Knapp's Relational Model

 Hi guys, 

    Knapp's Relational Model is used to explain how some relationships grow, last, but also how they end. This model is made up off 10 different phases which are separated into two interrelating models, escalation and termination model. The important detail is that it is totally normal if some of the steps are skipped during the progression of these stages. 

    For this week's blog I decided to talk about my boyfriend because I think we have a very interesting story, a story that is not very common and traditional. My boyfriend and I have known each other for the past 5 years, but we started dating 4 months ago. Aleksa (my boyfriend) and I have been very good friends for a long time, however, we didn't really spend a lot of time together at all. We mainly texted and face timed from time to time during these 5 years. The main thing that connected us at the first place was basketball and a few mutual friends we had. We started talking without actually planning on it and it turned out well since we succeed in maintaining the friendship for these 5 years. Experimentation phase came very natural to us because we had a lot to talk about. It felt like we known each other for a very long time the first time when we went out alone. I would say that experimentation and intensifying phases were kinda one phase for us because we talked about our personal lives on our first "date". By the end of that day I knew almost everything about him and I knew he is someone I want to be with. None of the talk was forced, we enjoyed our time together and our first date lasted 6 hours. 😂We had a few more dates during which we realized that we have feelings for each other and after a month he asked me to be his girlfriend which represents integration phase. Ever since then we have been together and our relationship is on a very high level; it feels like we have been together way longer than we actually are. In my opinion, all of the stages took way less time then what many people experience and I feel like all of these stages have been combined in one and that me and Aleksa experienced all of it in a very short period of time. Long story short, after 5 years of knowing of each other, but actually a month of going out, we announced to our close people that we are a couple.