Dating vs Relationships
The terms ‘dating’ and ‘relationships’ have often been alternatively used by many couples so much so that many would view the two as synonymous to each other. Although the two involve two particular individuals, these two terms could not be more different from each other.
Behind the Definitions
A relationship is basically a connection between two individuals, either of the same gender or by different genders. Relationships are developed through constant communication and being with a particular individual. Although there are some relationships that involve some feelings to be felt between the two individuals, this is not necessarily a criterion for a relationship to occur. Examples of this would include a relationship between an employer and an employee or a relationship between a doctor and his patient.
Dating, on the other hand, is a process where a person gets to know another person for the sole purpose of determining if that person would be a suitable partner. For dating to begin, both individuals must share some feelings towards to each other and a desire to get to know the other person more for romantic purposes.
Level of Seriousness
When two people are involved in the activity of dating, there is no level of commitment shared between the two individuals. This is because, as mentioned earlier, dating is often done to see whether or not an individual would make a suitable partner. As such, the activities centering on the process of dating would involve doing fun things together such as going to the movies or the beach with the central theme always trying to get to know the other person more. For this reason, a man or a woman can date more than one person at a time.
On the other hand, when two people are in a relationship, there is a certain level of commitment that is enjoyed between the two individuals. By this it simply means that both individuals close their doors to the advances of another person. People who are in a relationship begin to refer to their partner with terms of endearment such as referring to the other as his or her boyfriend or girlfriend. Those that are in a relationship also enjoy communication topics that are no longer focused on getting to know each other. Rather, they begin to discuss other matters such as personal problems, challenges and gathering the other’s opinion to help in decision-making processes.
Length of Time
Because of the lack of seriousness and commitment between people who are dating, the length of time that two people will be dating each other is relatively short, ranging from a few weeks to a couple of months. On the other hand, those that are in a relationship experience longer periods of being with each other, with some spending the rest of their lives with each other.
Summary:
1.Relationships are experienced between two people for a number of different reasons. Dating merely focuses on trying to get to know each other for the purpose of finding a suitable partner.
2.People who are merely dating do not share any level of commitment between each other. People who are in a relationship are exclusively committed to one another.
3.Dating only occurs for a short period of time while those in a relationship stay together for years or even for their entire lives.
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very nice explanations
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I have to disagree with the definition of dating. Certainly there are men and women who believe that ‘dating’ does not involve commitment, and so, for example, if they slept with another person while dating another individual, they wouldn’t consider it cheating. Others however would expect at least some level of commitment after a second or third date, even if they were not yet referring to each other as a boyfriend/girlfriend. Not surprisingly, they would be quite hurt if they found out the person they’re dating was also dating or sleeping with someone else. Indeed, there are people who would be angry just to find out that someone they’ve been on a 1st date with has also had a 1st date with someone else. The simple conclusion is this: Concepts like ‘dating’ are not clearly defined by our culture, so if you’re going to date someone for the first month or few months without using the relationship label, you had better communicate what dating means for you and what level of commitment you expect.
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