Long term, satisfying relationships have been shown to follow a course of development through stages, involving several components that build over time. Discuss these stages and components in detail.

Include:

What an ideal relationship actually is?

The course of an ideal relationship.

The components in each stage (layers of a building relationship).

What is the one component in a romantic relationship that could be missing for an extended time yet not destroy the relationship. Give examples of how this might happen and why it would not destroy the relationship.