Definition
A dyad refers to two individuals treated as a unit, or a pair. Dyadic relationships are characterized by some kind of interdependence, such as romantic relationship, friendship, collaboration, or social interaction.
Dyads in Social Relations
In modern social relations research, scholars identify “dyad,” along with “individual” and “group,” as an essential unit of analysis (Collins 2002; Rubin et al. 2007). A dyad consists of two interdependent individuals. Both members stimulate and react to one another’s behaviors. Dyadic relationships can be long-term, in which both parties shared a sense of membership for an extended period of time. Examples include romantic relationships, friendships, parent and child, and supervisor and supervisee. Dyads can also be short-lived and context-dependent. For example, two strangers that engage in a conversation on a flight can also be considered as a dyad. Some dyads are not even naturally formed dyads, but...
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References
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Youyou, W. (2019). Dyads. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1299-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1299-1
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