Caring relationships

The benefit of caring relationships

According to Kelsey, caring with love in a relationship creates a far more beneficial and in-depth understanding between each other- therefore enabling support for one another. She describes it as "a love that involves a complex of emotions, attitudes, movements of will and actions in which we reach out to others in a caring, concerned manner…”

Relationships can work as two paradoxes- two realities that appear contradictory but in truth are mutually influential.  One type of caring relationship integrates autonomy and community, and the other paradox centers on contemplation and action.

In summary, it is imperative in knowing who you are.
Confidence in your values in life and where you stand creates confidence as a person. This could lead to creating and maintaining good quality relationships that are there for support when needed in times of adversity. That support will help one to get over the challenge and deal with stress of a situation, thus maintaining and enhancing resilience.

Knowing our inner life becomes critical, for who we are we take into our relationships, whether we do so blindly or mindfully. Kabat-Zinn (1994) explains that entering into life with "diminished awareness and understanding of our own mind and how it influences our perceptions and our actions. It limits our perceptions on what it means to be a person and how we are connected to each other and the world around us" (p. 5). Participating in relationships blindly, without self-examination tends toward habitual, automated actions and reactions that may be "driven by our deepest fears and insecurities" (p. 4). Our perceptions become caught up in what Bohm (1992) refers to as a system of thought, a homeostatic structure, that is organized around our memories, such that our thinking is influenced by an overriding system of thought which forms our perceptions and the meanings we assign to daily activities. Associatedwith our memories are emotions, which become hardwired in our consciousness to the extent that we react out of these memories, resulting in a loss of authenticity and freedom (p. xi). Entering into relationships in a conscious, mindful manner can lead toward a movement of will and actions that is more authentic and closer to a true sense of being.

*The articles emphasizes the importance of feeling connected in the workplaces aids an individual to experience growth and meaning, which promotes individuals to ‘view their work as being worthwhile and meaningful.’ Positive relationships are believed to allow new voices and new perspectives to be heard, and encourage new ways of doing business. This could be the same case in a professional ballet company with the various challenges. New perspectives and ideas help create fresh ideas on how to overcome a difficult situation. These new ways could also enhance a reliable support system amongst the dancers.

Wilson, S. , 2005. Enhancing Resilience in the Workplace Through the Practice of Caring Relationships, Organization Development Journal (E-journal) Available through: Middlesex University of London summon library