Friendship

 

In my experience, I have felt all of the stages in Knapp's Relational Model. At the moment, I feel one of my closest and longest friendships is entering the Differentiating stage.

This friend and I have been close since second grade, and grew up with each other. However, 2 1/2 years ago I started a relationship with my now Fiancé. My friend has been single through all of this; however I feel our lifestyles and personal priorities are beginning to change. He enjoys being social, acting in spontaneous ways, and going out in general. I now prefer staying in, having a quiet night with my fiancé. "How you feel at the moment affects your perceptions and alters your communication" (Pearson, et al.)

However, I don't view this differentiation as a bad thing. I understand it as me and my friend starting to grow into who we are supposed to be. 

I believe that change this can evolve into something negative if the personal growth starts to create a barrier between the two of us. I think the best way to ensure that it doesn't is to set clear boundaries of who we are as people, and that there should be no resentment towards each other for our personal lifestyle choices. 

Relationships change and evolve, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it is a bad thing. Embracing the change and learning to grow and adapt with one another can keep the relationship healthy and positive for both sides. 

The impacts that online communication have had on my personal relationship include being able to stay connected even though we are differentiating. It helps me maintain a sense of closeness and personal interaction, even though we both do different activities throughout the day, that are completely different from each other. We can also see what each other posts, and even though it is something he may not personally do, he still interacts with my posts and maintains a connection with me. 

References

Pearson, J. C., Nelson, P. E., Titsworth, S., & Hosek, A. M. (Eds.). (2021). Human Communication (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education

Free Documentary. (2024, January 24). The power of empathy | Free Documentary History [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HochC001kmc

Dissolve. (n.d.). Group of diverse people putting hands together in unity [Photograph]. https://cdn6.dissolve.com/p/D943_223_818/D943_223_818_1200.jpg