Interpersonal Decentering and Interpersonal Problems: Testing the Multi-Method Utility of Person-Situation Interactions in Thematic Apperception Tests

Abstract

Mature interpersonal decentering is a form of social cognitive role-taking involving reflective thought about one’s interpersonal relationships. Previous research examining main effects for persons, card situation content, story content, and person-card interactions found more mature decentering in stories about heterosexual romantic-pull Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) cards (HRC) as compared with stories about nonromantic cards (NRC). To see whether differences in means corresponded to differential criterion validity, this multi-method study examined Inventory of Interpersonal Problems circumplex (IIP-C) scores associated with young adults’ decentering maturity and deficits, comparing correlations with IIP-C scores of decentering scores calculated from HRC versus NRC. Similarly, to test the effect of story content, IIP-C scores were correlated with decentering scores calculated from stories having romantic versus nonromantic story content. Using circumplex statistical tests, decentering deficits were associated with domineering/vindictive interpersonal problems, and mature decentering with nonassertive/exploitable problems. Men who reported more exploitable problems decentered more maturely across all situations. Women who decentered more maturely in response to HRC reported more socially avoidant problems, whereas those who decentered more maturely to NRC reported more exploitable problems. Results for romantic versus nonromantic story content were largely uninterpretable (did not meet circumplexity assumption). Findings might assist clinicians’ card selection.

Acknowledgments

We thank Heather Austin, Lauren Dobbs, Kristen Frazer, Melissa Leeper, Brittney McGill, Amanda Nobis, Keaton Stewart, Ruth Stoner, Scott Tlanda, and Pui San Tse for scoring the stories for decentering and documenting their decisions; and Katherine Weber and Amy Page for scoring romantic versus nonromantic stories.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, SRJ, upon reasonable request.