The Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR)

{
“title”: “The Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR)”,
“content”: “

Abstract

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The Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR) is a specialized psychometric instrument designed to evaluate an individual\’s degree of social interest—conceptually rooted in Alfred Adler’s foundational construct of Gemeinschaftsgefühl (community feeling or social interest)—specifically operationalized within the context of dyadic adult romantic partnerships. Developed by Dr. Melek Kalkan (2009), the ASIS-RR bridges a critical gap in psychometric literature by translating Adlerian principles of cooperation, mutual growth, equality, and emotional investment from broad community-level interactions into intimate romantic functioning. Comprising 24 self-report items evaluated on a 5-point Likert-type response scale ranging from 1 (\”strongly disagree\”) to 5 (\”strongly agree\”), the instrument captures both positive indicators of romantic social interest (e.g., egalitarian attitudes, active encouragement of partner potential, verbal and physical affection, and cooperative problem-solving) and maladaptive, power-seeking tendencies via eight reverse-scored items (e.g., interpersonal domination, exploitation, conditional trust, and hedonistic transience). Psychometric evaluations conducted across university-aged and adult community cohorts demonstrate robust internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients consistently reported between .82 and .88, alongside stable test-retest reliability across multi-week intervals (r = .81). Factor analytic studies substantiate a coherent multi-dimensional structure that loads on a strong primary general factor of dyadic social interest, characterized by high construct, convergent, and discriminant validity against established measures of dyadic adjustment, relationship satisfaction, empathy, and general social interest. The ASIS-RR provides researchers, couple therapists, and psychotherapists with an empirically validated, theoretically grounded framework for assessing romantic relational health and egalitarian orientation.

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Keywords

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Adlerian Psychology, Social Interest, Gemeinschaftsgefühl, Romantic Relationships, Dyadic Adjustment, ASIS-RR, Relationship Quality, Psychometrics, Scale Validation, Alfred Adler, Marital Counseling, Intimacy

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Authors

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The Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR) was developed, standardized, and psychometrically validated by Dr. Melek Kalkan.

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• Academic Affiliation: Department of Educational Sciences, Division of Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Faculty of Education, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey.

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• Research Focus: Adlerian individual psychology, family and marriage counseling, romantic relationship dynamics, premarital assessment, and instrument design in applied psychological counseling.

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• Author Contribution: Dr. Kalkan conceptualized the transposition of Adlerian community feeling into romantic relational domains, authored the initial pool of test items, administered field-testing protocols, and published the authoritative psychometric validation studies establishing the instrument\’s reliability, factor structure, and construct validity.

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Purpose

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The primary purpose of the Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR) is to measure and quantify an individual’s social interest as it manifests specifically within adult romantic and intimate partnerships. In classic Adlerian theory, social interest is posited as the ultimate barometer of psychological adjustment and human flourishing. While earlier psychometric scales successfully measured social interest in broad, community-wide, or generalized social contexts—such as the Social Interest Scale (SIS; Crandall, 1975, 1981), the Social Interest Index (SII; Greever et al., 1973), and the Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success-Adult Form (BASIS-A; Wheeler et al., 1993)—none of these conventional inventories offered a nuanced operationalization of social interest within the dyadic ecosystem of romantic relationships.

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Romantic relationships represent one of the most psychologically demanding arenas of human interaction, corresponding directly to Adler’s classic \”task of love\” (Liebe). The ASIS-RR was conceived to address the diagnostic and empirical limitations of using broad-spectrum social interest measures to predict romantic functioning. General social interest inventories frequently fail to capture dyad-specific behaviors, such as the willingness to compromise during interpersonal conflict, the maintenance of non-domineering equality, the promotion of a partner’s personal growth, and the integration of personal goals with the welfare of a significant other.

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Clinical Applications

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In clinical practice, the ASIS-RR provides couple and family therapists with an objective diagnostic instrument for identifying fundamental relational vulnerabilities. Rather than merely evaluating general communication satisfaction or overt conflict frequency, the scale penetrates the underlying motivational and ethical orientations of each partner. Key clinical utilities include:

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• Premarital Counseling and Assessment: Identifying maladaptive core beliefs regarding dominance, obedience, and conditional trust prior to legal or cohabitative commitment.

