1997 Study Says Men More Dependent Than Women
Men may have more dependent personalities than women have.
So says Robert F. Bornstein, professor of psychology at Gettysburg College, PA. Bornstein is a licensed psychologist, specializing in dependency issues, and author of the book, The Dependent Personality. He notes than women are often stereotyped as having more dependent personalities than men.
"My research suggests, however, that men may have stronger underlying dependency needs than women," says Bornstein He has completed two studies on that topic: "Dependent Personality Disorder in the DSM-IV and Beyond," which appeared in the Summer 1997 issue of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice; and "Sex Differences in Objective and Projective Dependency Tests: A Meta-Analytic Review," which appeared in the Winter 1995 issue of Assessment.
The studies are an analysis of all studies published since 1950 where sex differences in subjects' scores on objective and projective dependency tests were assessed. In an objective test, subjects answer self-report questionnaires. During projective tests, subjects are asked to interpret ambiguous stimuli such as drawings or ink blots.
His research indicates that men obtain slightly higher scores than do women on projective measures of dependency, while women consistently obtain higher scores than do men on objective measures of dependency.
"It seems that men express dependency needs in a more indirect and disguised manner than do women," says Bornstein. "It appears that men can't hide dependent feelings during a projective test, but do not express dependency needs openly on self-report tests."
He notes that over the past several decades researchers have shown that high levels of interpersonal dependency are associated with increased risk for several forms of psychological and physical pathology. In social settings, dependency is associated with cooperativeness, compliance and submissiveness.
"Taken together, the results of studies in this area suggest that the dependent person tends to look to other people for nurturance, protection and support, becoming anxious and depressed or even physically ill when important relationships are threatened or disrupted."
Bornstein notes that sex-role socialization practices may play a role in determining men's and women's willingness to acknowledge dependency-related traits and behaviors on self-report tests.
Since self-presentation biases influence men's and women's scores on certain types of dependency measures, Bornstein believes clinicians and researchers might want to administer multiple measures of dependency to a patient or subject.
Editors: If you ever examine the topic of dependent personalities, feel free to contact Dr. Bornstein. You can reach him at 717-337-6175 (office). He works well with the media and returns calls quickly. He has published numerous studies on dependency so he can be a useful source for a myriad of stories relating to the topic. Please contact Steve Infanti of Dick Jones Communications at 814-867-1963 if you would like copies of the studies.
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