RELATIONSHIPS OF OBJECTIVE AND PROJECTIVE DEPENDENCY SCORES TO SEX-ROLE ORIENTATION IN COLLEGE-STUDENT PARTICIPANTS

Research on the dependency-sex role orientation relationship indicates that when objective dependency measures are used, participants show p ositive correlations between dependency and femininity scores, and neg ative correlations between dependency and masculinity scores. In this study, a mixed-sex sample of 87 undergraduates (47 women and 40 men) c ompleted widely used objective and projective measures of dependency, and a self-report measure of sex role orientation. Consistent with pre vious studies in this area, high objective dependency scores were asso ciated with high femininity scores and low masculinity scores in parti cipants of both sexes. There were no relationships between projective dependency scores and sex role orientation scores in participants of e ither sex. Findings are discussed in the context of theoretical framew orks that distinguish ''implicit'' dependency needs from ''self-attrib uted'' dependency needs. The role that sex role socialization experien ces play in determining participants' willingness to acknowledge depen dency-related traits and behaviors on self-report tests is also discus sed.