy of falling apart. We need relationships to have comfort and love in our lives. Relationships give you a shoulder to lean on. Your family, friends and others will always have your back and help you when you have a good relationship with them. Good relationships give us joy in our lives.

chelseac2012 said...

In my life, I have the basic relationships. Friends. Family. Teachers... The best relationships I have are with my friends.
Successful relationships... I feel they are successful, in whatever term you are using "relationship", when there is trust. I think trust is key in relationships; being honest, too, but everyone has their secrets and spilling everything about life, problems, etc. won't really help build on the relationships.
Relationships are difficult because people make them difficult. Sometimes, though, they can naturally become difficult without anyone really making it that way. Though, usually, there is something to provoke why it is difficult.
Relationships fall apart because... Well, because they do. It's life. It happens. Friendships may not work out because people don't really work well together. Maybe they weren't honest enough, maybe not enough trust. It all depends on the type of relationship, the past the relationship has had, and the people involved. Some people make it through much better than others.
Relationships are a learning experience. A relationships breaks, think about what went wrong. A relationship lasts years, think about what was done right. Applying those concepts to future relationships, jobs, etc. is all a learning experience in itself.

robertc2012 said...

Wow, that's a lot of questions...

In my life, I have a lot of relationships, yet maybe not as many as other people. I guess different relationships include family relationships, close friend relationships, people-you-say-hi-to-at-school relationships, teacher relationships, and many others. I agree with Allison that relationships can be with objects too.

However, I think that relationships can fall apart but never totally vanish. What causes a relationship to fall apart is when one person tries to get the most out of it and doesn't care about the other person. If one person is giving but the other one is just absorbing it and not giving back, then soon enough the person will stop giving and the relationship falls apart.

kaleidoscope_eyes said...

I think i have a relashionship with most everyone in the world. When you see a person, whether you interact or not, you automaticly have a relashionship with that person. There is a game called the seven degrees of nathaniel bacon. the theory behind the game has been tested in real life, and if a random person is given a package to give to someone closer to the mystery person you are trying to get the package to, on average it only takes seven people to connect two random persons in this world. You have a relashionship with your friend's friend's roommate's grandma's doctor, with the guy who stepped on your toe this morning, and the person who made the youtube video we watched in class.

Now there are the "relashionships" stated above, and the special relashionships that require effort, time, and actually knowing the person. The key to keeping a good relashionship is communication,and giving and taking. Nobody wants a friend who just asks for favors all the time and can't help you out the one time you're in need. and misscomunication leads to all sorts of missunderstandings and drama.

kaleidoscope_eyes said...

hate, is actually almost as strong of an emotion as love. so the way to have the least relashionship with someone is to completely ignore them. If the person even acknowledges your existance, then you have a relashionship. so as robert was saying,it is really hard to get rid of a relashionship.

sorry for the double post

AustinW2012 said...

There are a few types of relationships that exist in my life. The first one is obviously my parents. Otherwise I would not be here. The next type of relationship is friendships. These are very important in my life. The other types of relationships that are in my life are those of my friends. These relationships do not affect me as much as the ones in my family. The qualities of a successful relationship are partly biological but mostly they depend upon the time people spend with each other. Some relationships are difficult because people are not alike and so the time that they spend together is not good. When this happens it makes a relationship hard. Relationships fall apart when one of the people in the relationship does not think that the relationship is a good one or has a chance. As for why we need relationships we only need friendships. This is just to keep sane and have some interaction and gets our brains moving.

john c said...

Some relationships that I have in my life are between my family and friends, but also between coaches, teachers, or even anyone that I talk to or come into contatct with in a day. I don't think that a relationship requires somone to be close to another person. You make connections and relationship just by saying or not saying hi in a hallway or little things like that.

I don't think that relationships are meant to be difficult. I think that they get complicated or confusing when people either don't know what they want to get from a relationship (like love, or a friend, ect..) or that once they are in a realationship they are afraid of losing it and so change to try to keep it going. I think they turn bad when too much control and people looking for power are added in.

I think relationships are a necessary part of life and are also a huge part of being human. I think that the longing for community and to not be alone, and especially the search for this connection is built into us just like walking or breathing. I mean, even though everyone wants to be alone at times, there is always an urge to go back to the group or to be a part of something, even if not 24/7

Laurao said...

I think that there are many different relationships in my life. Of course, my parents and siblings are one of the more major relationships, but friends rank high up there as well. For me, one of the relationships that I cherish most is with my grandparents because they know a lot more about life and choices than I would ever know at my age. Some of the qualities of successful relationships would be listening, communicating and understanding as well as the major characters would be respect. Some of the relationships don’t always last, or they fall apart because there is a lack of the qualities mentioned above, for example, if there is little to no communication, a relationship cannot just be built upon what is already there. I believe that relationships are necessary to survive, in some ways; relationships are the driving force in some people’s lives. Relationships can teach people different things about life and every relationship is different which helps to form and mold that person.

