Sex differences in interpersonal problems: A circumplex analysis.

The structure and magnitude of sex differences in interpersonal problems across several data sets were examined, guided by the interpersonal circumplex model and the structural summary method. Data were self-reported interpersonal difficulties, assessed with the 64-item version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP; L. M. Horowitz, S. E. Rosenberg, B. A. Baer, G. Ure?o, & V. S. Villase?or, 1988). In Study 1, the authors focused on sex differences at the level of specific interpersonal complaints (item level). In Study 2, the authors examined sex differences in octant scores of the IIP circumplex (scale level), in a reanalysis of archival data. The structural summary method was used to identify points of maximum difference between men and women in the interpersonal continuum and to estimate effect sizes. Results from the 2 studies converged in suggesting a dimension of difference involving problems in Hostile-Dominance vs. Friendly-Submission. The magnitude of effect size was consistent with previous reports in the personality literature. These sex differences appeared to be best explained by a one-dimensional model. Findings were generally consistent across 3 different types of samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal complementarity: Integrating interpersonal measurement with interpersonal models.

Research on interpersonal complementarity has been beset by various methodological problems, including the lack of a consistent and theoretically coherent measurement approach for quantifying and statistically evaluating effects. The purpose of this article is to propose and demonstrate such a method, one that is integrative with interpersonal circumplex models of behavior and that also provides a means for establishing statistical significance levels in relation to an appropriate base-rate model. Two demonstrations of the method are reported. The first study involves an analysis of mother-self relationship data and is based on L. S. Benjamin's (1994) Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) system; the second study, which is based on the Interpersonal Circle Model (IPC), is a reanalysis of peer interaction data originally presented by S. R. Strong et al. (1988). The results were supportive of theoretical predictions for both the SASB and IPC models. The present method has advantages for testing and refining theory and, with its tie to the circumplex model, makes salient several problematic issues for complementarity research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trust, distrust, and interpersonal problems: A circumplex analysis.

Examined the self-reported interpersonal problems of individuals characteristically high or low in interpersonal trust. The interpersonal circumplex served as a guiding framework for assessing and interpreting these problems. As expected, extreme distrust was generally related to a symmetrical pattern of distress, with a peak at the hostile–dominant octant. Extreme high trust, on the other hand, was not associated with gullibility or with related interpersonal difficulties, supporting arguments that trust is essentially distinct from gullibility and exploitability. The Interpersonal Trust Scale and the Mach IV scale, the study's principal measures of trust, tap varieties of trust differing in their blends of dominance and hostility, leading to different problem patterns for extreme scorers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The three faces of interpersonal dependency: Structural analyses of self-report dependency measures.

Using the interpersonal circumplex and the 5-factor model of personality as a structural framework, the authors identified 3 aspects of interpersonal dependency in structural analyses of the universe of content defined by the combined item pool of widely used self-report dependency measures: love dependency, exploitable dependency, and submissive dependency. Markers of these aspects of interpersonal dependency were reconstituted, and their relations with neuroticism (N), conscientiousness (C), and openness to experience (O) were examined. All forms of interpersonal dependency are related positively with N. Exploitable and submissive dependency are increasingly negatively correlated with C and O, whereas love dependency is positively correlated with C and O. Implications regarding the assessment of dependency and multifactor models of dependency are discussed, and hypotheses for future research linking dependency and depression are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and the response of others: Reevaluating the reevaluation.

Reviews an attempted replication of J. C. Coyne's (see record 1976-22455-001) study on depression and the response of others by D. A. King and K. Heller (see record 1985-06798-001) who found that depressed individuals were not rejected, nor did they induce negative moods. The present article reevaluates King and Heller's characterization of the literature and reveals that rejection of depressed persons is consistent across studies and methodologies. On the other hand, mood inductions are less reliable, tend to be diffuse rather than specific, and probably do not mediate rejection. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal problems and the psychotherapy context: The construct validity of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems.

This research investigated the construct validity of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP; L. M. Horowitz, S. E. Rosenberg, B. A. Baer, G. Ure?o, & V. S. Villase?or, 1988) in the context of psychodynamic psychotherapy. The interpersonal circumplex was used to categorize patients reporting interpersonal distress into 1 of 4 problem quadrants: Friendly Dominant, Hostile Dominant, Hostile Submissive, and Friendly Submissive. At several points in treatment, therapists assessed their patients' personality disturbances, global functioning, and assets and liabilities for therapy. Patients described their in-session experiences using the Therapy Session Report (D. E. Orlinsky & K. I. Howard, 1975). The 4 problem types each had a coherent and distinctive set of correlates. Patients' interpersonal problems were articulated in therapists' perceptions and evaluations, and in the kinds of interpersonal and intrapsychic themes (wants, hopes, feelings, behaviors, etc.) that characterized patients' retrospective accounts of the therapy sessions. The results add to knowledge about the IIP, interpersonal problems, and the psychotherapy context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of interpersonal personality measures: The interpersonal circumplex as a nomological net.

To understand a construct means to set it within an appropriate "nomological net" of lawful relations. For measures of interpersonal constructs, the interpersonal circumplex provides a nomological system of great potential for validating constructs and their measures. Three multidimensional measures (dependency, empathy, and narcissism) were subjected to an interpersonal analysis, and construct parameters and similarities were estimated by using formulas derived from the circumplex model. The results offer a distinctly interpersonal perspective on the construct validity of the respective measures. Expanded uses for the interpersonal circumplex are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)