Gender Differences in Dependency
By:
THEODORE MILLON and
Seth Grossman
Carrie Millon
Sarah Meagher
Rowena Ramnath
Studies
using self-report measures have found significantly higher levels of dependency
in women than in men. Similar results have been obtained using school-age children
rather than adults and using subjects from other cultures.
Because
self-reports measure what is accessible to conscious awareness, Bornstein (1993)
asked whether the difference between males and females would be found when using
projective tests intended to tap motives outside conscious awareness, in the
realm of the unconscious, not available for self-report.
Similar
levels of dependency were found for men and women. Bornstein concluded: “Women
report higher levels of dependency than do men on self-report measures, but men
and women obtain comparable dependency scores on projective measure” (1993,
p. 47). Women are thus more willing to admit dependency; men are just as
dependent but unwilling to admit it.
In
fact, there is a consistent relationship between the face validity of the
measure used and the extent to which gender differences are found when
assessing dependency. As face validity increases, so does the magnitude of the
gender differences found when using that measure (Bornstein, Rossner, Hill,
& Stepanian, 1994). Because face validity is largely a function of how easy
it is to figure out what a test assesses (the item, “I feel helpless without
someone to protect me,” is face valid for dependency), such differences between
men and women can only be a function of self-presentation and social
desirability. As it becomes easier to figure out that a test measures dependency,
men refuse to admit their dependency needs.
Traditionally,
men have been socialized to express dependency indirectly, whereas women
express dependency in a more direct and overt manner (Maccoby & Jacklin,
1974; Mischel, 1970).
Future
studies of the dependent personality must take into account the potential
masking effects of self-presentation and social desirability. Valid assessment
of a personality trait so closely linked to sex-role orientation argues for an
unobtrusive approach to assessment, at least where males are concerned.
References
Personality Disorders in Modern Life,
second edition, 2000, 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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