Affection and Affectionate Behavior

Conceptualization and Measurement

Affection is thought to be distinct from other positive relational experiences such as intimacy. Affection is characterized by a sense of liking, positive feelings, and high regard for another. Intimacy, in contrast, involves a sense of interdependence between people who rely on each other to fulfill needs. Another key difference between the concepts is that affection is an individual level variable and intimacy is a relational variable. Although conceptually different, affection and intimacy are often interrelated as high levels of affection, and the expression of those feelings can often lead to increases in intimacy in the relationship and vice versa. Furthermore, some statements and behaviors can communicate both intimacy and affection concurrently.

Affection can be expressed in a number of different ways. Researchers have claimed that affectionate expressions can be grouped into three distinct subdimensions: verbal, nonverbal, and support affection.

Verbal affection includes the use of language (spoken or written) to convey affectionate feelings for another. Some of these messages express the sender's feelings for the receiver, such as “I like you” or “I love you.” Other messages can help form or affirm the current status of the relationship, such as “You're my best friend” or “I care about you more than any person in my life.” Others affirm future hopes for the relationship, such as “I hope we will be together forever.” Finally, other statements express the value of the relationship by stressing how the sender would feel without it, such as “I would be so sad if I couldn't see you.” Verbal affection is unique from other forms of affectionate behaviors because of the use of language. Often, people use verbal forms of affection (rather than nonverbal forms) when they wish to be clear and reduce the chance of misinterpretation.

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