Friendship to Relationship Stages. Where are You?

Friendship and Relationships are the two modes, in which a person feels a strong connection with another.

Such a connection brings confusion many times. Because few want to move from being a friend to the better half. That’s why knowing about Friendship to Relationship Stages becomes essential.

Have you been stuck in a similar situation?

If yes, then today you can get more clarity to take the next step.

A study says that two-thirds of relationships begin as a long-term friendship (On an average of 22 months). We can not ignore the factors such as country, culture/tradition, which may influence the decision of a relationship.

You can read about the study in detail here.

Friendship to Relationship- Main Stages:

Before we carry on with the topic, kindly note that this is not a magic guide to badly influence your friend. Rather treat this as a map showing the movement from friendship to relationship.

1. Casual Friend:

Usually, the majority of friends come under this category.

Casual friendship is the next stage after acquaintance. A particular quality, talent/skill of the person, or simply being a part of the same organization are the few (examples) starting points of a great friendship.

Here you have general knowledge about your friend. You know that person’s name, age, occupation (if he/she is a student know what they study), and other basic information.

There’s less intensity of friendliness in casual friendships. Though you study or work together, personally you don’t spend much time together.

Mostly, a surface-level conversation takes place at this stage. You’re conscious of the subjects you talk about. A hesitant approach can be seen because of the lack of understanding of each other.

The difference between asking for help from a stranger and a friend is the advantage of having a casual friend. But be aware of the list of your friends and what you expect from each other. This will help you to avoid the downside of friendship.

The experience, information you have, and your current life stage or situation decide whether to take the friendship to the next stage or not.

What is the next stage then?

Let’s see.

2. Close Friend:

Have you ever thought, what makes a friend closer than just a casual?

If not, think right now and see what comes to your mind.

Basically, the right understanding of yourself and the other person is the foundation of close friendship.

In the casual face of friendship, you discover:

• Some common interests
• Habits
• Goals
• Family situations
• Maybe similar health issues, and so on.

These kinds of subjects pave the way for further discussions. The more you discuss, the more you get to know that person closely. Then you may meet that person quite often (via online platforms as well).

All these activities lead to the right understanding. You know the strengths and weaknesses. So, generally, actions are sensible at this stage.

Now you and your friend know much more about each other’s family. This is another feature of close friendship. Visiting the house, and spending time with family members whenever possible is the common scenario at this point.

Making fun, passing necessary or unnecessary comments, uncontrollable laughter, and recalling memories are major activities between close friends.

Genuine care, helping when there is a need, advising, and criticizing for doing something wrong, are parts of close friendship.

Till now, You and I went through the description of two major types of friendship.

Are you curious to know the turning point of a few relationships?

Keep going…

3. Confusing (Friend / Relation) Ship:

In the friendship-to-relationship stages, this is a point where one feels like a directionless ship in the ocean.

Why it is so?

To find this out, we need to look at from where and how the relationship thought enters one’s mind.

I’ve shared a few possible reasons below;

a. Physical Attraction:

Though it is a surface reason, we can not ignore it. The appearance, dressing sense, and overall personality attract quickly.

The relationship is a long-term game. Physical beauty is constantly changing. So decisions must be wise.

Keep in mind that we are not judging this right or wrong. We’re only discussing the possibilities. The ultimate decision is yours.

b. Suggestions or Questions of Others:

By looking at your friend, people may ask you, is it simply a friendship, or are you in a relationship?

Some will give you free advice to switch from friendship to relationship.

These will provoke you to think in a direction probably you never thought of before.

c. Identifying with Similar Situations:

Real-life examples become ideals sometimes. People whom you have known for several years may have updated themselves from being only friends to a friendly relationship.

Or, an idea of this kind may flash while watching a movie.

When one recognizes similar situations happening around (virtual or real), identification with such examples may take place.

d. Mature Decision:

One more possibility is a mature decision.

When a person is ready to step into a relationship, a close friend may pop up in the mind as an option.

Anyway, these may not be the same in every person’s life. These reasons are only to open up the mind to see what made you think of a relationship.

All such reasons bring confusion and make one question the present and future of existing friendships.

Is this happening to you too?

4. Possible Relationship:

Moving further, now you want to have clarity about what to do.

You can also consider this stage as a preparation for a Relationship.

When you reach this point, you begin to analyze the pros and cons of shifting from friendship to relationship. A few of them are listed below.

a. Pros:

• A known person for both you and your family.
• It eliminates the new search process from scratch.
• It saves time.
• Future prediction is comparatively easy for a female.

b. Cons:

• Possibility of losing the friendship.
• The initial challenge is to face a variety of comments or opinions.
• Religion restrictions.
• The complexity involved in managing all relationships.

Likewise, you need to see the whole scenario from all possible angles. This will help you to make the right decision.

When you go through all possibilities, there are multiple factors to take into consideration. No one can tell you exactly what to do. But someone can simplify the process for you.

You can begin with yourself by asking questions. Why did you consider your friend? What is the basis of your decision?

Give a pause to reading and note them down.

The next best step would be trying to understand your friend. Whether that person is ready for such change? What thoughts does that person have on the relationship?

Try to find out.

Once you have accurate answers to these fundamental questions, you can expand your calculations to family, society, and so on.

If you find the dominance of damaging factors in this stage itself, you’ll drop your idea of moving from friendship to relationship. On the other side, if there’s no major harm (to the friendship) in presenting your proposal before your friend, you’ll carry on.

Then what next?

5. Actual Relationship:

Till now you have climbed the steps from casual friendship to a possible relationship.

After all the careful evaluation, you share your thoughts with your friend. Now you’re ready to face the consequences.

Acceptance or rejection, the possibility of both results are there. Because of your careful examination and preparation, you can handle the rejection with manageable disappointment.

Your friend will feel shocked, or surprised if that person had no clue about this proposal. Now your friend faces the dilemma that you have gone through earlier.

If the friend accepts the proposal, then both of you together can plan the next process. Because challenges are not yet finished.

How you approach the families, their reactions, or decisions plays an important role. Again, families’ acceptance of your relationship depends on various factors. That’s a separate topic for another day.

In case your parents are already forcing you to marry, then read SharingShree‘s Post on “Why are Parents Forcing for Marriage in India?”. That will give you more insights.

Once you step into a relationship, it has its own problems. Hence, you may also like to know “How to Solve Problems in a Relationship”.

Conclusion:

These are the five important stages involved in the journey from friendship to relationship.

In which stage did you find yourself while reading?

Stages one and two are common in most people’s life. If you want to join those, who successfully switched from friendship to relationship, you need to proceed carefully from stage three onwards.

A relationship that is backed by friendliness will most likely succeed in the long run.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Mention below. Let readers benefit from your words.