Development and Validation of the Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems

The interpersonal circumplex (IPC) is a well-established model of social behavior that spans basic personality and clinical science. Although several measures are available to assess interpersonal functioning (e.g., motives, traits) within an IPC framework, researchers studying interpersonal difficulties have relied primarily on a single measure, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems – Circumplex Scales (IIP-C; Horowitz, Alden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 2000). Although the IIP-C is a widely used measure, it is currently the only measure specifically designed to assess maladaptive interpersonal behavior using the IPC framework. The purpose of the current study is to describe a new 64-item measure of interpersonal problems, called the Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems (CSIP). Interpersonal problems derived from a pool of 400 personality-related problems were assessed in two large university samples. In the scale development sample (N = 1,197), items that best characterized each sector of the IPC were identified, and a set of eight 8-item circumplex scales was developed. Psychometric properties of the resulting measure were then examined in thevalidation sample (N = 757). Results from confirmatory circumplex structural analyses indicated that the CSIP fit well to a quasi-circumplex model. The CSIP converged with the IIP-C and the Revised Interpersonal Adjective Scales (Wiggins, 1995), and associated in theoretically expected ways with broader assessments of adaptive- and maladaptive-range personality traits and symptoms of psychological distress. The CSIP augments the IIP-C with additional content, thereby helping to extend the underlying constructs, and provides an alternative means for studying the interpersonal consequences of personality and psychopathology.

Download Full-text

The Rorschach and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems

Rorschachiana Journal of the International Society for the Rorschach ◽

10.1027/1192-5604.29.1.3 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 3-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Robert B. Schneider ◽

Steven K. Huprich ◽

Kristi M. Fuller

Keyword(s):

Statistical Significance ◽

A Priori ◽

Interpersonal Problems ◽

Self Report ◽

Interpersonal Circumplex ◽

Implicit Measures ◽

Inventory Of Interpersonal Problems ◽

Interpersonal Difficulties ◽

The Face ◽

Rorschach Variables

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between a self-report (explicit) measure of interpersonal difficulties – the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP; Horowitz et al., 2000 ) – and the Rorschach, which includes implicit measures of self-perception and interpersonal relatedness. Seventeen a priori predictions were made regarding the face-valid associations (i.e., correlations) between the IIP and selected Rorschach variables. A sample of 62 undergraduates were administered the Rorschach and IIP. Their IIP scores were slightly higher than the normative sample reported by Horowitz et al. (1988) . Nonetheless, seven predicted relationships were statistically significant and included the following Rorschach variables: Intellectualization Index, AG, FM, S, T, Y, and MOR. These results remained significant when they were controlled for response productivity. Five of the predicted correlations approached statistical significance and included the following Rorschach variables: T, Food, Egocentricity Index, and M%. Most of the correlations were observed in the submissive hemisphere of the interpersonal circumplex. Nonsignificant results were partially explained to be the result of “heteromethod inversion” ( Bornstein, 2002 ) in which defensiveness in admitting difficulties in some interpersonal domains leads to apparent inconsistencies in explicit and implicit measures of a given trait or quality.

Download Full-text

Examination of the General Factor with the Interpersonal Circumplex Structure: Application to the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems

Multivariate Behavioral Research ◽

10.1207/s15327906mbr3104_3 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 441-466 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Terence J.G. Tracey ◽

James Rounds ◽

Michael Gurtman

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Problems ◽

Interpersonal Circumplex ◽

General Factor ◽

Inventory Of Interpersonal Problems

Download Full-text

Interpersonal Problems Across Levels of the Psychopathology Hierarchy

10.31219/osf.io/6w23e ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jeffrey M. Girard ◽

Aidan G.C. Wright ◽

Joseph E. Beeney ◽

Sophie A. Lazarus ◽

Lori Scott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depression ◽

Structural Model ◽

Interpersonal Problems ◽

Borderline Personality ◽

Interpersonal Circumplex ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Dependent Personality ◽

