The Three Faces of Interpersonal Dependency: Structural Analyses of Self-Report Dependency Measures

Using the interpersonal circumplex and the 5-factor model of personality as a structural framework, the authors identified 3 aspects of interpersonal dependency in structural analyses of the universe of content defined by the combined item pool of widely used self-report dependency measures: love dependency, exploitable dependency, and submissive dependency. Markers of these aspects of interpersonal dependency were reconstituted, and their relations with neuroticism (N), conscientiousness (C), and openness to experience (O) were examined. All forms of interpersonal dependency are related positively with N. Exploitable and submissive dependency are increasingly negatively correlated with C and O, whereas love dependency is positively correlated with C and O. Implications regarding the assessment of dependency and multifactor models of dependency are discussed, and hypotheses for future research linking dependency and depression are proposed.