Foreword Acknowledgments 1 Introduction ORIENTATION AND RATIONALE The nature of psychology The nature of personality The field of inquiry SOME FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES The problem of perception The problem of unconscious mentation The problem of circularity The problem of volition and purpose The problem of temporal focus INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION A hierarchy of languages Levels of communication PLAN OF THE BOOK 2 Sullivan's Conceptions: Beginnings of a System THE INTERPERSONAL NATURE OF PERSONALITY HUMAN INFANCY Innate tensions The experience of the infant Personifications Anxiety LATER DEVELOPMENTS AND ACQUISITIONS Language development Modes of learning The self dynamism Residual aspects of the personality Integrating tendencies The theorem of reciprocal emotion THE DEVELOPMENTAL ERAS The juvenile era The preadolescent era Early adolescence Late adolescence DISTORTIONS OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS Mechanisms of defense An example of "mild" mental disorder: Jealousy An example of more serious mental disorder: Hysteria An example of severe mental disorder: Schizophrenia CONCLUSION 3 Learning Interpersonal Behavior BASIC PROCESSES IN HUMAN LEARNING Action learning Cognitive learning PLANS AND STRATEGIES: AN INTEGRATION The organization of behavior Tactics and strategy of behavior Anxiety and conflict OVERVIEW Interpersonal behavior and the habits of squirrels 4 Varieties of Interpersonal Behavior A TAXONOMY OF INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR A technical orientation Empirical studies: Factorial Empirical studies: Circumplicial The Leary framework Additional features of Leary's system THE ACHIEVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF INTERACTIONAL BALANCE Balance theory and interpersonal relations The economics of interaction 5 Negotiating Interpersonal Transactions REWARDS AND COSTS Interaction sequences The interaction-outcome matrix The evaluation of outcomes INTERACTION-OUTCOME PROCESSES: TWO EXAMPLES A handsome lad and a pretty maid Mr. and Mrs. X: A matrix analysis GENERALIZED INTERPERSONAL STYLES AND THEIR INTERACTIONAL ASPECTS Interaction of personal styles: A matrix conception Complementarity as a persistent force in interaction POWER AND DEPENDENCE IN DYADIC RELATIONSHIPS Functional characteristics of interpersonal power Consequences of power The reduction of power differentials Power relations and the maintenance of security 6 Contractual Arrangements in Interpersonal Relations THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORMS Norms and the use of power The handsome lad and the pretty maid revisited Roles IMPLICIT CONTRACTS IN DYADIC INTERACTION The problem of stylistic articulation The ad hoc interpersonal contract FRAUDULENT INTERPERSONAL CONTRACTS Simple transactional reversals Other fraudulent operations DISORDERED INTERPERSONAL CONTRACTS Illustrative varieties of coordinated avoidance Negotiated maladjustment: "Game" examples Negotiated maladjustment and disturbed family relations A FINAL WORD 7 "Personality Disorder": Extranormative Efforts at Relationship THE DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY DISORDER Personality disorder as "naively" described The specific "content" of disordered behavior CAUSAL FACTORS IN PERSONALITY DISORDER The problem of anxiety Anxiety (insecurity) as threat to Self The Self, anxiety, and the Secord-Backman theory VARIETIES OF RESIDUAL RULE-BREAKING Disordered cognitive restructuring Disordered selective evaluation Disordered selective interaction Disordered evocation of congruent responses Disordered social comparison The unity of personality disorder DISORDERED SOCIAL SYSTEMS Disturbed families as disordered social systems Larger disordered social systems 8 Psychotherapy: Disorder-Reducing Interpersonal Relationships DYADIC RELATIONSHIP THERAPY AS THE FOCUS The centrality of the relationship in psychotherapy Power and influence of the therapist THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TASK The psychotherapy candidate Psychotherapeutic strategy BASIC PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC PROCESSES Basic ingredients: Trust and confidence The crucial therapeutic tactic Changing the Image THE "TRANSFER" OF THERAPEUTIC LEARNING Image dedifferentiation Intervention in other client relationships Name Index Subject Index