In social psychology, an interpersonal relationship denotes a series of interactions in time, each affected by past episodes in turn influencing future interactions. Both the opinions of others and human interactions fashion behavior and self-perception. Social psychologists define a close relationship as "one of strong, frequent, and diverse interdependence that lasts over a considerable period of time" (Kelley et al., 1983). Hinde (1976) further argues that in any relationship the two participants are interdependent, with the behavior of each influencing the other.
All relationships therefore share this idea of interdependence, however the closer the relationship the higher level of interdependence. In a close relationship, each one is exposed to the other person's life and inner world. Through self-disclosure and extensive interactions, each person involved in a close relationship apprehends the reasons behind the other person's preferences and behaviors, and influences the other person's behavior. Thus mental representation of self and other intertwine, and partners becoming cognitively interdependent.
As posited by Object Relations Theory, the complex relationship of self to other emerges from the earliest interactions. The theory indeed holds that the experiences with the primary caregivers in infancy shape a person's relationships with others and situations during adulthood. In all interactions with the significant parental figures, the infant, and later the child, internalizes inner and subjective representations of the relationship between the self and others are in the form of internal objects. These internal objects then become part of the person's psyche, and significantly influence interpersonal relationships later in life (Kernberg, 1995).
