Sociotropy-Autonomy and the Beck Depression Inventory
Abstract
Summary: According to Beck's cognitive theory of depression, individuals who score high on the personality dimensions of either sociotropy or autonomy are considered to be vulnerable to depression. Although past research has provided abundant support for the relationship between sociotropy and depression, very little support has been provided for the relationship between autonomy and depression. Two studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between the items of Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1979), one of the most commonly used measures in the assessment of an individual's level of depression, and measures of sociotropy and autonomy. In both studies, participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory and various measures of sociotropy and autonomy. The results suggested that the majority of the items of the Beck Depression Inventory were related to measures of sociotropy rather than autonomy. These findings suggest that the lack of support for the relationship between autonomy and depression may be due partially to the specific measures used in the assessment of sociotropy and autonomy as well as depression.
References
References
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