OED defines 'intimacy' as "the state of having a close personal relationship with somebody." So, 'intimacy' is the closeness between persons in intimate connections. It develops when you connect, care about, and become more comfortable together. Intimacy can be physical, emotional, or both.
In this stage of the relationship, discourse is superficial. Questions include "how are you" and "what you have been up to these days". Communication is limited at this level.
Factual information, such as that pertaining to the stock market, the weather, etc., is covered at this level of communication. According to Kelly, the dread of the third degree of intimacy is the main reason why most relationships only go between the first two levels.
When a relationship reaches this point, things tend to heat up. On this platform, individuals are free to express their genuine views on a variety of topics. In order to do this, we must be open and honest with one another, and we must learn to appreciate and embrace our unique qualities.
At this stage, we are at ease conveying our aspirations to one another. At this stage, we also start to talk about our aspirations and work together to make them a reality.
When we do this, we let one other know how we feel. Here, it's crucial to be able to recognize your own emotions while yet allowing the other person room to express theirs.
When we reach this stage, we are able to open up about the shadow sides of our personalities. This degree calls for profound trust because most of us have a lot of private ideas we'd like keep to ourselves.
At this level, one expresses their deepest emotional, psychological, physical, and intimate demands. Here, a couple may sit down and talk about their requirements.