What do a successful Tinder swipe, a memorable date, a sweet first kiss, and fluttering butterflies in your stomach all have in common?
They are very common experiences when it occurs when you meet someone new in the current dating scene.
These distinct stages, which commonly occur in the same order, are representative of the development of a fresh and promising romantic connection.
Think about the typical “milestones” you and your significant other celebrate when you start dating again.
Does it seem like every relationship you’ve had has followed the same timeline?
Why Is It Important To Know Relationship Stages?
If you know what relationship stage you are with your partner, you may take measures to improve it.
Some bonds, though, are beyond repair, and it’s better to cut ties with the other person.
It’s up to you and your significant other to determine your respective happy places so that you may both be content in them, whether you want to do it together or separately.
Five Stages Of Romantic Relationships
- The Romance Stage
- The Power Struggle Stage
- The Stability Stage
- The Commitment Stage
- The Co-Creation/Bliss Stage
What Are The Five Stages Of A Relationship?
First Stage – Romance Stage
When love in a relationship evolves between two people, this is known as the Romantic Phase.
The breaking point of this stage is two years; then it’s over.
At this point in the relationship, feelings of attraction and awe predominate.
The stage of infatuation causes people to view only the best qualities in our partners.
They refuse to acknowledge that they have any negative aspects. They have rose-colored glasses on to view their relationship.
Infatuation is a temporary feeling, and it is okay. It just means if relationships break easily or not after attraction fades.
Mother nature will not give us what we think is perfect for us, but someone that compliments us.
This is because our ideal partner generally possesses qualities that balance our own. Our strengths are complemented by theirs, and vice versa.
Our diversity makes us stronger as a whole than any of us would be on our own.
The romantic phase’s greatest pitfall is lying. It’s not that we deliberately lie; rather, we’re not always 100% honest.
Admitting our true selves and desires to a potential companion might potentially turn them off. This is why we tend to conceal aspects of our personalities.
In light of this information, are you prepared to open up about any potentially sensitive issues with your new romantic interest?
If you’re thinking about starting a family or committing to an exclusive relationship, it’s good to know if your partner feels the same way.
Having these potentially “deal-breaking” discussions early on will make the remainder of your partnership much easier.
As of right now, your brain has stopped making those tantalizing love hormones. A “Love Hangover” is when you realize you’re having physical intimacy stage with the most mismatched guy (girl) in the universe.
Second Stage – Power Struggle
The biggest percentage of first marital divorces occurred here — around the 3-year to the 4-year mark.
This is where relationship problems arise and a hard moment for most couples as the notion that ‘romantic love would last forever’ melts gone.
This is where the disillusionment stage starts.
You’ve moved past the previous stage and can now objectively perceive their differences and defects in addition to their commonalities.
You either set out to reform your spouse into the ideal version of yourself or seek revenge on them for failing to live up to your expectations.
It’s common for one spouse to pull back while the other goes after something.
Sometimes one spouse will pull away, closing up emotionally and physically so they can breathe.
While their other half relentlessly pursues them, insisting on constant attention despite their crippling worry that they would soon be emotionally abandoned.
If you and your spouse are experiencing similar dynamics, you may be in the Power Struggle Stage of your relationship.
The goal of this stage of a relationship is for you to develop your independence within the context of your relationship without damaging the close emotional tie you and your partner have worked hard to create.
If you and your partner are in the midst of a Power Struggle, it’s time to look for a guide(relationship coach) who is familiar with the terrain of your problems.
Third Stage – Stability
After the honeymoon phase that is only full of blurry outlook to the relationship, and a disillusionment stage that almost breaks your relationship apart, peace follows.
If you’ve made up and are on the page again, the feeling of being loved will return.
This time, though, it will be presented in a more complex and refined manner than in the Romantic phase.
By the time you reach the Stability stage of a relationship, it’s abundantly evident that your spouse isn’t going to change, and you’ve given up changing him/her.
You don’t mind that your spouse is opposite from you in certain ways. Both of you need to grow to respect each other’s space and limits.
The destructive cycles of your Power Struggle will continue to torment you if you don’t.
If you or your partner like the relative calm and stability of this period of your relationship, you may become mired in it. As a result, boredom is likely to set in.
To develop, you must be open to new experiences and push yourself beyond your safe zone.
By purposefully forging new bonding moments, you may continue to develop as a couple throughout time.
Fourth Stage – Commitment
Marriage is unrelated to the commitment phase.
In the commitment phase, both partners accept that they are flawed, and as a result, their relationship will have problems.
You’ve grown fond of one another because you’ve been forced to get along. You are in the stage of a relationship where staying is a deliberate choice.
All the pieces start to fit together for you, and you have a wonderful sense of love, belongingness, pleasure, power, and liberation.
Assuming that you’ve finished your job together is a common misconception at this point.
On a personal level, this may be true, but your job as a couple has just begun.
Laziness in keeping the connection alive is another risk. Or devoting so much time to one another that you neglect your individual needs.
Fifth Stage – Co-Creation Or Bliss Stage
When your relationship reaches this final stage, it has progressed beyond the confines of your family structure and is now venturing out into the wider world, much like a youngster venturing on their own for the first time.
You now understand that love is neither infatuation, strength, permanence, nor devotion. You’ve also gained this understanding via your experiences.
