Know the five stages of dating! From attraction to engagement!

Posted by Married Wiki Bio Last Updated: October 31, 2023 | In Dating , Relationship

Are you thinking of commencing a romantic relationship? Are you attracted to someone? Or Are you already in an intimate relationship? In all these cases, there would be five stages over which a relationship matures. From attraction to engagement stage, there are 5 stages of dating.

The 5 stages of dating

Inside Content (Biography)

When one enters into a relationship, he or she usually is unsure of the path that this relationship might take. But if it is a successful relationship, it goes through five stages. These are Attraction, Reality, Commitment, Intimacy, and Engagement. The duration of each stage varies in a relationship. In some cases, it might be a whirlwind romance that soon reaches the phase of engagement followed by marriage. But in some, engagement never comes and the dating stages move on very slowly. These people are either too busy in their professional lives or deliberately move on slowly due to some bad previous experience. Oprah Winfrey is in a relationship since 1986 with Stedman Graham. They did get engaged and were to walk down the aisle together in November 1992 but it never took place.

Attraction-the first stage of dating

This is the first stage of the dating process. A person gets attracted to another new contact or even a friend whom he or she has known for many years. He or she starts liking the opposite person and wants to know more about her or him. Here, the person feels that the person he or she is attracted to is a perfect match. This stage is also called the honeymoon phase and the pair might be excited and at the top of the world.

Communication between the couple is at its peak and this stage usually lasts a few months. Online or offline or personal talks are more. The pair goes on private dates together and is deciding whether to go on to the next level.

Reality

At this stage of reality, one starts seeing things beyond the traits that had attracted the person. The honeymoon phase is now over and flaws of either party come to the forefront. These flaws may be trivial or annoying. The rush of hormones has ebbed and you are trying to face and imbibe the reality. A relationship might end here or might continue. The pair might start accepting and respecting the differences if they are not too wide away. This phase may go on for 6 months or more.

Commitment

Once this phase of reality is overcome, the relationship reaches the stage of commitment. Here you take your partner in with the flaws and learn to either accept them or ignore the differences. The two are committed now in the relationship and want to spend the rest of their lives together. The pair discuss future plans and career goals.

Intimacy

In this phase, intimacy sets in. True love blossoms in the couple. Not only physical but deeper intimacy comes in. The guard is let down and the pair opens up about things not discussed before with each other. If this stage is passed, then the final stage comes in namely of engagement.

Engagement-the last stage of dating

In this phase, you pledge your commitment and enter into a blissful love stage. The two plan a fruitful and happy future together. But this does not rule out ups and downs in the life of the couple. But they try to make things work and stay together overcoming all forces that might attempt to separate them.