A CLINICIAN-FRIENDLY VERSION OF THE INTERPERSONAL CIRCUMPLEX - STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR (SASB)

Like the original Interpersonal Circumplex (IPC), the Structural Analy sis of Social Behavior (SASB) model was developed in the clinic. Diffe rent from and more complicated than the IPC, the SASB model nonetheles s is parsimonious. It is consistent with Leary's (1957) original goal of bringing objectivity and clarity to the diagnostic process while ac knowledging the complexity and variety of human nature. SASB applicati ons extend from diagnosis into the domains of etiology and treatment. Specific advantages that accrue from the SASB model's more complex str ucture and assessment techniques include the ability to: (a) define bo th hostile and friendly differentiation, (b) specifically link social learning experiences with self-concept, (c) define several predictive principles on an a priori basis and confirm them in a variety of data sets, (d) assess personality at all 5 of Leary's levels, (e) define no rmality and pathology in qualitative rather than quantitative terms, ( f) compare and contrast self-ratings with observer ratings using the s ame metric, (g) generate reasonable parallel models for affect and cog nitive style that can help account for ''comorbidity'' between Diagnos tic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., American Psyc hiatric Association, 1994) Axes I and II, (h) make contributions to un derstanding personality as a hypothetical construct (i.e., to make tes table predictions about etiology and specific treatment interventions) , (i) dissect complex communications into their underlying components, and (i) accurately characterize a given relationship through a relati vely brief sample of behavior.