Interpersonal Distress ◽

Inventory Of Interpersonal Problems ◽

Structural Summary

We examined the relationship between psychopathology and interpersonal problems in a sample of 825 clinical and community participants. Sixteen psychiatric diagnoses and five transdiagnostic dimensions were examined in relation to self-reported interpersonal problems. The structural summary method was used with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Circumplex Scales to examine interpersonal problem profiles for each diagnosis and dimension. We built a structural model of mental disorders including factors corresponding to detachment (avoidant personality, social phobia, major depression), internalizing (dependent personality, borderline personality, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress, major depression), disinhibition (antisocial personality, drug dependence, alcohol dependence, borderline personality), dominance (histrionic personality, narcissistic personality, paranoid personality), and compulsivity (obsessive-compulsive personality). All dimensions showed good interpersonal prototypicality (e.g., detachment was defined by a socially avoidant/nonassertive interpersonal profile) except for internalizing, which was diffusely associated with elevated interpersonal distress. The findings for individual disorders were largely consistent with the dimension that each disorder loaded on, with the exception of the internalizing and dominance disorders, which were interpersonally heterogeneous. These results replicate previous findings and provide novel insights into social dysfunction in psychopathology by wedding the power of hierarchical (i.e., dimensional) modeling and interpersonal circumplex assessment.

Download Full-text

The Interpersonal Circumplex and the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders: Relationships among Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3236 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 898-899

Author(s):

Lisa Stone ◽

Daniel Segal

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Personality Trait ◽

Alternative Model ◽

Self Report ◽

Interpersonal Circumplex ◽

Circumplex Model ◽

Personality Functioning ◽

Inventory Of Interpersonal Problems ◽

Interpersonal Dysfunction ◽

Pathological Personality Traits

Abstract Introduction The interpersonal circumplex model measures interpersonal dysfunction along two axes (communion and agency), resulting in eight unhealthy patterns: Domineering, Vindictive, Cold, Socially Avoidant, Nonassertive, Exploitable, Overly Nurturant, and Intrusive. It is unclear how the circumplex model applies to older adults and their unique biopsychosocial contexts. This study examined relationships between the circumplex and personality disorder features, using the Alternative Model of Personality Disorder’s (AMPD) personality functioning and pathological personality trait constructs. Method: Older adults (N = 202) completed the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Short Circumplex (IIP-SC), the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale-Self-Report (LPFS-SR), and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) to measure pathological personality traits. Results Correlations were computed between the IIP-SC’s eight circumplex scales with the LPFS-SR’s four personality functioning domains and with the PID-5’s five domains. All circumplex scales significantly (p < .001) and positively correlated with all LPFS-SR and PID-5 domains, with large effect sizes (> .45). Next, regressions were conducted, with the LPFS-SR and PID-5 domains predicting each IIP-SC scale. Across the eight regressions, the AMPD constructs accounted for significant variance in the IIP-SC scales, ranging from 38% (Nonassertive) to 64% (Domineering and Cold). Discussion Significant overlap between the interpersonal circumplex and the AMPD was demonstrated, but patterns are distinct from previous research among younger adults. The circumplex was limited in its relation to the AMPD’s personality functioning, but the pathological personality trait model was well represented through the circumplex. Results indicate that the circumplex may have some validity among older adults and warrants further investigation.

Download Full-text

Social Competence: An Interpersonal Analysis and Reformulation

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027//1015-5759.15.3.233 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 233-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Michael B. Gurtman

Keyword(s):

Social Competence ◽

Social Competency ◽

Self Report ◽

Interpersonal Behavior ◽

Interpersonal Theory ◽

Interpersonal Circumplex ◽

Circumplex Model ◽

Integrative Framework ◽

Analytic Methods ◽

Item Characteristics

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.

Download Full-text

Brief Report: Assessing Clinical Significance Using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems

Assessment ◽

10.1177/107319119600300204 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 133-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Nathan B. Hansen ◽

Michael J. Lambert

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Relations ◽

Community Sample ◽

Interpersonal Problems ◽

Self Report ◽

Interpersonal Functioning ◽

Student Sample ◽

Inventory Of Interpersonal Problems ◽

Interpersonal Difficulties ◽

Cutoff Scores ◽

Clinically Significant

A great deal of attention has been focused on the symptomatic recovery of patients undergoing psychotherapy. Secondary to this is the degree to which psychotherapies affect patients’ interpersonal relations. The Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) is a self-report instrument developed to assess interpersonal difficulties. This study was conducted to establish cutoff scores for judging clinically significant improvement in patients' interpersonal functioning in studies of psychotherapy outcome. It was demonstrated that the IIP can distinguish among three groups, namely: (a) an asymptomatic community sample, (b) a student sample, and (c) a patient sample. Cutoff scores were established that allow researchers and clinicians to estimate the degree to which patients return to an average and ideal state of interpersonal functioning.

Download Full-text