You will experience many types of relationships in your life, some positive and some negative. Each is different, but here are a few common types.

Maintaining a strong relationship requires constant care and communication, and certain traits have been shown to be especially important for fostering healthy relationships.

Life stages Early adolescent relationships are characterized by companionship, reciprocity, and sexual experiences. As emerging adults mature, they begin to develop attachment and caring qualities in their relationships, including love, bonding, security, and support for partners.

Strong and positive relationships play a big role in helping us lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. But it’s not just about having connections, it’s also about being mindful of how our words, actions, and behaviors influence those relationships, for better or worse.

Learn how relationships influence mental health and growth, and discover ways to nurture healthy connections.

Attachment theory – describes the dynamics of long-term relationships between humans. Its most important tenet is that an infant needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to occur normally.

Healthy relationships protect your health and happiness. This guide covers love, family, friendship, communication, and boundaries, and how to strengthen each.

Healthy relationships are characterized by love and respect. Explore resources that'll help you create open conversations, identify issues, and more.

In this guide, we explore 20 different types of relationships and explain why they matter in life, helping you identify your relationship type and make wiser emotional decisions in the modern world.

All healthy relationships require respect, trust, communication, support, and an understanding gender identity.