Chapter 6 Universals of Interpersonal Relationship

Characteristics of Interpersonal Relationships

Relationship may be viewed as a continuum from the impersonal at one end to highly personal (that's interpersonal) at the other end. We can distinguish interpersonal relationships from impersonal relationships on the basis of three main factors:-

# Psychological data

# Explanatory Knowledge

# Personally Established Rules

Psychological Data

• In interpersonal relationship, people respond to each other chiefly as members of the class or group to which each belongs.

• For eg: Usually prof interacts to you as how he interacts with other students. When your relationship gets closer, you begin to respond to each other not as members of groups but as unique individuals.


• In impersonal relationships, the social or cultural roles of the person governs your interaction.


• In personal or interpersonal relationships, the psychological uniqueness of the person tells you how to interact.


• This progression from social to psychological data happens in US and in most Europeans cultures.


• Relationship more than seen


• eg: friendship ( Very close friends even after class / work)

Explanatory Knowledge

• In impersonal relationship you we can do a little more then describing a person or the person's way of communicating.


• A we get to know a person better, we can predict his/ her behaviour.


• We'll be able to explain a person's behaviour.


• For eg: Ms Cheryl is able to describe our behaviour, such as coming late to class.


• Ms Cheryl can go beyond these levels to explain the behaviour such as the reason we are late.

Personally Established Rules

• The rules of interaction are set down by social norms


• Students and prof behave towards each other in impersonal situations


• According to social norms established by their culture and society.


• As the relationship between students and professor becomes interpersonal, the social rules no longer regulate the interaction.


• They begin to see each other as unique individuals rather than student and prof.

A good way to begin the study of interpersonal relationship is to examine our own relationships ( past, present, or those we look forward to.