Description

The Relational Ethics Scale (RES-24) is a standardized psychometric instrument designed to assess the ethical quality of interpersonal relationships by evaluating the principles that govern healthy, balanced, and mutually respectful interactions. Grounded in Contextual Therapy and the relational ethics framework developed by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, the scale examines the extent to which relationships are characterized by reciprocity, fairness, care, and loyalty—core ethical dimensions that contribute to trust, emotional security, relationship satisfaction, and psychological well-being.

The RES-24 consists of 24 self-report items that measure individuals’ perceptions of ethical behavior within significant interpersonal relationships, including family relationships, intimate partnerships, friendships, and other close social connections. Rather than focusing solely on communication or relationship satisfaction, the scale evaluates the underlying ethical processes that sustain healthy relationships over time.

The questionnaire assesses four principal dimensions of relational ethics:

  • Reciprocity, evaluating the extent to which individuals perceive a balanced exchange of support, responsibility, and emotional investment within the relationship.
  • Fairness, assessing perceptions of justice, equality, and equitable treatment between relationship partners.
  • Care, measuring empathy, respect, emotional support, compassion, and genuine concern for the well-being of others.
  • Loyalty, evaluating commitment, trustworthiness, responsibility, and dedication to maintaining and strengthening interpersonal relationships.

According to contextual theory, ethical balance within relationships promotes emotional resilience, secure attachment, family cohesion, and psychological adjustment, whereas persistent relational inequity may contribute to conflict, emotional distress, relational dissatisfaction, and mental health difficulties.

The RES-24 is widely applied in clinical psychology, family therapy, couples counseling, counseling psychology, psychiatry, social work, behavioral medicine, developmental psychology, relationship research, and family studies, serving as a valuable instrument for evaluating interpersonal functioning and supporting evidence-based therapeutic interventions.

Data Analysis and Use

The analysis of data obtained from the Relational Ethics Scale (RES-24) involves comprehensive psychometric and statistical procedures designed to evaluate the ethical dimensions underlying interpersonal relationships. Participant responses are transformed into quantitative scores representing overall relational ethics as well as the four individual subscales of reciprocity, fairness, care, and loyalty.

Psychometric evaluation includes the assessment of internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, to determine the reliability of each subscale and the overall instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is commonly performed to verify the theoretical four-factor structure of the questionnaire and to establish construct validity.

Additional psychometric procedures include exploratory factor analysis (EFA), test–retest reliability, composite reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion validity, predictive validity, and cross-cultural measurement invariance, ensuring reliable application across diverse populations and cultural contexts.

Statistical analyses frequently include descriptive statistics, calculation of means and standard deviations, Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses, multiple regression models, mediation and moderation analyses, structural equation modeling (SEM), multilevel analyses, and comparative analyses such as independent-samples t-tests, ANOVA, and MANOVA to investigate differences in relational ethics across demographic groups, family structures, or clinical populations.

The RES-24 is extensively used in family therapy, couples counseling, relationship research, community mental health, and psychosocial intervention studies. The findings assist clinicians and researchers in evaluating relationship quality, identifying dysfunctional interaction patterns, monitoring therapeutic progress, assessing intervention effectiveness, and developing programs that strengthen ethical reciprocity, trust, fairness, and emotional support within interpersonal relationships.

Objective

The primary objective of the Relational Ethics Scale (RES-24) is to provide a reliable, valid, and comprehensive assessment of the ethical foundations of interpersonal relationships. The questionnaire enables psychologists, family therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, researchers, and social workers to evaluate the extent to which relationships are characterized by reciprocity, fairness, care, and loyalty—key principles that support healthy interpersonal functioning.

The instrument facilitates the identification of relational strengths and ethical imbalances that may contribute to conflict, emotional distress, family dysfunction, or reduced relationship satisfaction. It also supports research examining the relationship between relational ethics and variables such as psychological well-being, attachment, family cohesion, mental health, relationship satisfaction, and resilience.

The RES-24 is particularly valuable in clinical psychology, family therapy, couples counseling, developmental psychology, behavioral medicine, psychiatry, social work, and relationship research, where systematic assessment of ethical relationship processes contributes to evidence-based therapeutic interventions and healthier interpersonal relationships.

Scoring

The Relational Ethics Scale (RES-24) consists of 24 self-report items, with responses recorded using a Likert-type response scale, allowing participants to indicate the degree to which each statement reflects their experiences within significant interpersonal relationships.

Individual item scores are summed or averaged to generate:

  • An Overall Relational Ethics Score
  • Reciprocity Score
  • Fairness Score
  • Care Score
  • Loyalty Score

Higher scores indicate stronger ethical functioning within relationships, greater reciprocity, increased fairness, higher levels of care and empathy, stronger commitment, and healthier interpersonal dynamics, whereas lower scores suggest ethical imbalance, reduced reciprocity, diminished trust, weaker emotional support, and greater vulnerability to relationship dissatisfaction or conflict.

Interpretation of questionnaire results should be supported by comprehensive psychometric evaluation, including Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, confirmatory factor analysis, construct validity, predictive validity, and cross-cultural validation, ensuring reliable assessment across diverse clinical, family, and research populations.

References

Boszormenyi-Nagy, I., & Krasner, B. R. (1986). Between Give and Take: A Clinical Guide to Contextual Therapy. Brunner-Routledge.

Hargrave, T. D., & Pfitzer, F. (2003). The New Contextual Therapy: Guiding the Power of Give and Take. Brunner-Routledge.

Haug, I. E., & Lantz, J. (2006). Family-of-Origin Therapy and the Multigenerational Transmission of Ethical Values. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 17(1), 1–17.

Hargrave, T. D., Jennings, G., & Anderson, W. T. (1991). The Development of a Relational Ethics Perspective in Family Therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 17(1), 55–68.