What is relationship. Theoretical foundations of the study of relationships The term relationship

social psychology. the result (product) of O. V. stem from the mutually influential influences of people on each other and the experience of reciprocal relationships. These influences are filled with the emotive content of psychol. activities, a cut includes an emotional response, assessments, experiences, states, motives, feelings and relationships of partners. V. are ambivalent in sign, they are internally contradictory, since they embody the unity of opposite tendencies in human relations. Their ambivalence is the source of the paradox of human psychology, which creates uncertainty in personal relationships, ready to always change their sign. V. affect the group effects of O., they are the product of mutual efforts of partners, the subjective reality of our feelings and states, which we carry in ourselves as an attitude and experience. The objectification of this reality occurs in the expressive behavior of a person by sign-symbolic and linguistic means... In O. processes, the internal objectification occurs in externally observable forms of expression (expression) and their reflection in interpretation (statements). In the expression of int. states of mind (ideal reality) are often represented involuntarily in the form of facial expressions and pantomimes, but can be regulated by the subject O. in interpretation under the control of consciousness, albeit automated. If facial expressions and pantomime are direct objectification of the internal in the material carriers of the external. appearance, then interpretation is a cognitively displayed form of ideal reality presented in statements. By ext. appearance we get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe ideal reality inside. the world of partners - a virtual one that exists as a reflected phenomenon of ideal reality with all the changes arising from this circumstance. V. form psychol. environment of joint life of people, to-ruyu is usually called "social psychol. climate ". The bases of V.'s classification are 4 categories used in psychol. science to systematize its knowledge - activities, O., reflection, relationships. For these reasons, 10 classes of psychology appear (subject-practical and role; communicative and collectivistic; cognitive, emotional and volitional; legal, moral and moral), which are invariably present in any process of social interaction at all levels. Each class of V. is transformed into specific types (cooperation-rivalry and leader-follower; sociability-isolation and friendship-enmity; understanding-misunderstanding, love-hate and independence-obedience; responsibility-irresponsibility, good-evil, just-unfair). In the classification, only the core types of V. are named, to-rye can be transformed into subspecies (help-counteraction, care-indifference, leadership-conformism, acceptance-rejection, sympathy-antipathy, trust-suspicion, ambition-vanity, etc.) Lit .: Panferov V.N. Human perception in interpersonal communication // Problems of psychology. impact. IvSU, 1978; He's the same. Dialogue and communication // Man in the world of dialogue. L., 1990; He's the same. Classification of human relationships // Contemporary problems applied sociology and social psychology in labor collectives. L., 1984; He's the same. Classification of human functions as a subject of communication // Psychol. zhurn. No. 4. 1987; He's the same. Psychology of relationships in brigades // Socio-psychological reserves for increasing the activity of the labor collective. M., 1989.V. N. Panferov

Relationship - subjectively experienced connections and relationships between people. This is a system of interpersonal attitudes, orientations, expectations determined by the content of joint activities of people and their communication. V. are formed within the framework of human interaction, and then influence the efficiency of joint labor and the nature of the course and intensity of the communication process. V. is characterized by selectivity and is often brightly emotionally colored: a person prefers some people, is indifferent to others, and does not accept others. At the same time, the phenomenon of selectivity is due to the human need sphere.

A.G. Ruzskaya

Definitions, meanings of a word in other dictionaries:

Psychological encyclopedia

In interpersonal relationships, a relatively short-term connection between people, characterized by limited interaction, fairly clear rules and rather definite social roles... Unlike primary relationships, they are rarely characterized by large ...

Psychological encyclopedia

In interpersonal relationships, long-term relationships based on strong emotional connections and a sense of commitment to another person. Unlike secondary relationships, they are rather diffuse, encompassing many roles, behaviors and situations; they usually don't ...

It is difficult to imagine humanity without interpersonal relationships. Most people spend most of their conscious life in communication: from the moment we wake up until we go to bed, we are in the company of our family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances and strangers. Individuals enter into some form of face-to-face relationship, via telephone, Internet, various forms of paper documents. Exclude all this from our life, and then it can hardly be called human in the full sense of the word. How is the formation of interpersonal relations and what is meant by this term? Let's try to find answers to these questions.

Definition of interpersonal relationships

Under the term "interpersonal relations" psychologists mean a set of interactions that arise between individuals, are often accompanied by emotional experiences and in some way convey the state of a person's inner world.

Interpersonal relationships are based on different types of communication, which include non-verbal communication, certain appearance, body movements and gestures, oral speech etc. They combine cognitive, emotional and behavioral components.

