What Is a Platonic Relationship?

You have probably heard the word used before but the context may have been confusing; therefore, you are left wondering what is a platonic relationship? They are supposed to be simple, but sometimes they are not!

Platonic relationships are personal relationships that are based on love and respect for another person. However, there is no sexual component involved at all. Basically, you are just friends. Most people will accept that this type of relationship can exist when we are talking about two females or two males in a heterosexual scene, or when we are talking about a female and a male in a homosexual scene. Yet, when people hear the words "platonic relationship" in other situations, they often utter a groan. Why is it that this seemingly innocent phrase appears to cause so much distress?

Identifying a Platonic Relationship

The reason is that people often say "Oh no! It's just platonic!" when they are talking about their relationship with a person of the other sex. It is generally assumed, again in the case of heterosexuals, that two men or two women do not have anything sexual going on. Therefore, there is never really the need to dramatically identify the relationship with the ever so popular, "It's just platonic!"

When this phrase is said, it is usually because two people of the opposite sex have been accused of being romantically or sexually involved. Often, when people claim to have a platonic relationship, there is a "but" or an "except" thrown in there somewhere. Often one or the other of them had romantic feelings for the other that went unrequited, or at some point they exchanged a kiss or had another sort of sexual encounter.

If a platonic relationship is not supposed to have romantic or sexual feelings involved, and if there are romantic feelings on the part of either party, you really cannot say that such a relationship is truly platonic.

Can a Guy and Girl Really Ever Just "Be Friends"?

It is not possible to make a judgment and say that a heterosexual guy and a girl can never just be friends. In some relationships it is possible to just be friends. However, in some relationships one has had feelings for the other in the past or there has been some sort of physical interaction between the two individuals.

Perhaps the better question is, can two people have an entirely platonic relationship for the entirety of the time that they know each other? While we are sure that there have been some pairs who have done it, in general, it does seem to be rather difficult to never develop feelings. Perhaps one person in the pair never has feelings for the other, but the other individual does go through a period of unrequited love.

The implications of the idea of a "platonic relationship" are ones that rule our every day life.