Austin Davis said...

One always has many relationship in their lives. There are three basics relationships in one's lives. That is family, friends and external sources (teachers, doctors etc). For these relationships to work one has to have the same morals and ideals as the partner in the relationships. Ideals and morals such as compassion, caring, thoughtfulness, all go into one's ability to have a lasting relationship. To me a successful relationship is a relationship that allows for one to be able to co-exist with the other person or persons in the relationship for a continued amount of time. For example, one's friendship with someone can only exist as long as that person doesn’t drive oneself crazy. However, relationships often fall apart because of the lack of emotion in the relationship. There has to be a balance in the relationship between driving the person crazy and avoiding boring the person, humans need excitement but there generally is a balance. Humans need relationships because without them humans couldn't exist. Interactivity between humans creates who we are. What separates us from animals is our ability to interact on a personal level of thought, which creates a relationship.

katieh2012 said...

Relationships-

Relationships occur everyhwere in life, whether it be with mom and dad or siblings or with someone you pass on the street. The level and importance of each and every relationship varies widely depending ont the person, type of relationship, and what is going on in your life. YOu can have close relationships with those people you chose to surround yourself with, but youcna also have relationships that last for only a few minutes. For example, if you pass someone on the street who dropped a dollar bill, and you choose to follow them and return the dollar, you have just created realtionship between you and that person that may only matter for a day or less.

Success is hard to obtain in reationships, especially in close ones. It is a delicate balance of communication and understanding along with compatability and many other things.

Relationships can become more difficult when this balance is upset, or when it was never there to begin with. This upset can also lead to the break apart of relationship, although like Robert said, some relationships can fall apart and never vanish completely. Often, the ties you had with a person reamain even when the realtionship was terminated.

Relationships allow us to become involved, interact, and fit in with society and our fellow people. Without realtinships, communication is often lost, along with most other connections to those around us.

Carolyn F. said...

I think that I do have obvious relationships with people such as my family. Other relationships that do exists are relationships that I have with my best friends, good friends, not so good friends, and teachers. I think that a couple qualities that dominant relationships are trust, comfortability and honesty. I have learned and realized that the more comfortable I feel around someone, the more likely I am to like them, trust them, confide in them and have fun with them. Without comfortability, you cannot be yourself, and if you cannot be yourself then you are being a lie.
I think some relationships are so difficult because someone is scared; scared to be honest, or to trust the other person. Every relationship needs the proper support as well. If the one you are in the relationship with, or someone else does not encourage the relationship, it will end.
Things that make relationships fall apart are lack of trust, honesty and comfortability. I truthfully believe that relationships can not exist without these three things. I agree with Allison M on her idea that relationships are still relationships whether good or bad. I have to say that I think that relationships can disappear though. If a relationship becomes a bad one, I do think that eventually it will disappear and you will no longer be in "relation" to this person.
People need relationships because we are simply human. Everybody needs a certain someone to confide in, trust in, and be comfortable with.

mariep2012 said...

When many people think of a relationship, they tend to think of getting to know someone by interacting with them. A relationship could be that, but there are so many more. For example, you could have a relationship with a celebrity that you haven't personally met just by being able to rattle off every aspect of their life that magazines and websites throw at you. So I think relationships are being able to understand the other, even if the feeling isn't mutual. Relationships are important because most often, they are what keep us going in the end. When you can relate with someone, being what relationships are all about, it helps pull you back down to earth. Relationships can work when both of the people in the relationship want to be in it and want to go deeper into it. A relationship cannot fall apart. I agree with Allison when she said, "A relationship is a relationship whether it is good or bad." When you think about it, this is true. Good relationships can go bad, and bad relationships can be fixed. What makes good ones stay good is trust and sacrifice. By sacrificing little things for the other shows the deepest affection. What makes good ones go bad is simply the opposite. Putting other things first and lying or not being able to trust the other is a road to disaster.

KyleL2012 said...

