Activity, Passivity, Self‐Denigration, and Self‐Promotion: Toward an Interactionist Model of Interpersonal Dependency

Abstract

Although dependency in adults is inextricably linked with passivity and submissiveness in the minds of many theoreticians, clinicians, and researchers, evidence has accumulated which suggests that in certain situations, dependency is actually associated with high levels of activity and assertiveness. Three experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that when a dependent person is concerned primarily with getting along with a peer, he or she will "self-denigrate" (i.e., will utilize strategies that ensure that a peer will be evaluated more positively than he or she is on a laboratory task), but when a dependent person is concerned primarily with pleasing an authority figure, he or she will "self-promote" (i.e., will adopt strategies that increase the likelihood that he or she will be evaluated more positively than a peer on a laboratory task). This hypothesis was supported in all three experiments. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, and an interactionist model of interpersonal dependency is briefly described.

The adaptive and maladaptive faces of dependency in later life: Links to physical and psychological health outcomes

“…Our study is based on the interactionist model of interpersonal dependency (Bornstein et al, 1996), which represents the only existing model addressing dependency across the lifespan (Gardner & Helmes, 2007) that speaks to both its adaptive and maladaptive aspects. According to this model, the core motivation of dependent individuals is to obtain and maintain nurturant, supportive relationships, and it is the situational context that determines whether the behaviors stemming from this motive are adaptive or maladaptive.…”

“…Interpersonal theorists and clinical psychologists, on the other hand, have tended to study the nature of certain types of emotional or interpersonal dependencies (i.e. having an emotional need to be attached to others) 1 (Bornstein, 1994(Bornstein, , 1998aBornstein, Riggs, Hill, & Calabrese, 1996;Pincus & Gurtman, 1995;Rude & Burnham, 1995;Ryan, La Guardia, SolkyButzel, Chirkov, & Kim, 2005). However, interpersonal dependency has been studied almost exclusively among college students and young or middle-aged adults (with a few exceptions; Gardner & Helmes, 2006.…”

Busy brains, boasters' gains: Self-promotion effectiveness depends on audiences cognitive resources

“…One of the most frequently used impression management tactics is self-promotion, which includes pointing out one's accomplishments and taking credit for one's achievements (Jones & Pittman, 1982). Often, self-promotion is used to portray oneself as competent and capable to others (Bornstein, Riggs, Hill, & Calabrese, 1996;Godfrey, Jones, & Lord, 1986). Thus, individuals are particularly likely to self-promote when they are competing with others for status, but are relatively unknown by their audience, such that their accomplishments and qualifications may not be self-evident (e.g., job interviews, first dates; Higgins & Judge, 2004;Stevens & Kristof, 1995).…”

Employee Maintenance: Examining Employment Relationships from the Perspective of Managerial Leaders

“…Additionally, coworkers' ill will may be exacerbated if, as research on college students suggests, dependent individuals have a tendency to please authority figures (e.g., managers) at the expense of others. For instance, Bornstein, Riggs, Hill, and Calabrese (1996) found that college students were willing to undermine their peers in order to impress a professor in an experimental study. In the workplace, analogous behavior (i.e., employees undermining colleagues in order to elevate their own status) should contribute to perceptions of organizational politics.…”