Recursive relationship: a relationship that associates an entity with ________ is known as recursive.

Introduction / Context:
Not all relationships connect different entity types. Sometimes an entity relates to other entities of the same type (for example, an employee managing other employees). This is called a recursive (or unary) relationship.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Single entity type participates on both sides of the relationship.
• Typical examples include managerial hierarchies or part–subpart structures.

Concept / Approach:
A recursive relationship is a relationship in which an entity is related to itself. The relation is modeled by linking one occurrence of the entity to another occurrence of the same entity type, usually with roles (for example, manager vs. subordinate).

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider a self-referencing foreign key in a table (for example, employee.manager_id references employee.id). This implements a recursive relationship in relational schema.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Subtype, archetype, and instance are different modeling concepts not required by the definition of recursion.

Common Pitfalls:
Omitting role names in recursive relationships; always label roles to avoid ambiguity in diagrams and schema.

Final Answer:
itself