Liquid Relationships In Adolescents
For human beings, social relationships are fundamental. Having quality interpersonal links is necessary to maintain good psychological and emotional health. However, the globalized societies in which we live have drastically changed the way we relate to each other and young people are the most affected in this regard. And it is that liquid relationships in adolescents have become a daily reality.
Adolescence is a time of great social change. Family relationships lose prominence and some routines of visiting uncles, cousins or grandparents disappear. Instead, the peer group takes center stage and the first romantic ties begin to emerge.
These first experiences can deeply mark adolescents and help build their identity and their beliefs and expectations. Therefore, it is important to provide them with the necessary tools so that these experiences are as positive as possible.
What are liquid relationships?
It was the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman who coined the term liquid relationships to refer to fleeting, superficial and fragile interpersonal bonds. Relationships that are born from the selfish desire to fill an emotional lack and end with the fear of compromising and being hurt by the other. Thus, this type of relationship is characterized by being temporary, not very empathetic and lacking in implication.
The maxim that is sought is freedom and independence, two aspects that are not willing to give up in order to establish a solid connection with another human being. In liquid relationships, people remain for a specific time in our lives, but their duration is ephemeral and the projection into the future is non-existent.
Why do liquid relationships occur in adolescents?
Personal relationships during adolescence have always been characterized by being brief and changeable, since this is related to the emotional lability and impulsivity typical of this stage of growth. Adolescents are not yet adults and therefore cannot be required to act fully mature. But, beyond this, there are other factors that favor the appearance of liquid relationships.
Changing and uncertain context
In previous generations, it was common for people to stay in the same job for most of their working career, for their environment to be similar over the years, and even for them to remain with their partner until adulthood or old age.
Today’s youth face an ever-changing reality that requires them to be flexible and versatile. In this context, emotional commitment has come to be seen as a tie, a burden that can hinder personal development and, therefore, tends to be avoided.
Social media
Social networks have also contributed to modify the way of connecting and the vision that is maintained about relationships. Accustomed to immediacy and infinite possibilities just a click away, empathy and emotional responsibility have been lost in relationships. Adolescents have become accustomed to establishing virtual connections in which practices such as ghosting (which would not be carried out in another context) are the order of the day.
Globalization
In general, globalization has led to perceiving ties as one more consumer product, something that can be easily accessed, enjoyed without effort, and discarded or replaced with the slightest failure or difficulty.
The consequences of superficial connections
Liquid relationships in teens can cause emotional damage. First, because they can lead them to see themselves as substitutable and worthless. Second, because the psychological consequences of these first experiences can condition the future way of relating to young people, increasing their fear of commitment and emotional intimacy.
But, above all, because they deprive them of enjoying the deep and meaningful bonds that all human beings need; those that give us a sense of belonging and roots and those that we know we can turn to.
It is not possible to modify the reality of the times that adolescents have had to live. However, boosting your self-esteem and educating values from home can help prevent the consequences. Talking about the importance of building meaningful relationships and valuing interdependence over independence can avoid that fear of emotional intimacy that sustains liquid relationships.
