Steps to Intimacy:

An anthropologist is, among other things, a person who studies cultures and figures out what makes those cultures tick. For instance, an anthropologist might go to some South Pacific island and study the way local people relate to each other – how do they form families, what rules do they follow, what kind of food they eat.

So, this anthropologist named Desmond Morris studied why some people stay married for life while others got divorced. Dr Morris, after a long study of many couples, identified 12 stages of growing a relationship that seemed fairly common among the longer lasting couples. He believes that, if a couple takes their time going through these steps, they will form a bond that will be able to stand up to the stresses that can cause other couples to throw in the towel.

Check out the Steps to Intimacy below and think it through. If you start at step one with your girl or boy friend and take your time getting to step 9 and beyond, you’ll have time to get to know each other as more than just a pretty face or a funny character. You will lay the ground work for what might become a permanent relationship. It’s the first steps that are most important, especially step 3. When you start talking – and spend more and more time talking, you really start to understand the other person. You’ll know their dreams and plans for their future; whether they want one child or seven; whether they want to go to college or tech school; and every other detail that people really need to know before they become sexually intimate and create a bond based in physical attraction instead of mutual admiration and respect.

Pay attention! These steps are supposed to be taken in order. If you skip any of them, according to Dr Morris’ observations, you are less likely to develop the kind of bond that will last for a lifetime; the kind of bond – marriage – most people have as a goal in life.