The triangle of interpersonal models.
This article develops a framework for social psychology, the triangle of interpersonal models (TIM). TIM is a 2-dimensional classification scheme for the impact of people on social-psychological phenomena. TIM classifies a social-psychological phenomenon by the number of people who contribute to the phenomenon and the number of distinct social-psychological functions that those people serve. TIM includes models for phenomena that involve 1 person, 2 people, 3 people, and p people. In those phenomena, people serve 1, 2, 3, or f distinct social-psychological functions. TIM decomposes complex phenomena into components that reflect different levels of interpersonal causation. It brings rigor to holistic conceptions of social psychology and offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between the individual and the group.
Bond
Charles F
CF
Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth 76129, USA. c.bond@tcu.edu
Kenny
David A
DA
D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011593:Psychology, Social; D012963:Sociometric Techniques