Terminating Relationships with Lovers

Surname 1

An Overview on Interpersonal Communication

Concepts and Cases

Concluding a relationship is never easy . In fact it is almost always accompanied by resentment , stress , and tears . Tragic as it may seem , it is also a very interesting issue to display the dynamics of interpersonal communication

Take for instance the couple Martin and Elaine . After 27 years of marriage they decided to call it quits and d for a divorce . At hindsight , they never really had a big fight and in fact were very cordial to each other . But

they always have petty issues to contend with like where to dine , what to eat , when to take a vacation , and what movie to watch . To make matters worse , Martin and Elaine did not share any common interest . He is into bowling and travelling while she is very preoccupied with gardening and reading books . In the words of common folks , they simply had grown apart

Of course it is very easy to dispute that their separation is primarily based on love or lack thereof . However , a close scrutiny of their case will reveal the critical role of interpersonal communication in preserving or wrecking their relationship . Martin and Elaine 's marriage somehow fitted to what we refer as Knapp 's Relationship Termination Model

Mark Knapp 's model simply asserts that there are 10 stages of communication from initiation to termination . In this termination model , circumscribing , stagnating , avoiding , and terminating are the major stages . Circumscribing is the initial stage of termination characterized by decreasing communication and shrinking commitment Perhaps after several years of living together they began to get bored with their routines but both were not ready to raise their issues fearing this might rift their bond . They just went on with their lives but talking less and

Surname 2

limiting their time together . Thus , we can say that this is the denial stage of termination . Then they progressed to Stagnating point where they both act in their familiar ways but with lesser feeling . They simply did their chores out of routine without putting much emotion This might be manifested in their sexual activities and other decision-making situations . After that Avoiding will surface and here they clearly show their antagonism against each other . In their case Martin and Elaine were involved more on petty things without realizing that these small issues will soon pile up to develop into a disaster Finally , they reached the Terminating stage in which they can no longer hide their true sentiments and decided to let it out in the open . In this case , they decided to a divorce and end their protracted relationship

On the surface we can only see the Terminating stage but if we consider closely we will realize the importance of communication in every phase of their relationship . Perhaps consciously understanding interpersonal communication concepts and its application might save not only marriages but also prevent war , improve business , and foster strong ties between countries

To better depict the clout of interpersonal communication...