T. Schill et J. Michels, ARE CHILDHOOD MISBEHAVIOR AND PHYSICAL ILLNESS FACTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-DEFEATING PERSONALITY, Perceptual and motor skills, 83(3), 1996, pp. 848-850
49 undergraduate men and 45 women took Schill's 1990 Self-defeating Pe
rsonality Scale and answered questions about their physical health and
misbehavior as children and the amount of attention such behavior eli
cited from their parents. No support was found for the idea that indiv
iduals who currently score more self-defeating had been more likely to
engage in such behavior or had been able to gain attention thereby. I
n fact, these people reported getting less rather than more attention
from parents when they were physically ill. Results were discussed as
consistent with prior findings wherein self-defeating individuals have
described their parents as being nonsupportive, inconsistent, and rej
ecting.