The relationships between sociotropic and autonomous personality styles and depressive realism in dysphoric and nondysphoric university students

Author(s): Dobson, K. S., Ardo, K., Murphy, T.

Journal/Book: Can J Behav Sci. 1998; 30: 151 Slater St, Ste 205, Ottawa on K1P 5H3, Canada. Canadian Psychol Assoc. 253-265.

Abstract: The current study examined the hypothesis that participants' responses to depressive realism tasks are not only a function of mood state, but also a function of sociotropic and autonomous personality style. In the first experiment, university students who scored high or low on a measure of sociotropy and high or low on a measure of dysphoria were exposed to a depressive realism paradigm in which they engaged in dyadic interaction with a friend. Following the interaction, participants' estimates of their performance were compared with the evaluations of their friend. In the second experiment, participants who scored high or low on a measure of autonomy and high or low on dysphoria were exposed to a computerized success/failure task. The results across both experiments did not support the depressive realism hypothesis, in that the participants' degree of realism, distortion and/or bias generally varied as a function of both personality style and mood state in the predicted directions. Implications of these findings for the depressive realism literature are discussed.

Note: Article Dobson KS, Univ Calgary, Dept Psychol, 2500 Univ Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CANADA

Keyword(s): NONDEPRESSED STUDENTS; NEGATIVE FEEDBACK; COLLEGE-STUDENTS; SELF-ESTEEM; CONTINGENCY; ILLUSION; JUDGMENT; SADDER; WISER; PERCEPTION

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