The document describes the typical stages of relationship development from initiation to termination. It includes the following stages: initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, bonding, differentiating, circumscribing, stagnating, avoiding, and terminating. The initiating stage is about making initial contact and determining interest. The experimenting stage involves getting to know each other through small talk. In the intensifying stage feelings are expressed and time together increases. Integrating occurs when social circles merge and commitment grows. Bonding marks public commitments through actions like marriage. Later stages include individualization, withdrawal, avoidance, and finally termination of the relationship.

2. Initiating
• The goal of this stage is to show you are interested
in making contact and that you are a kind person
worth talking to
• This stage is generally brief
• This stage is hard for shy people, especially when it
comes to initiating romantic relationships
• People who are shy can use the internet to get
through the initiating stage of a relationship

3. Experimenting
 In this stage we can decide if we want to pursue the
relationship further
 Small talk stage
 I.E. Where are you from? What do you do?

4. Intensifying
 A true interpersonal relationship begins to form
 Expression of feelings becomes more common
 Start to spend more time together
 Ask for support and do favors for each other
 Hang out with mutual friends and take trips
 Give tokens of affection

5. Integrating
 Individuals give up some characteristics and develop
shared identities
 In romantic relationships this is when the social
circles merge
 Mail becomes addressed to the couple
 Common property “our apartment” “our car”
 For friendships they may start to use the same
phrases and sentence patterns

6. Bonding
 Relationships involving significant measures of
public commitment
 Peak of the “coming together” phase
 “Officializing” a couples integration i.e. marriage,
verbal or written pledge
 Initiation ceremony into a
fraternity
 Contract to formalize a
business

7. Differentiating
 Changing the conversations from
“we” to “I” stage
 Example: from our weekend plans to my weekend
plans
 Change plays an important part in this stage
 This stage is normally initiated by stress in the
relationship
 The key for success during this stage is maintaining a
commitment to the relationship while creating the
space for being an individual too

8. Circumscribing
 Communication between members decreases in
quality and quantity
 Opposite of integrating people aren’t as interested
or committed
 Mental or physical
withdrawal

9. Stagnating
 When the Circumscribing stage continues for a while
it will lead to this
 Behave toward each other in an old familiar way
without much feelings
 This happens when couples have the same
conversations, see the same people, and follow the
same routines with no joy

10. Avoiding
 When stagnation becomes too unpleasant parties
start to avoid each other
 The future of the relationship is in jeopardy
 This is not an inevitable stage
 To get out of this stage with out ending the
relationship time and effort are needed by both
sides along with good communication

11. Terminating
 Final stage where the relationship ends
 This stage can be short or drawn out over a long
time
 The actual relationship may be redefined from
intimate to personal and not fully terminated in this
stage
 Positive communication during a breakup may help
lead to a future friendship

12. Works Cited
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