From communications to interpersonal theory: a personal odyssey

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Communication Theory

Background:

• The author reviews their theoretical and research trajectory in contemporary interpersonal theory.
• A key development was the conceptualization of a "communications" approach to psychotherapy.
• This led to the creation of the Impact Message Inventory (IMI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a personal journey through interpersonal theory and research.
• To highlight the development and refinement of interpersonal measurement tools.
• To emphasize the need for psychometrically sound inventories for testing interpersonal theories.

Main Methods:

• Conceptualization of an interpersonal communication theory.
• Development of the Impact Message Inventory (IMI).
• Refinement of the IMI and the Check List of Interpersonal Transactions using the interpersonal circumplex model.

Main Results:

• Integration of communication concepts with the interpersonal circumplex tradition.
• Creation of an "interpersonal communication" theory.
• Ongoing research focused on improving circumplex properties of interpersonal inventories.

Conclusions:

• Precise testing of interpersonal theory, particularly interpersonal complementarity, requires inventories with ideal psychometric and circumplex properties.
• The Impact Message Inventory and related tools are crucial for advancing interpersonal research.
• Continued refinement of measurement instruments is essential for validating interpersonal communication theories.