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Communication About the Self and Partner in the Relationships of Dependents and Self-Critics

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Abstract

This study examined two depression-related individual difference variables, Dependency and Self-Criticism, in relation to communication about the self and a romantic partner. Sixty-five women varying on Dependency and Self-Criticism were assessed with their partners during an interaction in which they appraised their own and each others' performance on a previous conflict resolution task. Irrespective of current depression levels, highly self-critical women were found to emit higher proportions of negative statements about their own and their partners' performance. Partners responded, in turn, with more negative feedback about the self-critic. Highly dependent women were not distinguished with respect to their own behavior, but elicited less negative feedback from their partners. The roles of Dependency and Self-Criticism in the elucidation of different interpersonal cycles of depression are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Lisa C. Vettese

  2. Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Myriam Mongrain

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  1. Lisa C. Vettese
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  2. Myriam Mongrain
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Vettese, L.C., Mongrain, M. Communication About the Self and Partner in the Relationships of Dependents and Self-Critics. Cognitive Therapy and Research 24, 609–626 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005587009681

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