Emotional intimacy

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This subject is covered in some depth at Intimacy.

Emotional intimacy is a dimension of interpersonal intimacy that varies in degree, much like physical intimacy. Affect, emotion and feeling may refer to different phenomena. Emotional intimacy may refer to any or all of those in a lay or a professional context.

Intimacy can be observed in terms of communication pertaining to any of those three as subjective experiences. The degree of comfort and effectiveness of the communicative process can be seen as an indicator of the emotional intimacy between two individuals. Relative emotional intimacy depends primarily on trust, as well as the nature of the relationship. Emotional intimacy frequently involves individuals discussing their feelings and emotions with each other in order to gain understanding and offer mutual support. It is necessary for human beings to have this form of intimacy on a regular basis for them to develop and maintain good mental health.

Compare physical intimacy, sympathy, empathy.