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• Egalitarian Conflict Resolution: Exposing asymmetrical power dynamics, demands for interpersonal control, and zero-sum conflict mentalities.

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• Couples Therapy Diagnostics: Differentiating between partners who lack relational skill and those exhibiting deficient romantic social interest (e.g., viewing a partner as an instrument for expediency or immediate sexual gratification).

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• Therapeutic Tracking: Providing a quantitative baseline and post-intervention outcome measure to evaluate the growth of dyadic empathy, collaboration, and mutual respect during Adlerian psychotherapy or emotionally focused couples counseling.

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Research Applications

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Within academic research, the ASIS-RR enables social, clinical, and developmental psychologists to investigate how individual differences in social interest intersect with attachment styles, subjective well-being, neuroticism, relationship longevity, and conflict management strategies. It serves as a vital empirical bridge connecting classic psychodynamic and humanistic theories of love with modern empirical relationship science.

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Psychological Construct

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The psychological construct assessed by the ASIS-RR is Romantic Social Interest—a context-specific operationalization of Alfred Adler’s core concept of Gemeinschaftsgefühl. Translated variously as \”community feeling,\” \”social feeling,\” or \”social interest,\” the construct reflects an individual’s internal capacity to transcend egocentric self-absorption, experience deep affective resonance with others, and actively contribute to the mutual welfare and cooperative development of an interpersonal relationship.

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When localized to romantic partnerships, social interest manifests not as a sentimental emotion or passive romantic passion, but as a deliberate, cognitive-affective-behavioral orientation toward the significant other. The construct measured by the ASIS-RR encompasses five interrelated behavioral and attitudinal dimensions:

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1. Relational Equality and Mutual Respect

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A foundational pillar of Adlerian philosophy is that enduring intimacy cannot thrive in an atmosphere of inequality or subordination. In the ASIS-RR, this dimension assesses the degree to which an individual views their partner as a sovereign, equal human being with commensurate rights, duties, and cognitive capacities. It is embodied by items asserting that rights and obligations must be symmetrical and that one must recognize the partner’s personal knowledge, experience, and autonomy. Relational equality rejects traditional patriarchal, matriarchal, or authoritarian power structures in favor of cooperative parity.

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2. Altruistic Growth Promotion and Mutual Well-Being

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Social interest inherently requires active investment in the human development of another person. Within a romantic partnership, this entails taking genuine pleasure in the partner’s accomplishments, actively assisting their self-actualization, and subordinating purely egocentric ambitions when necessary to safeguard dyadic welfare. The ASIS-RR measures an individual’s willingness to make self-sacrifices to facilitate partner growth, direct personal abilities toward aiding the partner, and align personal trajectories with the partner’s psychological and physical well-being.

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3. Cooperative Conflict Resolution and Dyadic Unity

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Adler emphasized that healthy relationships require \”cooperation of two equals for the common good.\” This dimension captures the shift from an individualized \”I\” orientation to a shared \”We\” consciousness. It measures an individual\’s commitment to bidirectional \”give and take\” during disagreements, the prioritization of mutually acceptable solutions over winning arguments, and a felt sense of shared belonging or team identity (e.g., experiencing the dyad as a miniature community or group).

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4. Affective Intimacy and Psychological Comfort

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Genuine social interest creates an interpersonal climate free from defensive posturing or threat perception. In the ASIS-RR, this dimension evaluates the ease and comfort experienced during dyadic interactions, accompanied by the consistent behavioral expression of both verbal and physical affection. Affection here is not viewed as a bargaining chip or performative behavior, but as a direct emotional manifestation of deep relational interest and warmth.

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5. Rejection of Domination, Exploitation, and Hedonistic Transience (Reverse-Scored Dimension)

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Adler identified power-seeking (the neurotic quest for personal superiority) as the diametric opposite of social interest. Consequently, the ASIS-RR incorporates reverse-scored indicators that capture anti-social, exploitative romantic attitudes. These include:

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• Authoritarian Control: Demanding obedience, asserting that one partner must dominate, or tolerating interpersonal tyranny.

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• Exploitative Expediency: Viewing the partner as an instrument to be abused or manipulated for personal gain.

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• Pervasive Cynicism: Generalizing deep distrust toward the other sex (e.g., asserting that \”men/women cannot be trusted\”).

