Contents
Hello dear blog readers! Interpersonal relationships are a whole complex of various interactions between people, including emotional, cognitive and behavioral components.
Components
To make it clearer what these relationship components mean, let’s take a closer look at each of them:
- cognitive — helps us to recognize the psychological characteristics of another person, to find differences and similarities between ourselves and others. All this happens due to such processes as thinking, perception, imagination, memory, etc.
- Emotional — at each meeting with someone we experience different experiences, and depending on them, we form both certain connections with them and attitudes towards them. With someone you want to be closer, because next to him it’s calm and comfortable, while someone, on the contrary, annoys and causes antipathy. The emotional component manifests itself in the form of empathy, that is, the ability to empathize with another person, take part in his life and express his sympathy.
- Behavioral — performs the function of a regulator, that is, it is with its help that we express and form our feelings for people, events, and so on. This happens on the basis of the analysis of non-verbal manifestations (facial expressions, gestures …), speech and actions.
Relationship types
In order to succeed in contact with others, it is important to understand what exactly we want to acquire in the process and how to behave around different people. And to make it easier to navigate, it is worth studying what types of interpersonal relationships are, and depending on them, start in the future. After all, even in the ancient Indian treatise “The Peach Branch” it was said that each person is able to love only with the help of the body, soul or mind, and this explains that since that time differences in treatment have been taken into account.
So, they are distinguished:
1. Directionality
- Vertical — communication will be built according to the hierarchy, which means that, for example, a leader, having more power, can give instructions, criticize the result of work or demand an explanation of some act, and a subordinate in position will be obliged to obey him, and in no way vice versa. This is what is meant when they say that it is necessary to observe subordination.
- Horizontal (or parity) — everything is different here, since in contact, individuals of the same social level, respectively, are in equal positions, they are independent and can choose how they interact, for example, listen to each other’s opinions, compete or give recognition.
- Diagonal — their characterization is a little more complicated, since it means that the head of one company or department, workshop, comes into contact with subordinates of a completely different department, to whom he has no direct influence.
2. By nature
- Formal — usually in the work process and are regulated by laws, statutes, rules and regulations according to the internal policy of the company.
- Informal — are born on the desire of both participants to contact, and are not limited to certain social boundaries.
3. By goals
- Business — are built depending on the social roles and responsibilities performed. And a professional in his field will not allow confusion with personal ones. Suppose the seller was insulted by the client, and if the first one does not hold on to his role, then he will accept criticism addressed to him, starting to defend his “honest name” and thus switching to another type of contact.
- Personal — in no way connected with joint activities (this is ideal, sometimes, as you know, people do not hold back and “start” office romances), they are formed on the basis of feelings and mutual interest. For example, it can be partnership, sexual relations, friendship, etc.
4. By modality
That is, emotional coloring (not stable and constantly changing):
- Positive
- Negative
- Neutral
Levels
You have already understood that the forms of interaction with different or the same people are heterogeneous, so I want to invite you to consider the main levels that psychology identifies.
- Social. Partners perform certain functions on the basis of a mutual agreement on something, or according to a convention or contract. These roles are fulfilled regardless of what gender the individual belongs to, or what his preferences and tastes are. To make it clearer, marriage just belongs to the social level, since its participants are obliged to fulfill the role of spouses until they decide on a divorce.
- Emotional. It is not at all conventional, that is, feelings arise on their own, it is impossible to agree on them. Although many partners are trying to do this. Which leads to excessive tension, which over time can destroy their connection. The simplest example would be an agreement between lovers that they will love each other forever, and they will surely die on the same day. But time passes, and disappointment and anger may well replace love and interest, and then what about promises?
- Sexual. This level can be seen as completely independent of the previous ones. In animals, sexual desire is focused on one goal — to procreate. For people, sex, in addition to the function of childbearing, is a way of relaxing, expressing one’s feelings, getting to know another person, and also relieving stress. If you mix it with the emotional, then deep feelings may well arise among the partners, which in the future will provoke a transition to the social one. And, if in marriage someone realizes his excitement with a stranger, then according to the fidelity agreement, he is a traitor.
Stages
The development of relationships always occurs according to certain stages, rarely anyone succeeds, especially in closeness, to skip them.
- Introduction. In order for there to be some kind of connection between the partners, they first need to study each other, to know and to know. For example, it is rare that someone is hired without first looking at the resume and finding out what skills and abilities the prospective employee has, and, in turn, he also studies in advance what the company does and what it offers. If both parties are satisfied, or feel interested, then the next stage begins — construction.
- construction. During this period, trust begins to arise, the effect of constraint or alienation disappears. Contact styles are formed, personal boundaries become clearer and more understandable, as well as what threatens to violate them.
- Extension. Both parties are convinced that they are satisfied with almost everything, therefore it is during this period that the greatest number of marriages or promotions occur.
- Deterioration. There is also such a thing as negative transference, and no one is immune from it. It is only important to know that it is inevitable and that you should be patient in order to live through it without running away in search of something better. This is the moment when people get used to the presence of another in their lives, their feelings lose their bright color and saturation, which makes it easier to notice reality, leaving the so-called charm. And if they come to terms with imperfection, then their connection will reach a deeper, stronger level.
- Completion. Not everyone reaches this stage, which symbolizes the end and parting. The reasons may be different, as well as the form of completion, some manage to maintain contact, and some go on a symbolic warpath.
Diagnostics
There is a diagnostic of interpersonal relations, that is, it is possible to investigate what ideas a person has both about himself and about other individuals, and also to find out what place he occupies in a group, whether it be the educational process, a work team or a circle of interests.
Basically, during the diagnosis, specialists pay attention to such indicators as aggressiveness, kindness, leadership abilities and diligence. For this, questionnaires of such psychologists and psychodiagnostics as T. Leary, J. are used. Moreno, V. Stefanson, Rene Gilles or E. Schaeffer and R. Bella. But the most popular is the diagnostic technique of T. Leary.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Finally, I would like to recommend that you study the article “Top 10 Methods for Forming Human Communication Skills” so that you can build close or partner relationships with those who are of interest, because not everyone has effective communication skills, so you need to know how to approach different people depending on the type of temperament and other psychological features.
Good luck and inspiration!