Stages Of A Relationship: There are so many things that makes life so interesting and even more fascinating. We all have passion to make the world a better place, this is what drive our innermost potential towards reality. There’s also our expression of emotions towards things, events and other people that constantly reminds us of our human instincts and ability to react. It is also a way of keeping our mental health in check.
Humans are known to possess and capable of expressing lots of emotion, however, one of the strongest emotional disposition of human is love. Love could be seen as a feeling, sensation and a sense or state of mind where a person feels a personal and emotional attachment to another person in a unique and positive way.
Love is a feeling that develops over time. It either develop naturally or over time through constant communication and fellowship. The concept of love has been one of the reasons people get into relationships and the piller that sustains it. Relationship is basically an intimate emotional attachment between two people of opposite gender and consequently, both of them get to share some quality time together and some other things in common.
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Relationship has been a common phenomenon and a trending issue in recent time with some inquisition in how to get into a good relationship, how to sustain it and have a wonderful experience while at it. It is very important to state at this point that relationships are meant for adults and not young persons below the legal age of majority.
Understanding the concept of relationship, it becomes imperative to point out that getting into a relationship or being in a relationship comes in stages and so, every relationship is expected to pass through some of these stages, if not all of them. So, let’s look at the stages of a relationship.
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10 Stages Of Every Love Relationship
1. The Initiation Stage: Every relationship has a beginning. The parties must have met in one way or the other or at a particular place, event or even on social media platforms (credits to technology).
So, the initial stage of a relationship is the very beginning, the point where the two persons of opposite gender meet to exchange pleasantries and casual felicitations. This stage is usually superficial and not very serious. No serious questions are been asked and no serious answers are required either.
It is also characterized by superficial interests and attractions like the looks, carriage, body language, smiles, voice and appearances. No objective assessment at this point.
2. The Experimentation Stage: The Experimentation Stage or second stage is a stage where the parties begin to consider their interests by subjecting it to rational thought and logic.
It is at this point that the parties begin to ask further questions. The parties try to find a base for their interest by asking serious questions about each other in order to have a valid grip of their interest and understand their common interest in life as well as individual goals and life dispositions.
Note however that only those that scale through the first stage that find themselves here. Some parties often had their interest and expectations fade at the first stage.
3. Intensifying Stage: Just after the Experimentation Stage, the parties get to have a hightened emotions and surge if uncontrollable feelings, which is why this stage is sometimes called the Bliss Stage.
This stage is characterized great sense of seriousness and more inquisitive about each other as well as the excitement of being in a relationship.
The parties would be very much interested in asking more serious and intimate questions. It is one of the very exciting stages in a relationship.
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4. Integration Stage: This is like the Bonding Stage but different from it in some ways. At the integration Stage, the parties are already fund of each other and very excited about their new found relationship.
Their next concern centers on how to integrate their personal interests, habits peculiarities in other to have a more strenghtened relationship where they would operate in a more synchronized manner.
This is the point where some of their personal identities begins to fade or dropped and a new one taken that reflects their new found unity.
5. Bonding Stage: The Bonding Stage is another critical stage in a relationship. It is a stage where the parties begin to bond with each other. The parties begin to diffuse their individual peculiarities in other to infuse a more accommodating ideology that is more compromising as the parties begin to see themselves as a united entity rather than seperate individuals.
The parties at this point are convinced about their feelings for each other and want to solidify it. This stage is quite serious that it could lead to the parties taking very critical step like getting married.
6. Differentiating Stage: The feeling of love and strong emotional attachment between the parties often has a limit. The point where everything begins to take a new dimension.
Reasoning and logic begins to set in. Perceptions and some behavioral dispositions begins to pass through the funnel of objectivity. Unlike the intensifying stage where all forms of rationalities are left out, this stage is characterized by clear thought.
They begin to analys your individual differences and behavioral intolerance. This stage is also a very critical as it could spell doom for the relationship if not properly handled. The parties might end up dissolving the relationship at this stage.
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7. Circumscribing Stage: The circumscribing Stage is an advanced level or a step further from the differentiating Stage. It is a stage where the parties, having analysed their individual differences and behavioral dispositions and intolerance, they begin act in response to their feelings and emotions.
At this stage, course often tend to drift apart in many ways. Communication between them begins to drop, the urge for intimacy also dwindles and the seemingly uncontrollable affection to be around each other also fades. This is a stage where it seems like everything is about to finally end.
8. The Stagnation Stage: Being and experiencing the Circumscribing Stage in a relationship can be quite emotional and psychologically draining.
When parties reach that stage, the next stage is a stage of reflection, critical analysis and objective conclusion as to the way forward or the next step to take in either bringing the relationship to a conclusive end or to mend it.
This stage is the Stagnation stage. Parties develop strong resentment for each other and need to ponder over it in solitude. This is a stage where the parties has reached a confused state of mind with regards to the state of the relationship.
9. Avoidance Stage: With the growing tension and heightened appalling emotion and affection in both parties accumulated in the preceding stages, and the Stagnation stage, the parties might just decide to give themselves some space. This is the Avoidance Stage.
It is the stage characterized by emotional detachment as well as physical absence from each other in most cases. This is a stage of crisis and very delicate.
Parties have to be seriously committed to each other and ready to scale through the crisis at all cost for them to survive this stage.
10. Termination Stage: The Termination stage, just as the name suggests, is the final stage of any relationship and and a point where what ever is left of the relationship crumbles.
The parties, at this stage has obviously failed to scale through the Avoidance Stage successfully and so, the relationship plummets to a conclusive end. Parties at this point moves further apart from each other both physically and mentally.
They may decide to call it a quit with no intention of reviving the relationship. Most relationship finds themselves at this stage however, the time it takes each relationship to get to this point might differ significantly.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to know the stages of a relationship because, apart from being enlightened about it, it provides a quick glance into what to possibly expect in the relationship and the very many stages you might end up seeing yourself. It is also important to understand these stages in a relationship to help you plan for each of them and not to be taken by surprise. In all, it is important to take things slow and steady, enjoy every moment and make efforts to have a long lasting relationship.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.