Model for relationship development?

Reesy

Hi,

For my work I'm doing some research on how a relationship evolves between a customer and the service that they subscribe to (e.g. a bank account, a mobile phone service, etc.) over time.

To my simple mind there seem to be patterns - a person starts with a great need for information & they explore how the phone works, reads the bumf from the bank or whatever, then over time (a few months?) they settle into an apathetic (low-engagement?) mode where they just use the service & expend the minimum effort, ignoring most of the communication from the company until roused by a bad experience or a competitor offer.

This seems to be somewhat analagous to the way in which interpersonal relationships develop, with the intensity & questioning giving way to routine until something happens to rouse one into action.

So, my question: Can anyone recommend a model or some academic papers that might help me understand what seems to be going on? I've come across Knapp's model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapp's_Relational_Development_Model.

Thanks!

djerk

kind of a bizarre perspective imo, i would be more inclined to investigate branding and marketing and how that affects the psychological side of things eg; trends/fashion/identity etc.

you might find something useful in this docu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Century_of_the_Self
http://vimeo.com/67977038