Teaching the staircase model of relationships through social media browsing

Abstract

Courses: Interpersonal Communication; Relational Communication.

Objectives: Students who complete this activity should be able to (1) understand the staircase model of relationships; (2) explain how social media has influenced the ways in which relationships develop and dissolve; (3) discuss advantages and limitations of the staircase model; and (4) recognize the value of using theoretical models of communication to understand everyday life.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Dr. Rebecca Litke and Dr. Melissa Tindage (California State University, Northridge) and Dr. Steven Brunner (University of California, Davis) for help with an early version of this manuscript.

Examples of initiating, intensifying, and bonding