Social Support as an Interpersonal Construct

1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista K. Trobst

Summary: The present article relied upon interpersonal theory ( Sullivan, 1953 ), the interpersonal circumplex model ( Leary, 1957 ), resource exchange theory ( Foa & Foa, 1974 ), and the meta-constructs of agency and communion ( Bakan, 1966 ; Wiggins, 1991 ) in the attempt to explicate a theoretical and measurement model of social support. The Support Actions Scale - Circumplex (SAS-C; Trobst, in press ) provides a circumplex measure of social support whose psychometric characteristics are comparable to the best circumplexes reported in the literature. Empirical findings using this recent measure are summarized and interpreted with respect to an interpersonal theory perspective.

Author(s):  
Aaron L. Pincus ◽  
Christopher J. Hopwood

We present a model of personality psychopathology based on the assumptions; descriptive metastructure; and developmental, motivational, and regulatory processes of the contemporary integrative interpersonal theory of personality. The interpersonal model of personality psychopathology distinguishes between the definition of personality pathology and individual differences in the expression of personality disorder. This approach facilitates interdisciplinary conceptualizations of functioning and treatment by emphasizing the interpersonal situation as a prominent unit of analysis, organized by the metaconstructs of agency and communion and the interpersonal circumplex model. Linking personality psychopathology to agentic and communal constructs, pathoplastic relationships with those constructs, patterns of intraindividual variability, and interpersonal signatures allows personality dysfunction to be tied directly to psychological theory with clear propositions for research and treatment planning. The model’s relevance for DSM-5 is highlighted throughout the chapter. We conclude by bringing the interpersonal model from bench to bedside with an articulation of its clinical implications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Svitlana Kuzikova ◽  
Valeriy Zlivkov ◽  
Svitlana Lukomska

This article is devoted to the concept of integrative interpersonal theory of personality. The origins of the interpersonal theory of personality are found in interpersonal theory of psychiatry. This approach facilitates interdisciplinary conceptualizations of functioning and treatment by emphasizing the interpersonal situation as a prominent unit of analysis, organized by the metaconstructs of agency and communion and the interpersonal circumplex model. The interpersonal circumplex can serve as both companion and guide for those interested in exploring the interpersonal domain of personality. It is outlined the major assumptions and key concepts of the contemporary integrative interpersonal theory of personality. The features and the variety of studies, including several recent studies that extend integrative interpersonal theory are outlined. It is established that applications of the model for exploring both the idiographic (person‐centered) and nomothetic (variable‐centered) realms of personality. The contemporary interpersonal tradition assumes a pathoplastic relationship between interpersonal functioning and many forms of psychopathology. Key concepts of interpersonal theory: Copy process, Catalysts of internalization, Interpersonal motives, Regulatory Metagoals are described. The interpersonal nexus in psychology is a nomological net that provides the architecture to coordinate definition of personality. Given the advances in interpersonal theory and description discussed here, we would argue that agentic and communal personality characteristics should be essential components of an interdisciplinary science of personality psychology. Стаття присвячена аналізу сучасної інтегративної міжособистісної теорії особистості, що базується на міжособистісній теорії психіатрії, згідно з якою міжособистісна ситуація як одиниця аналізу дозволяє реалізувати міждисциплінарний підхід до діагностики, терапії та лікування пато­психологічних станів. При цьому наголошується, що утворений метаконструктами контекст комунікації по суті є моделлю міжособистісного комплексу, який дозволяє вивчати особистість комплексно, в кон­тексті інтегративного підходу, базуючись не лише на принципах патології, а й на принципах гуманізму. Окреслено основні поняття сучасної інтегративної міжособистісної теорії особистості: копінг-процеси, каталізатори інтерналізації, міжособистісні мотиви, регуляторні метацілі. Проаналізовано  численні дослідження (зокрема сучасні), що не лише розкривають основні поняття інтегративної міжособистісної теорії, а й демонструють можливості її використання у практичній психології та психотерапії. Вста­новлено, що застосування інтегративної міжособистісної теорії для вивчення ідеографічних (орієнтованих на людину) та номотетичних (орієнтованих на норми) сфер дозволяють розглядати особистість комп­лексно, у взаємозв’язку її різних властивостей. Сучасна міжособистісна традиція передбачає зумовленість соціального функціонування міжособистісним контекстом, тобто міжособистісний аспект у психології є номологічною мережею, яка забезпечує основу для інтегративного визначення особистості. З урахуванням надбань міжособистісної теорії та досвіду її використання у практичній психології та психотерапії, констатується, що ключові її аспекти можуть вважатися основними компонентами міждисциплінарної психології особистості.


