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Interpersonal Congruency Theory Revisited: A Revision and Extension

University of Nevada, Reno, USA

While the basic premise of interpersonal congruency theory - that stability and change in persons' behaviour are a function of stability and change in their relations with others - remains tenable, a number of modifications to this approach to personality seem warranted. The theory suffered from an overemphasis on the effects of the views of others on the self and on the role of various congruency-producing processes in maintaining stability while neglecting their role in self-creation and change. Furthermore, the focus was on the individual's unilateral attempt to maintain congruency rather than on viewing the resulting relationship and the identities therein as unique products of both partners' attempts to create, maintain and at times change themselves and the character of their relationship. The revised theory rectifies those defects and places greater emphasis on self presentation and altercasting. Both of these processes are given expanded meaning and are viewed as occurring in the conduct of both partners and in their conversations. A number of new lines of research are suggested by this reformulation, including further work on these two processes and on role selection and portrayal as well as on the dynamics of problematic identities.

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 2, No. 4, 489-505 (1985)
DOI: 10.1177/0265407585024008


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