I have a lot of relationships, but they fall under my three categories. There are family, friend, and co-working relationships. My family relationships include all that are in my family and the ones considered to be family. I love them all dearly in my heart. My next relationships are with my friends. These include people I know and love to hang with, and I enjoy their company. Finally, my last type of relationship would be co-worker relationship. These are the weaker relationships that have some meaning, but not as large as the others (may also be considered temporary relationships).
The qualities that make a successful relationship......I can't honestly answer that one. It seems that at one time or another my relationships seem to fall with friends, or time destroys them. The only lasting relationships are with my family, which are very hard to break. I guess it would be to understand the other and to honor your relationship with that other person instead of like taking it for granted. It usually can work itself out if each person just trusts the other and knows them, and respects them. I guess the key to holding onto relationships is with the power of empathy to make sure each person in the relationship is happy with it.
Some relationships are really difficult for numerous reasons. 1 is that the other side is afraid of making a relationship with you, whether it be reputation, interests, feeling annoyed, or other reasons (such as family in Romeo and Juliet). Another may be that the two people don't see eye to eye, or that they have so many different view points that their souls are just not compatible with each other. Trust can be an issue, for if one person cannot trust the other in a lot of stuff, then it's not really...a relationship at all. It's more of knowing that person. There's so many things that can bring a relationship down or make it difficult, I can't describe them all.
We need relationships because life is not a solo quest, it is a team effort. Without relationships, we are a divided people. We then are weaker and are not all we can be. Relationships are the help center of life, for what we need to figure out one of our peers may be able to help with. It's like a commercial I watched...I think it was for insurance, but t said that if a team is not united, they are just people with a common goal. Relationships unite the team together and allow them to work together and become stronger than any one could. Relationships are very important in survival, and there are so many uses for them I can't even describe.

Megg2012 said...

In life there are all sorts of relationships. Just like everyone, not to be boring, but personally my relationships consist of family and friends. I think that qualities of a good relationship are trust, loyalty, honesty, and if this makes any sense "realness." When they don't find excuses, they just tell you flat out. Also, it could mean someone who isn't a hypocrite; they aren't fake around you. Also with a sense of loyalty comes a sense a trust. Relationships cannot survive without trust, and cannot thrive without honesty. Obviously there are other parts to a good relationship such as good communication, not "awkwardness," and love. What makes relationships fall apart? Well exactly the opposite of what keeps them together, I suppose. Miscommunications, and misunderstandings can cause relationships to fail, but also, I think, outside sources, as in, peer pressure. Like if you tell one negative thing to your friends about your boy/girl friend, they immediately tell you to break up with them, and some people are influenced by this. I think that relationships are a part of life, just like education is. They make us human. Not that bunny rabbits don't have friends, parents etc... :) Also interaction plays a huge part in who we are. We would be no where in this world without interaction. There would be no living organisms, let alone inventions, books...etc.

kailynw2012 said...

Relationships : like people have been saying relationships in my life are also between friends, family, role models and also I have a relationship between my pets and my surroundings... nature. (wow you can breath now, that was run on )

I believe that miscommunication, lack of trust, and impatience/a lack of listening all lead to a broken relationship. In contrast the opposite are qualities of a successful relationship.

Why are relationships so difficult? I think that above all it is because of our diversity ... our (human's) misunderstanding and ignorance.


If I have learned nothing else, I have learned that I can't do everything on my own. We need relationships so that we don't have to do everything on our own, and so that we can feel understood(?) and important.

SydneyR2012 said...

In my life, I have friendships, parent/child, and sibling relationships. Not so much of the love relationships (I tend to have bad luck with those). What I think makes any relationship successful is the ability to empathize. Without empathy, no one would understand anyone. Also, each individual in the relationship has to be able and willing to listen to each other. Some relationships are so difficult, I think, because the two people have too different personalities. Some personalities just can’t cope with one another. Another issue with relationships is that a lot of times one person doesn’t contribute enough or perhaps even both, which is something that makes relationships fall apart. Also, people can change over time, and sometimes that causes a relationship to fall apart. But we need relationships because we are the only “organisms” or “beings” or whatever you’d like to call it, that have the capacity to feel emotions and empathize with others. We all need someone to listen to our problems and triumphs, as well as talk to and exchange ideas. We all need to know that we are needed and wanted, or else the world would be extremely dark and unhappy.

stellab2012 said...

This makes me think of an email I receieved once about relationships and how a person is can be in someone's life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
A "reason relationship" is one where one or both people are effected for a long period in a short period of time; a "season relationship" lasts for a part of both people's lives but does not go for a full extent; and a "lifetime relationship" is one which lasts forever, no matter the distance or bond.
I would view a "reason relationship" as one with a stranger. I once talked to a lady in a car next to me when I was goofing around with a friend, and even though I only "kenw" her for a short time, I've never forgotten the experince. I see a "season relationship" as a best friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, or even a teacher. Their life has effect on mine, but the relationship most likely will not last forever. Lastly, I view a "lifetime relationship" as family, maybe a best friend, and God for some people. It is a relationship that will always hold strong to both people.

Depending on the type of relationship, I believe trust, humor, sincerity, bonding, and, honestly, a bit of arguing can keep two people - or even a group of people - in a sucessful relationship. Think about it. How many people don't trust their parents or best friends; don't laugh with them, aren't sincere with them, don't bond with them, and don't argue with them? I've found in the past with the majority - but not all - of my relationsihps revolved around all of those.
I'm a strong believer that arguing is top five of why relationships are difficult, but that it's the true tester of why relationships succeed or fail. Some people can't handle the confrontation, so whatever relationship between the two that was had, only exists in memory. On the other hand, when two people are strong enough to work through whatever tough times they are facing together, the relationship grows stronger than it was before.

