Before actually diving into the stages of a relationship, let’s talk about love. Falling in love is what everybody craves and ultimately goes through in their lives. When we fall in love with someone, we begin to realize that being in love or finding love is not really the difficult part. The hard part is working to maintain the relationship.
We should understand that every relationship is different, which is why it is difficult for you to navigate your way through them. You can’t always rely on approaches that have previously worked for you and your prior partners.
Relationships can bloom and it takes two to tangle. However, the inability to recognize what is happening in a relationship can easily cause your relationship to fall apart. The way you handle bumps in the road will determine how your relationship will turn out.
Basically, there are five stages of a relationship. When you and your partner are going through these stages, knowing how to recognize them and how they affect your relationship will come in helpful.
Are you wondering which of the stages of a relationship you and your partner are in at the moment? Here are the stages of a relationship you should know about.
Table of Contents
- 1. Romance or Infatuation Stage
- 2. The Power Struggle Stage
- 3. Stability Stage
- 4. Commitment Stage
- 5. Blissful Stage
- FAQs on the Stages of a Relationship
- Conclusion on the Stages of a Relationship
1. Romance or Infatuation Stage
Have you ever liked someone straight up only to be annoyed by them eventually? When in love with somebody, it becomes hard for us to see their bad qualities and we easily forget their faults.
While we are seeing our partners through a screen of perfection, they also see us the same way. But this endless dream doesn’t last forever. When we fall in love, we tend to fall in love with people we wouldn’t consider compatible with us, although we may see them as our world or one who makes our dreams come true.
The romance or infatuation stage is the very first of the stages of a relationship
How does It work?
Nature has a way of making us fall in love with people that have different personality traits from ours. And this makes us fit together like a piece in a puzzle.
The positive characteristics of this person compensate for our negative characteristics, and vice versa. Research has it that at this stage of a relationship, the brain releases feel-good hormones. These hormones include serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin.
These hormones aid the biochemical process that rids us of stress and forces us into infatuation. This is why it is hard to recognize our partner’s flaws. These hormones hide our flaws and encourage us to do whatever we can to keep the romance alive.
Although this infatuation stage makes it feel like all is fine and peachy, it eventually wears off and you’ll find out you and your partner weren’t compatible after all. This leads us to the next stage.
2. The Power Struggle Stage
When we think of a relationship, we tend to think of the picture-perfect ones we see in the movies or read about in novels. This makes it easy for us to assume that our relationships can never be perfect unless they are identical to the ones we have seen portrayed in movies and novels.
In this stage of a relationship, there is a lot of pain and tension between partners due to the fact that the love you once had has disintegrated before your own eyes. We stop focusing on what used to make our partners seem so perfect and we begin to focus only on what makes them feel repulsive to us.
Couples go through this stage in their relationship and one of them will usually become withdrawn and betrayed. While this stage in a relationship is usually difficult for couples, it also presents you the chance to look into yourselves and re-establish your independence in the relationship.
Sometimes this stage takes its toll on people and they end up thinking that their effort was just a waste and it would take too much work to rebuild what was once shared.
This is when couples split in order to search for somebody who they think would be more suitable for them. This is the second of the stages of a relationship.
3. Stability Stage
If you and your partner learn to confide in each other about your issues and also recognize your own issues as well, you move on to this stage. It is the third step of the stages of a relationship. After getting through the bumps on the road, you and your partner fall into a deeper and more thrilling love. You now realize that you cannot change your partner and don’t even wish to try anymore.
You see and love them for everything that they are and are willing to accept it. Although most individuals would want to plant themselves into this stage of a relationship, doing so can make it easy for them to become bored, after a while, they begin to realize the love thrill is wandering away.
Partners resolve these issues by creating shared experiences and maintaining the feeling and adventure in their relationship. In this stage, you show vulnerability and tend to trust, open up more and show your partner your true self.
4. Commitment Stage
When it comes to relationships, people often misunderstand commitment with marriage even though that’s not what this stage is supposed to represent.
However, while many couples make the mistake of marrying while in the romance stage of their relationship, this is the stage where you and your partner are actually ready for marriage. When you and your partner reach this stage in a relationship, you have both realized that you don’t want, but rather need each other.
You recognize that you both have thoughts and that none of you is perfect. However, you still desire to be with each other, even with your shortcomings.
At this stage, you tend to make mature decisions on life issues like what business to venture into, how many kids to have, and many more. Here you compromise and keep rediscovering each other.
5. Blissful Stage
Once you have reached this final stage of a relationship, you and your partner become constantly aware of your love for each other and you decide to move into the world to show it.
You might decide to work on a project together to make a difference, which could be starting a business or working with charity, in contrast to the first stage where the passion was intense. When they reach this stage, you focus more on developing a stronger companionship. You allow your union to flourish in social activities, be they humanitarian or hobbies.
FAQs on the Stages of a Relationship
What is the purest form of love?
The purest form of love is Unconditional love. When you are willing to love without expecting anything in return.
What are the 5 stages of a relationship?
The 5 stages of a relationship are;
1. The Romance Stage
2. The Power Struggle Stage
3. The Stability Stage
4. The Commitment Stage
5. The Blissful Stage
How long does the honeymoon phase last?
The honeymoon or romance phase lasts from 2 months to 2 years. On average, most honeymoon phases end in the 3rd month.
Conclusion on the Stages of a Relationship
Always remember that it is natural to lose certain feelings for people at times and that not everything lasts forever. However, that doesn’t mean you have to regret it. Understanding each of the stages of a relationship and knowing which stage you and your partner are in can help you maintain and foster a healthy long-term relationship.
