Research Summary
My research focuses on interpersonal processes related to personality and psychopathology. Our interpersonal model of dyadic interaction emphasizes the motives that energize interpersonal behavior and the behavioral ambiguity that arises if the interpersonal motive is unclear. The model organizes interpersonal motives broadly into two abstract categories—communion (concerning connections between people) and agency (concerning the influence of each person upon the other). Communion and agency may also be viewed as dimensions along which interpersonal motives may each be located. Adult attachment styles are related to these two dimensions, and much of our work relates to attachment styles. The model also classifies and clarifies interpersonal problems and personality disorders, which we also study. Finally, we are interested in individual differences in the kind of knowledge that a person must possess in order to satisfy a particular interpersonal motive, and we have developed laboratory procedures for assessing cognitive structures that are relevant to particular interpersonal motives.