First Validation of the Interpersonal Q-Sort (IQS), a new instrument to evaluate the subjectivity within the context

Aim: Adopting an intersubjective approach, we consider one's own relational style the critical domain to understand and intervene on subjects' wellbeing, rather than the personality. In fact the subjectivity always takes place and changes within the life contexts and represents a unique way of adapting to the contexts, defining strengths and weaknesses of a person. For this reason we created the Interpersonal Q-Sort (IQS), a new self-report questionnaire aimed to detect profiles of personality based on four main relational styles rather than personal qualities. In this study we intended to test and validate the IQS. Method: We administered to 547 subjects a long version of IQS composed by 256 items covering the four main relational styles we meant to measure. We also administered the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) for a concurrent validity analysis. Results: Trough an exploratory factor analysis we reduced the questionnaire to 85 items and we found a structure composed by seven factors that we called: Independence-Dependence, Stability-Openness to new (for the first relational style), Sociality-Introversion, Pessimism-Trust (for the second relational style), Impulsivity-Responsibility (for the third relational style) and Modesty-Ambition, Gregarism-Competition (for the fourth relational style). Furthermore, specific familiar profiles were created according to the more recurrent combinations of scales. Discussion: The Interpersonal Q-Sort can be considered as a potentially extremely useful asset for the clinical work, also for psychotherapy and organizational contexts. A confirmatory factor analysis on a new administration of the reduced IQS is currently ongoing.