A longitudinal perspective on differentiation of self, interpersonal and psychological well-being in young adulthood

The over-time relationship between differentiation of self and interpersonal and psychological well-being was examined in a sample of young adults in order to test the hypothesis that greater differentiation of self-that is, lower emotional reactivity, better capacity to take an "I" position in relationships, less emotional cutoff, and lower fusion with others-predicted greater interpersonal and psychological health. Results of hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that greater Time 1 differentiation of self predicted lower Time 2 psychological and interpersonal distress after controlling for Time 1 distress levels. Further, canonical correlation analyses revealed several significant patterned associations between aspects of differentiation of self and specific interpersonal problems. Implications for family interventions are discussed. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.