There has been a move away from both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships to a new mode of relations. The direction of this move has been to the surface. The resulting mode of relating is best described as extropersonal. This term is meant to describe an outwardly personal relationship. This outward focus denotes a relatedness with the surface or exterior, as distinguished from the mind or spirit.
Extropersonal relationships focus on things, or on people as things.
The extropersonal relationship is the prominent type of relationship today, and results from the pervasiveness of consumerism in our society. This extropersonal relationship is then a symptom of consumerism. It results from people looking in the wrong place and in the wrong way for relationships. They look on the outside and at the surfaces in between, instead of inside oneself and to one another. They look with the marketplace in mind instead of with the heart and soul.