Beyond One Hand Clapping: Seeing Bidirectionality in Parent-Child Relations

Abstract

This article discusses the dynamic that exists between interactions and relationships and explores the implications of this dynamic for the systematic study of bidirectionality in parent child relations. Global perspectives on relationships emphasize coherence and stable causes but often neglect origins in social interactions. Research on social interactions emphasizes bidirectionality and agency but often neglects the relationship context. A model of parent-child interactions in the context of parent-child relationships is presented to illustrate the many levels at which bidirectionality may occur between the microanalytic investigation of interactions and the macro analytic investigation of relationships. Research directions highlighted by the model include investigation of emergence of stability and change, distinctiveness, interdependence, agency, and cognitions.