Showing papers on "Interpersonal relationship published in 1978"

Interpersonal attraction and relationships

Abstract: This review focuses on interpersonal attraction and informal affective relationships between adults. Such relationships, as we conceive of them, are those which are generally thought to be voluntary and sustained largely because the partners find interaction pleasurable. The bondedness of "close affective relationships" is prosai­ cally illustrated in the following statement culled from an interview with a college student: " ... I adore her. When I'm with her, I look at her constantly .... We are united together." Three elements integral to describing close relationships are re­ flected in this young man's pronouncement: a favorable attitude ("I adore her"), as evidenced in affection, respect, liking, or love; behavioral involvement ("I look at her constantly"), as manifested in affiliative action; and joint belongingness ("We are united together"), a relational force indicative of perceived mutual identity. Weak involvement would be shown by indifference, a failure to seek out the other, and the absence of joint bonds. Interpersonal attraction, as defined by social psychologists, refers to the first of the three elements-attitudinal positivity. Although theory and research on "inter­ personal attraction" is a recent social psychological concern, the subject has given rise to a great deal of empirical work. Naturalistic settings were the locus for Moreno's (222) early ventures into sociometry, for Festinger, Schachter & Back's

A Follow-up Study of the Relationships among Trust, Disclosure, and Interpersonal Solidarity

Abstract: This study conceptualized perceived trustworthiness of the individual, self-disclosure to the individual, perceived trustworthiness of people in general, and disclosive tendencies to other people in general to be indicants of a broader construct of trust. Self-disclosure and perceived trustworthiness of the individual were found to be related constructs assessing differential aspects of the trust construct. Likewise, self-disclosure and perceived trustworthiness of the individual were found to be criterial attributes of interpersonal solidarity. These communication-related phenomena indicated the solidarity of interpersonal relationships. In the progress of the research, a 20-item measure of perceived interpersonal solidarity was developed as a criterion for assessing the impact of communication-related variables on interpersonal relationships. Other exploratory research issues were investigated.

Occupational tedium in the social services

Abstract: Occupational tedium among social service workers was found to depend more on a worker's interpersonal relations with colleagues and clients than on intrinsic work conditions, such as the variety of job assignments. This suggests that social workers may be particularly sensitive to people as sources of both emotional stress and support.

Trust and managerial problem solving revisited.

Abstract: The centrality of interpersonal trust for effective managerial problem solving was illustrated by inducing either a high-trust or a low-trust mental set in experimental groups. The results indicated that subjects operating in a high-trust environment were significantly more effective in problem solving than those working in a low-trust environment.

Some Correlates of Trust.

Abstract: Summary Trust has been variously defined by behavioral scientists and not very thoroughly investigated. In this study trust was defined as an expectancy held by an individual that the behavior of another person or a group would be altruistic and personally beneficial. An attempt was made, using this conceptual definition, to identify some personality and behavioral correlates of trust. Seven interpersonal relations groups with approximately 10 male and female undergraduates per group were studied with use of the Janis and Field self-esteem inventory, Schutz's FIRO-B scale, and the Rotter internal-external scale. It was discovered that a trusted person is one who is highly influential, has an internal locus of control, a low need to control others, high self-esteem, and is open to being influenced by others.

Verbal Response Modes and Dimensions of Interpersonal Roles: A Method of Discourse Analysis.

Abstract: Utterances in dyadic communication can be described as concerning the speaker's or the other's experience, using the speaker's or the other's frame of reference, and being focused on the speaker or the other (where "focus" means presuming or not presuming knowledge of the other). The intersection of these three dichotomous principles of classificatio n defines eight familiar verbal response modes: disclosure, question, edification, acknowledgment, advisement, interpretation, confirmation, and reflection. Each mode has a distinctive grammatical form as well as a distinctive interpersonal intent, so the form and the intent of an utterance can be coded separately. The modes can be used to define three conceptually orthogonal dimensions of interpersonal roles, tentatively labeled attentiveness, acquiescence, and presumptuousness. The system of verbal response modes and role dimensions is similar in purpose to Bales's interaction process analysis but has certain methodological and conceptual advantages. A verbal response mode is a category of language behavior that implies a particular interpersonal intent or microrelation ship between communicator and recipient. For example, a question asks for information or advice from the recipient; a self-disclosur e reveals feelings, attitudes, or intentions to the recipient; advice suggests that certain things be done by the recipient. A summary »of the modes used during an interpersonal encounter describes the relationship that existed during the encounter. For example, one dyadic interaction might consist mostly of self-disclosures by both members, whereas another might consist mostly of questions by one member and advice by the other. Verbal response modes describe and quantify the clear differences between the dyad members' relationships in these two interactions.

