Intimate relationships require deep commitment across multiple domains and foster interdependence, where the decisions and experiences of one person affect the others in the relationship. The more intimate the bond, the greater the interdependence. Satisfying relationships involve equal and continuous investment of time, energy, and attention from both partners. Intimate relationships also involve dialectical tensions between opposing but important needs, such as the desire for autonomy versus connection, openness versus privacy, predictability versus novelty, which must be constructively managed for the relationship to thrive.