What is commitment?

Commitment is when a person does what they promise to do. So in a relationship, if the two people have decided that they will not date other people then for both of them to be committed neither person will date anyone else.

Unlike a promise, a commitment is not a situation specific thing. A promise is more of a little commitment and a commitment is something that a person does in any situation. For example, a committed couple will not promise not to date anyone else unless the other person they want to date has great hair.

What is a committed relationship?

This question can be a little difficult to answer. For most people, a married couple would be considered in a committed relationship. But even concerning a marriage relationship, some people in marriage do not have a committed attitude toward the relationship. And if they do not have a committed attitude about the marriage relationship they will generally display that attitude eventually.

For a couple to be in a committed relationship (whether they are dating, engaged, or married) each person in the relationship needs to be aware and understand that the relationship is a committed one. If one or both are unaware that the relationship is committed or wondering if it is, it is not a committed relationship.

Usually a couple will need to have a discussion concerning the whether or not their relationship is a committed one. For many people they refer to it as "the talk." This talk is when the relationship is discussed. If the couple has not had "the talk" yet, there is no guarantee that either person in the relationship understands whether or not it is a committed relationship.

If each person in the relationship has a different idea of how their relationship is or should be it is likely that the couple is not in a committed relationship. For a couple to be in a committed relationship they need to both be on the same page concerning their relationship. It is also a good idea for a couple to make their commitment official. If close friends and family members of the couple do not feel that the relationship is committed then it likely is not. But if a couple formalizes their relationship, they and others will know that they are committed to each other.

Some rules about a committed relationship

One of the main rules that applies to a committed relationship is that there are consequences when a partner does something wrong. For example, if a person cheats on their girlfriend or fiancé there should be consequence. Whereas, if a person goes on another date with someone different than the guy she is dating on and off, most people would not refer to that as cheating because the relationship is not a committed one.

A committed relationship takes time. A real committed relationship cannot be rushed. A couple will grow and evolve in a relationship and become committed to each other if the relationship is important enough to them. And just as a committed relationship takes time it also takes a lot of work. It is not easy. When the relationship hits a rocky point the couple does not just break up, they try hard to work through it.