Interpersonal relationship

About: Interpersonal relationship is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 22392 publications have been published within this topic receiving 937957 citations. The topic is also known as: interpersonal status & relationship.

Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research and interventions.

Abstract: Handbook of Personal Relationships: Theory, Research and Interventions (2nd ed.). Steve Duck (Ed.). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. 1997. 857 pp. ISBN 0-471-95913-8. $140.00 cloth. Steve Duck, Lee West, and Linda Acitelli underscore in the introduction to the Handbook of Personal Relationships the sentiment that "real life relationships . . . happen to real people while. . . researchers are busy making other models" (p. 20). Their main thesis is that a discrepancy exists between real life relationships and relationships depicted in research. To support that contention, they present several criticisms, two of which are emphasized here. They argue that researchers represent relationships too simplistically, and little focus is placed on sociocultural contexts of relationships. Contributors address the thesis by demonstrating how research can represent complexities of relating and relationships, thereby illustrating how the criticism can be overcome or by stressing sociocultural contexts in which relationships exist. Chapters in Section 1, "Developmental Psychology," demonstrate that the study of relationship learning has moved beyond the dyadic level to the more complex systems level of influence. For example, Ross Parke and Robin O'Neil review research on family subsystems that describe how subsystems influence relationship learning and the processes through which that learning occurs. Maria von Salisch builds on Parke and O'Neil's work by describing how affect regulation is learned through experiencing emotions elicited by others. Two themes pervade Section 2, "Social Psychology." The first concerns how, within interdependent relationships, motives conflict. converge, and resolve into individual and joint outcomes. This theme is addressed through a data-analytic approach and through the perspectives of two theories-interdependence and self-expansion. The second theme concerns origins of personal dispositions leading to conflicts in relationships and is addressed in chapters covering evolutionary approaches to relationships, adult attachment formation, and interracial ties. For example, Stanley Gaines and William Ickes present the origins of differences between contrasting opinions of interracial relationships by examining such relationships from two perspectives-that of individuals observing them (outsiders) and that of individuals engaging in them (insiders). Gaines and Ickes explain that previous research, capturing only the outsiders' perspective, was incomplete. They argue that outsiders' and insiders' perspectives are needed to understand interracial relationships and that the interaction of these perspectives is important because tensions between the two can affect relationships. Complexities of interracial relationships are made more evident by records of frank conversations among insiders communicating with one another via the Internet. …

Stress generation in depression: reflections on origins, research, and future directions.

Abstract: Depressed individuals report higher rates of stressful life events, especially those that have occurred in part because of the person's characteristics and behaviors affecting interpersonal interactions. Termed stress generation, this phenomenon draws attention to the role of the individual as an active contributor rather than passive player in his or her environment, and is therefore an example of action theory. In this article, the author speculates about the intellectual origins of her stress generation perspective, and notes somewhat similar transactional approaches to the stress-disorder link outside of depression research. The literature on stress generation in depression is reviewed, including studies that attempt to explore its correlates and predictors, covering clinical, contextual, family, genetic, cognitive, interpersonal, and personality variables. Empirical and conceptual gaps in our understanding of processes contributing to stressors in the lives of depressed people remain. The author concludes with suggestions for further research, with the goal of furthering understanding both of mechanisms of depression and of dysfunctional interpersonal processes, as well as development of effective interventions to help break the stress-recurrence cycle of depression.

Social connectedness, dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors, and psychological distress: Testing a mediator model.

Abstract: The study examined the relationship among social connectedness, dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors, and psychological distress. The authors specifically hypothesized that the direct negative effect of social connectedness on psychological distress would be mediated by dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors. Prior to testing the hypothesis, the authors revised the original Social Connectedness Scale (SCS; R. M. Lee & S. B. Robbins, 1995). Studies 1 and 2 describe the revision and validation of the SCS on separate samples of college students. In Study 3, the authors surveyed 184 college students and found support for the mediation hypothesis on general psychological distress. The importance of assessing social connectedness and tailoring counseling interventions for people with low connectedness and dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors is addressed.

Social psychology across cultures

Abstract: Preface Introduction Some First Steps in Extending the Database Culture: The Neglected Concept The Search for Universals of Social Behaviour Social Cognition Communication and Interpersonal Relations Inter-group Relations Organizational Behaviour Indigenous Psychologies The Characteristics of Cross-Cultural Interaction The Consequences of Cross-Cultural Contact Discerning the Future