The purpose of this article is to summarize a developmental, relational theory of personality socialization in the family and other settings. This theory consists of two assumptions about space and time, from which are derived two respective processes about the ability to love and the ability to negotiate. The contents of the theory consist of three modalities: Being, Doing, and Having. From these processes and contents other models about a continuum of likeness, selfhood and personality propensities, priorities, and intimacy are developed. This theory can be evaluated in the laboratory through self-report, paper-and-pencil tests, and in applied or clinical settings through enrichment programs, workbooks, and therapeutic tasks.
Theory construction; theory testing; models; family; personality
