Are all relationships transactional by nature?

[HawkPerception]

Yes

No

[Telekinetic-Potato]

Yes, I wish more people understood this. It would lead to a lot less heartbreak. Especially from dudes perspective. Women tend to need more from a man security, attention, status etc.

There's nothing wrong with it but if you convince yourself this is bad, you're going to get blindsided when they eventually resent/cheat you

[MrOracle]

Yes, and if you don't believe that's true, you are naive, and your naiveté will cost you sooner or later. The world always extracts its price.

[Summeroflove]

To a extent they have to be… If someone’s able bodied and refusing to put effort into a relationship despite the fact that you are. Does that person really love you? If two people agree that a relationship is completely transactional there isn’t any lying or love bombing… that’s between them if the relationship lasts it lasts and if it don’t it don’t.

Obviously for most relationships to work there has to be a genuine bond. But people have to learn when a relationship or a person simply isn’t worth it… and walk away. Staying with someone who refuses to contribute anything while demanding more. Is going to end in misery.

[DishLady]

I hope not. Aristotle describes 3 types of relationships… I won’t bore you with the details bc it’s A LOT, but check out N. Ethics parts 8-10.

[Phoenix98]

O the utility, pleasure and virtue relationships?

[Apple1996]

They shouldn't be but sadly it is that way for a lot of relationships

[Sangita93]

Not all relationships are (purely) transactional, but some involve elements of exchange, and some are "relational" or " non-transactional," built on unconditional love, mutual joy, and emotional support rather than strict give-and-take business. Business deals lean heavily transactional, with clear expectations of specific benefits. Parental love often has a deep emotional, non-transactional core. The key difference lies in whether the goal is the relationship itself, or achieving specific, individual gains. Transactional relationships are mostly based on conditions “I'll do this for you if you do that for me", focusing on individual benefits, goals, and clear reciprocation. It is goal-oriented, efficient, clear, but can feel conditional or like keeping score.

Relational relationships are built on genuine affection, mutual respect, and emotional investment, where the relationship itself is the reward. Some friendships, marriages, and parent-child bonds are rational relationships ideally. In recent time, most relationships exist on a spectrum, with elements of both. Even in loving relationships, there is an exchange of time, attention, and affection, but it is often unconditional and not tallied.

[236color]

Even a one night stand, I'm horny, you're horny, lets fuck, is transactional. One could argue that is the most open and equitable or relationship transactions. Each party is aware, up front what is desired by the other, and both are satisfied. Now in reality, this rarely happens. As someone else said women usually require more, and often bait and switch.

[Joshydavid25]

Yeah, throughout history, most marriages have been sort of transactional and functional.. Basically based on survival or arranged to make a family more powerful or gain more status.. It's more recently where it has been purely based on the people liking each other enough to court, and go on dates to learn to love, and then eventually marry.. But that doesn't mean that people never learned to love each other.. And being an a transactional marriage is not necessarily a bad thing..

[Phoenix98]

In a sense yes but even though I know that I try not to look at it that way because then it feels more like a business transaction and that just takes the spark away and saps all the fun out of it.

If I wanted something that was a business transaction then I would just get a mail order bride and be done with it.

[queenofcardio]

It's natural to give and receive in a relationship

[TallLoney]

Unfortunately and its mostly on the mans side.

[elizamichale1]

In a way yes

[RingOfFire]

I believe so although I wish I didn't.

[aaron-98]

not all relationships works like that

[beekeeper]

IMHO