Objective: Although the link between mismatched interpersonal values and efficacies and increased interpersonal problems would seem intuitive, previous research has not directly tested this association. This study provides a more comprehensive examination of this relationship than has previously been attempted while also providing a framework through which similar questions regarding intrapersonal mismatches may be investigated. Method: Using scales based in the interpersonal circumplex, we evaluate the values, efficacies and problems of two large samples (undergraduate N=1453, community N=1099), and use response surface analysis to model these variables and their various alignments.Results: We found that there were significant positive relationships between increased mismatches and increased problems in our primary models. We also found that extremity in both matches and mismatches predicted increased problems from the linear trend and that when focusing along an IPC dimension (e.g. warmth), a mismatch of values being greater than efficacies predicted reported problems with the opposite pole of the dimension (e.g., coldness). Conclusion: This study elaborates upon the relationship between values and efficacies, producing results that both align with previous work, and enriching the conceptualization of this relationship via the complexity allowed by the use of RSA.
A response surface analysis investigation of the effects of (mis)alignment between interpersonal values and efficacies on interpersonal problems
