The assumption in this article is that there exists an inversed u-curved relationship between a person's level of autonomy and the level of "success" in partner-relationships. Individuals that posses either relatively low or high levels of personal autonomy have lower chances of forming successful partner-relationships than those with an intermediate level of autonomy.
This assumption will be theoretically substantiated but not empirically validated. Implications for the improvement of relationships of low and high-autonomics will be discussed, as well as the way in which therapy can be useful to help achieving this improvement.
The tPeP (Journal Person-centered experiential Psychotherapy) is the scientific journal for Dutch and Flemish psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, that work from, or are interested in a client-centered perspective.