Attachment beliefs and interpersonal contexts associated with dependency and self-criticism

Vulnerability to depression is linked to two specific personality traits: d ependency or sociotropy, which refers to excessive needs for love and appro val, and self-criticism or perfectionism. Recently, Rude and Burnham (1995) demonstrated that the questionnaires used to measure dependency tend to co nfuse healthy attachment needs with the extreme and generalized need to obt ain others' approval ("neediness"). The first goal of the present study was to extend their findings by assessing the relations between neediness and such theoretical correlates as attachment beliefs and depressive symptoms. The second goal was to explore the interpersonal contexts associated with n eediness and self-criticism in a sample of couples. We hypothesized that ta rgets' neediness and self-criticism would be associated with their partners ' ratings of attachment insecurity and marital dissatisfaction. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that high levels of neediness and self-criticism ren der individuals vulnerable to depressive symptoms when their marriages are unhappy.