Knapps Staircase Model

Without a doubt the greatest friendship that I have ever had is with my friend Nick. It’ s hard to make sense of a relationship that has spanned 14 years, yet it is the the challenge that I am embarking on. The best way I could define our friendship is through a series of stories of us growing up together, and hope that you can gain insight through the paths of two people that are interconnected. Also, as a clarification, Knapps staircase model is used, however some elements have been slightly expanded in order to better fit the friendship between two hetosexual males, as opposed to the ideally romantic relationship that it is normally used for. I personally found that it was one of the better models to define the experiences

My move to West Salem was the catalyst to meeting Nick, and would signal the initiating stage for our relationship. I don't have any memory of when exactly we met, but I am almost sure it was outside on our street. Our street was ideally situated for growing up and meeting new friends. It was perfectly situated on a cul de sac, allowing us to play openly on the street without the fear of falling victim to the front bumper of a car; it fostered the perfect physical communication environment, allowing us to connect through the types of child play that boys are known for. Everyday there would be a small pick up game or a bike race, and what we discussed was superficial matters, like who was faster and who was stronger. Being young boys, there really wasn't much to being another person's friend. The social penetration model demonstrates the early stages of our friendship by showing the relative lack of breadth or depth in our communications. At that age most young boys are pretty similar, allowing for friendships based off of convenience. The amount of seemingly odd conveniences is what has made Nick a lifelong friend. My last name is Yates and his last name is Zuk, so we always ended up sitting next to each other in class, or standing next to each other in line when teachers sorted us by alphabetical order. It is hard to remember at time in which we were not close