The Explanatory Role of Basic Psychological Need Experiences in the Relation between Dependency, Self-Criticism and Psychopathology in Adolescence

Abstract

Objectives. According to Blatt's theory on personality development, adolescents with high levels of self-criticism and dependency are more vulnerable to diverse types of psychopathology. However, relatively little is known about intervening processes involved in this personality-based vulnerability. The goal of this study is to examine, on the basis of Self-Determination Theory, the explanatory role of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in associations between self-criticism and dependency on the one hand and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems on the other hand. Method. In this cross-sectional and multi-informant study, 284 adolescents (58,5% female; mean age = 14.15; SD = .93) and their parents reported about the adolescent's internalizing and externalizing problems. Adolescents also completed measures assessing self-criticism, dependency, and psychological needs experiences. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results. Self-criticism and dependency were significantly related to higher levels of both internalizing and externalizing problems, with psychological need frustration fully mediating these associations. No evidence for a mediating role of need satisfaction was found. Conclusion. This study suggests that psychological need frustration is an important explanatory mechanism in personality-related vulnerability for adolescent psychopathology. More generally, it provides further evidence for the integration between two major theoretical approaches in the domain of adolescent development and psychopathology.

A longitudinal examination of the interplay between personality vulnerability and need‐based experiences in adolescents' depressive symptoms

“…At the within-person level, the findings indicate that periodic deviations from one's typical level of self-criticism and dependency go hand in hand with corresponding periodic deviations from one's typical level of need frustration, which, in turn, relate to periodic deviations from one's typical level of depressive symptoms. These findings are consistent with a small body of research indicating that need frustration is an underlying process that accounts for a large part of the associations between self-criticism, dependency, and depressive symptoms (Campbell et al, 2018;Vandenkerckhove et al, 2019).…”

“…The present study aims to extend the preliminary cross-sectional associations reported by Vandenkerckhove et al (2019) by making use of a three-wave longitudinal design, which allows for an examination of the dynamic interplay between personality vulnerability and psychological need experiences at the level of both between-and within-person differences. It also extends previous research by explicitly considering the possibility of an interactive interplay between personality and need-based experiences (i.e., moderation).…”

Basic psychological need theory: Advancements, critical themes, and future directions

“…These effects should operate at multiple levels of analysis from personal to societal levels (Ryan and Deci 2017), from conscious to nonconcious (e.g., Banting et al 2011) and and being observable not only behaviorally but also neurobiologically (Di Domenico and Ryan 2017; Reeve and Lee 2019). Illustrative of the ubiquitous outcomes associated with the psychological needs is the finding that need frustration predicts phenotypically diverse forms of dysfunctional behavior and ill-being, including obsessive thinking (Vahlstein et al 2020), engagement in unhealthy muscularity-oriented behaviors (Selvi and Bozo 2020), dishonesty (Kanat-Maymon et al 2015), and both internalizing and externalizing problems (e.g., Vandenkerckhove et al 2019a, b). Similarly, need satisfactions have been found to account for toddlers' curiosity-driven exploration of the environment (Whipple et al 2011), adolescents' negotiation of parental requests (Van Petegem et al 2017), and adults' engagement in volunteering (Huang et al 2019).…”

“…Although defiance may be undertaken to restore threatened psychological needs and to regain a sense of independence and freedom, longitudinal research suggests that defiant adolescents become increasingly alienated from their personal preferences and interests, experiencing decreasing autonomy over time (Van Petegem et al 2015b). Further, the fact that need frustration elicits oppositional defiance may help to explain why need frustration relates to a variety of externalizing problems such as the expression of resentment towards authorities (Aelterman et al 2016), bullying (Hein et al 2015), cheating (Kanat-Maymon et al 2015), aggressive behaviors (Vandenkerckhove et al 2019a), and delinquency (Van Petegem et al 2015a).…”

Exploring Self-Care and Its Associations with Burnout, Vitality, and Academic Goal Achievement in University Students

“…Studies find self-criticism to be one of the contributing factors to depression (e.g., Blatt D'Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976;Ingram, 2003) and to be associated with increased susceptibility to psychopathology more generally (e.g., Blatt & Luyten, 2009). Self-criticism is also postulated to impact feelings of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration under the SDT framework (Vandenkerckhove, Brenning, Vansteenkiste, Luyten, & Soenens, 2019).…”