Valentine's

Anyway, here's a tangible depiction of Knapp's model:

Coming Together 

Initiating:  "Hi, how ya doin'?" "Fine, you?"  

Experimenting:  "Oh, so you like to ski...so do I." "You do?! Great. Where do you go?"

Intensifying:  "I...I think I love you." "I love you too." 

Integrating:  "I feel so much a part of you." "Yeah, we are like one person. What happens to you happens to me." 

Bonding:  "I want to be with you always." "Let's get married." 

Coming Apart

Differentiating:  "I just don't like big social gatherings." "Sometimes I just don't understand you. This is one area where I am not like you at all." 

Circumscribing:  "Did you have a good time on your trip?" "What time will dinner be ready?"

Stagnating:  "What's there to talk about?" "Right, I know what you're going to say and you know what I'm going to say." 

Avoiding:  "I'm so busy, I don't know if I'll be able to see you." "If I'm not around when you try, you'll understand." 

Terminating:  "I'm leaving you...and don't bother calling me." "Don't worry."

Knapp's model is useful to apply in all situations in which interpersonal communication occurs. It is relevant for romantic as well as platonic or same-gender relationships. The model also helps couples understand why there are discrepancies in what each partner is wanting from the relationship. It is also quite intuitively credible because it is practicable and usable. Another reason this model appears to be more humanistic is in the vagueness of the stage identification.

Let's talk... fill the air with your deep and sweeping vistas.