Friendship and Kinship Interaction: Differential Effect on the Morale of The Elderly.

Abstract: The issue examined in this paper is the differential effect of kinship and friendship relationships on the life satisfaction of older peoplM. Interview data from a study of working-class grandparents were examined for their relevance to this issue. The data indicated the relatively greater importance of friends over grandchildren for maintaining morale in old age. Dimensions on which kinship and friiendship relationships can be compared to help explain their differential effect are described and discussed.

Social Status of Learning Disabled Children

Abstract: Though learning disabilities initially concern performance in academic subjects, the ramifications of the disability extend into other spheres of the child's life. The Journal has published reports of children's social interactions and their ability to interpret social cues (see Bryan, October 1977 and this issue). This article examines the peer relationships of learning disability children with respect not only to their academic ability but also to their physical appearance and athletic ability. Studies of this type should help practitioners understand the potentially difficult social environment in which the learning disabled child functions. — G.M.S.One hundred seventy-seven fifth- and sixth-grade children, including 22 who were learning disabled, responded to a sociometric survey. They also indicated the smartest, best-looking, and most athletic individuals in their class. Learning disabled children were found to be less popular, in general primarily because none were extremely popular; however, they ...

Student-Faculty Interactional Settings and Their Relationship to Predicted Academic Performance

Abstract: (1978). Student-Faculty Interactional Settings and Their Relationship to Predicted Academic Performance. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 450-463.

Social Relationships and Verbal Interactions of Learning Disabled Children

Abstract: Despite federal regulations which define LD children strictly in terms of intellect and achievement, sensitive observers recognize the social and emotional complications these children face. With increased mainstreaming, the LD child's social skills will be severely tested. Our ability to recognize the nonacademic aspects of LD should provide each child with a more understanding and supportive environment. The series of studies Bryan reviews challenges some stereotypes of the LD child and provides alternative views for teachers and researchers. All readers must recognize that the findings may not represent all LD children, nor does Bryan suggest such. Rather, this work provides an empirical touchstone against which to understand individual pupils and to accomplish increasingly refined experimental work. — G.M.S.A series of research studies is described which investigated the sociometric status, social behavior, and social relationship of learning disabled children in classroom observations and laboratory ...

Personality Effects on American Foreign Policy, 1898–1968: A Test of Interpersonal Generalization Theory*

Abstract: Whether personality characteristics of American leaders crucially determine major American foreign policy decisions has been a matter of considerable disagreement. A test of two hypotheses drawn from interpersonal generalization theory shows such influences have probably been crucial in a number of cases in American foreign policy between 1898 and 1968. In 49 cases of intraelite disagreement on force-related issues and 13 cases of intraelite disagreement on inclusionary issues the direction of disagreement could be predicted in over 75 percent of the cases by knowledge of individual differences in interpersonal relations. A four-fold speculative typology suggests fundamental personality-based differences in orientation towards America's preferred operating style and role in the international system (e.g., introverts are drawn toward impersonal principles and mechanisms like balance of power–or in an earlier period to international law).The evidence implies that one source of war and hard-line foreign policy is the structure of self-selection and recruitment to high office in the American political system. As well, the systematic tendency to self-expressive personalization in major foreign policy decisions probably increases the rate of error of American elites.

