Research Project
6467639
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed studies examine a cognitive/interactionist (C/I) model of interpersonal dependency, which contends that dependency-related motivations, behaviors, and emotional responses result from activation of a schema of the self as vulnerable and ineffectual. Variables that increase the accessibility of the dependent person's "helpless" self-schema should alter responding in each of these domains. Subliminal lexical priming and affective priming techniques are used to increase the accessibility of the helpless self-schema, and the impact of schema priming is assessed using measures of: a) schema accessibility (Experiments 1 and 2); b) dependency-related behavior (Experiments 3 and 4); and c) dependency-related motivation (Experiments 5 and 6). Benefits of these studies include: a) delineating pathways that link the cognitive, emotional, and motivational components of interpersonal dependency; b) elucidating the inter- and intrapersonal processes that underlie situational variability in dependency-related behavior; c) refining diagnostic criteria and assessment techniques for use with dependent psychiatric and medical patients; and d) understanding interpersonal process variables that may enhance the efficacy of treatment techniques for dependency-related disorders (e.g., depression).