Finally, the last question made me think about an experiment my friend told me about: scientists tested the factor of love and relationships on babies. The baby that did not receive the TLC it needed, died, while the other baby survived. I believe this is true for everyone, but not just for love, for everything. Relationships are our connection to all surroundings and without them, I believe that we would not exist because we would have no knowledge, no wisdom, no truth, and most importantly, no love.

jays2012 said...

Relation ships in my life include friends, family, girlfriend, teachers, other people at school, etc. The qualities of a successful relationship is that both people no matter who they are have to both want to be a part of the relationship. If you have a friend that never talks to you, then you don't have a strong successful relationship. Also, you have to be friendly and enjoy the relationship you have set up. I agree with Allison that a relationship cannot fall apart, because you still have a relationship with a person even if it is a bad relationship. A good relationship can be wrecked by one person not understanding the other person. We need relationships because they make up a part of us. You can tell who a person is by the people they hang out with and form good relationships with.

kaelib2012 said...

In life, the different kinds of relationships are friendships, families, romantic, and then more professional ones, such as teachers, and principals are more of disciplinarian relationship. Some important qualities or relationships are communication, so that the two people are able to understand eachother and not have breakdowns in the communications. Also, there need to be compromises so that no one just gives and gives or just takes and takes, there needs to be a nice balance of giving and taking. Some relationships are really hard because they do not possess those qualities, and also because two people may not have the right qualities to match, and so the two of them just do not get along together. Relationships also fall down because of lack of communication and the breakdown of communication. We need relationships to keep us withthe world, so that we do not become hermits who dont talk to anyone because we dont have the skills to do so.

carolineb2012 said...

I have pretty much the same relationships as everyone else has already said: parents, siblings, friends (some to different extents), teachers/coaches/authoritative figures; the usual stuff. Even with all these relationships, I realize that I know very little about how they actually work, or even occur, so I’ll try to answer these questions from experiences I’ve had. I think successful relationships are the kind of thing where both parts benefit; I believe that they call it a symbiotic relationship in bio. Whether they benefit because being around the other person makes both parts happy, or there is different reason, like with a teacher where the student learns and the teacher feels that they taught them something worthwhile, while also getting paid. Relationships can be difficult for a lot of reasons. People’s personalities may not fit together; people can get annoyed because of dumb things or really serious things even. Sometimes it’s just hard to work those things out. These can even make relationships fall apart. That’s the hardest part. When you know it’s falling apart and you know there’s nothing you can do. And you blame yourself, or the other person, or even an external source. Don’t believe the people that say relationships cannot fall apart. They can. I see what you mean by that you still are connected with that person, but I believe the question was asking what makes them go wrong. We need relationships to show us that we are not the only person in the world that feels things. Knowing another person feels the same way you do about something gives us comfort. Also, we need something to depend on, to hang out with on a Saturday night, to teach us things, to cure us of our disease, to love us no matter how dumb we get.

bridgetL said...

There are lots of varying types of relationships in my life. I have subtly different relationships with each of my sisters and parents as well as with my extended family. But I love them all. I also have relationships with tons of people at school. Whether they are close friends of more like aquaintances. Then, there are people like neighbors, teachers, etc. that I have so many different relationships with. The closest relationships are definately those between me and my parents and sisters though.
Relationships are difficult because they involve being close with another person. You won't always see eye-to-eye and you will always have differences, which makes it a struggle at times to get past those differences or disagreements. Relationships fall apart though when you do not put out the effort to move past those problems. If you have a fight and are not willing to work it out or you are not willing to compromise on your differences. That is one of the biggest things my parents have taught me. I have grown up seeing them as an example. I know that marriage (the ultimate in relationships) is not easy but that it can always work if you can be willing to put out the effort to work out problems, compromise, and remember that you love them.
Relationships are necessary in life to connect with people. Without relationships, you are virtually alone in the world, without any point in life. Relationships give you love and comfort and companionship as well as teach you to love, which is something everyone needs. It reminds me a lot of the poem I did for my poetry explication called "not understood". It was all about how people are distant and judgemental and live without relationships and as a result they have nobody that truly understands them.

annas2012 said...

Relationships between friends, family, my dogs, teachers, coaches, nature, food (ya believe it), really anything that we come in contact with- we have a relationship with, exist in my life. There are different types of relationships such as; friends are people we see connections to where as family is flesh and blood and there will always be a connection there. You may be wondering ( or laughing) what kind of relationship I have with food but we eat the similar foods everyday.
Qualities of successful relationships consist of understanding, connection, and communication. Strong relationships are able to tell one another anything- trust. Some relationships can be difficult because, simply, people can be difficult. People relationships are the hardest due to the fact that emotions are apparent and they can always be misunderstood.
I can't say much about how relationships fall apart because i don't have that much experience- but of what i see people can stop communicating or move on. Humans would not be able to live without relationships because they are what keeps us from being lonely. Relationships are what hold us together. They make a person feel individual but connected to every aspect of the world at the same time. They are the intricate design/ idea that keeps one from sinking to the bottom but rather floating to the top.

nickb2012 said...