Psychological Androgyny and Interpersonal Behavior

Abstract: Bern's measure of psychological androgyny was derived from only two relatively desirable dimensions of interpersonal behavior that may, or may not, implicate other less desirable traits that are sex role stereotyped. From an item pool of 1,710 trait-descriptive adjectives, sets of masculinity and femininity scales were assembled that were comparable to "traditional" scales and to those developed by Bern and by Heilbrun. The pool also contained items from eight scales that form an interpersonal circumplex. One hundred eighty-seven college men and women who rated themselves on the 1,710 adjectives were classified as stereotyped, near-stereotyped, or androgynous by Bern's criteria. Bern's measure of psychological androgyny appears to reflect a highly generalizable personological construct that implicates both desirable and undesirable dimensions of interpersonal behavior. Heilbrun's scales are both empirically and conceptually similar to Bern's, and both scale sets differ from traditional masculinity-femininity measures. There is a possibility that androgynous men are more flexible in their interpersonal behavior than androgynous women. Until very recently, the psychological construct of "masculinity- femininity" has been characterized by a conceptual fuzziness that has permitted unrelated and even contradictory attributes of persons to be viewed as indicants of a monolithic process. Constantinople's (1973) critical review of the major psychological tests of masculinity-f emininity, developed during the last 40 years, cleared the air for new approaches to an old problem. Bern's (1974) work on the construct of psychological androgyny is one such new approach. Her formulations place a unique emphasis on certain classes of interpersonal behavior that are generally considered more

Toward a theory of friendship based on a conception of self

Abstract: The present theory of friendship is based on a conception of self that regards a central motive to be the person's concern for the well-being and worth of the entity (s) he identifies as self. This concern manifests itself in tendencies to affirm one's sense of individuality, affirm one's more important self-attributes, evaluate one's self positively, and change toward positive self-growth. Friendship involves investments of self in a relationship characterized by the partners' voluntary interdependence and personalized concern for one another. The investment, entailing expenditures of time, personal resources, and personalized concern yields dividends experienced concretely as a partner's self-affirmation value, ego support value, stimulation value, or utility value. Several facets of friendship growth and change are considered, including the degree to which the relationship is difficult to maintain.

Loving Women: Attachment and Autonomy in Lesbian Relationships.

Abstract: The love relationships of lesbians were investigated as part of a questionnaire study of a diverse sample of 127 lesbians. The majority of women said their current relationship was extremely close, personally satisfying, and egalitarian. Differences among women's values concerning relationships reflected two distinct dimensions: dyadic attachment and personal autonomy. These relationship values were associated with women's social characteristics and feminist involvement. Relationship values were also related to such characteristics of women's current relationships as measures of love and satisfaction, future commitment, sexual exclusivity, and problems of independence/dependence.

Interpersonal Relationships as Mediators of Structural Effects: College Student Socialization in a Traditional and an Experimental University Environment.

Abstract: College student change on values, intellectual orientation, and personal development was analyzed in the context of a causal model. The research was based on a longitudinal panel study of students in a traditional, large liberal arts college, and a small, innovative, living-learning subenvironment. The results indicated that college impact on students in different environments was mediated through the process of human interaction with socializing agents. The significant direct effect of the college environment on student value change was reduced to a small, nonsignificant component when examined in conjunction with the proposed mediating factors of interpersonal relationships.

Equity and extramarital sexuality

Abstract: Equity theory has recently been found to be a useful framework for understanding the effects of imbalances in intimate "contractual" relationships such as marriage. Equitable couples seem to be happier, more satisfied with their relationship, and more confident that it will last than are their more mismatched, i.e., inequitable, counterparts. Furthermore, inequitable couples predictably act to "set things right" in their marriage. They either restore actual equity to the relationship or psychologically set their relationship in balance. If neither works, they may "leave the field." Extramarital sex may be viewed as an equity restoration mechanism in that (1) it may be used by the deprived partner to achieve actual equity, (2) it may indicate a partner's readiness to leave the relationship because he feels he can "do better," or (3) it may represent a desire to achieve equity in an alternative relationship(s) when inequity pervades the primary one. The hypothesis that the inequitable/underbenefited group should be more likely than the equitable group or the inequitable/overbenefited group to have engaged in extramarital sex was tested using data from a large-scale Psychology Today questionnaire. The results indicated that men and women in inequitable/underbenefited relationships had more extramarital affairs and began their extramarital activities earlier than did men and women in equitable and inequitable/overbenefited relationships. Alternative explanations of this finding, sex-role demands and length of the relationship, are explored and discarded as untenable.

