Concetti Chiave
- Closeness refers to both physical proximity and the intimate bond between people who frequently share important aspects of their lives.
- Rebecca longs for a relationship that replicates the closeness she once felt, highlighting the desire for intimacy beyond casual dating.
- Kinship denotes official family relationships, playing a significant role in traditional societies where family ties influence social interactions and support systems.
- Extended kinship encompasses strong emotional ties or sympathies with non-family members, expanding the concept of kin beyond immediate relatives.
- Scott is considered part of the extended family, illustrating how kinship can include distant relatives or those connected through familial networks.
The meaning of closeness
Physically, closeness simply means the state of things that are nearby. Figuratively and between people closeness is the state of being intimate, when people have a strong relationship and often communicate with each other about important things.
Jenna's family tells each other everything. Their closeness is really strange for me, because my family is not so close and rarely talks except on Christmas and Easter.
Rebecca and the desire for intimacy
Rebecca explained that she wasn't really interested in going on dates anymore. She just wants to be in a relationship and feel the kind of closeness she used to have with Mark.
You can use the adjective close referring to people who have closeness, as in close friends or close family.
My family is really close. My sister calls my mum and talks to her every day. I don't call that often, but I see them at least once a week and tell them all about my life, too.
Sherry and Erin are the closest of friends. They share everything and they see each other all the time. I'm jealous of their relationship sometimes.
The concept of kinship
Kinship is an official term for family relationships.
In traditional cultures, kinship ties are very important and determine a person's relationship to the whole society. People often depend on their relatives for everything.
I would ask the old man's son Bobby to help you out. The old man respects nothing but kinship, so unless you have a family member supporting you, he's going to say no.
The concept of extended kinship
You can say you feel a kinship to something or someone if you feel very strong ties with or sympathy for them, even if they aren't actually family members. People in your family can be called your kin. They can be divided into immediate family (mother, father, siblings that you live with) and extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins).
Sandra feels a real kinship to anyone who plays the flute, as that was her instrument in high school. So she gave her son's neighbor a nice flute for Christmas.
Scott and extended kinship
I didn't realize Scott was kin to us, but he's actually in the extended family. He's the son of mom's cousin.
Domande da interrogazione
- What does "closeness" mean in the context of relationships?
Closeness in relationships refers to the state of being intimate, where people have a strong bond and often communicate about important matters, as illustrated by Jenna's family who share everything with each other.
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