Intimacy

This term comes from Erikson's theory of development, and refers to a person's ability form close, loving relationships, which he stated is the primary developmental task of early adulthood. You often hear women claim that men are unable to commit, are afraid of commitment, etc...Erikson would claim (if this absurd generalization were even remotely true) that this is because men have not developed intimacy yet.

Intimacy refers to a spectrum of emotional and physical closeness between individuals. Colloquially used it generally refers to a sexual relationship although in a broader sense it can mean a relationship in which people feel free to express deep thoughts and feelings.