Thursday, June 10, 2010

Types of Dating


Dating is a social activity which involves two or more people generally assessing each other s suitability for a potential relationship. Dating can also be enjoyed as part of an already active relationship. The word Dating actually comes from the arranging of a time and date of meeting.

Dates, in many traditional cultures, are arranged by third-parties (such as a family member or a close friend) or dedicated dating agencies. In modern western culture, however, this process has been relaxed and it s up to the partners to arrange something. Dating usually involves money, traditionally it was up to the male partner to pay for the dates, however it is becoming more common for each party to share the costs. This is known as Going Dutch . Dates can involve going the movies or for a meal.

There are many different types of dating, such as:

A standard date; this involves two people

A double date; this is where two couples go on a date at the same time and location

Group date; where any number of couples can enjoy a date

Blind date; this is where the participants have never met personally before. These are arranged by a third party or a dedicated dating agency

Speed dating; this is where groups of individuals go to a dedicated place with lots of other individuals have short dates with each other. During this type of dating the participants generally only have time to find out the basic details about the other partner. Participants can often have dates with as many as 50 people in one night.

Dating can also have different meanings for individuals. For example in teenage culture dating can mean individuals spending lots of time together, away from the usual social groups, which can eventually become an exclusive partnership .

Dating can often initiated via peer pressure or attention seeking by one or more of the partners. During the dates issues such as misreading of one partners commitment can occur or often partners may try to make themselves look better , perhaps via lying. Issues like this can lead to seduction, time wasting or most severely date rape.

There is also an increase in casual relationships opposed to dating; these are setup purely for the partners to engage in sexual relationship, without the need for commitment or dating. The internet and changing social attitudes has lead to this.


Online Dating
  1. Online dating is where people meet and get to know each other over the Internet instead of in person. People often chat, email and exchange photos online. Once a connection is made, people will often arrange an in-person meeting.


Speed Dating

  1. Speed dating is generally set up by an organization or dating service. People arrive at a designated location and quickly spend one-on-one time with other dating candidates. Time spent with each dating candidate varies from 5 to 10 minutes. Speed dating allows people to meet a lot of dating candidates in one setting to see if one or more of them are suitable matches.

Blind Dating

  1. Blind dating is where two people who do not know each other are set up by someone else to go on a date. Blind dates are usually set up by friends, family or co-workers.







Double Dating

  1. Double dating is where couples go out together. Double dating is popular among teenagers, adult couples who have similar interests and for people on blind dates.





Casual Dating

  1. Casual dating is when a person dates many people. Casual dating is done by people who are not interested in settling down with one person, by people who are searching for the right partner to settle down with and by people who are just looking for sexual relationships.


Serious Dating

  1. Serious dating is when two people date only each other, and they consider themselves a couple. Serious dating involves a commitment and monogamy. This type of dating often leads to becoming engaged and getting married.