Self-Defeating Personality and Depression: A Closer Look

Abstract

55 men and 55 women were given Schill's Self-defeating Personality Scale, a measure of Beck's cognitive triad, and a measure of the personality dimensions of sociotropy and autonomy. The more characteristics of self-defeating personality endorsed, the more negative were subjects' cognitions about themselves, the world, and the future. Self-defeating men and women scored higher on sociotropy (social dependence), suggesting threats to relationships may be an important source of depression for them. Self-defeating women also scored higher on the autonomy subscales, suggesting threats to their independence may be a source of depression as well. Implications for treatment were discussed.