A Comprehensive Model of Interpersonal Relations as a Theoretical Basis for their Study in Adolescents with Deviant Behavior

This article describes an original comprehensive model where various aspects of interpersonal relations are presented in interconnected manner. Traditionally these aspects are studied in different psychological areas: object representations — images of self and significant others (intrapsychic aspect), motivation of communication (dynamic aspect) and the actual social relations (interpsychic aspect). The proposed model was empirically studied in a research on interpersonal relations of adolescents. Sixty seven adolescents with deviant behavior from socially disadvantaged families and enrolled in special schools and 60 adolescents from socially successful families and enrolled in regular schools participated in the study. The methodic complex is described and results of the study on relation between the aspects of interpersonal communication and emotional well-being of adolescents are presnted. The significant associations between the images of parental figures, representations of one's self and the communication motivation structure (motives of acceptance and rejection), social connections and level of emotional well-being of adolescents are shown. The comprehensive approach to the correctional work on building the interpersonal relationships of adolescents with deviant behavior is reasoned. This approach takes into account the negative nature of object representations and prevalence of fear of rejection in communication in these adolescents.