Relationship Wheel Human Behavior Relationships The Wheel Building

Relationship Wheel Human Behavior Relationships

The Wheel • Building and developing a relationship does not happen automatically when two people meet. • The relationship grows and flourishes as the people come together and relate to each other. • Thus building a relationship with another person is basically the process of developing feelings and interactions between the two of you.

The Wheel • Contains four spokes which represent the four steps of relationship building. • Rapport • Self-revelation • Mutual dependency • Need fulfillment • Take the following notes inside each spoke…

Rapport • Feeling you get when you are at ease with another person • Good rapport leads to more interactions • Poor rapport makes it unlikely that you will want to continue the relationship

Self-revelation • As you build rapport you open up to that person and tell more about yourself…called self-revelation • Revealing feelings, experience, and attitudes

Mutual dependency • You learn each other’s habits • You learn to depend on the other person to talk and laugh with, go places with or rely on

Needs fulfillment • You begin to get respect, confidence and love or affection from the relationship • If you both fulfill each others needs the relationship grows

Brainstorm • List of all the possible personal needs that you think could be met through relationships with others…

Going backwards • The wheel can also move in the opposite direction, causing the destruction of the relationship • Sometimes the rapport you feel with someone leads to self-revelation that causes arguments or bad feelings. This is likely to cause less selfrevelation. In turn, you rapport will decrease and fewer of your needs will be met.

Intimacy Ladder Human Behavior Relationships

Draw the ladder • Draw the ladder on the back of your page

Intimacy ladder • People climb the ladder as they build relationships with others. Each rung on the ladder describes one way of being close, or intimate, with another person.

Intellectual intimacy • Conversation, share ideas and thoughts • Keep it non-personal

Physical intimacy • Comfortable with closeness and may touch another person • Slap on the back, holding hands, etc. (doesn’t have to be sexual)

Emotional intimacy • To be completely natural and show feelings • Get rid of defenses • Receive understanding, affection and support from each other • Trust each other and share most private feelings and ideas