Essay Sample on Interpersonal Relationship Analysis

Introduction

Interpersonal relationship analysis is an extensive analysis which helps to determine the elements and concepts of interpersonal relationships. Relationships, particularly close as well as trusting relations are vital for the constructive, social, and emotional growth and advancement of people involved in the connection. Accordingly, in modern setting individuals in close affairs yearn for emotional support, physical interaction, love, and acceptance. Indeed, these feelings and traits form part of humanoid nature. Similarly, individuals endeavor for this kind of relational interactions to complete the emptiness in individual's lives and on top of that make sense of life through caring, sharing and trust (Winnicott). In my first years in university, I came across many exciting individuals in my class and the hostels. I made many friends while in college. However, even though I interacted with many friends and exchange information regarding my life in college, I was able to develop a very close affiliation with a girl in my communication class in my second spring quarter. In this light, this paper discusses various interpersonal communication concepts and different stages of interpersonal relationship development.

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According to Graber, Jeanne, and Petersen, interpersonal relationships progress through various stages. My association with Cate my best friend underwent through steps such as initiating, experimenting, intensifying as well as integrating. At this point, I have only managed to experience the circumscribing and differentiating phases in the future states of Knapp's model. During my first communication class meeting, I was very nervy since I never knew anyone in the class. I did not even know what was expected of me in a communication class since I was not used to a huge class with such a big population of students. In the process, I saw a girl who seemed familiar. She was seated a few rows before me. As a result, after the class, I moved to her said hi and familiarized myself to her, and informed her that she seemed very familiar. On hearing that she responded in a smile and answered with a friendly greeting: "Hello I am Cate. How are you doing?" I replied, "I am fine." During this point, we were engaging in phatic dialogue whereby kept to a very formal conversation, with minimal thoughts behind the words. After that, I asked her about the place she was living in.

During this point, I realized that she was staying in a hostel that was next to our hostel. In the process, we realized that we were having a similar living organization since all of us resided in the college environment and were perusing a similar interest in the field of communication. The initiating stage was during our initial days in the class where it was much easier for Cate to talk about superficial subject matters like her view about this class as well as her living arrangements. Therefore, at the initiating phase, it entailed the exchange of standard information. As a result, though it was a low communication nervousness between each of us, it provided a positive base on which we were able to mold and foster our association (Kudo et al. 2). Indeed, during this phase, we got attracted to one another based on an interpersonal level found on our similarities.

The follow-up step in our relationship was the experimental stage. During this stage we periodically made eye contact in the cafeteria where we could smile at each other and in most cases sat together (Kudo et al. 15). Consequently, during this stage, we got involved in many small conversations in search of a common based between us. Indeed, it is a natural sensation as well as a wish to want to each other. In this sense, it was possible for me to tell out of Cate's friendly nonverbal communication through her welcoming hand gesture and facial expression the feeling of desiring to discern more and more out of our mutual relationship. In the process of our small discussion, we were able to exchange information regarding our childhood days and how we grew up, including the schools that we attended and the major that each one of us desired to pursue. Certainly, during this phase, we used to ask one another various insincere questions like the challenges we experienced with staying with messy roommates, our like and dislikes about instructors, class schedules and our views regarding the fatty food in the mess hall. After a lengthy discussion regarding the classes that we were undertaking, we realized that we were taking similar classes. Therefore, Cate suggested that we should be studying together in predation for midterm and final exams, which I agreed to because it was a good idea.

In the intensification stage, Cate and I started to cultivate a very close relationship to the extent that we tried to take similar classes together because we decided to take the same major that is public relations. As a result, it is during this stage that I became more open to Cate to the point that I could share out my misfortunes and struggles as a total orphan and how I ended up becoming an orphan after my mother died and never knew about my dad. Indeed, for a very long period, I had never been able to self-disclose to a second person regarding my misfortunes. Since I could share with her my problems because I knew she could not disclose. Accordingly, because of Cate's capability to keep confidence and her active listening skills, it motivated me to develop trust in her. Subsequently, her character gave me a natural sensation to involve myself in various form of interpersonal communication (Duck, and Usera 3). Every time I shared my problems with her, Kate was always very supportive since she attentively listened to my challenges and comforted me by a word of hope. Indeed, Cate was a very generous and hospitable friend because she never deserted me despite my financial problems and hopelessness. I felt lucky to have Cate as a friend I could trust and share my feelings with.

In the integration phase, I was very close to Cate which led to our relationship being recognized as a social unit. While at college we always used to be invited to group parties and social gatherings. Therefore, when we wanted nobody to understand the things we were talking about, we used to communicate in sophisticated nonverbal cues kinesics for passing a message. Accordingly, we were able to read each other's mind through facial expressions like eye stares, a twist of the lips and distinct position movement. For instance, on most occasions, we used to find ourselves dressed in almost identical fashion minus consulting one another in advance. Indeed, we were like one body.

After school that is after graduating from college, Cate and I moved to the circumscribing phase. Cate finds a job in a nongovernmental organization in Los Angeles, while I remained in New York. Unluckily, the communication between Cate and I has plunged in quality and quantity. We occasionally converse, and if it happens, the conversation is short due to being engrossed with our busy lifestyles (Duck, and Usera 11). However, it is not that we avoid each other; it is only that we do not have time to discuss the stage we are presently in. Certainly, the reason could because we share both the good and worst moments while together, we will always have a special link together and stay close in spirit. Nonetheless, the physical distance which exists between us is likely to impede our friendship and only time will tell.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to be able to decline the possibility of our relationship going through the last phase identified by Knapp in the relational growth theory, we will have to depend on different relational communication behaviors. Though it may not be possible for me to have many chances of communicating face-to-face with Cate, I will be required to maintain a close contact with her by sharing my intellectual curiosity and challenges, as well as emotive times with her regarding public relations because we both plan to practice arbitration in future. The communication channels that we intend on keeping our intellectual and emotional sharing active are cards, phone calls and email (Kauffman, and Kornberg 199). Through my relational communication with Cate I have learned that relational connection is a strong bond which needs to be always nurtured to keep it active, however, such relationships can be affected by the physical distance between the involved parties.

Works Cited

Graber, Julia A., Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, and Anne C. Petersen, eds. Transitions through adolescence: Interpersonal domains and context. Psychology Press, 2020.

Winnicott, Donald W. The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development. London: Routledge, 2018.

Kudo, Kazuhiro, Simone Volet, and Craig Whitsed. "Development of intercultural relationships at university: a three-stage ecological and person-in-context conceptual framework." Higher Education (2018): 1-17.

Kauffman, James, and Josh Kornberg. "Creating greeting cards to understand and to evaluate Knapp's Staircase Model of relationships." Communication Teacher 32.4 (2018): 198-202.

Duck, Steve, and Daniel Usera. "Interpersonal relationships." The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy (2016): 1-16.