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.

What are the Links Between Theory of Mind and Social Relations? Review, Reflections and New Directions for Studies of Typical and Atypical Development

Abstract: Twenty years after research on children's ‘theory of mind’ began, this field continues to be a leading influence in the study of developmental psychology and psychopathology. In this review we examine the contribution of research on children's theories of mind to our understanding of children's developing social relationships. Evidence shows that for both typical and atypical populations this relationship is neither uniform nor unidirectional. Theory-of-mind skills are multifaceted and the nature of the developmental relationship between different aspects is not yet known, and there is evidence that theory-of-mind skills both transform and are transformed by interpersonal and family relationships and by language communities. To understand the multifaceted and complex nature of development in this area, we need clearer definitions of the skills under investigation, as well as research designs that capture the transactional nature of the relationship between theory of mind and social relations. Addressing these issues should help to clarify (i) the processes by which children's developing understanding of others is influenced by the social environment, and (ii) issues concerning the specificity of theory-of-mind impairments in atypical populations and the processes by which these impairments develop. After more than 20 years of pre-eminence, investigations into children's developing theories of mind continue to lead current research in developmental psychology. A key reason for the intense academic interest in this topic is a general acceptance that theory-of-mind skills transform and/or are transformed by children's close relationships. Before reviewing the evidence for this proposal we first address two issues that become recurring themes in this paper, namely the problems of defining ‘theory of mind’ and of disentangling environmental and genetic influences on children's theory of mind. Next we consider how developments of theory of mind transform children's social relations, and here our main objective is to complement the recent excellent reviews (Flavell, 1999; Wellman & Lagattuta, 2000) and meta-analysis (Wellman, Cross & Watson, 2001) of age-related changes in children's theories of mind by focusing on the social implications of these normative developmental milestones in children's understanding of others. In the third section of this paper we consider aspects of social relations that may influence theory-of-mind development; here we review findings from the growing number of studies that investigate influences of culture, family and inter-individual relationships. Finally, we consider the relation between theory-of-mind performance and social competence in atypical groups; specifically children with autism and children with sensory impairments, before offering some general reflections on emerging issues within contemporary theory-of-mind research.

The power and omnipotence of voices: subordination and entrapment by voices and significant others.

Abstract: Background. Cognitive therapy for psychotic symptoms often embraces self-evaluative beliefs (e.g. self-worth) but whether and how such beliefs are related to delusions remains uncertain. In previous research we demonstrated that distress arising from voices was linked to beliefs about voices and not voice content alone. In this study we examine whether the relationship with the voice is a paradigm of social relationships in general, using a new framework of social cognition, ‘ranking’ theory.Method. In a sample of 59 voice hearers, measures of power and social rank difference between voice and voice hearer are taken in addition to parallel measures of power and rank in wider social relationships.Results. As predicted, subordination to voices was closely linked to subordination and marginalization in other social relationships. This was not the result of a mood-linked appraisal. Distress arising from voices was linked not to voice characteristics but social and interpersonal cognition.Conclusion. This study suggests that the power imbalance between the individual and his persecutor(s) may have origins in an appraisal by the individual of his social rank and sense of group identification and belonging. The results also raise the possibility that the appraisal of voice frequency and volume are the result of the appraisal of voices' rank and power. Theoretical and novel treatment implications are discussed.

A Research Note The Relations Among Social and Task Perceptions in Small Groups

Abstract: The concepts of social and task functions in small groups have appeared repetitively in group literature. For example, Rosenfeld (1973: 21) refers to task functions as those that &dquo;provide rewards to members by virtue of the group’s ability to operate in its given environment&dquo; and maintenance functions as those that &dquo;provide compensations to issure that each member is kept above his Comparison Level for Alternatives.&dquo; Napier and Gershenfeld (1973) and Applbaum et al. (1974) address the issue in terms of role types. Task roles are those that help &dquo;the group select and define the common goals and work toward solution of those goals&dquo; (Napier and Gershenfeld, 1973: 145), while group maintenance roles focus on the personal relations among members in a group. Fisher (1973: 29) identifies the task dimension as &dquo;the relationship between group members and the work they are to perform&dquo; and the social dimension as &dquo;the relationships of group members with each other-how they feel toward each other and about their membership in the group.&dquo; Some researchers approach the study of small groups from the perspective of separation between social and task. For example, the classic work by Parsons and Shils (1951) views groups as miniature social systems with three goals-how to accomplish the

Longitudinal linkages between perceived social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms: sequential roles of social causation and social selection.

Abstract: The authors examined social causation and social selection explanations for the association between perceptions of social support and psychological distress. Data came from a sample of 557 victims of natural disaster in Mexico. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that social causation (more social support leading to less posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) explained the support-to-distress relationship in the earlier postdisaster phase, 6 to 12 months after the impact. Both causal mechanisms emerged as significant paths in the midpoint of the study (12 and 18 months). Only social selection (more PTSD leading to less social support) accounted for the support-to-distress relationship at 18 to 24 months after the event. Interpersonal and social dynamics of disasters may explain why these two contrasting causal mechanisms emerged over time.