Stages and Characteristics of a Romantic Relationship
Stages and Characteristics of a Romantic Relationship
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Introduction
Usually, couples experience romantic love before engaging in a long-life commitment. Almost all love relationships navigate through various predictable stages, each with unique characteristics (Ogolsky, Lloyd & Cate, 2013; Rathus, Nevid & Fichner-Rathus, 2014). Different scholars recognize different stages of a romantic relationship, but all of them are related (Pines, 2013). Peter Blare and Kelly Jones is a good example of a couple that has succeeded through the various stages of a romantic relationship. This paper describes the experiences of Blare and Kelly from the beginning of their love relationship to marriage.
Love Relationship between Blare and Kelly
Blare and Kelly have been in love relationship for five years and four months. Their love relationship ended in life-long commitment through a beautiful and attractive wedding ceremony a month ago. During the marriage ceremony, the couple seemed to be very comfortable, committed and happy about their relationship. The following day after the wedding day, the two narrated about their experiences in the love relationship since the initiation.
According to Blare and Kelly, their love relationship started back in college. Although both started the college life during the same year, Blare noticed the beauty of Kelly during the second year, when they were carrying out a test in a chemistry laboratory. Blare noticed that Kelly had a beautiful face and a nice light-brown hair. In addition, Blare noticed that Kelly had most of the characteristics of women that he liked, such as a good smile and a beautiful body shape. Blare decided to show interest to Kelly through providing guidance on how to carry out school assignments. With time, their relationship evolved into a romantic relationship.
According to Blare and Kelly, they enjoyed fun moments with each other for about one year; they used to take the meal together, they supported each other during hardships, and they frequently went for trips together during holidays. However, during the last year in college, there were many conflicts and struggles in their relationship. They frequently disagreed about the best approaches to issues. In most cases, the disagreements occurred due to complaints from Kelly, that Blare was concentrating too much on books and games and hardly gave attention to their love. According to Kelly, she learned that Blare was hot tempered, and he even slapped her one day over a minor disagreement. The conflicts evolved to the point where both felt like they had opposing interests and considered breaking the relationship.
However, Blare sought for advice from Joe, an old friend, about the way forward. Joe advised Blare that most people in romantic relationships experience similar difficulties, but they succeed after successful management. Joe advised Blare to go and discuss their differences with Kelly. Fortunately, Kelly had already learned the personal traits of Blare. When Blare approached Kelly, she quickly expressed that she still in love with him and would continue to commit to their relationship. Her only request was for Blare to spend more time with her, which Blare agreed. Blare also accepted that he had also ignored their relationship, and he expressed that he was determined to concentrate more on it. In short, they managed to resolve their conflicts after understanding the reality about their interests and how to manage their differences (Segrin, & Flora, 2012).
The love relationship between Blare and Kelly became more stable after they realized that they had similar, as well as different goals and desires. Each learned to respect the desires of the other. Eventually, Blare realized that it would be difficult to stop their relationship, and he decided to request Kelly to marry him. Kelly accepted the proposal, and they planned for the marriage. Today, Blare and Kelly are focused on building a family and are committed to communal activities.
References
Ogolsky, B. G. Lloyd, S. A. & Cate, R. M. (2013). The Developmental Course of Romantic
Relationships. New York, NY: Routledge
Pines, A. M. (2013). Falling in Love: Why We Choose the Lovers We Choose. New York, NY:
Routledge
Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J. S., & Fichner-Rathus, L. (2014). Human Sexuality in a World of
Diversity. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
Segrin, C. & Flora, J. (2012). Family Communication. New York, NY: Routledge
