Assessing the Internal Working Model of Self-with-Others: Psychometric Properties of the Impact Message Inventory-Generalized Other — Oak Academic Publishing
Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Assessing the Internal Working Model of Self-with-Others: Psychometric Properties of the Impact Message Inventory-Generalized Other
The authors investigated the theoretical foundations of the construct known as the working model of self—and the development of the Impact Message Inventory-Generalized Other (IMI-GO) as a potential circumplex representation of this construct. The IMI is a circumplex measure that assesses both self-report and transactional features of interpersonal relations. The current study involved a six-week longitudinal examination of several measures of interpersonal style on an undergraduate population. The intent was to evaluate the unique contributions of the IMI to our understanding of interpersonal transactions and to assess the reliability, validity and factor structure of this measure. An analysis of the psychometric properties of the IMI-GO revealed acceptable levels of internal consistency, reliability, and stability, along with good construct and concurrent validity. However, the measure did not manifest true orthogonality of the agency and affiliation axes. Hierarchical factor analysis revealed a solution consistent with eight primary factors (octants) and two secondary factors (control and affiliation), but the higher-order factor representing control showed a strong relationship with interpersonal sensitivity. Suggestions for restructuring the measure were addressed.
KeywordsInterpersonal CircumplexModel of PersonalityDonald KieslerRelationship StyleAttachment Theory
Binder, J. (2004). Key Competencies in Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy . The Guilford Press.
Bluhm, C. (1987). An Empirical Analysis of Complementarity on the Interpersonal Circumplex . Doctoral Dissertation, University of Kentucky.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Attachment . Basic Books.
Bowlby, J. (1979). The Making and Breaking of Affectional Bonds . Tavistock.
Bretherton, I. (1990). Communication Patterns, Internal Working Models, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment Relationships. Infant Mental Health Journal, 11, 237-252. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0355(199023)11:3<237::AID-IMHJ2280110306>3.0.CO;2-X
Brewer, M. B., & Caporael, L. R. (1990). Selfish Genes vs. Selfish People: Sociobiology as Origin Myth. Motivation and Emotion, 14, 237-243. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00996182
Burkard, A. W., Jones, J. A., & Johll, M. P. (2002). Hierarchical Factor Analysis of the Quick Discrimination Index. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62, 64-78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164402062001005
Buss, D., & Kendrick, D. (1998). Evolutionary Social Psychology. In D. Gilbert, S. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The Handbook of Social Psychology (4th ed., pp. 982-1026). McGraw-Hill.
Carson, R. (1969). Interaction Concepts of Personality . Aldine.
Collins, N. L., Guichard, A., Ford, M. B., & Feeney, B. (2004). Working Models of Attachment: New Developments and Emerging Themes. In W. S. Rholes, & J. A. Simpson (Eds.), Adult Attachment (pp. 196-239). The Guilford Press.
Cooper, M. L., Albinok, A. W., Orcutt, H., & Williams, N. (2004). Attachment Styles and Intrapersonal Adjustment: A Longitudinal Study from Adolescence into Young Adulthood. In W. S. Rholes, & J. A. Simpson (Eds.), Adult Attachment (pp. 438-466). The Guilford Press.
Fairbairn, W. (1952). An Object-Relations Theory of Personality . Basic Books.
Gorsuch, R. L. (1983). Factor Analysis (2nd Ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Harlow, H. F. (1958). The Nature of Love. American Psychologist, 13, 673-685. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0047884
Heise, D. R. (1969). Affectual Dynamics in Simple Sentences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 11, 204-213. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0027050
Hemphill, J. F. (2003). Interpreting the Magnitudes of Correlation Coefficients. American Psychologist, 58, 78-79. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.58.1.78
Horowitz, L. M., Rosenberg, S. E., Baer, B. A., Ureño, G., & Villaseñor, V. S. (1988). Inventory of Interpersonal Problems: Psychometric Properties and Clinical Applications. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 885-892. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.56.6.885
Kernis, M. H. (2003). Author’s Response: Optimal Self-Esteem and Authenticity: Separating Fantasy from Reality. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 83-89. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1401_03
Kiesler, D. (1996). Contemporary Interpersonal Theory and Research . John Wiley.
Kiesler, D. (2001). Empirical Studies That Used the Impact Message Inventory: An Annotated Bibliography . Unpublished Manuscript, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Kiesler, D., & Schmidt, J. A. (1993). The Impact Message Inventory: Form IIA Octant Scale Version . Mind Garden.
