Complexity of the interpersonal self and affective reactions to interpersonal stressors in life and in the laboratory

Abstract

Self-complexity refers to the number and interrelatedness of a person's conceptions of himself or herself. In both a naturalistic survey and a laboratory study, we applied self-complexity theory to test a marker of cognitive vulnerability to interpersonal stress, specifically the aspect impact quotient (AIQ) of the interpersonal self. A high interpersonal AIQ reflects an interpersonal self with a large number of traits that are dispersed among other self-aspects. In Study 1, we found that subjects with high compared with low interpersonal AIQ became more dysphoric after the experience of real-life interpersonal (friend) stressors, and that this effect was unique to interpersonal AIQ, In Study 2, we hypothesized that affective reactions to interpersonal acceptance or rejection in the laboratory would be more extreme for individuals with high compared with low interpersonal AIQ. Analysis of positive affect revealed the hypothesized effect for AIQ × Outcome, and this effect was unique to interpersonal AIQ. However, subjects' negative affect was unrelated to their interpersonal AIQ. Overall, the results of these two studies suggest that the relative structure of each individual's interpersonal self influences his or her affective reactions to interpersonal events, and that self-complexity theory, applied to a specific self-aspect, can contribute to an understanding of stress vulnerability.