Author(s):  
Aaron L. Pincus ◽  
Christopher J. Hopwood ◽  
Aidan G. C. Wright

This chapter reviews structural and process assumptions of the Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory of personality and presents the interpersonal situation as a synthetic and widely applicable framework for integrating the structure and dynamics of persons and situations. It is an interactional-dynamic perspective that is variable-centered and dimensional (agency and communion; valence and arousal), specifies the important characteristics of situations, synthesizes objective and subjective perspectives, and is applicable to multimethod, multi-informant, multi-timescale assessments in situ, juxta situm, or ex situ organized by the interpersonal circumplex. Emphasizing clinical implications, the chapter reviews multimethod, multi-timescale empirical research employing intensive repeated measures designs (event-contingent recording, continuous assessment of interpersonal dynamics) supporting the interpersonal situation and its relevance for studying personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. It then elaborates on the utility of the interpersonal situation framework for psychotherapy practice and training. Finally, it identifies future directions for advancing this contemporary interpersonal perspective on psychological situations.


1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Gurtman

Summary: Social competence is an alluring, yet elusive, construct. The purpose of this article is to examine social competence in relation to a model of interpersonal behavior, the interpersonal circumplex. The circumplex can serve as descriptive taxonomy for social competence constructs; it also gives rise to a set of analytic methods useful for validating particular measures and analyzing item characteristics. The value of the approach was demonstrated in studies done on an array of self-report measures. The results suggested that most social competency measures can be reconceptualized as some blend of Dominance, Extraversion, and Friendliness. When linked to interpersonal theory, the circumplex model provides an integrative framework for understanding social competence, and a springboard for generating and testing relevant hypotheses.


Author(s):  
Alana Harrison Fondren ◽  
Sharon Rae Jenkins

Abstract. Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment (CTA; Finn, 2007 ) offers a person-centered approach to understanding clients’ problems through mutual engagement with the client’s experience of the data-gathering process. Key tenets of CTA include empowering the client to shape their own assessment questions and goals and connecting with the client in an empathic and meaningful manner. These tenets map onto the core domains of interpersonal theory – that is, agency and communion ( Wiggins, 1996 ). Interpersonal theory can be utilized to conceptualize several different concerns that may arise through the client’s questions during CTA, such as their interpersonal traits, problems, sensitivities, and so on. The present article provides a case conceptualization that utilizes contemporary integrative interpersonal theory (CIIT; Pincus, 2005 ) to conceptualize an assessment client who presented with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and gastrointestinal problems. Through a multimethod assessment approach grounded in the CTA and CIIT frameworks, the assessor gained a deeper understanding of how the client’s presenting problems are tied to her interpersonal patterns. Finally, the present article explores how interpersonal processes that unfolded during the assessment sessions informed case conceptualization and treatment planning. The synthesis of CTA and CIIT offers promising avenues for new methods of understanding clients’ questions through the lens of interpersonal relationships.


Assessment ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 107319111985840
Author(s):  
Jolien Cremers ◽  
Helena J. M. Pennings ◽  
Tim Mainhard ◽  
Irene Klugkist

This article describes a new way to analyze data from the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) for interpersonal behavior. Instead of analyzing Agency and Communion separately or analyzing the IPC’s octants, we propose using a circular regression model that allows us to investigate effects on a blend of Agency and Communion. The proposed circular model is called a projected normal (PN) model. We illustrate the use of a PN mixed-effects model on three repeated measures data sets with circumplex measurements from interpersonal and educational psychology. This model allows us to detect different types of patterns in the data and provides a more valid analysis of circumplex data. In addition to being able to investigate the effect on the location (mean) of scores on the IPC, we can also investigate effects on the spread (variance) of scores on the IPC. We also introduce new tools that help interpret the fixed and random effects of PN models.


1987 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 875-878
Author(s):  
Steven Taylor ◽  
Elizabeth Hinton

The present article considers the recent increase in community-based support systems for psychiatric patients. Although these systems appear to offer some short-term benefits, the long-term consequences have received little attention. Here, the case is examined for such systems actually facilitating the reproductive rates and hence general incidence of genetically transmitted disorders such as schizophrenia.


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