There are many relationships that exist in our lives. I think they also extend to objects, as Allison said. These relationships with these objects can sometimes be more important that the relationships one has with the other people in their life.

In order for relationships to be successful, there has to be respect between the two people, or in objects' case, meaning of the object. This kind of relationship is a mutual relationship. This causes relationships to fall apart. This is because one person in the relationship takes advantage of the other. Relationships are vital in our society. They are the very basis of our lives. Last generations relationships are so different than our generations and we use different objects differently than they have. We use our cell phones almost every day, and use email to communicate around the world. Our relationships that we share with our peers differ greatly.

justinp2012 said...

The relationships that exist in my life are the obvious ones: family, friends, other relatives, even objects. The most significant and probably complicated is the human relationship. For a successful relationship, both ends need to be easy to forgive. The most common thing that attacks a relationship are fights and disagreements, and if you can put that behind you, it will be a lot easier.
Relationships are difficult mostly because of who you are. The different qualities you have change what kind of relationships you make, how strong the bond is, and what it takes to make, or break, the relationship.
Relationships cannot fall apart, I believe, but they can definitely weaken. What makes them weaken is not differences between two people, but how they treat each other. If both are mean to each other, no doubt the relationship won't be a good one for long.
We need relationships to survive in society. They expand our knowledge on people and build up our social skills and empathy skills. Without relationships, our ability to interact with humans will disappear.

loganc2012 said...

An endless number of relationships exist in my life. Not one of them is the same. Although each relationship may share similar qualities I do not interact to anyone the exact same way I do someone else. Just like no person is the same, no relationships with those people are the same. Whether or not a relationship is successful is completely dependent upon what success is. If success is the continual existence of a relationship then all relationships are successful. If success is a relationship which has an overall positive contribution to those that are a part of a relationship then success is not so easily achieved. Success then would be the mutual respect that two or more parties have for one another and furthermore the use of that respect in a positive manner. Relationships can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Humans undoubtedly breed conflict both on a large scale and on a personal one. Conflict will eternally disrupt the success of relationships because conflict endows a sense of fear, a loss of respect, pain and sadness, or overwhelming anger. As a result the same conflict can cause successful relationships to fall apart; however, a relationship of some form will still exist. Humans need relationships because without them every human would be completely dependent upon themselves. Progression would halt for mankind at the loss of human interaction.

NickM2012 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
NickM2012 said...

There are a few different types of relationships in my life. First there is the family relationship (my parents, brothers, cousins, and etc...) and then there are the friend relationships which can be divided into two separate categories. First category is the "i hang out with you at school" category, this is just all the people i know really. There is also the "i hang out with you all the time" category, and this is filled with people i can really count on and can call my true friends, and this includes my girlfriend (when i have one). I think some relationships are hard because of miscommunication, or you started off on the wrong foot and had bad impression. Seeing people for who they really are takes time, and sometimes people try to rush too much. I think relationships fall apart because people don't really understand who they are having a relationship with and they can make stupid choices. We feel that we need relationships to spread a part of us into the rest of the world, or to maybe understand ourselves better by looking through someone else's eyes like a mirror.

kelseyc2012 said...

"Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need." ~Margaret Mead
I believe that it boils down to the thought that if no one cares about you then why should you care about yourself. We need reassurence in our lives and we search for relationships in order to find it. I believe that is a basic need for self preservation. Relationships help you maintain yourself so that you in turn may help the other people involved in this aquantance.

BernardoT2012 said...

I have the same generic relationships as everyone else. Friends, family, neighbors, countrymen, etc.
The relationships in my life that are 'successful', which to me means that they have an extreme impact on me, are the ones with people who know the bad things about me. In high school especially, we all try to cover up the worst parts about us. The few people (4 in this case) who know everything wrong about me are the ones I count on the most.

The trust that it takes to let someone see that side of you helps to fortify relationships. Communication is the other big part. It's hard to relate and get to know someone if you have a hard time talking to them.
It's hard to trust people very much, and sometimes it can be hard to communicate with someone enough that they know how you feel. Getting over these obstacles is a hard task, but the outcome is always worth it.

Relationships fall apart when there is no communication, or trust. Sometimes something happens to change how much people trust/communicate with each other. Another person getting involved, an event, or just a change of heart.

I disagree with what some of the others have said, and that relationships can fall apart. True there are good relations and bad ones, but there are some people that kind of fade away. It's happened to me a number of times, there's no memory left over.

Relationships show to a person how they can change. They reveal a lot about a person, and helps them realize more about themselves. It's like learning anything else, when there's other people more gets pointed out.

PaulAB2012 said...

