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Chapter II: Literature Review
perspectives of self and others. Previous research, which used the Relationship Questionnaire (4
+ Relationship Questionnaire), showed how social perspective coordination develops in age-
related stages (see Table 1). However, social perspective coordination also evolves in interaction
with its three related but separate capacities: interpersonal understanding (Schultz & Selman,
2004; Selman, 1980), interpersonal negotiation strategies (Schultz, Selman, & LaRusso, 2003),
and personal meaning concerning an awareness of relationships (Levitt & Selman, 1996; Schultz
et al., 2003). Interpersonal understanding involves a theoretical understanding of the nature of
relationships. Interpersonal negotiation strategies include both the independent and interpersonal
strategies needed to maintain good relationships. Personal meaning includes awareness of the
values, attitudes, and beliefs an individual holds about particular relationships (Schultz &
Selman, 2000b; Schultz et al., 2003). In essence, social perspective coordination, developed
within the social-cognitive theory, assumes that there is a structure in the way individuals think
about social relations, and these conceptions grow more complex with age (Schultz et al., 2003).
Table 1
Developmental Levels of Psychosocial Maturity in Social Perspective Coordination, as also
Operationalized in the Relationship Questionnaire
Theoretical Foundation ^ 4 + Relationship Questionnaire
Level^Social Perspective ^ Agea Interpersonal ^ Interpersonal ^ Personal
Coordination ^ Understanding ^ Negotiation ^ Meaning
0^Egocentric
Recognizing that
others have
preferences
different from the
self's.
No strategies in
figuring out these
differences.
3-5^Undifferentiated,^Impulsive^Dismissive
None
No differentiation of
physical and
psychological
characteristics of
others, takes no social
perspective.
The self's own
viewpoint is the same
as that of the other.
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