How does it go from this to feelings of blahs, boredom, frustration, aggravation, and just plain unhappiness? Well, this has been examined by many psychologists, therapists, psychoanalysis, and the like, and while some have different terms they use or note a different number of phases that are entered, the general ideas seem to be the same
Apparently, each relationship goes through stages. In understanding these stages, we can anticipate them and deal with our behavior appropriately. .
The Honeymoon Stage.
The first stage that a couple goes through is the romantic stage, or sometimes called the honeymoon stage (Johnson, 1996). This is the stage where couples feel that everything is wonderful. You are excited to see the other person. You cannot wait to talk to him or her. Your level of desire for the other person is insatiable. Every little thing they say or do is cute to you. Couples in this stage are obvious. They may be holding hands, kissing a lot in public, they may be giggly or giddy all the time. It is like they are walking around on cloud nine. Most couples in this stage are very optimistic about their future (Johnson, 1996). They cannot imagine that anything will go wrong or that they will ever experience feelings of indifference about their partner. .
Just because this stage sounds like the couple may not have their feet on the ground, this stage is very important, none the less. During this time, the couple learns that they do not need others (such as in other dates with the opposite sex ) to be happy. "They enjoy being alone together (Johnson, 1996 )". This is a time of great satisfaction. Many wonderful memories are created at this time. The wonderful memories will be something nice to reflect back on, especially once they hit their challenges, such as the next stage(Johnson, 1996). .
The Disillusionment Stage.
For a good percentage of couples, they come to a stage referred to as the disillusionment stage.