Kiesler, D., Anchin, J., Perkins, M., Chirico, B., Kyle, E., & Federman, E. (1985). The Impact Message Inventory: Form II . Consulting Psychologists Press.
Leary, M. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). The Nature and Function of Self-Esteem: Sociometer Theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology , 32, 1-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(00)80003-9
Leary, T. (1957). Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality . Ronald.
Locke, K. D. (2000). Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Values: Reliability, Validity, and Applicability to Interpersonal Problems and Personality Disorders. Journal of Personality Assessment, 75, 249-267. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa7502_6
Marcus, H., & Cross, S. (1990). The Interpersonal Self. In L. Pervin (Ed.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research (pp. 576-608). The Guilford Press.
Mead, G. (1934). Mind, Self and Society . University of Chicago Press.
Mischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (1995). A Cognitive-Affective System Theory of Personality: Reconceptualizing Situations, Dispositions, Dynamics, and Invariance in Personality Structure. Psychological Review, 102, 246-268. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.102.2.246
Moskowitz, D. S. (1988). Cross-Situational Generality in the Laboratory: Dominance and Friendliness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 829-839. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.829
Moskowitz, D. S. (1994). Cross-Situational Generality and the Interpersonal Circumplex. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 921-933. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.66.5.921
Pedhazur, E. J., & Schmelkin, L. P. (1991). Measurement, Design, and Analysis: An Integrated Approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Pepe, D. A. (1984). Factor Structure of an Interpersonal Assessment Battery. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45, 3955-B.
Perkins, M. J., Kiesler, D. J., Anchin, J. C., Chirico, B. M., Kyle, E. M., & Federman, E. J. (1979). The Impact Message Inventory: A New Measure of Relationship in Counseling/psychotherapy and Other Dyads. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 26, 363-367. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.26.4.363
Schmid, J., & Leiman, J. M. (1957). The Development of Hierarchical Factor Solutions. Psychometrika, 22, 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02289209
Schmidt, J. A., Wagner, C. C., & Kiesler, D. J. (1999). Psychometric and Circumplex Properties of the Octant Scale Impact Message Inventory (IMI-C): A Structural Evaluation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 325-334. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.46.3.325
Schmidt, J., Wagner, C., & Kiesler, D. (1994). The Impact Message Inventory Octant Scales: Initial Evaluation of Structural and Psychometric Characteristics . Unpublished Manuscript, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Stern, D. (1985). The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology . Basic Books.
Stevens, J. (1996). Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences (3rd Ed.). Larence Erlbaum.
Strong, S. R., Hills, H. I., Kilmartin, C. T., DeVries, H., Lanier, K., Nelson, B. N. et al. (1988). The Dynamic Relations among Interpersonal Behaviors: A Test of Complementarity and Anticomplementarity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 798-810. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.798
Strupp, H., & Binder, J. (1984). Psychotherapy in a New Key: A Guide to Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy . Basic Books.
Sullivan, H. (1947). Conceptions of Modern Psychiatry . William A. White Psychiatric Foundation.
Sullivan, H. (1953). The Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry . Norton.
Teyber, E. (2000). Interpersonal Process in Psychotherapy (4th ed.). Wadsworth.
Thompson, B. (1990). Secondor: A Program That Computes a Second-Order Principal Components Analysis and Various Interpretation Aids. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 50, 575-580. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164490503011
Wagner, C. C., Kiesler, D. J., & Schmidt, J. A. (1995). Assessing the Interpersonal Transaction Cycle: Convergence of Action and Reaction Interpersonal Circumplex Measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 938-949. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.938
Wiggins, J. (1982). Personal Communication to D. Kiesler.
Wiggins, J. S., Trapnell, P., & Phillips, N. (1988). Psychometric and Geometric Characteristics of the Revised Interpersonal Adjective Scales (IAS-R). Multivariate Behavioral Research, 23, 517-530. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2304_8
Wiley, D. E., & Wiley, J. A. (1970). The Estimation of Measurement Error in Panel Data. American Sociological Review, 35, 112-117. https://doi.org/10.2307/2093858
Woodward, L. E., Murrell, S. A., & Bettler, R. F. (2005). Empathy and Interpersonal Style: A Mediational Model of Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptomology Following 9/11. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 11, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1300/J146v11n04_01
Wright, T. L., & Ingraham, L. J. (1986). A Social Relations Model Test of the Interpersonal Circle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 1285-1290. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.50.6.1285