The cognitive component means such features of interpersonal relations as various forms of cognition - representation, imagination, perception, sensation, memory, thinking. All of them make it possible to recognize in a person his individual psychological characteristics and achieve understanding, which, in turn, depends on adequacy (how accurately we perceive the psychological portrait of the person with whom we interact) and identification (identification of our personality with the personality of another individual).

The emotional component denotes the experiences that we experience when communicating with certain people. And they can wear both positive and negative character, that is, in the process of interpersonal relationships, you can experience sympathy or antipathy, satisfaction with your partner or the results of joint activities, or lack thereof. We may feel empathy, or an emotional response, to the experiences of another person, which is expressed in empathy, complicity and empathy.

Finally, the behavioral component characterizes facial expressions, gestures, pantomime, speech and actions that express an individual's attitude towards other people or the group as a whole. Actually, the behavioral component acts as a regulator of the nature of interpersonal relations.

Formation of interpersonal relationships

The development of interpersonal relations is possible only under one condition - if the individual has the ability to establish contacts with people, to find with them mutual language... This is facilitated by ease and contact, trust and understanding, emotional attraction and acceptance, as well as the absence of a rigid program of manipulation and self-interest.

Interpersonal relationships ideally strive for trust, this includes the expectation of support and the confidence that the partner will not betray or use the situation to the detriment.

In the process of trusting interpersonal communication, relations are deepened, the psychological distance is reduced. However, trust often develops into gullibility, which is expressed in the fact that the individual unreasonably believes in his word, despite the dirty tricks and disappointments.

Types of interpersonal relationships

There are many different criteria for assessing interpersonal relationships. Their content is determined by the degree of psychological closeness between partners, the assessment of the relationship, the position of dominance, dependence or equality, as well as the degree of acquaintance.

From the point of view of the goal, the forms of interaction between individuals can be primary and secondary. The peculiarities of interpersonal relations of the primary type are that the necessary connections are established between people, as a rule, by themselves. Secondary connections arise on the basis of what kind of help or function one person performs in relation to another.

By nature, interpersonal relationships are divided into formal and informal. Formal ones are based on an official basis and are governed by charters, laws and other prescribed rules of interaction, which usually have a legal basis. Informal ones are formed on the basis of personal connections and are not limited by official frameworks.

From the point of view of joint activities, interpersonal relationships are divided into business and personal. In business relationships, work, job or production responsibilities are at the forefront. In the case of personal relationships, relationships that are not related to joint activities, based on subjectively experienced feelings, come to the fore. These include acquaintance, camaraderie, friendship and intimate relationships, the degree of trust of which is increasing.

Also, interpersonal relationships can be rational and emotional. In the first case, logic, reason and calculation prevail. In the second - emotions, affection, attractiveness, perception without taking into account objective information about the individual.

From the point of view of the status of people entering into interpersonal relations, the connections between them can be of a subordinate or parity nature. Subordination presupposes inequality, an attitude of leadership and subordination. Parity, on the contrary, is based on the equality of individuals, while the participants in the relationship act as independent individuals.

Interpersonal relationships can bring joy to communication, make life emotionally fulfilling and bring peace of mind. On the other hand, they can be frustrating and depressed. How effectively the development of interpersonal relations in a particular individual will take place depends on his skills of effective communication, the ability to perceive people without prejudice, as well as on psychological and emotional maturity. And if it seems that you are far from acquiring these skills, do not despair, because by showing perseverance and setting a goal, you may well be able to develop all the necessary qualities in yourself.

It is also necessary to consider the concept of "communication" and its relationship with the categories "attitude" and "relationship".

The concept of "communication" is used in scientific literature in a wide and narrow sense. The greatest difficulties are encountered when differentiating the broad concept of "communication" with relationships. In this case, often the "communication" is included in the "relationship", then the "relationship" is included in the "communication". In the dictionary of the modern Russian literary language, "communication" is defined as "connection" and "mutual relation".

The concept of "communication" is studied most thoroughly in the works of B.D. Parygina, V.M. Sokovnin and A.A. Leontyev. B.D. Parygin considered communication "as a complex and multifaceted process that can act at the same time as a process of interaction between individuals, and as an information process, and as a relationship of people to each other, and as a process of their mutual influence on each other. And as a process their empathy and mutual understanding of each other. "

Communication is a complex and multifaceted process that can act at the same time as a process of interaction between individuals, and as an information process, and as a relationship of people to each other, and as a process of their mutual influence on each other, and as a process of their empathy and mutual understanding of each other.

