17 May 2022

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Developmental Stages in a Relationship

Format: APA

Academic level: College

Paper type: Essay (Any Type)

Words: 908

Pages: 2

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Relationship acts as a significant constituent of human coexistence in society. A healthy relationship occurs between two persons with a connection depending on trust, support, honesty, effective communication, separate identity, mutual respect, and fairness or equality. A healthy relationship that results in romance acquaintance has excellent potential for life enrichment. However, an unhealthy relationship may result in human discomfort or harm. For example, an unhealthy relationship causes consistent unavoidable stress among the participants. An unhealthy relationship has unresolved disputes or arguments, encompasses manipulation, lack privacy, equity, and fairness among the participants. Additionally, unhealthy relationships lack mutual respect for one another, trust, support, honesty, and effective communication. Consequently, the paper intends to identify the significant relationships, demonstrates the stages of interpersonal relationships, and to illustrate the phases of a relationship in the Knapp model.

Effective work relationships depend on trust, communication, respect, and teamwork. A productive work relationship requires an extended period for maturity. However, appearance influences the early stages of relationship development in the workplace. Physical attraction inspires the growth and maturity of work relationships. For instance, the physical attribute of a worker may influence the effective relationship between employer and employees. Workers with similar interests, backgrounds, and values have more significant attraction resulting in a positive relationship. Competent workers attract colleagues in the workplace because people admire and prefer to associate with talented individuals. However, workers who exhibit high competence may intimidate colleagues, subsequently, entice a few friends in a workplace ( Lane, 2016 ). People demonstrate respect in a relationship by sharing or disclosing private information with a colleague, subsequently increasing the attraction in the workplace. Complimenting distinctions between workers strengthen relationships in the workplace. For example, introvert and passive workers exhibit an affinity to extrovert and assertive colleagues to express their concerns in the working environment. Romantic relationships constitute a crucial aspect of human life. Communication and care nurture a romantic relationship. People with demographic similarities have a higher probability of engaging in a romantic relationship. Proximity encourages people to participate in a romantic relationship (Nick & Redshaw, 2016). Self-disclosure of private and intimate information promotes a productive romantic relationship. Compliments and satisfaction of emotional needs influence the long-term romantic relationship. The physical appearance of partners affects the initial stages of a romantic relationship. 

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Romantic relationship encompasses various developmental stages. For instance, exchanging facts and pleasantries represents the initial stage of a romantic relationship. The initial phase of a romantic relationship relies on physical presentation and appearance. Partners explore the values and interests of one another during the experimental period. The intensifying stage entails the commencement of commitment in a romantic relationship ( Morgan, 2020 ). Partners share intimate information about themselves, and they begin to develop excitement about their relationship. Couples develop passion during the integration stage. During the integration stage, friends and family members occur to recognize the love between couples. The bonding phase entails observable commitment between couples in society. The period of coming apart involves living together as married couples. The differentiating step involves incompatibilities and differences in a romantic relationship. The circumscribing phase entails series of defensiveness, blames, and resentments in a romantic relationship. During a circumscribing stage, couples exhibit minimum intimacy mentally, emotionally, and physically. The stagnation occurs after the complete detachment of couples from the connection. The avoidance phase entails emotional, mental, and physical separation in a romantic relationship. Finally, the termination phase involves the filing of divorce among married couples to represent the legal and emotional termination of a romantic relationship ( Morgan, 2020 ). Disorientation, denial, segmentation, alternation, integration, balance, reaffirmation, and recalibration promotes the management of dialectical tension. Whereas, methods for relational repair encompasses discussion of the violation or offense for the offending partner to provide an apology. Moreover, relationship reassessment, forgiveness, transforming problematic behavior help in promoting relational repair. Rational transgression such as unfaithfulness and infidelity violates rules of a relationship or relational expectation. Consequently, separation, section, and neutralization are the strategies for repairing the consequences of relational transgression. 

Knapp’s advancement model for relational stages encompasses communication to promote relational maintenance. Initiating step entails the expression of interest and demonstration of a person’s worth or value in a romantic relationship. During the experimenting stage in a romantic relationship, partners seek to discover information about each other. The intensifying step in a romantic relationship entails shared operations and spend more time together. Europhobia and excitement represent the intensifying stage of a romantic relationship ( Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor, 2015 ). The integrating stage occurs when couples assume an identity in a society as a social unit resulting in social circle emergence. The bonding stage occurs when couples exhibit a symbolic gesture of their relationship in public. Couples illustrate the differentiating step when they commence to re-establish personal identities because of stressful experiences. The circumscribing stage occurs when the communication between couples decreases in quantity and quality. The stagnating step entails the continuation of the circumscribing phase in a romantic relationship. The relationship stage occurs as a result of limited innovative development. The avoidance stage occurs when stagnation depicts unpleasant signs, and couples begin to exhibit limited attachment in a romantic relationship ( Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor, 2015 ). The termination stage represents the conclusion of a romantic relationship. The dialectical tension model holds that relationships changes and evolve periodically because partners in a relationship frequently redefine and reassess their relational needs. Regarding the development stages of relationships, the initiation strategies entail words that a person utters to the potential partner in a relationship based on physical attraction, proximity, demographic and attitudinal similarities (Nick & Redshaw, 2016). The application of bonding strategies such as inquiring about a new relational or potential partner and identifying oneself as the prospective partner empowers and potentially transforms the implication of a romantic relationship. 

Finally, the paper identifies the significant relationships, demonstrates the stages of interpersonal relationships, and illustrates the phases of a tie in the Knapp model. Trust, communication, respect, and teamwork promote effective work relationships. The Knapp’s advancement model and romantic relationship entail initial, experimental, intensifying, integration, bonding, coming apart, differentiating, circumscribing, stagnation, avoidance, and termination stage. Moreover, the initiation strategies entail attractive words to potential partners in a relationship. Lastly, bonding strategies encompass inquiries of personal information and identification oneself as the prospective partner in a relationship.

References

Adler, R. B., Rosenfeld, L. B., & Proctor, R. F. (2015).  Interplay: The process of interpersonal communication . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved on 7th June 2020, from https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199827428/student/chapt9/outline/

Lane, S. D. (2016).  Interpersonal communication: Competence and contexts . Routledge.

Morgan, C. (2020). The ten stages of a Relationship that every Couple should Understand . Lifehack. Retrieved on 7th June 2020, from https://www.lifehack.org/870677/stages-of-a-relationship

Nick & Redshaw, B. (2016). Paper 3 - Issues and Option 1 Relationships . The Independent Learners Series. Retrieved on 7th June 2020, from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=q002DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=how+appearance,+similarity,+complementarity,+disclosure+affects+family+relationships&source=bl&ots=H7TvK0rHPb&sig=ACfU3U13LD68AbI2Ip2LmWfMJS62aT-qow&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjI0bT03bvqAhXByYUKHcwQCJ4Q6AEwAnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=appearance&f=false

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