Circumplex Structure Research Articles

The Impact Message Inventory-Circumplex (IMI-C): Exploring the Aversiveness Component of Therapists' Covert Reactions to Patients' Interpersonal Communications.

The Impact Message Inventory-Circumplex (IMI-C) is a two-dimensional measure of patient-induced countertransference. Surprisingly, in a replication study of its circumplex structure, Hafkenscheid and Timmerman could retrieve a third dimension, in addition to the basic dimensions of Affiliation and Control. They tentatively interpreted this preliminary third dimension as representing 'reactance' (oppositional and uncooperative patient behaviours), with 'active' and 'passive' as polarities. This provisional interpretation was no more than plausible and was partly speculative. Therefore, a more systematic empirical approach to the meaning embedded in the third dimension is required. The present empirical study tests the hypothesis that the preliminary third dimension might represent aversiveness rather than reactance. A panel of IMI-C users (N = 100) independently judged all 56 items of the instrument in terms of the general (i.e., without taking a specific patient in mind) emotional undertone enclosed in the item formulations using a forced choice three point scale format: 'positive emotional undertone' (+), 'neutral' (o) and negative (aversive) undertone (-). Overall, IMI-C users appeared to evaluate the formulations of items constituting the preliminary third dimension as intrinsically more aversive (negative emotional connotation), compared to the group of IMI-C items not included in this preliminary third dimension. However, the original octants of the IMI-C could be discriminated in terms of aversiveness as well. Anyhow, clinical interpretations of IMI-C profiles may benefit from an examination of the aversiveness component, enclosed within the items and octants themselves, irrespective of the specific patients judged with the instrument.

Development and Initial Validation of the Parenting Styles Circumplex Inventory (PSCI).

Parenting style refers to the emotional climate in which parents nurture and guide their child's social development. Despite the prominence of parenting style research, many studies still create their own psychometrically untested measures of parenting styles, use measures that do not capture the uninvolved parenting style, or use median splits to convert dimensional assessments into parenting style typologies. To address these measurement issues, the current studies developed the Parenting Styles Circumplex Inventory (PSCI) which is rooted in Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory and provides a framework to unite typology and dimensional parenting style measurement approaches. The current article describes the development and initial validation of the PSCI across three samples of college students (Ns = 571, 361, 385). The 32-item PSCI consists of eight octant scales which each assess unique combinations of parental responsiveness and demandingness. The measure asks respondents to answer each question about their mother- and/or father-figure. The circumplex structure of the PSCI was confirmed and replicated across studies and the PSCI demonstrated meaningful associations with indicators of parenting practices, relationship functioning, psychopathology symptoms, and substance use. Results from this study provide initial support for the PSCI as a path forward for measuring parenting styles.

Psychometric and Circumplex Properties Evaluation of the International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC) in Chinese People Living with HIV (PLWH).

With the improved life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH) due to widespread use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), there is a greater emphasis on enhancing long-term well-being and overall quality of life for PLWH. Understanding interpersonal personalities of PLWH can gain further insight into how to improve the overall quality of life in this population. The International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC) scale has been developed to assess interpersonal personalities of individuals, and this scale has been translated into Chinese. However, the Chinese version of IPIP-IPC has not been tested among PLWH in China. In this study, we aimed to test the psychometric properties and circumplex structure of this scale. This study was based on cross-sectional, multi-center, large sample data. We employed the Chinese version of IPIP-IPC scale on 3040 PLWH from April 2022 to April 2023 in China to test its psychometric as well as circumplex properties. The structural summary method (SSM) was employed to analyze the circumplex structure of the scale. The total scale exhibited a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85 and McDonald's omega of 0.91. Out of the 288 possible relationships, 275 relationships satisfy the circular properties hypothesis. The scale demonstrates good reliability and validity, meeting the requirements of psychometrics. Our findings demonstrate that the Chinese version of the IPIP-IPC scale is a reliable tool for evaluating interpersonal personalities in this population. These results highlight the validity and applicability of the IPIP-IPC scale specifically in the Chinese context, providing valuable insights into the intricacies of interpersonal traits among PLWH.

Activation and valence in responses to organizational change: Development and validation of the change response circumplex scale.

