no In less than 200 words, post a response to the following: Relationships, similar to people, encounter stages of
development. Describe how a person moves through each of the five stages of Levingers ABCs of relationships
model. As you write your description, include answers to the following questions: What do you think people look
for in the attraction stage? How do people work on building a relationship? What are some positive factors which
foster the continuation of a relationship? What steps can a couple take to avoid the deterioration phase? Resource...
http://www.mediafire.com/?azaddmf2jzm
In general, Pscyhologist George Levinger believed relationships had five stages that are referred to as the ABCs of
Relationships attraction, building, continuation, deterioration, and ending. For Levinger, this is a universal theory
and fits all relationships whether it be romantic, familial, friendship, or even casual and of course, the timing is
different in all the types of relationships that use this model.
(A) In the attraction stage, it is physical beauty or something that causes initial attraction; dress, body language,
encounters, the mind, etc. In dating, it may be similar interests, philosophy, personality, or a photo. This stage,
though focuses on commonality or something winning that the other person has that just seems right.
(B) The building stage is deeper, and tends to focus more on common grounds, enjoying things with one another,
and a more honest approach to the relationship. Not thinking one needs to always be on the best behavior, this
stage is more of a foundation of any relationship and establishes the groundwork of whether the relationship
will continue or not. Building requires more trust, building requires more honesty, building requires letting
ones guard down and taking risks.
(C) The Continuation stage is a logical movement beyond the building stage in which both parties seem to believe
the relationship is worth continuing, and both parties glean something positive from it. Both are willing to
continue communication and there effort, are more demonstrations of trust, commitment, equity, and mutual
satisfaction whether that be physically, mentally, emotionally, or a combination thereof. Interestingly enough,
Levinger sees that in the C stage, I is often replaced by we.
(D) Levinger insists that the last to stages, deterioration and ending are completely avoidable if both individuals
remain committed to the continuation and relationship maintenance. Of course, ending can also mean the death
of one of the partners as well. However, the deterioration stage is the time when one or both parties no longer
desire to continue in the relationship either because the relationship has declined, commonality has ebbed, or
the cost benefit is not worth the energy. This stage is natural, but Levinger believes that if there is a commitment
to communication, resolving conflict, or seeking professional help and guidance to work through the issues, the
relationship can continue.
(E) The Ending stage of any relationship is when one or both parties has ended the work that needed to take place in
the D stage, or that both parties simply do not wish, for reasons of their own, to continue on in the
relationship. This can be because of some angry outburst, infidelity, or simply growing apart naturally through
geography or life stage. According to Levinger, the E stage may be painful, but it does allow both parties to
grow, mature, and learn from past mistakes and be able to make a fresh start at a new relationship elsewhere.
References and Additional Readings
Peiss, Kathy. (1999). Hope in a Jar: The Making of Americas Beauty Culture. Holt Publishing.
Eve, R. et.al. (1997). Chaos, Complexity, and Sociology: Myths, Models and Theories. Sage.
Faludi, Susan. (2000). Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. Anchor Books.
Hyland, Drew. (2008). Plato and the Question of Beauty. Indiana University Press.
Nevid, J. S. and Rathus, S.A. (2005). Psychology and the Challenges of Life. John Wiley.
Wolf, Naomi (2002). The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women.
Harper.