11/3/2022 0 Comments Dialectic relation![]() Although some of these labels are mere synonyms of one another, the variation in terms often captures subtle, situation-specific differences in the interplay of integration and separation. Several different terms have been used to capture contradictions that can be located in this integrationseparation cluster including: connection versus autonomy, interdependence versus independence, integration versus differentiation, intimacy versus autonomy, intimacy versus identity, the communal versus the individual, intimacy versus detachment, involved versus uninvolved, the freedom to be dependent versus the freedom to be independent, intimacy versus freedom, and stability versus self-identity (Werner and Baxter 1994). Relating partners, therefore, face the ongoing challenge of negotiating the united opposition of integration and separation. ![]() But in the absence of separate individuals, there is nothing to integrate. Without union or integration, a relationship ceases to exist. A relationship is a union of two distinct individuals. The dialectic of integration-separation is a family of related contradictions, all of which share the family resemblance of necessitating both partner integration and partner separation in relationships. Leslie Baxter and her colleagues (Baxter 1993 Baxter and Montgomery 1996 Werner and Baxter 1994) have described three clusters of contradictions that have been identified by several dialectical scholars: the dialectic of integration-separation, the dialectic of expression-nonexpression, and the dialectic of stability-change. Therefore, contradictions are not a sign of trouble for a relationship, but are inherent in the process of relating. ![]() To dialectical theorists, dialectical tensions keep the relating process vibrant and alive, as parties navigate the unity of opposites in an ongoing manner. This simultaneous "both-and" dynamic produces an ongoing dialectical tension or interplay between opposites. However, partners must also be different from each other in order to sustain autonomous identities.Ĭontradictory phenomena are yoked together at the same time that they negate one another. Partners must be similar to some extent in order to establish and sustain a common bond. For example, marriages require both similarities and differences between the partners. For example, we understand what "night" means only because we have a concept of "day." With interactive unity, the opposing phenomena are united in practice or in function as part of the same interacting system. The unity of identity is semantic or definitional unity. Interdependence can take two basic forms, which Irwin Altman and his colleagues (1981) referred to as the unity of identity and interactive unity. Opposites are unified if they are in some way interdependent. Barbara Montgomery (1993) has identified three kinds of oppositions: (1) oppositions that are mutually exclusive and exhaustive (e.g., openness versus non-openness) (2) oppositions that are mutual exclusive but not exhaustive (e.g., connection versus autonomy) and (3) oppositions that are complementary (e.g., dominance versus submissiveness). ![]() Three terms are important in understanding this definition: opposites, unified, and dynamic interplay.Ĭentral to the notion of opposition is mutual negation: Semantically, opposites are the antonyms of one another and function to nullify, cancel, undo, or otherwise undermine one another. A contradiction is the dynamic interplay between unified opposites. The central concept of dialectical theorists is the contradiction. This entry emphasizes the common features. ![]() Like any family, the various dialectical approaches share some features in common yet differ in others. Social dialectics is not a single theory but a family of theories (Montgomery and Baxter 1998). The fundamental assumption of social dialectical theorists is that all relationships-friendships, romantic relationships, family relationships-are interwoven with multiple contradictions. ![]()
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