Dynamics of Close Relationships in Psychology and Cultural Discourse

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the conceptualization of the close relationships phenomenon and generalization of ideas about their development throughout the life span. Based on different theoretical approaches, the following six fundamental qualities of close relationships are highlighted: the direction of resource transfer (invest/acquire), remoteness/closeness, passion/reasonableness, responsibility/carelessness, authenticity (sincerity) / pretense, taking the perspective of a partner / egocentrism. In an empirical study (196 Russian-speaking young adults aged 18 to 30 years) using open-ended questions, these qualities were verified. As for the development of close relationships throughout life, it seems heuristic to link the rotation of close people with the content of the crises experienced by a person and the development tasks solved by them. Although the most frequent mechanism of moving away from some people and getting closer to others is separation, it seems that a person rather carries out interpersonal re-centering, changing the subjective significance of different people who do not disappear from the communication but the interaction loses some of the qualities listed above. To date, recentering has been studied in the period of transition from adolescence to adulthood. However, we assume that this is a universal mechanism of rotation of significant others throughout life. The recentering can be reverse when, after a break in the relationship, people again get closer to the reference persons from the past but the pattern of intimacy may be different from the one that was before. This assumption is illustrated by examples from consulting practice and fiction. It is concluded that there are no systematic evidence-based studies of the development of close relationships throughout the life span, which necessitates the justification and conduct of such a study.