POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF SOCIOTROPY AND AUTONOMY

The predictions of cognitive theory of depression with regard to perso nality modes have not been consistently supported. One explanation is that theoretical attention has been unduly centered on maladaptive asp ects of personality. The content validity of the Sociotropy-Autonomy S cale (SAS) was explored with regard to the external correlates of posi tively and negatively self-evaluative items. One hundred twenty-four u ndergraduates completed the SAS and several criterion measures. Positi vely and negatively toned SAS items exhibited different external corre lates, with only negatively toned items being associated with symptom and negative cognition measures. Moreover, the pattern of mood correla tes reported by Clark and Beck (1991) for three subscales of a revised SAS Autonomy scale corresponded to the valence of each subscale's ite ms, as determined by content analysis. Whereas sociotropy and autonomy are conceptually defined in terms of placing a high value on certain goals or experiences, the SAS may be overbalanced by expressions of se lf-criticism or insecurity about these values.