ASSESSING THE QUALITIES OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN CLINICAL AND NONCLINICAL INDIVIDUALS

This study highlights the use of a semistructured interview to explore essential positive and negative qualities of current and historic sig nificant relationships. This approach allows for identifying who (or w hat) comprises each respondent's significant social network and for co nducting a qualitative analysis of those positive and negative qualiti es that affect participant's lives. Using a self-psychology perspectiv e, it was hypothesized that four bipolar qualities-availability, relia bility, empathy, and nonintrusiveness-would emerge, with clinical indi viduals emphasizing the negative pole and nonclinical individuals emph asizing the positive. Both clinical and nonclinical individuals identi fied friends and family, with critical individuals incorporating thera pists, mentors, and organized groups into their significant social inf luences. As expected, empathy, reliability and availability emerged, a nd clinical individuals had overall fewer positive themes and greater negative themes, including lack of reciprocity and feeling devalued by others. Future reseal ch must begin understanding the determinants of perceptual and relational response styles and the ways in which forma l and informal support influences the life adaptation process.