Contemporary integrative interpersonal theory: Integrating structure, dynamics, temporal scale, and levels of analysis.

Abstract

Theoretical accounts of psychopathology often emphasize social context as etiologically central to psychological dysfunction, and interpersonal impairments are widely implicated for many legacy diagnostic categories that span domains of psychopathology (e.g., affective, personality, thought disorders). Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory (CIIT) seeks to explain the emergence, expression, and maintenance of socioaffective functioning and dysfunction across levels and timescales of analysis. We emphasize the importance of cohesively addressing the often-segregated challenges of establishing empirically supported structure, functional accounts of dynamic processes, and how together these facilitate theoretical and methodological consistency across levels of analysis ranging from biology to behavior. We illustrate the potential of CIIT to serve as an integrative theory for generating falsifiable hypotheses that support strong inference investigations into the nature of psychological dysfunction across a range of traditional diagnostic constructs and superordinate spectra of psychopathology.

Theories of psychopathology: Potential to promote clinical science, empowerment, and justice.

“…Notions of personal agency are central to the theoretical framework proposed by Wright et al (2023). The authors advocate the broad clinical relevance of Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory (CIIT), in which “agency” and “communion” are considered the “principal domains” of interpersonal function (p. 268).…”

“…Although CIIT views the pursuit of both agency and communion as central to well-being, the authors do not fully explicate these two constructs and their relationship to each other. According to Wright et al (2023), “agency is defined by individuation and self-differentiation, encompassing needs and strivings for achievement, mastery, dominance, and control,” whereas communion consists of “a focus on and connection with others, encompassing needs and strivings for belonging, intimacy, and nurturance” (p. 264). Agentic and communal motives are later summarized as “getting ahead and getting along,” respectively (p. 264).…”

Theories of psychopathology: Introduction to a special section.

“…Although nomothetic in focus, it provides a broader framework for understanding how idiographic patterns might come to be, and integrates the intra-and extraindividual seamlessly in one account. Wright et al (2023) provide an overview of contemporary integrative interpersonal theory, an integrative account of the "emergence, expression, and maintenance of socioaffective functioning and dysfunction across levels and timescales of analysis" (p. 263). The authors and their colleagues have argued that some forms of psychopathology are best understood as interpersonal disorders (Wright et al, 2022), and here provide an expanded account of interpersonal theory and its critical relevance to the etiology and maintenance of psychopathology.…”

“…In their paper, they emphasize the importance of characterizing pathological behaviors in the context of stress, and of the role of early stress in shaping later psychopathology patterns. As in the papers by Jin et al (2023) and Wright et al (2023), intraindividual processes are a focus, but in a more nomothetic framework, aimed at characterizing common psychological patterns, and with a broader timescale in mind.…”

Heterotypic patterns, psychopathology beyond symptomatology, and the legacy constructs of the DSM-ICD.

“…what most people upon reflection would agree is meant by Flexibility is also emphasized by Wright et al (2023) in their "Contemporary Integrative Interpersonal Theory: Integrating Structure, Dynamics, Temporal Scale, and Levels of Analysis" Wright and colleagues focus on the importance of two (transdiagnostic) master motives: (a) developing ourselves as autonomous, effective individuals (called agency) and (b) establishing connections with others (called communion). Failure to satisfy these motives increases negative emotions, and success increases positive emotions.…”