Weiss And Lowenthal's Interpersonal Congruence Theory: Case Study

Weiss and Lowenthal’s study of individuals’ perceptions of friendship as they vary in age reveals that there are a certain factors that are generally consistent amongst friend groups. These factors can be sectioned off into either a biologically basis, a situational basis, or a personal qualities basis. The biological factors would include: being around the same age, as well as being the same sex, and race. The situational factors that are largely considered influencers in the value of a friendship generally revolve around the sharing of: interests, experiences, activities, and the ability to feel comfortable talking with one another. Finally, the personal qualities that are portrayed as creating value in a friendship include being: supportive, dependable, understanding, and accepting (1975).

Though Weiss and Lowenthal’s

This congruency theory suggests that congruency within an interpersonal relationship would likely create mutual feelings of liking – or attraction. A few possible explanations for any supportive data for the congruency theory might include: attraction of one participant in the relationship having the basis of their belief of congruency with the other participant in the relationship being that of how they perceive their behavior to be, rather than how that participant’s behavior actually is. Another explanation may be the fact that how one perceives their self could easily be the result of their need to feel similar to the other participant, who they already have established attraction for. The final explanation the authors provide is that there is some confounding variable that is influencing both the participants’ liking towards one another and the measured congruency