Sexual fears can also be a driving force behind an “elationship,” according to Irwin

“People are afraid if they get too intimate, they won’t be accepted, so this is a way to delay that and prevent it,” she says. “They feel like they’re in a real relationship – they get all this attention, people see them getting texts and emails, they have society’s stamp of approval that they’re in a relationship – but they don’t have to deal with the intimacy factor. They don’t have to deal with their own sexual fears or admit any of their deep, dark secrets.”

A person who relentlessly pursues you online but never seals the deal in person may also be married or involved with someone else, Irwin warns. […]