Relationship Psychology Infographic, Nine Theories Explained

Key points from the infographic

• The graphic maps nine theories from psychology and communication onto the life of a relationship, from where people meet to why they stay in touch.
• Arrows run through six questions in order: where you meet people, why you approach someone, what you talk about, how to manage expectations, how the relationship develops and why staying in touch works.
• A separate central question, why build relationships at all, is answered by social exchange theory and Richard Erskine’s eight relational needs.
• Most of the theories date from the 1950s to the 1970s, from the Westgate housing studies of 1950 to uncertainty reduction theory in 1975 [1][2].

The infographic in text

Title: Theoretical guide to building relationships. Logo: Knei. The text of each card, as printed:

Where do you meet people? Propinquity effect

Propinquity effect: the tendency of individuals to form relationships with people they repeatedly encounter. The closer people are in some aspect (physical proximity, interests, etc.), the higher propinquity they have in that. Partially, the propinquity effect is attributed to mere-exposure effect.

Why do you approach another person? Uncertainty reduction theory

When people meet, they face uncertainties about each other’s attitudes, beliefs, values, and potential actions. In order to explain and predict behaviour, the individuals seek to reduce their uncertainties by acquiring information about each other.

What do you talk about? Social penetration theory

People go from superficial to intimate connections through repeated, positive interactions. The main instrument for building and displaying trust is self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is information, thoughts, or feelings a person tells others about themselves.

How to manage expectations? Expectancy violations theory

People have expectations about others’ behaviour and react when somebody violates them. Response depends on the interpretation of the behaviour (positive or negative), the rewardingness of the violator, and the degree of expectation violation.

How your relationship will develop? Two theories

Theory of interpersonal relations: The theory was developed for nursing practice by H. Peplau. Two people get involved in a significant, therapeutic, interpersonal process to increase one’s health. The relation between two people then can be described in four stages: Orientation, Identification, Exploitation, Resolution.

Stages of close relationships: Regarding long-term pair processes, G. Levinger proposed a five-phase sequence that extends from (1) initial attraction, (2) building a relationship, (3) continuation, (4) deterioration, (5) ending.

Why staying in touch works? Mere exposure effect

Refers to a psychological effect of increasing preference for the object through a series of repeated exposures. Simply put, the more a person sees something, the more they might like it over a less familiar alternative. The mere exposure studies had a crucial impact on marketing and behavioural psychology.

Why would you need to build relationships? Two theories

Social exchange theory: Humans are considered rational creatures who perform a cost-reward analysis. We weigh the actual and anticipated rewards of entering into continuing relationships and interpersonal interactions. Simply put, we stay in touch because we expect some value, now or later.

Relational needs: Richard Erskine introduced the eight primary relational needs. The majority of humans need: security; to feel validated and affirmed in a relationship; to be accepted by a dependable superior; to share personal experience; to self-define; to have an impact on other people; to have the other initiate; to express love.

Where the theories come from

• Propinquity: first described by Leon Festinger, Stanley Schachter and Kurt Back in the Westgate studies at MIT in 1950 [1].
• Uncertainty reduction theory: developed in 1975 by Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese to explain how strangers use communication to reduce uncertainty in a first conversation [2].
• Social penetration theory: formulated in 1973 by Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, who used the image of peeling an onion for how people reveal deeper layers of themselves as a relationship grows [3].
• Expectancy violations theory: developed by Judee Burgoon from the late 1970s, starting from research on personal space [4].
• Theory of interpersonal relations: Hildegard Peplau, described as the first published nursing theorist since Florence Nightingale, set out phases of the nurse and patient relationship: orientation, identification, exploitation (also called working) and resolution (also called termination) [5].
• Stages of close relationships: George Levinger’s model of five stages: acquaintance, build up, continuation, deterioration and ending. It was written for adult romantic relationships but has been applied more widely [6].
• Mere exposure effect: the scholar best known for developing it is Robert Zajonc [7].
• Social exchange theory: introduced by George Homans in 1958 in “Social Behavior as Exchange” and developed by Peter Blau, Richard Emerson, John Thibaut and Harold Kelley [8].
• Relational needs: Richard Erskine describes eight relational needs that clients most often talk about in significant relationships: security; validation, affirmation and significance; acceptance by a stable, dependable and protective other person; confirmation of personal experience; self definition; making an impact on the other; having the other initiate; and expressing love [9].

Notes on this infographic

• Levinger’s first stage is usually called acquaintance, not initial attraction [6]. The graphic’s wording is a paraphrase.
• Peplau’s theory was written for nurses and patients, so its stages describe a professional, temporary relationship, not a friendship or romance [5].
• Erskine’s third need is acceptance by a stable, dependable and protective other person [9]. The graphic shortens this to “a dependable superior”.
• The graphic is a summary for general readers, not a clinical or counselling guide.

Questions about relationship psychology

What is the propinquity effect?

It is the tendency to form relationships with people we come across often, because they live, work or study nearby or share interests. It was first described in the Westgate housing studies at MIT in 1950 by Festinger, Schachter and Back [1]. The graphic links it to the mere exposure effect: the more often we meet someone, the more we may come to like them.

What are Erskine’s eight relational needs?

Security; validation, affirmation and significance in a relationship; acceptance by a stable, dependable and protective other person; confirmation of personal experience; self definition; having an impact on the other person; having the other initiate; and expressing love [9]. Erskine describes them as the needs his clients most often raise when they talk about important relationships [9].

What is social penetration theory?

Social penetration theory, formulated in 1973 by Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, says people move from superficial to intimate connections through repeated, positive interactions [3]. They used the image of peeling an onion for how people reveal deeper layers of themselves as a relationship grows [3]. The main instrument for building and displaying trust is self-disclosure, the information, thoughts or feelings a person tells others about themselves.

What are Levinger's stages of a relationship?

George Levinger's model has five stages: acquaintance, build up, continuation, deterioration and ending [6]. The graphic paraphrases the first stage as initial attraction, followed by building a relationship, continuation, deterioration and ending. The model was written for adult romantic relationships but has been applied more widely [6].

Sources

1. Wikipedia, Propinquity.
2. Wikipedia, Uncertainty reduction theory.
3. Wikipedia, Social penetration theory.
4. Wikipedia, Expectancy violations theory.
5. Wikipedia, Hildegard Peplau.
6. Wikipedia, Interpersonal relationship, section on Levinger’s stages of relationship development.
7. Wikipedia, Mere-exposure effect.
8. Wikipedia, Social exchange theory.
9. Richard G. Erskine, Methods of an Integrative Psychotherapy, Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026