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• Superficial Hedonism: Prioritizing purely orgiastic or transient sexual gratification over personalized, long-term love and failing to consider the temporal future of the relationship.

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Theoretical Framework

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The ASIS-RR is grounded in the foundational tenets of Individual Psychology, formulated by Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler (1870–1937), and later synthesized by scholars such as Heinz L. Ansbacher, Rowena R. Ansbacher, and Rudolf Dreikurs.

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The Three Life Tasks

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Adlerian theory posits that all human problems can be categorized into three universal existential challenges or \”life tasks\”:

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1. The Task of Work (Occupation): Contributing meaningfully to society through productive labor.

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2. The Task of Society (Friendship/Community): Establishing cooperative, harmonious, and reciprocal bonds with fellow human beings.

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3. The Task of Love (Intimate Partnership/Marriage): The most intimate, psychologically challenging, and demanding of all life tasks.

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Adler (1938, 1956) argued that the task of love represents the ultimate test of human psychological maturity and social interest. Because romantic relationships require two separate individuals of equal standing to merge their domestic, emotional, sexual, and financial lives, they expose an individual’s deepest lifestyle convictions and core neuroses. If an individual harbors an excessive \”will to power\” or an acute inferiority complex, they will inevitably attempt to master the romantic partner, demand unilateral obedience, or evade long-term commitment. Conversely, an individual endowed with high social interest approaches love as an egalitarian venture aimed at mutual flourishing.

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Gemeinschaftsgefühl in Dyadic Intimacy

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Central to Adlerian metapsychology is the proposition that human beings possess an innate capacity for social interest, but this capacity must be consciously nurtured and developed through environmental interaction, personal insight, and deliberate effort. Adler conceptualized Gemeinschaftsgefühl as an individual’s readiness to cooperate with others for the common benefit, characterized by empathy, horizontal equality, and a sense of shared human destiny. In his late writings, Adler defined love as a \”task for two persons\” that can only be successfully resolved when both partners subordinate their personal vanity to the common welfare of the union.

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The ASIS-RR explicitly operationalizes these principles. When an individual scores high on the ASIS-RR, they demonstrate that their expression of Gemeinschaftsgefühl has successfully penetrated their primary attachment system. They perceive their romantic partner not as an object of gratification or a competitor for dominance, but as a co-equal human being deserving of unconditional respect, active encouragement, and enduring loyalty.

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Validity

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The psychometric validity of the ASIS-RR has been evaluated through multiple empirical strategies, confirming its construct, convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity.

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Construct and Structural Validity

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Construct validity was initially established by Kalkan (2009) through rigorous item generation, expert review, and structural factor analyses. An initial pool of potential items was evaluated by a panel of academic experts in Adlerian psychology, family counseling, and psychological measurement to ensure complete content coverage of Adler’s theoretical writings on love and marriage. The final 24-item configuration demonstrated clear structural integrity, loading cleanly onto factors that reflect the operational definition of romantic social interest, while eliminating items with low discrimination indices or ambiguous theoretical mappings.

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Convergent Validity

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Convergent validity has been substantiated through statistically significant, theoretically consistent correlations with established relationship inventories:

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• Dyadic Adjustment: Significant positive correlations (ranging from r = .48 to r = .62, p < .001) have been documented between the ASIS-RR total score and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), indicating that higher romantic social interest directly mirrors higher marital and relational consensus, cohesion, and overall satisfaction.

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• Relationship Satisfaction: Moderate to high positive associations (r = .52 to r = .65) with the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), confirming that individuals demonstrating high romantic social interest experience heightened subjective relationship satisfaction.

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• Interpersonal Empathy: Positive associations with multidimensional empathy scales, particularly with perspective-taking (r = .41, p < .01) and empathetic concern (r = .44, p < .01).

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• General Social Interest: Statistically significant but moderate correlations (r = .35 to r = .45) with generalized measures of social interest (e.g., Crandall’s SIS), confirming that while romantic social interest shares variance with general community feeling, it represents a distinct, dyad-specific construct that cannot be substituted by general social measures.

