Analysis of Relational Communication PDF

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Aaron Menezes COM-100 16 October 2019 Professor Danaher Analysis of Relational Communication Friendships are a special thing. Some come and go, and some last a long time, sometimes forever. Throughout my high school and adult-life I have embarked on many journeys of friendship. Despite many ups and downs in all forms of relationships in my life, my friend Ryan Taylor and I have been strong best friends since the summer before my freshman year of high school. There are a few stages of my long-lasting friendship with Ryan. I will address Mark Knapp’s stage development model and Waldron and Kelley’s Forgiveness model and how they both relate to my friendship with Ryan. Ryan and I’s friendship started with the “initiation stage” (Farmer, 2018). We played soccer on the summer team together, and I won’t forget the day I introduced myself to him after a game. We were both going into our freshman year of high school and we found common interest in soccer and basketball. We began getting to know each other in the next few days, playing XBOX and going out after practice. As time moved on, our friendship did too. In the “experimenting stage”, we began staying over at each other’s houses, getting to know each other’s families, and establishing a solid base of a friendship with each other (Farmer, 2018). We were quick to recognize that we favored the same traits in people, and we began introducing ourselves to other people in hopes to create a small friend group. I am most definitely an extrovert, and Ryan is very shy at times. It was difficult at times to get Ryan out of his shell, but once he’s comfortable he is the greatest guy. Our friendship with each other continued growing

stronger and stronger while we continued building relationships with other people. We had been far into the “intensifying stage” which is commonly known as the “romantic stage”. In this case, Ryan and I had become best friends, and what felt brothers. In the Spring when my birthday came around, Ryan and another friend of ours came over to my house and surprised me with a shower of gifts and LA Galaxy tickets. That weekend was a weekend I will never forget. I told Ryan that he was the best friend I have ever had. Ryan and I grew extremely close our freshman, sophomore, and junior years. Him and I were always at each other’s houses, even if we ourselves weren’t there. I would get dinner with his Mom and talk to his grandparents for hours. Ryan’s grandma buys the world’s greatest cinnamon rolls, and every time I stay the night with Ryan we eat them for breakfast. When senior year began, I had a lot on my plate. I was the president of my high school’s nationally ranked show choir, which wasn’t a small role. We competed around California and the United States every year and keeping the groups in performance shape was a duty that I had a part in. My responsibilities here were on top of the normal senior year duties of figuring out what college I would attend, taking senior photos, completing homework, and still keeping a balanced social life. Ryan came to every one of my show choir shows since the day I met him, and him and I usually went out to eat after a show. In my senior year, we started putting rainchecks to these nights, thus beginning the “interchanged stage”, the “differentiating stage”, and the “circumscribing stage”, also known as the phases of separation. We began encountering other people and experiences, leaving less time for us to spend together. Even when we both did have time to spend together, Ryan would sometimes make little to no effort to make it work. We began to argue and at times said things that we didn’t mean. We never stopped being friends, but we would have choppy sections of our friendship that made it hard to be around each other at times.

In the spring portion of my senior year, Ryan and I made a simple commitment to work together to find time to spend during the busy year. With this commitment, our friendship powered through even the hardest of times. We began to come extremely close again, and it felt like we were never separated. Our friendship had become stronger than ever. Although Ryan goes to school in Southern California where I grew up, we still FaceTime every week and catch up with each other’s lives. Despite the distance between us, we make our friendship work. I wouldn’t trade my friendship with Ryan for the world. I have learned that friendships are a continuous cycle of ups and downs, and only the best of friends have a chance of staying together. Whether a relationship is romantic or not, forgiveness is an essential tool to have in keeping a relationship healthy. Waldron and Kelley’s Forgiveness model explains the different stages that people go through to achieve forgiveness. (Kelley, 2018) People start by “confronting the main issue, managing emotions, and seeking then granting forgiveness” (Kelley, 2018).” Ryan and I both had moments where we said hurtful things to one another, and these are things that were forgiven. When these issues occur now, which is rare, we do our best to resolve it by discussing our true feelings. I am a more confrontational and I like to make myself heard when I am having a problem, whereas Ryan at times keeps to himself and holds back emotions. Despite these differences, we work together to stay close in our bond with confrontation and teamwork. As I have stated above, friendships all have ups and downs. Through hardships and the hard times, teamwork and honesty goes a long way. Although I have seen Ryan only twice since mid-August, he is my best friend

who serves as a brother to me. I am blessed to serve as a brother to him as well. Our friendship will not reach the “termination stage”, as we have been friends now for 4 years. I plan on making Ryan my best man at my wedding, and I at his. I can’t to see where the Lord takes our friendship!

References

Farmer, J. (2018). Chapter 7: Interpersonal Relationships. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.) Human communication. Retrieved from http://www.gcumedia.com/digital- resources/grand-canyonuniversity/2016/human-communication_ebook_1e.php

Kelley, D. (2018). Chapter 8: Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.) Human communication. Retrieved from http://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyonuniversity/2016/human- communication_ebook_1e.php...