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Many people grow confused over the state of their relationships nowadays. And it is not necessarily anything to do with their partner, but rather with the relationship itself and its nature. It is important to be able to understand the level of standards that the other holds the relationship to, or else there is a lot of confusion and stress. And while someone may think that seeing someone is equal to being in a relationship with them, there are many differences between them, which determine a lot about what the two people are having together. In this guide, we will go over the major aspects of the two and see where the differences lie. 

What is dating? 

Dating is the activity that a couple undertake together, during which they discuss the future of their relationship. This is usually the case after both partners have known each other for some time and have decided to work on their relationship more. And when both partners enjoy the company of the other and feel comfortable with them, they will enter the dating stage. That is when they will invest time and effort to learn more about the other and work on moving their relationship forward to living together, potentially marriage and having children. To that end, dating can also be seen as a trial period, which has the goal of testing the relationship that two people have. If there are any issues to one or both sides, they will become evident and the relationship may be terminated. 

What is seeing someone? 

In essence, seeing someone can be defined as a very early stage of a relationship, where partners are making their first steps towards one another. The relationship is not yet defined, as both partners have met recently and they are going out on dates to learn more about each other. Sometimes, one partner may have romantic intentions, but the other one lacking such. In this case, dating is very casual, without building any serious intention. One thing that defines this stage is the lack of commitment. Both partners may wish to invest some time to see each other, but they are not yet undertaking the more serious conversation that encompasses a relationship. The meetings between both partners may be inconsistent. But if things pick up, seeing each other can quickly grow into a relationship. 

Major differences between seeing each other and being in a relationship

• The stage of the relationship – when two people are seeing each other, they are in a very early stage of a relationship. When they are dating, it is essentially the penultimate step to something more. 
  
  
• The intensity of the relationship – seeing each other lacks intensity, whereas dating is much more intense. 
  
  
• Topics of discussion – seeing someone means talking about casual topics and a lot of small talks. Later on, dating grows into more serious topics and getting to know each other via communication.
  
  
• Knowing each other – two people are considered to be dating when they have invested time in getting to know each other well. Seeing someone can happen very early after being introduced to them, without knowing much about them. 
  
  
• The levels of intimacy – seeing someone is not characterized by extreme intimacy, whereas in dating, both partners seek and work on intimacy together. 
  
  

Knowing the difference between dating and seeing someone is important for everyone looking to invest time and effort into a partner. It means knowing which part of the relationship they are in so that they can set the right expectations. 

© Kate Mansfield Dating Coach