The belief that rigidity across relationships is related to greater symptoms and poorer functioning commonly informs the practice of many psychodynamic and interpersonal therapists. Using a profile correlation approach, we tested this hypothesis in a sample of 250 clients and 90 undergraduate control participants. Symptoms and functioning were assessed with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), Global Assessment of Functioning scale, and Brief Symptom Inventory. A revised version of the empirically-derived Central Relationship Questionnaire (CRQ) was used to measure interpersonal patterns. Revisions were made to the CRQ to increase the interpersonal dimensions it captured, reduce its length, and model a higher-order factor structure. The psychometric properties of the revised CRQ were found to be adequate. Rigidity as measured with the CRQ was not related to rigidity measured with the IIP (amplitude) and did not differ significantly among individuals with different interpersonal problems or DSM-IV diagnoses. Contrary to theory, however, greater rigidity across relationships was related to fewer symptoms and interpersonal problems. These relations did not appear due to the valence or the extremeness of the interpersonal patterns used in the estimation of rigidity. Keywords relationships; interpersonal; rigidity; consistency; symptoms Much of the psychotherapy practiced today is interpersonal or psychodynamic in its theoretical orientation (Constantine, 2001;Norcross, Castle, & Hedges, 2002;Poznanski & McLennan, 1999;Worthington & Dillon, 2003). In these theories, individuals are presumed to have characteristic motivations, expectations, and reactions across their interactions with others, or central relationship patterns. These patterns are thought to be learned from childhood experiences and used as a template to understand and guide all new relationships (Blatt, Auerbach, & Levy, 1997;Bowlby, 1988; Freud, 1912Freud, /1958 Freud, , 1925Freud, /1963Luborsky, 1984; Malan, 1979; Menninger, 1958;Strupp & Binder, 1984). Across-relationship rigidity is the repetition of interpersonal patterns in interactions with different relationship referents (e.g., expecting rejection from all people at some time or another, but not necessarily in every interaction). 1 People vary in the level of rigidity they exhibit across their relationships with others (e.g., Crits-Christoph, Demorest, Muenz, & Baranackle, 1994). One of the major clinical hypotheses of interpersonal and psychodynamic theories is that, compared to those lower in rigidity, individuals higher in rigidity are less flexible in their ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving across relationships, are less able to adapt to the demands of the relationship, andCorrespondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Jacques P. Barber, Center for Psychotherapy Research, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Email: E-mail: barberj@mail.med.upenn
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