The Four Stages Of Interpersonal Relationships

Interpersonal Relationships, especially close and intimate interpersonal relationships, are imperative for the social and psychological growth of the people in the relationship. In today 's society, people in close relationships desire emotional support, acceptance, and love. These characteristics and needs are part of our nature, and individuals strive for these types of interpersonal relationships in order to fulfill their need for close interactions with others and, above all, to make sense of life through trust, sharing, and caring. Throughout my high school years, and during my time at Clackamas, I 've been able to meet and form friendships with many interesting people. In high school, I was able to meet many close friends and acquaintances,

Dr. Mark Knapp 's theory suggests that interpersonal relationships develop through several stages. My relationship with my best friend, Massimo, has gone through the coming together stages of initiating, experimenting, intensifying, and integrating. At this point, we have only experienced the differentiating and circumscribing stages of the coming apart stages of Dr. Knapp 's model. During my Sophomore year at Gladstone High School, I was the president of the Robotics club, and it was my responsibility to recruit new club members during schoolwide assemblies and other large events. Anyone who knows me well would say that I am a shy person, and I detest speaking in front of large groups. During the first assembly of the year, I was very nervous because it would be my first time addressing the school as a whole. While I was speaking, I suddenly noticed a boy who looked very familiar. He sat

During this phase, we engaged in a lot of small talk, searching for common ground between us. It was a natural feeling and desire to want to get to know him better. I could tell from his nonverbal communication of friendly facial expressions and inviting hand gestures, the feeling of wanting to get to know each other seemed mutual. We exchanged information about where we grew up, what schools we attended, why his family decided to move to Oregon, and what we wanted to be when we grew up. We asked many superficial questions such as class schedules, likes and dislikes about other students, the challenges of living with older siblings, and about the nasty cafeteria food. After discussing about the classes that we were taking, we realized that we were taking the same classes. Then I suggested we study together for the midterms and finals. He liked the idea and