While agreeing that communication is a process, we believe that it is inappropriate to ascribe the status of the process to the relationship of people to each other. Yes, relationships can manifest themselves in some kind of processes. Yes, every interaction process presupposes the existence of relationships between interacting objects. But the relationship itself is by no means a process. Generally speaking, it is hardly possible to associate attitudes and other composite components communication. Each of them necessarily presupposes an attitude. Neither interaction, nor mutual influence, empathy, nor mutual understanding are possible without attitude. One can agree that communication necessarily presupposes a relationship between communicators, but these concepts by no means coincide with each other.

V.M. Sokovnin. At the same time, on the one hand, the author considers communication as a component of the relationship "communication relationship", and on the other hand, communication is identified with the relationship. So, when characterizing communication as mutual influence, it is noted that "interaction is one of the main components of human relations, including communication relations." Elsewhere, the author says that "communication can be viewed as a personal relationship. Regardless of whether a communicative act is taking place about a purely personal subject of communication or an intersubjective object acts as such (when an individual represents some kind of community in communication), he occurs as a personal relationship and manifests itself in the form of subjective influences, expressions of sympathies (antipathies), feelings, claims, etc. " ...

Fig. 1.1

However, already in the position we quoted V.M. Sokovnin is forced to point out that the communicative act includes an attitude and manifests itself in certain forms. It seems that it would be more correct to relate these concepts in a slightly different way: communication is the process of manifesting a personal relationship. It is this more accurate understanding of the relationship of these concepts that is contained in other works of the same author: “Individuals enter into communication where they enter into any relationship. Relationship and communication are inseparable. Communication acts as a real being of the relationship into which individuals entered. It is through communication that their social relationship appears as social and human, that is, conscious.

Consequently, communication is the outer side of human relations, their being. And further: "The personal relationships of individuals ... become real primarily in verbal communication. That is why communication is often understood as personal (usually friendly) relationships. Since it is communication that makes human relations reality, we can conclude that communication is a side of human relations ".

Communication is the outer side of human relations, their being.

Not being able to analyze in any detail the concept of A.A. Leontyev, we will emphasize only some of its provisions that are of particular interest to us. First of all, in the context of our work, it is important to distinguish between the concepts of social relations and its "personal" psychological correlate, which arises "in the real process of communication as a derivative of its psychological organization, namely," relationship ", made by the researcher. "Communication is the actualization of relations."

In the works of sociologists, we find an interesting concept of the Polish scientist Jan Szczepanski, who introduces the concept of "social connection" realized through contacts of three types - "spatial", "mental", "social" - and "interaction".

The first condition for the emergence of a social connection is spatial contact: Any relationship between people should begin with any contact in space, with mutual observation and with the establishment of the fact that one of the individuals possesses some traits and features that may interest the other. If this possibility turns into reality, a psychic contact arises, which can be mutual and non-reciprocal.

Psychic contact, from the author's point of view, does not create any connection yet. The specific character of the interpretation of the "connection" itself should be noted here. In general, such a state can, in our opinion, be interpreted as a relationship between persons interested in each other.

The next stage in the development of contacts is social contact. "This is a certain system, which includes at least two persons, some value that becomes the basis of contact, some interactions related to this value." At the same time, contacts can be personal and material.

On the basis of social contacts, interactions develop, which are understood as "the systematic, constant implementation of actions aimed at causing an appropriate response from the partner, this impact on the partner himself, and the evoked response causes, in turn, the reaction of the influencing person."

Interactions are a systematic, constant implementation of actions aimed at evoking an appropriate response from the partner, this impact on the partner himself, and the evoked response causes, in turn, the reaction of the influencing person.

It seems that interactions are a process of communication between partners. Thus, contacts act here as the internal basis of communication activities.

The distinction between relationships as internal states of the individual and communication, as a process of their manifestation and realization is a long tradition of Russian psychology, the foundations of which were laid by V.N. Myasishchev. "Relationship," he pointed out, "is the internal personal basis of interaction, and the latter is the realization or consequence and expression of the former." Here the author does not use the concept of "communication", using the category "interaction". But in his last works V. N. Myasishchev directly raised the question of the interconnections of communication and relations: "Communication expresses the relationship of a person with their different activity, selectivity, positive or negative character. Communication is due to vital necessity, but its nature, activity, size are determined attitude ".

Let's note the parameters that are highlighted for study. these processes: activity, selectivity, positive or negative character, and size.

Of course, a person can experience some kind of attitude towards inanimate objects, but since it cannot become mutual, there can be no talk of communication. As K.K. Platonov, "the interaction between a machine and a person cannot be considered as communication, since it requires mutual psychic reflection." In our analysis, it was important for us not so much to provide a complete overview of different points of view on the problem, but to emphasize the difference between the concepts of "relationship" and "communication".

