sims RELATIONSHIPS

Those of you who play The Urbz: Sims in the City (this xbox game) you'll know that in order to gain status and progress in your relationship with the other people in the game, all you have to do is some moves/trick/stunt that that particular person loves. It could be the skate trick/ pub song/ air guitar/blow fire (as shown in the photos above) etc. When you do that, there will be some yellow stars (again,shown above) above your character's head and person you're interacting with, indicating that the relationship is progressing. If you insult the person, the stars will be red. Keep having yellow stars and your relationship with that person will level up sooner or later. But that can only happen in reel life! In real life, things aren't as easy as that.

According to the Knapp Model of Relational Development, there are five stages of forming and developing a relationship, and there are five stages of breaking and ending a relationship.

Forming&developing:

stage 1-initiating
stage 2-experimenting
stage 3-intensifying
stage 4-intergrating
stage 5-bonding

Basically you start off first by choosing who you wish to start a relationship with, and you initiate conversation. Have small talk and later increased commitment and physical contact.

Then you tell the world that you are a couple and eventually formalises obligation and commitment by marriage or something like that.

Breaking&ending:

stage 1-differentiaing

stage 2-circumscribing

stage 3-stagnating

stage 4-avoiding

stage 5-terminating

The relationship turns sour when frequent conflicts occur. Then there is a shrinking of relational interest and commitment. And the absence of joy and excitement that was once there. Then you avoid one another all together and eventually end it.

Sustaining a relationship with someone isn't an easy task. You may see each other everyday and yet you may feel that you have less and less things to talk about each time. You may even choose not to meet up anymore, coming up with excuses for being busy. Ignoring their text messages, calls etc. The feeling or joy and excitement disappears too. Before you know it, you may be falling apart. This is when you can see each other daily, let alone a relationship is long-distance. When you don't see the other party, almost all nonverbal communication cease to exist (refer to previous post for more info :). the relationship could become boring and as you meet new people, there is a temptation to leave your partner in the dark and carry on with you life without them. Infidelity may take place. But can you really blame yourself for wanting someone that you can reach physically instead of waiting on someone who isn't there? After all, the human mind responds to the senses. No doubt with today's technologies, long distance relationships are becoming easier to maintain. All you really need is tons of commitment from both parties. You need two hands to clap, the same thing applies here. It may not be easy, but its do-able. If only life was as easy as the SIMS.

photos from: http://xbox.ign.com/objects/677/677606.html