Stages of Interpersonal Development in Young Adulthood.

A validation study of 30 married females and 30 married males was conducted on a theoretical model of stages in interpersonal development developed by Bar-Yam Hassan (Bar-Yam Hassan & Bar-Yam, 1987). According to the model, the five stages of adult interpersonal development are: (1) Social Relatedness versus Self-Insistence, or need for Approval; (2) Affiliation versus Exclusion, or need for Affiliation; (3) Belonging versus Alienation, or need for Belongingness; (4) Intimacy versus Isolation, or need for Intimacy; and (5) Interdependence %./rsus Interpersonal Constriction, or need for Reciprocity. Interview data were scored for the subject's orientation to relationships, nature of interpersonal interactions, and interpersonal need. The present study examined in more depth the qualitative nature and process of interpersonal development in young adulthood from this same sample. Questions were raised regarding the characteristics of interpersonal development in young adults, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, as well as the factors which may contribute to change in interpersonal development over time. Results generally support a developmental conception of interpersonal . relatedness in young adulthood as involving a progressive sequence of transformations in the qualitative nature of interpersonal relationships. (Tables are provided of stages of interpersonal development .across the life span, and in young adulthood. Ten references are included.) (TE) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original domment. **************** ******* *A******* ***** ******** ******* xp* ******** ******** Stages of Interpersonal Development in Young Adulthood Aureet Bar-Yam, Ed.D. Charles River Counseling Center 1069 Washington Street, West Newton, MA 02165 (617) 527-4610 Paper presented at the 97th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association New Orleans, Louisiana August, 1989 Monday, August 14, 1989, 9:00 A.M. U.S DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement ED ONAL RESOURCES INFORMS-ION CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction owed)/ Points of view or opinions stated In this docu, mint do not fIlmosurtlY represent official INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). CIF 1:14 ftefthesat mi... PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES According to Bakan (1966), human existence is characterized by a duality of yearnings, namely the yearning for 'agency' and the yearning for 'communion' that is, a yearning to be independent and autonomous coexisting simultaneougy with a yearning to be included and connected. However, an examination of Erikson's (1950, 1968) theory of psychosocial development reveals an emphasis on issues of individuation, while overlooking important aspects of development in interpersonal relatedness. Franz and White (1985) argue that Erikson, in neglecting relationship issues, does not provide a framework for understanding how individuals move from the dependency of the trust vs. mistrust stage to the mature interdependence of the adult intimacy stage. They propose a twosound model of development, which includes two separate, but interconnected strands of individuation and attachment development. Extending Enicson's theory to include developmental tasks in interpersonal connectedness, Bar-Yam Hassan (Bar-Yam Hassan & Bar-Yam, 1987) proposed a theoretical model of stages of interpersonal eevelopment. Each developmental task involves the emergence of new interpersonal needs and the negotiation of qualitatively different forms of interpersonal relatedness in a progressive developmental ..equence. These interpersonal life-span stages and the needs at each stage are: (1) Incorporative Bonding vs. Withdrawal, need for Responsiveness; (2) Secure Attachment vs. Fear of Abandonment, need for Acceptance; (3) Interactive Association vs. Egocentric Disregard, need for Attention; (4) Social Relatedness vs. Self-Insistence, need for Approval; (5) Affiliation vs. Exclusion, need for Affiliation; (6) Belonging vs. Alienation, need for Belongingness; (7) Intimacy vs. Isolation, need for Intimacy; and (8) Interdependence vs. Interpersonal Constriction, need for Reciprocity; (9) Interpersonal Acceptance vs. Relational Distress, need for Companionship. An initial effort toward the empirical evaluation of this model's conceptualization of qualitative changes in interpersonal development (Bar-Yam Hassan, 1988, 1989) has yielded positive results, particularly as it applied to young adult close relationships. A scoring manual for the five stages pertinent to young adult development was developed for use with interview data regarding the nature of closest relationships, and data were gathered regarding various aspects of construct validation, including: substantive validity; convergent validity; and developmental sequentiality.