ABSTRACT
Relationship development is an art, a collaborative process of creation in which partners transform the raw materials of relationships into something unique and even inspired. Relationship reimagination is a process whereby existing and past patterns of relational behavior are recognized by one or both partners; metaphors and sources of change are explored and the current emotional, behavioral, and moral meanings of the relationship are reevaluated. Scholars of organizational life have long noticed that workers can feel both constrained and empowered by the metaphors used by employers to describe workplace relations, such as references to “the team” or “our family”. The experience of unexpected change can make familiar metaphors feel inadequate and deprive them of their meaning. The metaphor of renewal invites people to reclaim and revitalize what has been good in our relationships. Redemption is a process of emotional repair and relational rethinking.
