Date of Award

Summer 1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Robin J. Lewis

Committee Member

Peter J. Mikulka

Committee Member

Thomas F. Cash

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65 C6527

Abstract

Past research in the area of dysphoria and depression has examined two personality constructs known as autonomy and sociotropy. These personality constructs have been studied as predispositions to dysphoria and depression. The current study focused on the ability of Autonomy and Sociotropy, measured by the Personal Style Inventory (PSI), to predict both participants' and raters' autonomous and sociotropic ratings of autobiographical life events. The study also examined the differences in classifications of events as either sociotropic or autonomous when the classifications were made by both participants and objective raters. Participants were 72 female and 43 male undergraduate students enrolled in psychology courses from Old Dominion University. Participants completed a measure of sociotropy and autonomy as well as measures of dysphoria. Then participants were asked to recall and rate autobiographical life events, one happy/good event and one sad/bad event. A team of two raters also rated each of the events recalled on Likert scales for both autonomy and sociotropy. Multiple regression analyses, with depression measures entered first followed by Sociotropy and Autonomy and then the interaction of Sociotropy and Autonomy, were conducted in order to predict participants' autonomous and sociotropic ratings of both positive and negative autobiographical life events. The findings indicated that autonomy was associated with autonomous ratings of positive events but was not associated with autonomous ratings of negative life events. Further, Sociotropy did not emerge as a significant predictor of sociotropic events for either positive or negative life events. However, sociotropy did significantly predict autonomous ratings of negative life events. Analyses directed at examining the relationship between participant and rater ratings indicted that while there was a strong relationship between the classification systems, some information revealed by using participants' ratings was not found when using raters' ratings. Possible explanations for the empirical findings and directions for future research are discussed.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/5a5k-6832

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