the relationship inventory
The Relationship Closeness Inventory:
Assessing the Closeness of Interpersonal Relationships
Ellen Berscheid and Mark Snyder
University of Minnesota
Allen M. Ornoto
University of Kansas
This article describes the development of the Relationship ClosenessInventory (RCI), which draws on the conceptualization of closeness as high interdependence between two people's activities proposed by Kelley et al. (1983). The current "closest" relationship of individuals (N = 241) drawn from the collegestudent population servedas the basis for RCI development,with the closestrelationship found to encompass severalrelationship types, including romantic, friend, and family relationships. The development and psychometric properties of the three RCI subseales(Frequency,Diversity, Strength), their scoring, and their combination to form an overall index of closeness are described. The RCI's test-retest reliability is reported and the association between RCI score and the longevity of the relationship is discussed. RCI scores for individuals' closest relationships are contrasted to those of not-close relationships, to a subjectiveclosenessindex, and to several measures of relationship affect, including Rubin's (1973) Liking and Loving scales. Finally, the ability of the
RCI to predict relationship break up is contrasted to that of the SubjectiveClosenessIndex, an index of the emotional tone of the relationship, and to relationship longevity.It is concluded that the
RCI possesses acceptable internal and test-retest reliability,satisfactory discriminantand construct validity, and encouraging predictive validity, thus suggestingthat it constitutes a viable means of assessingrelationship closeness.
The study of interpersonal relationships has burgeoned in recent years across a variety of disciplines. Investigators increasingly have recognized the theoretical and practical importance of studying close relationships. As Clark and Reis (1988) concluded in their recent
Assessing the Closeness of Interpersonal Relationships
Ellen Berscheid and Mark Snyder
University of Minnesota
Allen M. Ornoto
University of Kansas
This article describes the development of the Relationship ClosenessInventory (RCI), which draws on the conceptualization of closeness as high interdependence between two people's activities proposed by Kelley et al. (1983). The current "closest" relationship of individuals (N = 241) drawn from the collegestudent population servedas the basis for RCI development,with the closestrelationship found to encompass severalrelationship types, including romantic, friend, and family relationships. The development and psychometric properties of the three RCI subseales(Frequency,Diversity, Strength), their scoring, and their combination to form an overall index of closeness are described. The RCI's test-retest reliability is reported and the association between RCI score and the longevity of the relationship is discussed. RCI scores for individuals' closest relationships are contrasted to those of not-close relationships, to a subjectiveclosenessindex, and to several measures of relationship affect, including Rubin's (1973) Liking and Loving scales. Finally, the ability of the
RCI to predict relationship break up is contrasted to that of the SubjectiveClosenessIndex, an index of the emotional tone of the relationship, and to relationship longevity.It is concluded that the
RCI possesses acceptable internal and test-retest reliability,satisfactory discriminantand construct validity, and encouraging predictive validity, thus suggestingthat it constitutes a viable means of assessingrelationship closeness.
The study of interpersonal relationships has burgeoned in recent years across a variety of disciplines. Investigators increasingly have recognized the theoretical and practical importance of studying close relationships. As Clark and Reis (1988) concluded in their recent