I think everyone has a relationship with everything they come into contact with in life. This can be people, objects, places, ideas.... However the important relationships in life that truly matter are the relationships we have with people. I don’t want to repeat what everyone else has said (I have the same types of relationships everyone else has said they have…) so I will just say that am very close with my immediate family and have a turbulent but loving relationship with my sister. I also have a lot of friends a few close ones and a bunch that I know and am friendly with but am not really all that close to... These are the biggest relationships in my life though I also have important relationships with others such as teachers. In general I would say that successful relationships occur when people are both making an attempt at making the relationship successful. Both people need to try and make an effort... Also I think for a relationship to be truly strong and successful the people need to trust each other and be honest with each other. The people involved also need to know what it is they want to get out of the relationship. I think relationships fall apart for many reasons. The biggest reason is that people simply and inevitably change over time and so do their lives. When this happens people may lose their connection to each other… Another is that relationships start out being superficial. But as the people get to know each other, they realize the other person is not who they thought they were when they were in their superficial relationship. The final reason is that people lose interest in each other. As humans we crave newness and when we no longer have a “use” for somebody, our relationships tend to breakdown. Ultimately this is human nature. People come and people go… People need relationships because we need to connect with each other. We need others to do pretty much everything… Also in order to understand our lives we need to look at and understand the lives of others… Almost everything that is inherent in human nature requires relationships… I also believe that relationships are pretty much inevitable part of life as you are bound to interact with others particularly in the way our world is set up now… I believe the most fundamental reason most people live in cities is that they crave relationships.

Kristen said...

Relationships exist everywhere in the world. You can have family, romantic, friendly, or even work related relationships. I think that the hardest relationships are definitely the romantic ones because one person is always trying to please the other and sometimes it just doesn't work out. I have all kinds of relationships in my life, especially the friend and family ones. Humans need relationships because of the fact that we are such a social people. When we feel close to a person we feel connected and usually content.

alisonr2012 said...

In my life there are many different relationships such as my family, friends, teachers, and many more.
Some qualities of successful relationships are trust and honesty. Relationships will go nowhere without trust and honesty. No one is going to be 100% honest all the time but as long as the majority of time people are honest relationships can go far. Another quality of successful relationships is trust. Without trust relationships would fail because if you can't trust the other person or people, why waste your time trying to build a relationship with them.
Some relationships are so difficult because of a lack of trust and honesty and also faith. If there is no faith in the relationships success then the relationship will only fail. Lack of trust and honesty also cause relationships to be difficult. If there is no honesty, there is no trust; if there is no trust the relationship is harder because you never know when you are being lied to. Relationships are also difficult if people look into every little single thing the other person does and tries to interpret what everything means.
Relationships fall apart for many different reasons. Spending too much time with one person can make relationships fail because eventually you get so tired of each other that the relationship becomes too much. Relationships also fall apart when one of the people becomes too needy. Everyone has their own problems and secrets. No one is going to know everything that goes on in someone’s life and if one person is becoming to needy and expecting everyone else to fix their problems, relationships can fail.
We need relationships for so many reasons. Humans don't like to feel alone and abandoned so we build relationships to decrease those feelings so we can feel loved. Relationships also help prepare us for things in life and make us better people. Relationships teach us how to deal with our problems and how to work better with other people. Relationships aren't hard but we make them hard. If you pay attention to what works well and what doesn't, successful relationships are easy to have.

alexandriab2012 said...

Love is a passion you feel for another person whether that is and friendship love or a dating kind of love... Love is something that for that person you would do anything no matter what the outcome may be. You would lay your life down for that person, now this is more a dramatic kind of love however, when this person is sad you'll always be there for them. Love is when you can't imagine a world without them and you feel that they make your life truly worth while just by knowing them. Love can also be when you get butterflies in your stomach just by seeing them and you feel light headed while being around them. Many writer have tried to explain to their reader what true love is however love is indescribable, we can say some of the factors of love, because I don't think that we can have a complete and total answer for what love is.
However, relationship can go wrong in this game that we call love. People hear other things, find they’ve changed their mind and feel that they are not happy. Whatever the reason is, not all love can last forever, and if this love does in fact last then how much did those two people have to give up in order to make the other person happy.

Brianc2012 said...

In life relationships are everywhere you look. There is not just boyfriend and girlfriend, but also family, pets and friends. You can also have relationships with people you don't know, you may just see them on T.V. Relationships don't always work for many reasons. Some is a lack of communication or lack of love. Some qualities of successful relationships are getting to know traits about the person and to try and love them for who they are. Relationships are a way to interact with others in a hectic world. Relationships cannot truly dissapear. They are always around and just because one falls apart, others still exist.

stephaniel2012 said...

