Perceptions of inclusion, affiliation, and control in five interpersonal relationships

Abstract

Previous research has identified two or three primary dimensions underlying interpersonal relationships: inclusion, affiliation, and control. This study extended previous work by using components of all three dimensions to compare five types of relationships: Workers, Acquaintances, Friends, Best Friends, and Intimates. Responses from an urban sample of 334 individuals indicated that Intimates and Best Friends were defined by a control component; Friends were defined by components of inclusion, affiliation, and control; and Acquaintances and Workers were defined by inclusion components.

Key concepts:

• Affiliation
• attraction
• power
• friendship
• intimacy
• work relationships
• interpersonal perceptions
• survey data

Notes

The authors would like to thank the Wisconsin Alumni Research Fund whose grant supported this study in part. The authors would also like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers of this journal for their helpful comments.