[en] Relational ethics, main and distinctive construct of contextual therapy refers to the ethics of responsibility and caring that prevails among people. It involves recognizing and assuming the responsibility of evaluating what one has received and one has given (striking a balance between reciprocal rights and obligations), and making a commitment of upholding fairness according to the nature of the relationship. Relational ethics includes the concepts of trust, loyalty and entitlement; justice works as its regulating power. Differentiation of self, the key construct of Murray Bowen's systemic family theory, is a trait that involves intrapersonal capacities (moderate the influence of emotion in cognitive functioning) and interpersonal ones (offset separation- intimacy forces/autonomy and togetherness-bonding forces), including the viability of balancing them. This doctoral dissertation is structured around two general objectives: the first, to translate and adapt the Relational Ethics Scale (RES) to the Spanish population, and the second, to analyze the connection between relational ethics and differentiation of self (using the adaptation to the Spanish population of the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised (S-DSI)) in clinical and non-clinical populations and compare the results obtained. To achieve these objectives, after developing a scientific literature review and theoretical reasoning, we decided to structure the dissertation in two studies. The first, performed with a total sample of 1181 participants, consists of the translation, adaptation and validation of a measuring instrument, obtaining the S-RES (Spanish-Relational Ethics Scale). The second, involving a non-clinical sample of 1230 subjects and a clinical one of 241 people, analyzes the existing connections between relational ethics, self-differentiation, and certain sociodemographic variables. On the one hand, thanks to this research it is possible to have a psychometrically valid instrument, in Spanish, to measure the level of relational ethics, and on the other, empirical results were obtained, suggesting that relational ethics and differentiation of self are highly interconnected and linked to health and to the achievement of mature individuation. Based on this reasoning and these results, a few guidelines are provided for clinical practice, whose application might benefit people's health, quality of life, and individual and relational well-being.

[es] La ética relacional, constructo distintivo y principal de la terapia contextual, hace referencia a una ética del cuidado y de la responsabilidad que existe entre las personas y que consiste en reconocer y asumir la responsabilidad de examinar lo que se ha recibido y lo que se ha dado (hacer un balance entre los derechos y las obligaciones recíprocas), y en comprometerse a mantener la equidad de acuerdo con la naturaleza de la relación. Incluye los conceptos de confianza, lealtad y derecho; y la justicia funciona como su potencia reguladora. La diferenciación del self, constructo central en la teoría familiar sistémica de Murray Bowen, es un rasgo que involucra capacidades intrapersonales (moderar la influencia de la emocionalidad en el funcionamiento cognitivo) e interpersonales (equilibrar las fuerzas de separación-intimidad/autonomía y unión-vinculación) y la viabilidad para balancearlas. Esta tesis doctoral se estructura en torno a dos objetivos generales: el primero, traducir y adaptar para la población española la Relational Ethics Scale (RES), y el segundo, analizar la relación entre ética relacional y diferenciación del self (utilizando la adaptación al español del Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised (S-DSI)) en poblaciones clínicas y no clínicas y comparar los resultados obtenidos. Para lograr estos objetivos, y después de haber desarrollado un trabajo de revisión de la literatura científica y reflexión teórica, se estructuró la tesis en dos estudios. El primero, llevado a cabo con una muestra total de 1181 participantes, consiste en la traducción, adaptación y validación de un instrumento de medida, obteniendo la S-RES (Spanish-Relational Ethics Scale). El segundo, realizado con una muestra no clínica de 1230 sujetos y por otra clínica de 241 sujetos, analiza las conexiones que existen entre ética relacional, diferenciación del self y determinadas variables sociodemográficas. Gracias a esta investigación, por un lado, es posible contar con un instrumento psicométricamente válido en el idioma español para medir el nivel de ética relacional y, por otro, se han obtenido resultados empíricos que sugieren que ética relacional y diferenciación del self están altamente interconectadas y vinculadas con la salud y con el logro de una individuación madura. Partiendo de esta reflexión y resultados, se ofrecen algunas orientaciones para la práctica clínica cuya aplicación podría favorecer la salud, la calidad de vida de las personas y el bienestar, individual y relacional.