Organizational members' responses to organizational change have a key role in determining the success of the change. The predominant conceptualization of responses to change has focused on the valence of responses-the degree to which they are positive (e.g., openness to change) versus negative (e.g., resistance to change). Yet, recent theory suggests that rather than a single continuum, ranging from negative to positive, responses to change are better represented with a bidimensional framework including both a valence-based continuum and an activation-based continuum (active vs. passive; Oreg et al., 2018), comprising a change response circumplex. Based on this theoretical framework, we develop and validate a scale for measuring the four dimensions of the change response circumplex (i.e., change acceptance, change proactivity, change disengagement, change resistance). We conducted five studies in which we develop the scale and demonstrate its content validity (Study 1, N = 208), circumplex structure and construct validity (Study 2, N = 221; Study 3, N = 315), concurrent validity (Study 4, N = 588), and predictive validity (Study 5, N = 146). We also demonstrate the usefulness of distinguishing among the four responses for predicting the amount and types of feedback that change recipients provide, and show the particular value of active responses, above and beyond valence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Capturing Impact Messages in Parent–Child Interactions

Abstract: The interpersonal circumplex (IPC) is an established model to describe individual and dyadic interpersonal phenomena along the orthogonal dimensions of control and affiliation. This study aims to adapt and validate the Impact Message Inventory (IMI) to assess impact messages (perceptions of and covert reactions to interpersonal styles) in parents and children according to the IPC. We adapted the German IMI ( Caspar et al., 2016 ) for a young age. Overall, 531 parents and 162 children completed the IMI@YoungAge (IMI@YA). We investigated the reliability and circumplex structure of the octant scales. We also examined the complementarity of impact messages of parents and children and associations with health-related constructs. Most IMI@YA scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. The expected circumplex structure could not be replicated. When using factor scores based on exploratory factor analysis, we were able to confirm the complementarity hypothesis in terms of affiliation, but not control. We detected low-to-moderate correlations with health-related constructs. The IMI@YA aims to assess the impact messages of parents and children, but the lack of circumplex structure implies that the items and scales need to be adjusted. We discuss the IPC’s potential for investigating parent-child interaction.

Psychometric Properties of the Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems (CSIP)

Abstract. The Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems (CSIP) was developed in American English to assess maladaptive variants of the interpersonal circumplex. In this article, we describe the psychometric properties and construct validity of a Brazilian Portuguese version of the CSIP using data from two samples of Brazilian adults. The results from exploratory and confirmatory structural analyses indicated strong support for a circumplex representation of the CSIP in both samples. Scores on the CSIP converged with the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Checklist of Interpersonal Transactions – Revised and demonstrated test–retest stability over 8 months. Taken as a whole, the results extend support for the circumplex structure, construct validity, and retest reliability of the CSIP and indicate that the Brazilian Portuguese translation is psychometrically adequate to investigate interpersonal problems in Brazilian populations.

Does a three-dimensional Impact Message Inventory-Circumplex (IMI-C) enclose an indirect measure of reactance?

Clinicians can rely on the Impact Message Inventory-Circumplex (IMI-C) to map their emotional reactions to their patients' communication style in octant and main dimension scores on the two-dimensional interpersonal circle, based on affiliation (AFF) and control (CON) as the underlying main dimensions. However, modern emotion theories distinguish three, rather than two, robust dimensions of emotional experience and the perception of interpersonal behaviours: (1) positive versus negative evaluation (related to AFF), (2) strong versus weak (related to CON) and (3) active versus passive (arousal). In a large Dutch patient sample (N = 1,001), we first tested whether the two-dimensional circumplex structure of the IMI-C could be replicated using Browne's circumplex model. Then we explored whether a third dimension could be retrieved from therapists' IMI-C responses using exploratory factor analysis, followed by orthogonal target rotation towards a partially specified target matrix, with the first two factors specified according to the circumplex structure, and the other factor(s) left free. The two-dimensional circumplex of the IMI-C could be validated to a fair extent. Using exploratory factor models, we found supporting evidence for a third factor, which could be interpreted as reflecting reactance ('active' vs. 'passive' opposition). We recommend to extend the current two-dimensional interpretation to a three-dimensional interpretation of IMI-C responses, by adding a reactance dimension.