We have adopted the following "working" definition: communication is informational and subject interaction, in the process of which interpersonal relationships are realized, manifested and formed /

Thus, relationships, on the one hand, are realized and manifested in the process of communication, representing its motivational-need basis, on the other hand, they are modified, developed, formed depending on the characteristics of communication.

In the living act of interpersonal communication, operational, procedural, "being" and internal, motivational, "relational" components are fused together. In the observed act of communication, we are dealing with the actualization of existing relations (which were largely formed in the previous experience of communication), and with a prerequisite for their development towards strengthening or weakening, and with the reason for a possible change in the very modality of relations, their sign.

The carried out conceptual distinction between communication and relationships is of fundamental methodological significance. It allows you to distinguish, to delimit the address of specific research, which may relate to the actual relationship, without affecting the communication process, or can be aimed at studying the communication process itself as observable acts of behavior. It is clear that, depending on the subject of research, it is necessary to use special methodological approaches.

Let us note right away that our research is directed. first of all, on the study of personal relationships, and not on the process of communication between peers, which, as will be shown below, determined the choice of the main research tools. The distinction made also has significant psychological and pedagogical significance in terms of searching for ways to manage intracollective relationships and interpersonal communication. Apparently, we can talk about two fundamentally feasible ways of management: changing and regulating relationships through changing communication and regulating communication through changing relationships. It is clear that each of these paths requires specific pedagogical influences for its implementation.

In groups, collectives, there are relationships and relationships.

A person, one way or another, refers to things, events, social life, people. Something he likes, but something he doesn't, some events, facts excite him, while others leave him indifferent. Feelings, interests, attention - these are the mental processes that express a person's attitude, his position. In social communities, the people who make them represent not relationships, relationships.

Relationship - This is an attitude that goes from people to people, "towards each other." At the same time, if in relation to it is not necessary to receive a feedback signal to a person, then in a relationship, "feedback" is constantly carried out. The relationship between the contacting parties does not always have the same modality (the same current). One may have a kind, good relationship with another, while the other has the opposite to him.

There is a certain correlation between communication, on the one hand, and relationship.

Communication is a visible, observable, external connection of people. Attitude and relationship are the sides of communication. They can be explicit, but they can also be hidden not ostentatious. The relationship is realized in communication and through communication. At the same time, the relationship leaves a stamp on communication, it serves as a kind of content of the latter.

It is customary to distinguish between business and personal relationships. Business are created in the course of the performance of official duties, regulated by the instruction, charter, decree. When forming a group, the functions of its members are determined. For instance. Boarding school opens. The staffing table includes a director, head teacher, teachers, educators, etc. The document defines the responsibilities of each of them. A person who has taken this or that position must perform a certain job, as well as establish business contacts arising from official duties.

Psychological research has established several types of business addiction:

1. Business relationship equality ... In this case, two or more members of the group, the team have the same functions.

2. Business relationship subordination ... In them, one person, according to the document, occupies a position obliging him to outline for another the object of applying efforts, ways to exercise control, to accept execution. Another person recognizes and fulfills the requirements of the document, although they do not come from the document, but from a person with the authority vested in him. Real business relationships are always richer than the provisions enshrined in instructions, statutes, orders. This is due to the fact that people endowed with individual qualities relate to each other.

3. Personal relationships arise on the basis of psychological motives: sympathy, community, views, interests, complementarity, and others. In personal relationships they are not valid. A necessary condition for the emergence of these relations is the comprehension of each other. It is in the course of cognition that relationships are established. Relationships can end as soon as the psychological motives that gave rise to them disappear. The system of personal relationships is expressed in categories such as friendship, camaraderie, love, hatred, alienation.

In the process of communication, several options for the ratio of business and personal relationships are outlined.

1. Coincidence positive orientation. In a group that has no business conflicts between members, good personal contacts contribute to the successful completion of the task at hand. Business relationships become less formal under the influence of positive personal relationships. But the differences between them remain.

2. Stretched business relationships and malevolent personal relationships. This is a pre-conflict situation. It can arise in a relationship of equality or subordination. The reasons for complications in the relationship may be different, but the way out conflict situation should not be at the expense of disrupting the business activity of the members of the group, the team, reducing the quality and reducing the team of products.

3. Neutral business and personal. Neutral should be understood as such a relationship in which both parties adhere to the instructions, without going beyond its chapels. This is the so-called strictly official relationship. At the same time, personal ones are leveled. They do not appear because there is no ground for this.