ABSTRACT
Before describing what intimacy in relationships looks like, it is helpful to consider what factors are needed in a relationship for intimacy to be cultivated or formed. Rampage (1994) suggested three preconditions for marital intimacy, including (a) equality between partners, (b) empathy for each other’s experience, and (c) a willingness to come together around action and meaning. Based on the suggestions of other authors, I would like to add a fourth prerequisite, namely the dierentiation of self. Maintaining a
healthy self-concept and autonomy while simultaneously connecting with others sets up partners to experience and share genuine intimacy between each other (Patrick, Sells, Giordano, & Tollerud, 2007). Further, dierentiation can be viewed from a religious lens, which I will propose later.