Psychometric properties of the South African Career Interest Inventory – Short

Background: The South African Career Interest Inventory – Short (SACII-Short) is used in research settings to measure Holland’s six interest factors. Conclusions reached in studies using the instrument are subject to the measurement properties of the SACII-Short items and scales.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the SACII-Short items and the fit of circumplex structure to the SACII-Short item and scale scores.Method: Secondary data from South African university students and working adults (n = 673) were used. The graded response model was used to investigate the measurement properties of the items. Factor analysis was used to investigate the circumplex structure of the item and scale scores.Results: Most of the SACII-Short items showed satisfactory measurement properties. Some concerns were observed with the item locations of the realistic and social items. The item and scale scores showed satisfactory fit to circumplex structure. The wording of some of the items could be reconsidered to increase the applicability of the content to the South African work context.Conclusion: The SACII-Short demonstrates satisfactory psychometric properties for use in research settings. These psychometric properties support the validity of results obtained from studies that have used the SACII-Short scale scores as a proxy for vocational interests.

The interpersonal nature of self-talk: Variations across individuals and occasions.

This research addressed the hypothesis that self-talk conveys a variety of interpersonal styles, representing different ways of addressing oneself, and that these different styles can be conceptualized with the interpersonal circumplex. Using a diary-like method for 14 days, 232 undergraduates were asked, toward the end of each day, to reflect on one positive and one negative event from that day and write down their self-talk about each. Using an instrument based on the interpersonal circumplex, participants and later independent judges rated the interpersonal qualities of each self-talk statement. Ratings showed a reasonably high degree of consistency over days, and averages over days for each participant showed reasonably good circumplex structure, consistent with an interpersonal conception of self-talk style. Multilevel modeling revealed that the interpersonal qualities of self-talk also showed substantial variance at the occasion level. There were synergistic interactions of self-talk dominance and affiliation in the prediction of post-self-talk affect, with higher positive and lower negative affect following self-talk that was relatively high in both dominance and affiliation. Conceptualizing self-talk styles in terms of the interpersonal circumplex offers a promising framework for further research on inner experience and its effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Reliability and validity of a Japanese short version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems

The purpose of this research was to develop a Japanese short version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) and examine its reliability and validity. In Study 1, we developed a short version of the IIP using item response theory (IRT). The results indicated sufficient measurement accuracy for the short version compared to the original IIP and an existing short version (IIP-32). Specifically, the short version had better measurement accuracy for participants with higher levels of interpersonal problems. Similar to previous research, confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the factor structure and circumplex structure. In Study 2, we examined the reliability and validity of the short version. The results revealed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Furthermore, the short version correlated with depression, state anxiety, eating disorder tendency, psychological symptoms, self-esteem, and personality. Finally, the application of the short version in counseling situations is discussed.

Examination of Student-Teacher Interpersonal Relationships Circumplex Model in the Greek Educational Context.

Student-teacher interpersonal relationships contribute significantly to the academic trajectory and achievement of children and adolescents. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) is one of the most widely applied measures for assessing students' perceptions about the teachers' interpersonal behaviour. QTI comprises eight subscales that are assumed to follow a circumplex model. Prior studies on QTI's psychometric properties are inconclusive and report mixed findings. The purpose of this study was to examine the applicability of QTI in the Greek cultural context, by testing its circumplex structure and levels of reliability. QTI was administered to 1669 secondary education students, from 85 different classrooms. A cross-validation approach and a variety of statistical techniques were employed. Subscales' internal consistency and their ability to discriminate among classes were satisfactory. Exploratory statistical techniques provided initial support of the circular pattern. Application of a specifically designed package for testing the circumplex structure of an instrument, showed that a model in which the eight QTI subscales are placed on the circumference of a circle with equal distances form the centre was tenable. However, the assumption of equal distances was not confirmed. Deviation from the theoretical position of the subscales was mainly due to students' difficulty to discriminate teachers' proximity behaviour, a finding reported in various studies and across different cultural contexts. Suggestions for improving the psychometric properties of the QTI are discussed.

Value co‐creation and co‐destruction behaviour: Relationship with basic human values and personality traits

AbstractService systems create value when actors exhibit behaviours expected to facilitate resource integration and could destroy value when actors do not exhibit the expected set of behaviours. This study seeks to determine which groups of values and individual traits facilitate consumer co‐creation and co‐destruction behaviours. A data set of 390 online survey responses from consumers in the United States was analysed using multiple regression. The analysis suggests that values which express self‐enhancement and openness‐to‐change are most likely to facilitate co‐destruction behaviour, while values which express self‐transcendence and conservation are most likely to facilitate co‐creation behaviour. With regards to traits, we find that neurotic traits are most likely to facilitate co‐destruction behaviour and least likely to facilitate co‐creation behaviours. Conscientious and agreeable traits are least likely to facilitate co‐destruction behaviours, while extraversion and openness traits are most likely to facilitate co‐creation behaviours. This study contributes to the literature by providing a better understanding of the consumer values and traits which facilitate co‐destruction and co‐creation behaviour. This study also shows that the basic human values circumplex structure can be divided to reflect co‐destruction and co‐creation values. The polar opposites of the big five personality traits can be classified based on their tendencies to co‐destroy or co‐create value.

Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood Modeling and Higher-Level Scores of Interpersonal Problems With Circumplex Structure.

Difficulties in interpersonal behavior are often measured by the circumplex-based Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Its eight scales can be represented by a three-factor structure with two circumplex factors, Dominance and Love, and a general problem factor, Distress. Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis is well-suited to evaluate the higher-level structure of interpersonal problems because circumplex loading priors allow for data-driven adjustments and a more flexible investigation of the ideal circumplex pattern than conventional maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis. Using a non-clinical sample from an online questionnaire study (N = 822), we replicated the three-factor structure of the IIP by maximum likelihood and Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis and found great proximity of the Bayesian loadings to perfect circumplexity. We found additional support for the validity of the three-factor model of the IIP by including external criteria-Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism from the Big Five and subclinical grandiose narcissism-in the analysis. We also investigated higher-level scores for Dominance, Love, and Distress using traditional regression factor scores and weighted sum scores. We found excellent reliability (with Rtt ≥ 0.90) for Dominance, Love, and Distress for the two scoring methods. We found high congruence of the higher-level scores with the underlying factors and good circumplex properties of the scoring models. The correlational pattern with the external measures was in line with theoretical expectations and similar to the results from the factor analysis. We encourage the use of Bayesian modeling when dealing with circumplex structure and recommend the use of higher-level scores for interpersonal problems as parsimonious, reliable, and valid measures.

An examination of gender imbalance in Scottish adolescents' vocational interests.

This paper documents Scottish adolescents' vocational interest types. Our research is based on the responses of 1,306 pupils from 18 secondary schools to an empirically verified online interest inventory test. Our results are threefold. First, the structural validity of the test with the Scottish sample is confirmed by evaluating the underlying circumplex structure of Holland's RIASEC vocational interests. Second, gender distribution along the six primary vocational interest dimensions is consistent with the research literature: young men scoring higher on the Realistic vocational interest and young women scoring higher on the Social dimension. Finally, we observe that across dimensions, vocational interests of young women are less diverse than those of young men. We discuss how these dissimilarities could lead to differences in education choice and career decision-making.

Adopting the Situation in School Questionnaire to Examine Physical Education Teachers' Motivating and Demotivating Styles Using a Circumplex Approach.

Grounded in SDT, several studies have highlighted the role of teachers’ motivating and demotivating styles for students’ motivation, learning, and physical activity in physical education (PE). However, most of these studies focused on a restricted number of motivating strategies (e.g., offering choice) or dimensions (e.g., autonomy support). Recently, researchers have developed the Situations-in-School (i.e., SIS-Education) questionnaire, which allows one to gain a more integrative and fine-grained insight into teachers’ engagement in autonomy-support, structure, control, and chaos through a circular structure (i.e., a circumplex). Although teaching in PE resembles teaching in academic courses in many ways, some of the items of the original situation-based questionnaire (e.g., regarding homework) are irrelevant to the PE context. In the present study, we therefore sought to develop a modified, PE-friendly version of this earlier validated SIS-questionnaire—the SIS-PE. Findings in a sample of Belgian (N = 136) and French (N = 259) PE teachers, examined together and as independent samples, showed that the variation in PE teachers’ motivating styles in this adapted version is also best captured by a circumplex structure, with four overarching styles and eight subareas differing in their level of need support and directiveness. The SIS-PE possesses excellent convergent and concurrent validity. With the adaptations being successful, great opportunities for future research on PE teachers (de-)motivating styles are created.

Ellipse rather than a circumplex: A systematic test of various circumplexes of emotions

The circumplex model of affect, defined by the dimensions of Valence and Arousal, is commonly used to describe the emotional experience. The usefulness of both dimensions has been confirmed, but Arousal has structural problems. In this study, we systematically investigated the structure of affect in terms of meeting the requirements of (a) full circumplex (communalities and angles are equal), (b) quasi-circumplex with equal angles, (c) quasi-circumplex with equal communalities, (d) circular model (both communalities and angles can be unequal) and we inspected which scales deviated from their theoretically expected location. We examined the structure of state affect based on the Chinese circumplex model of affect by Yik (2009), trait-like affect (actual) and ideal affect measured with the affect valuation index by Tsai et al. (2006). Structural equation modeling and Procrustes analyses were used to examine the structure of affect in a sample of N = 863. There was no evidence of a circumplex structure in any of the models of affect, instead a circular model was supported in all cases. In all models, the Arousal dimension was systematically associated with discrepancies from the theoretical predictions derived from circumplex model of affect, resulting in an ellipse structure.

