Abstract: Interpersonal relationship is very important to the self-regulation process. Relationship partners influence the goals individuals choose to pursue in daily life, their success at attaining them, and the consequences of those goal pursuits. Just as importantly, the goals that individuals pursue shape and influence the course of their interpersonal relationships. Fitzsimons and his colleagues proposed a triangular model of interpersonal cognition that focuses on the essential role that goals play in the links between self and other. The present article introduces the triangular model, outlines the ideas about how the self’s goals are cognitively linked with representations of significant others, and the interpersonal and motivational factors that may moderate the effects of these associations, and proposes possible future research directions.

Key words: interpersonal goal, significant other, triangular model