Today, 20 April 2008

Yesterday, 19 April 2008

Question
Can you explain what it means to have a homo-emotional relationship? Is it a psychological impairment of some sort?

Answer
This is a new one! Literally, "homo" means "the same" and "emotional" means "of the feelings".

The emotions are those internal feelings that move us in one or another direction.

Emerging from a deeper level of the brain, emotions feed our thoughts and in turn are aroused by our thoughts.

So this sounds, on the surface, like a relationship where both people feel the same way.

A very broad category, since all friendships, successful partnerships, and love relationships embrace common interests and shared feelings.

Even enemies share a feeling, if they hate each other! (How's that for a show-stopper in the coffee lounge at work: "I reckon me and the boss have a homo-emotional relationship...!")

Unless the phrase you're looking for is "homo-erotic relationship"?

That is something quite different - a relationship based on sexual attraction to someone of the same sex, in which that sense of attraction or arousal is being given some kind of verbal, physical or mental expression, although one or other party may not be consciously aware of it.

I wouldn't call that a psychological impairment, though it may not be the most wholesome way of operating if being dishonest at any level is involved.

You could even have a "homo-erotic emotional relationship", where there is an emotional bond between two people of the same sex, which has now become "something more". In that case, it would fall into the same category as an "emotional affair", which can be a very risky thing if one or other of the people is committed to someone else - be they male or female, gay or straight....

It's all just words - but some of these are straying into dangerous territory.

If the "homo emotional relationship" is breaking someone else's trust and stealing into that space in the heart which they believe is reserved for them alone, that's an issue one can't get around with fancy semantics.