What Do People Mean When they Refer to Their S.O.?

S.O. is theabbreviationfor significant other which could mean a spouse, life partner, or someone in a long-term, committed relationship.

In some circles, especially those discussing pansexuality oropen relationships, you may come across the abbreviation O.S.O., which refers to "other significant other." Another term used is S.S.O. for "secondary significant other," used in partnerships where there are primary and secondary relationships. Related abbreviations include D.H. for darling husband, D.S. for darling son, and D.D. for darling daughter.

History of the Term

The term "significant other" was first used in 1953 by psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan in his bookThe Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry.

The abbreviated term "S.O." comes from online chat rooms during the early 1990s. People had to shorten long words when typing messages to reduce their time online. At the time, most internet connections were made via landline, and the time spent and the amount of information shared was limited and/or paid for by the amount of data.

Significant Other in Social and Business Uses

In many social or business situations, the term "significant other" refers to someone that offers support to another person as a friend, family member, partner, or spouse. S.O. does not refer to gender or specifically romantic entanglements, and does not specify the nature of the relationship. For instance, many hospitals now use "significant other" in their paperwork to refer to a person who can offer support during testing, treatment, or illness. Many companies will use the term on their invitations or announcements to share that the people attending the event can bring a plus one.

In thedating world, a significant other refers to a partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, or someone with whom you share an intimate, romantic relationship. Because the term doesn't imply gender, sexuality, or relationship status, many couples adopted the phrase during the 80s and 90s to avoid offense or confusion.

Synonyms for significant other include better half,civil union, boyfriend, girlfriend, domestic partner, lover, mate, partner, and spouse.

其他重要的其他一词的科学用途

In psychological terms, a significant other refers to someone who holds great importance to another and affects their well-being either positively or negatively. In sociology, asignificant other相反，指的是以重要方式影响自己的自我意识的人。在社会心理学中，重要的其他人是指帮助孩子在成长时期（例如父母，祖父母或讲师）进行社交并照顾他们的人。