Social Categorisation and Intergroup Behaviour.

Abstract: Five experiments were carried out to explore the ways in which individuals structure the social environment under minimal conditions, re-interpret minimal intergroup differences, and re-define their group memberships through ’’psychological" social mobility, in a way which achieves a more favourable social identity for them. In the first two experiments, the interpersonal relationships between subjects were defined by at least 8 levels of similarity on one or more dimensions of differing salience. Social categorisation was introduced by the subjects. They treated the most similar others positively, the most dissimilar others negatively and the ’neutral' others without bias. A consistent adoption by the subjects of certain similarity levels as boundaries demarcating categories was observed. This finding is discussed in relation to the social rules and meanings which the subjects perceived to be relevant to the situation. In the third experiment, a real and important, and an artificial and seemingly trivial criterion for social categorisation were introduced in independent and identical settings. It was hypothesised in both instances that differences between groups would be treated as similarly important, since they were the only basis for intergroup differentiation and ingroup favouritism. This hypothesis was confirmed. Two further studies, designed to demonstrate "psychological" social mobility, are reported. The first involved real groups - ’high’ valued and ’low' valued Nationalities respectively. The second study, which was a replication and extension of Allen and Wilder's (1975) experiment, involved artificially created groups. There were 8 conditions across which the level of similarity of the subjects with the ingroup and outgroup was varied on both trivial and important criteria. In both experiments, increased identification with highly valued outgroups was observed. Certain elaborations of Tajfel’s theory of intergroup behaviour are proposed, with the aim of placing more emphasis on the social evaluative system influencing behaviour and the process of "psychological" social mobility.

Communication apprehension, social preference, and social behavior in a college environment

Abstract: An investigation of high and low communication apprehensives in a college environment indicated that high communication apprehensives interact less with peer strangers, are less likely to accept a blind date, have fewer dates, are more likely to engage in exclusive dating, have close relationships with fewer faculty, are less satisfied with a university's advising system, and are less satisfied with the college environment These results are examined within the context of the Berger‐Calabrese developmental theory of interpersonal communication and an extension of that theory is tentatively advanced

Classroom Effects on Changes in Children's Friendships.

Abstract: Previous studies of the effects of classroom characteristics on educational outcomes have been concerned primarily with cognitive outcomes, such as academic achievement. In this paper we examine effects of classroom variables on children's social development. We argue that the way teachers group students for instructional purposes and their pedagogical techniques affect children's proximity and similarity within the classroom, and that these in turn affect their interpersonal relationships. We use longitudinal data from fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children to test several hypotheses predicting influences of instructional organization on the formation and stability of children's friendships. The findings provide evidence that selected classroom variables have a positive impact on the stability of children's existing friendships and on the likelihood that children become more friendly. The results also indicate that weak friendships are more easily influenced by classroom characteristics than close friendships.

The Social Maps of Children Approaching Adolescence: Studying the Ecology of Youth Development.

Abstract: This article reports the first results of the three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development, stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological transitions. The study focuses on characteristics of children's social networks (the web of relationships in which the individual is involved) as a function of neighborhood type, socioeconomic status, and level of physical maturation. The social heterogeneity of the social network (e.g., the relative salience of peers versus adults) is a primary concern. The child's and parent's perceptions of the network, of the people available to help the child, and the child's friends are compared within the context of ecological, socioeconomic, and maturational factors. The results (for 111 sixth-grade children from three contrasting neighborhood schools) shed some light on age segregation and the overall heterogeneity of the social environments of children facing the transition to adolescence. They provide a context and a baseline for the longitudinal study.