What are the stages of relationship development?

Relationships take many forms. It's likely that you interact with hundreds to thousands of people on a weekly basis, all of which would be considered "a relationship." Webster's Dictionary defines a relationship as:

re⋅la⋅tion⋅ship

–noun

1.	a connection, association, or involvement.

2.	connection between persons by blood or marriage.

3.	an emotional or other connection between people: the relationship between teachers and students.

4.	a sexual involvement; affair.

According to Earnheardt and O'Neill in The Modern Communicator, "many of our relationships are based on need, and last only for a specific encounter". However, there are a few relationships in which you're a part of that last longer. These relationships go through stages.

Knapp (1978) and Knapp and Vangelisti (2000) proposed a two-part model for relationship development.

Works Cited
Earnheardt, A. & O'Neill, D. (2009). The Modern Communicator.

Knapp, M. L. (1978). Social intercourse: From greeting to goodbye. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Knapp, M. L., & Vangelisti, A. L. (2000). Interpersonal communication and human relationships
(4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.