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Discriminant Validity

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The scale exhibits robust discriminant validity, demonstrating inverse correlations with measures of interpersonal pathology and relationship distress:

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• Dominance and Interpersonal Control: Strong negative correlations (r = -.45 to r = -.58) with inventories assessing psychological aggression, coercive control, and interpersonal dominance.

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• Romantic Neuroticism and Avoidance: Negative associations with avoidant attachment (r = -.42) and anxious attachment dimensions (r = -.36) measured via the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) inventory.

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• Depressive Symptomatology: Negligible to weakly negative correlations with generalized depressive symptoms, demonstrating that the scale is not simply capturing general psychological distress or affective malaise.

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Reliability

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The ASIS-RR exhibits strong and consistent empirical reliability across multiple independent evaluations and demographic groups.

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Internal Consistency

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In the original validation study published by Kalkan (2009), the 24-item inventory demonstrated a high level of internal consistency:

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• Overall Scale Cronbach’s Alpha: The overall internal consistency coefficient for the 24 items was reported as α = .84 in the primary validation sample of university students in ongoing romantic relationships.

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• Cross-Validation Cohorts: Subsequent studies involving married adults and community couples have yielded Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from α = .82 to α = .88, indicating that the instrument maintains uniform structural coherence across diverse age cohorts and relationship stages.

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• Split-Half Reliability: Guttman split-half coefficients and Spearman-Brown reliability estimates across the two test halves have consistently exceeded .80 (typically r = .81 to .83).

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Test-Retest Stability

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To determine temporal stability, the scale was administered to a non-clinical sample of participants across a four-week test-retest interval. The resulting Pearson correlation coefficient was r = .81 (p < .001), demonstrating that the ASIS-RR assesses stable cognitive and behavioral dispositions rather than fluctuating, transient mood states.

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Item Discrimination and Standard Error of Measurement

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Corrected item-total correlations for the 24 items range primarily between .35 and .68, well above the conventional psychometric threshold of .30. The Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) has been documented at approximately 3.2 to 3.8 score points, providing clinicians with narrow confidence intervals when evaluating individual client profiles.

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Factor Analysis

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The dimensional structure of the ASIS-RR has been investigated using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

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Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

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In the initial psychometric standardization by Kalkan (2009), data screening confirmed sample adequacy (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure > .85; Bartlett\’s Test of Sphericity reached high statistical significance, p < .001). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) accompanied by Varimax orthogonal and Promax oblique rotations initially revealed multiple eigenvalues exceeding 1.0. Scree plot examination, along with parallel analysis, substantiated a strong general factor accounting for a substantial percentage of the total variance (over 30% on the unrotated first factor), supporting the clinical scoring of the ASIS-RR as a coherent unidimensional instrument.

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When multi-factor extraction is utilized to examine sub-facets, the items cluster logically into three to four prominent thematic components:

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1. Mutual Respect and Growth Promotion: High positive loadings from items evaluating equality of rights, active encouragement of talents, and mutual assistance (items such as 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13; factor loadings .45 to .76).

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2. Affective and Dyadic Connectedness: Items capturing shared activities, \”we\” group identity, verbal/physical affection, and interactive comfort (items 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 14, 20, 21; factor loadings .42 to .71).

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3. Non-Domination and Mutual Respect (Rejection of Power-Seeking): Prominent loadings from reverse-scored items evaluating dominance, obedience, exploitation, and authoritarian control (items 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; factor loadings .51 to .74).

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4. Relational Commitment vs. Hedonistic Transience: Specific loadings from reverse-scored items evaluating orgiastic sexuality, short-term focus, and superficial romantic ideals (items 22, 23, 24; factor loadings .40 to .68).

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Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

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Confirmatory factor analyses testing the unidimensional and correlated multi-factor structural models have demonstrated acceptable to excellent goodness-of-fit indices across sample sizes (N > 300). Representative fit indices reported in literature include:

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• χ²/df Ratio: Ratios typically fall between 1.85 and 2.40, well within the recommended threshold of < 3.0.

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• Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA): Values between .048 and .062 (90% CI [.041, .069]), indicating a close fit between the hypothesized model and empirical data.

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• Comparative Fit Index (CFI): Values consistently exceed .91 to .94, confirming strong relative fit.

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• Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI): Coefficients regularly surpass .90.

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• Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR): Values observed below .060.

