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The dynamic relations among interpersonal behaviors: a test of complementarity and anticomplementarity
S R Strong1, H I Hills, C T Kilmartin
1Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23284-0001.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|May 1, 1988
Summary
Interpersonal behaviors follow principles of complementarity and anticomplementarity. How one person acts toward another significantly influences the other's reciprocal behavior in interactions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Interpersonal Dynamics
Background:
- Interpersonal interactions are guided by established principles.
- The interpersonal circle provides a framework for understanding social behavior.
- Complementarity and anticomplementarity describe reciprocal influence patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of specific interpersonal behaviors on reciprocal responses.
- To test the principles of complementarity and anticomplementarity in a controlled setting.
- To quantify the impact of confederate behavior on subject responses.
Main Methods:
- Pairs of undergraduate women (N=80) collaborated on a storytelling task.
- Confederates enacted scripted behaviors from eight interpersonal categories.
- Subject behaviors were coded, and their relationship to confederate behaviors was analyzed using geometric properties of the interpersonal circle.
Main Results:
- The study found that confederate behaviors systematically influenced subject responses.
- Results aligned with predictions derived from complementarity and anticomplementarity principles.
- Calculated vectors demonstrated the relative impact of stimulus behaviors on response patterns.
Conclusions:
- Interpersonal behavior is profoundly affected by the actions of others.
- Complementarity and anticomplementarity principles accurately predict behavioral dynamics.
- Understanding these principles is key to analyzing interpersonal influence.