Study Shows Men more Dependent than Women

STUDY SHOWS 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. His study, "Sex Differences in Objective and Projective Dependency Tests: A Meta-Analytic Review," appears in the Winter 1995 issue of Assessment, a professional journal.

"My research suggests that men may have stronger underlying dependency needs than women," says Bornstein.

His study is 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 analysis 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: Dr. Bornstein is a licensed psychologist and author of the book, The Dependent Personality. You can reach him at 717-337-6175 (office). If you would like a copy of the study, please contact Steve Infanti of Dick Jones Communications at 814-867-1963.