PHClose relationships can blur the psychological boundary between “me” and “you.”
Researchers describe this through the inclusion of other in the self.
As intimacy develops, people can begin incorporating aspects of their partner's perspectives, identities, resources, and experiences into their own sense of self.
That's one reason researchers sometimes measure closeness using two circles representing “self” and “other” that increasingly overlap.
Greater overlap represents greater perceived closeness.
This doesn't mean healthy couples lose their individual identities.
Instead, a close relationship can add another person's world to the way you understand your own.
The phrase “you're part of my life” can be psychologically more literal than it sounds.
© Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Researchers describe this through the inclusion of other in the self.
As intimacy develops, people can begin incorporating aspects of their partner's perspectives, identities, resources, and experiences into their own sense of self.
That's one reason researchers sometimes measure closeness using two circles representing “self” and “other” that increasingly overlap.
Greater overlap represents greater perceived closeness.
This doesn't mean healthy couples lose their individual identities.
Instead, a close relationship can add another person's world to the way you understand your own.
The phrase “you're part of my life” can be psychologically more literal than it sounds.
© Journal of Personality and Social Psychology