The Interpersonal Circumplex and Emotional Reactivity: Implications for Internalizing Symptomatology

Kaylin E Hill, Purdue University

Abstract

The Interpersonal Circumplex (IPC) has been shown to relate to internalizing psychopathology in several important ways, including prediction of symptom chronicity across time, therapeutic alliance, and psychosocial functioning. The current project sought to enhance the IPC via a third dimension, emotional reactivity, utilizing cognitive neuroscience methods. The Late Positive Potential (LPP), an event-related potential (ERP) component conceptualized to reflect the dynamic allocation of attention to motivationally salient information, was utilized to capture emotional reactivity. The LPP was elicited through passively viewing images in a fixed block order (neutral, pleasant, unpleasant, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral). Participants also provided affect and interpersonal grid ratings throughout the task and completed a self-report battery pertaining to emotional reactivity, interpersonal functioning, and internalizing symptoms. Results indicated that time within the task was a significant predictor of LPP amplitude for valenced blocks, with an increased LPP for the second versus first emotional blocks. In terms of model organization, this project demonstrated that physiological emotional reactivity seems unrelated to both agency and communion, while self-reported emotional reactivity and difficulties in emotion regulation related to problematic elevation in interpersonal styles. Results also indicated that physiological emotion reactivity to unpleasant stimuli and self-reported communion interact to predict psychological well-being. Additionally, self-reported emotion reactivity, difficulties in emotion regulation, and agentic problems each independently predicted an array of internalizing psychopathologies.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Foti, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Clinical psychology

COinS