In my life there are a ton of different relationships. There is the relationship between me and my parents, my sister, between my close friends, my not so close friends, my God, my accquaintences, my enemies, and my crush. The qualities of a sucessful relationship include things like: balance, understanding, compromise, affection, and empathy. Things that make relationships crumble are things like disloyalty, dishonesty, rudeness and ingenuity. But we need relationships to survive because as humans, relationships are all we've had for the longest time, be it good or bad relationships.

ericak2012 said...

Relationships that exsist can be that of you and your family, your friends, and then relationships caused by attraction. Qualities of successful relationships include being able to get along, and being able to not become bored or annoyed with each other, and if that does happen to be able to change it. Relationships fall apart when people become disinterested or when people don't get along, this is true for all types of relationships. We need relationships because without relationships, nothing would ever get done and everyone would be isolated in someway.

Maxe2012 said...

The relationships in my life are the father son relationship, the mother son relationship, the relationship between siblings, the relationship between step-siblings, and the relationship between friends.
Success in a relationship happens when to people understand each other and care about each other. Some relationships are made difficult because some friends don't like other friends which can make you have to choose between friends and some parents don't like each other and then get divorced or never marry and then their kids have to pick between parents.
We need relationships because humans are designed so they can't survive on their own. To reproduce, we need relationships and when we are born, we need a parent to take care of us.

PeterH2012 said...

Some good relationships that exist in my life, are the ones i have with friends and most of my family. There are also some bad relationships in my life that exist with some of my family, but not really any of my friends.
Some qualities of a successful relationship are communication and interest in the other person. Some things that make relationships difficult are the lack of communication and lack of interest in wanting to get to know the other person.
we need relationships because they add a flair to our life that can't be added by anything else.

connorm said...

A succesful relationship between two people is a very broad topic. Peraps it could be considered in several different ways. Two people may not like each other but that relationship may produce a lot of good things for the two individuals. Two people may get along really well but, the relationship produces things that are not good for the two individuals. Some relationships are difficult because of seperate opinions. This occurs perhaps when one person believes someting is true and another doesnt. Or they have different personalities that clash in ways that they just cannot have a good relationship. A relaitonship falls apart when either one person changes and the other person does not like it, or when they just begin argueing and argueing on pointless matters to the point where they just dont want to spend time together anymmore. Relationships allow for colabaration, interaction, and enjoyment with other people. These things are neccesary for a speciesto survive. They also allow for the forming of opinions of different individuals and reconization of which people are ok to be with.

bayleyk2012 said...

There are a lot of relationships in my life. My relationships with my parent, siblings, friends, teachers, amoung the many. Really just knowing someone you have a realationship with them. I like to build strong relationships with my friends. I trust and care for them.

To be successful in a realationships you must be willing to compromise. You cannot always get what you want. You area going to have to work with others to make it work. You also must trust the other person. There is a saying that goes, "Loving someone is giving someone the power to break your heart and trusting them not to." That is what makes relationships work.
Realationships are difficult because you do have to work with someone else when you might have differing opinions. Relationships don't work when people are selfish and don't sacrifive for others in the relationship. They don't compromise. We need relationships to make life worth living. Without friends life would be no fun. There would be no one to trust and go for advice to without relationships.

Zivenc2012 said...

In my life, only two types of relationships exist. They are: family, and friends. The reason why I only experience two types of relationship is because I am not old enough to be employed and therefore, do not have colleagues. Also, I am not old enough to have true romantic relationships.

To have a successful relationship, the relationship has to be between two compatible personalities. One personality has to compliment the other. One cannot have a successful relationship if the two people in the relationship secretly despise each other. Also, the relationship has to be trusting. If one cannot trust my friend or family member one will never let my guard down. Without letting one's guard down,one’s true personality and who one is compatible with cannot be known.

The reason why relationships become difficult is because neither person is willing to end the relationship. They both want to make the relationship work even though the relationship is flawed. In my opinion, people stay in flawed or difficult relationships because they fear being alone or hurt.

Relationships fall apart because they were not established properly. For example, if one person hides their true personality from the other the relationship is not constructed properly.

People need relationships because humans are social animals. Humans need to work together to reach our full potential. If, humans actively avoided each other than civilization would not exist.

TaylorG2012 said...

There are many different kinds of relationships but the ones that occur in my life are relationships with friends and family. I definitely have both successful and unsuccesful relationships and the major difference between them is whether empathy is present, and how well they communicate. The difficult relationships are the ones where it is impossible to communicate and therefore its hard to understand the other person and its hard to get to know them. Also, with a lack of effort put into getting to know someone and making a relationship work comes nothing but failure. It takes two people to make or break a relationship and what the outcome is ultimately comes down to if there's anything to help them relate to one another and the desire to actually make that relationships. Relationships are important because no person can survive on their own and we need each other to progress and learn in life.

katiez2012 said...

