Seven Nurturing Attitudes

Are you able to offer emotional support to others? Are you aware of people's primary emotional needs? Do you know the basic emotional attitudes needed for creating an emotional supportive relationship? According to Dr. John Gray, relationship counselor, all people have seven primary emotional needs, which are: love, caring, understanding, respect, appreciation, acceptance, and trust.

Dr. Gray states that these primary emotional needs can be satisfied by being in a healthy, nurturing relationship. Further, he describes seven nurturing attitudes needed for creating an emotionally supportive relationship. Thus, when a person experiences these attitudes, he/she feels emotionally supported, fulfilled, and satisfied.

7 Nurturing Attitudes

(1) A Loving Attitude indicates the overall acceptance of the other person’s feelings, thoughts and needs even though they are different from your own;

(2) A Caring Attitude indicates a deep interest and concern for the well-being of the other person;

(3) A Understanding Attitude indicates that you take a nonjudgmental view of the other person's issues and you try to see them from the person's own framework;

(4) A Respectful Attitude indicates that you are able to accept and value the other person's rights, wishes, and needs;

(5) An Appreciative Attitude indicates that you value the effort that someone makes on your behalf. Your appreciation shows that you have benefited from the behavior of the other person;

(6) An Accepting Attitude indicates that you favorably and willingly accept the other person as he/she is. There is an unconditional acceptance of the other and no pressure of the other to improve;

(7) A Trusting Attitude indicates the acceptance of the positive qualities of the other person such as honesty, reliability, and sincerity. Trust gives the benefit of the doubt related to unintended hurts.

Reference: Men, Women, and Relationships by John Gray.

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