INTERPERSONAL

RELATIONSHIPS
KNAPP MODEL

Initiation
Greeting each
other and
maintaining
decorum

Experimenting
Asking the
relevant
questions and
getting more
information
and inputs
about each
other

THE ANSWERS DETERMINE THE NEXT

STAGE OF RELATIONSHIPS
MANY RELATIONSHIPS DO NOT
PROCEED BEYOND THIS STAGE DUE
TO LACK OF COMMON GROUND

Intensifying
More
information is
revealed and
the
relationships
move on to a
personal level,
and the barriers

Integrating

The individuals do things

together and, importantly,
others come to see them as a
pair. A shared relational identity
starts to form in this stage.

Bonding

The stage where the relationships

move on to legal bonding
partnerships, doing business
together, marriage, friendship, etc.

BREAK IN RELATIONSHIPS

Differentiating
When
individuals
become
independent
more emphasis
on ME as
opposed to
WE. First
warning sign of

Circumscribing &
Stagnating
Common ground
disappears
each ones view
point is not
accepted by the
other

Avoiding
People are
not willing
to listen,
discuss or
find
solutions
they
just want
to be left
alone

Terminating
When the
individual/individu
als feel they
cannot be in the
relationship at all