There are many kinds of relationships such as family, friends, and romantic. There can be different subcatagories in each of these types and peple can often fit into more than one group. I have great relationships in my life. Successful relationships need honesty, fun, understanding, commitment, loyalty. I've come to realize someone needs to be able to be themselves in any kind of relationship. Some relationships are so difficult because people can lie, worry too much, over react, disagree, or many other conflicts can happen. We need relationships because we can't live life being the only person around. You need friends, family, or even pets just to keep you company and have someone to talk to.

samis2012 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
samis2012 said...

In my life there are many types of relationships in my life such as the obvious ones with my mother, father, sister, and friends. There is also a special someone but you can figure out his name on your own. The qualities of a successful relationship are a sense of camaraderie, and partnership and also the willingness to compromise and sacrifice. On that same note, those are the things that make relationships so difficult. Many people aren't used to having to give up something for another. What makes them fall apart is when the people involved can't get along or work together making them all miserable, also when one person is more passionate about the relationship than the other(s). We need relationships because our world can't function without them. If we didn't have relationships then we wouldn't know how to interact with other people, even those in our own family.

jordang2012 said...

For me, I can only speak of the relationships I have with my family, and maybe a few close friends. I am usually on good terms in all of them, and it takes a great deal of compromise and commitment on both sides. I really don't think that a relationship will stay on good terms if only one person cares, or does anything in it. Communication is the most important thing in the relationship. Without communication, there is no connection, and where there is no connection, there will be a very bad relationship.

leahf2012 said...

Relationships on my life are one of two possibilities. Either they are a positive relationship or a negative relationship in terms of how the interaction impacts my daily life. Qualities of a successful relationship is an interaction between people that creates a positive outcome for all parties. This obviously depends on the individuals involved. Relationships are difficult because human nature is selfish. I truly believe that selfishness is the primary root of all negative aspects of a failing relationship. Relationships disintegrate due to selfishness. Selfishness amplifies other imperfections about a particular individual. Human nature is relationship-hungry. I think we strive for interaction resulting in strong relationships. In turn, strong relationships amplify the participating individuals' admirable as well as formidable characteristics.

sammiet2012 said...

In life there are many relationships. Many of which we are glad that we have and there are many of which we wish had never existed. Everything and everyone we encounter as human beings we develop a relationship with. We even have words for those different relationships like; stranger, pet, acquaintance, friends, lovers, ex-lovers. Many of the relationships there are, are not successful, but too many that are successful have similar qualities. Many that become positive relationships are those where the party's involved in the relationship respect each other. Many relationships are difficult because only one or neither party respects each other. Those that fall apart are of those that respect doesn't happen. We need relationships has humans to survive and to game experiences and learn from the world around us.

Jonathan P said...

There are many relationships in one's life. Relationship such as your family (mom, dad, brother, aunt, uncle, cousins, grandparents) or friends, and maybe even teachers. successful qualities of having a successful relationship, is being open, respectful, and just being nice and have fun with him/her. Some relationships are difficult because something might have come up that hurt their feelings, causing a fight or something that jeopardizes a relationship. We need relationships in our lives because to keep the peace with one another. forming relationships is just human nature.

lsadler2012 said...

Relationships basically make up our lives. We have relationships that are between animals and man, technology etc. and relationships between to people. Most people however, focus on the romantic, and friendship side. A healthy relationship happens when both parties are willing to give a part of themsleves to the relationship to make it strong and last. Its a big commitment to make, and you have to be mature and prepared for what may come in life. Relationships in this sense are difficult because its a constant maintennce routine. Its hard to be completely honest and real no matter what the circumstances. Selfishness is not something that can be tolerated. When selfishness sneaks its way into one party or both, this is when the relationship struggles and ultimately crumbles. Humans have such a strong desire to bond with one another, so its adimant that people focus on building strong relationships. We learn to give our time, love and life to that individual. Its a scary thing to do, to put yourself out on that limb. But, this is what develops inviduals characteristics and morals.

Anonymous said...

There are many different relationships in my life, and I am glad that I have variation. I have several close friends who I can share almost everything with. I’m able to have a good time with them but also discuss serious issues. Then there are my friends that I am just getting to know and who I like to hang out with and just have fun. My family is a huge part of my life, and I’m very close with all of my cousins, but with each one of my 10 cousins I have a very different relationship. Business relationships can be confusing, because one has to remain professional but I always like to get personal. Right now, there is no “physical love” relationship in my life. I use “physical” because I believe that almost every relationship I have there is a certain amount of love in it.
Trust, humor, love, respect, appreciation, listening, and enjoyment of one another’s company are key qualities that I believe make successful and long lasting relationships.
Relationships fall apart when you try and fix the other person and stop enjoying them for who they are.
Almost all relationships are difficult. The more difficult a relationship, the more you have to work at it to make it better.
I need relationships because I like being around people and I enjoy life way more when I am around people I love. I get lonely easily so being around people is necessary for my mental well-being. People are social creatures so it is important for us to be around other living creatures.