Filling Gaps in the Nomological Networks for Dominance and Affiliation by Examining Self-Informant Agreement on Momentary Interpersonal Behavior

Abstract

Interpersonal functioning involves an interplay of subjective perceptions and overt behavior. This study examines agreement between self and informant reports of behavior measured naturalistically to investigate the associations between observable behavior, self-perceptions, and others’ perceptions and to enrich the nomological networks for the domains of dominance and affiliation. We studied a sample of romantic couples (N=193) who rated their own and their partner’s interpersonal behavior during a 21-day ambulatory assessment (AA) protocol. We used a multitrait-multimethod-multirater correlation matrix including self- and informant-reported averages and variability of dominance and affiliation measured by AA and cross-sectional self-reports of dominance, affiliation, and interpersonal distress. There was no self-informant agreement on dominance measured by AA, but there was moderate agreement on affiliation averages and variability. Only AA self-reports of average dominance and affiliation, not informant reports, converged with analogous cross-sectional self-reports. Both self and informant reports of dominance and affiliation variability correlated with self-reported interpersonal distress. Results suggest that the internal versus external experiences of dominance and affiliation differ and that these differences have important implications in everyday interpersonal functioning. Our findings also show that self-perceptions of variability in dominance and affiliation, others’ perceptions of variability, and actual behavioral variability relate to interpersonal problems.