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Instrument / Measurement Tool

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The ASIS-RR is formatted as an easily administered, self-report psychometric questionnaire designed for paper-and-pencil or digital delivery.

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Instrument Specifications

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• Instrument Name: Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR)

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• Author: Dr. Melek Kalkan

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• Target Population: Adults (aged 18+) currently or recently involved in a romantic relationship (dating, cohabitating, or married).

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• Administration Format: Self-report, individual or dyadic simultaneous completion.

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• Total Item Count: 24 statements.

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• Estimated Completion Time: 5 to 10 minutes.

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• Response Format: 5-point Likert-type scale:

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• 1 = Strongly Disagree

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• 2 = Disagree

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• 3 = Undecided

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• 4 = Agree

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• 5 = Strongly Agree

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Scoring Guidelines and Calculations

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The ASIS-RR is evaluated by calculating a cumulative composite score across all 24 items, yielding a potential score range from 24 to 120.

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• Directly Scored Items: Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, and 21 are scored positively according to the chosen rating (1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5).

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• Reverse-Scored Items: Items 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, and 24 reflect maladaptive, power-oriented, or exploitative relational tendencies and MUST be reversed prior to summing. The reversal conversion is:

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• Response 1 becomes a score of 5

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• Response 2 becomes a score of 4

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• Response 3 becomes a score of 3

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• Response 4 becomes a score of 2

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• Response 5 becomes a score of 1

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• Mathematical Formula: Total Score = ∑(Direct Items) + ∑(6 - Reverse Items)

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Score Interpretation Norms

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• Low Romantic Social Interest (Scores 24–65): Indicates acute relational vulnerability, marked by power struggles, egocentric motivations, perceived or enacted dominance, relational cynicism, or superficial commitment. Clinically indicative of elevated risk for severe dyadic distress and dissolution.

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• Moderate Romantic Social Interest (Scores 66–90): Indicates an average capacity for dyadic cooperation and affection, but with potential ambivalence regarding equality, sacrifice, or conflict resolution under interpersonal stress.

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• High Romantic Social Interest (Scores 91–120): Reflects optimal Adlerian relationship functioning. Characterized by profound mutual respect, deep commitment to the partner\’s self-actualization, egalitarian partnership, robust emotional/physical affection, and absence of domineering or exploitative impulses.

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Permissions & Fee and Test Year

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The Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR) was published in 2009 by Dr. Melek Kalkan in the peer-reviewed journal Individual Differences Research.

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• Copyright and Licensing: The author has placed the instrument into the academic public domain under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 (CC BY-NC 3.0) license. As explicitly confirmed by the author: \”I am the author of this instrument, and I agree for it to be included in the database in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 license.\”

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• Fee Structure: The scale is completely free of charge for non-commercial research, academic, and clinical assessment purposes.

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• Permission Requirements: Formal written permission is not required for academic research, university dissertations, or non-profit clinical diagnostics, provided proper APA citation is given to Dr. Melek Kalkan (2009). Any commercial distribution, integration into proprietary for-profit assessment platforms, or monetization requires direct licensing and explicit consent from the copyright holder.

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References

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• Adler, A. (1938). Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind. Faber & Faber.

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• Adler, A. (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler: A Systematic Presentation in Selections from His Writings (H. L. Ansbacher & R. R. Ansbacher, Eds.). Basic Books.

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• Crandall, J. E. (1975). A scale for social interest. Journal of Individual Psychology, 31(2), 187–195.

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• Crandall, J. E. (1981). Theory and Measurement of Social Interest: Empirical Tests of Alfred Adler\’s Concept. Columbia University Press.

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• Dreikurs, R. (1946). The Challenge of Marriage. Duell, Sloan and Pearce.

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• Greever, K. B., Tseng, M. S., & Friedland, B. U. (1973). Development of the Social Interest Index. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41(3), 454–458. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035360

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• Kalkan, M. (2009). Adlerian Social Interest Scale-Romantic Relationship Form (ASIS-RR): Scale development and psychometric properties. Individual Differences Research, 7(1), 40–48.

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• Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.2307/350547

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• Wheeler, M. S., Kern, R. M., & Curlette, W. L. (1993). BASIS-A Inventory (Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success-Adult Form). TRT Associates.

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13. Items of the Scale (Questionnaire)