Relational frames can be categorized according to their similarities and differences. These are some of the broad categories, or families, of relational frames researchers often discuss. These categories are not final, comprehensive, or absolute. They’re just useful for analyzing some of the many different forms of relational responding. Other categories of frames may emerge or prove useful in the future.
Click on a category name below to learn more about it and to see a sample frame for that family.
Relations of sameness, similarity, or identity
Relations of difference or distinction
Relations of opposition
Relations of comparison (usually along a specific dimension)
Relations dealing with the arrangement of objects in space
Relations of comparison along the dimension of hierarchical class membership
Relations of comparison along the dimension of time
Relations specifying causality (cause-effect) or conditionality (if-then)
Relations specified in terms of the perspective of the speaker