The internal and external validity of the latent vocational interest circumplex: Structure, relationships with self-concepts, and robustness against item-order effects

The vocational interest circumplex implies a pattern of correlations that can be represented by the interest domains' locations on the circumference of a circle. In addition, the circumplex can be extended by placing external covariates into the two-dimensional interest structure. Results that simultaneously support the circumplex as a model for the interest scales' internal structure and for their external relationships with covariates provide a more comprehensive account of the circumplex's validity than isolated analyses of just one kind of validity evidence. In this article, we outline a latent variable framework that makes it possible to simultaneously examine both validity aspects and that enables researchers to study the robustness of such validity evidence across groups. We applied this framework to the eight basic interest scales of the Personal Globe Inventory (PGI; Tracey, 2002) and their relationships with nine measures of domain-specific self-concepts. Participants were randomly assigned to groups in which the interest items were presented in different orders with the goal of eliciting either cross-domain or within-domain comparisons. Our results suggest that the circumplex structure was remarkably similar (although not fully invariant) across conditions and that the relationships between the PGI scales and the self-concept domains were in good agreement with the circumplex regardless of item order. Interestingly, most self-concept scales occupied positions along the People-Things axis of the circumplex, thereby replicating previous results on the relationships of vocational interests and ability-related constructs. Taken together, our results provide strong support for the internal and external validity of the interest circumplex as an integrative map for representing complex construct relationships.

Structural validity of the leadership circumplex in a South African setting

This study investigated the structural validity of the short form of the Circumplex Leadership Scan in South Africa. Using a cross-sectional survey design, we analysed an existing data set on self-rated leadership behaviours by 137 South African supervisors (women = 77; black African = 56; mean age = 37.58 years, SD = 10.14 years). For reliability of scores, we calculated Cronbach’s alpha and coefficient omega total. We employed the randomisation test of hypothesised order relations and circumplex covariance structure modelling to ascertain the structure of the eight leadership styles. Results from these analyses provided a satisfactory fit of the eight leadership styles to circumplex structure supporting the cross-cultural transportability of the model and its relevance to explaining a wide variety of positive and negative leadership behaviours. These results hold promise for the use of the Circumplex Leadership Scan in organisational and research settings in South Africa

Development and Validation of the Personal Values Dictionary: A Theory–Driven Tool for Investigating References to Basic Human Values in Text

Estimating psychological constructs from natural language has the potential to expand the reach and applicability of personality science. Research on the Big Five has produced methods to reliably assess personality traits from text, but the development of comparable tools for personal values is still in the early stages. Based on the Schwartz theory of basic human values, we developed a dictionary for the automatic assessment of references to personal values in text. To refine and validate the dictionary, we used Facebook updates, blog posts, essays, and book chapters authored by over 180 000 individuals. The results show high reliability for the dictionary and a pattern of correlations between the value types in line with the circumplex structure. We found small to moderate ( rs = .1–.4) but consistent correlations between dictionary scores and self–reported scores for 7 out of 10 values. Correlations between the dictionary scores and age, gender, and political orientation of the author and scores for other established dictionaries mostly followed theoretical predictions. The Personal Values Dictionary can be used to assess references to value orientations in textual data, such as tweets, blog posts, or status updates, and will stimulate further research in methods to assess human basic values from text.

Developing a short form of the IPIP Abridged Big Five-Dimensional Circumplex (AB5C) congruent with the AB5C circumplex locations

The Abridged Big-Five Dimensional Circumplex (AB5C) model stands out due to its ability to locate personality facets within a circumplex structure. However, both current measures of the AB5C model have facets inconsistent with their respective circumplex location. The current study sought to modify specific AB5C-SF scales by selecting new items for eleven facets that displayed poor psychometric properties as well as new facet labels for four facets. Although results suggested that new item selections generally improved the psychometric qualities, some specific circumplex locations remained challenging to capture. Combined with past results, this raises questions regarding whether all possible domain combinations can be well-assessed and if there are single words to capture certain trait combinations in the English language.