[Passive-aggressive personality and dependent personality-- current status of the question]

The author makes a critical review of the literature concerning dependent and passive-aggressive personalities. After putting them in a historic perspective, he presents the various etiologic hypotheses. Special attention is given to the clinical and therapeutic aspects. The author concludes that despite the supposed high incidence of these two personality disorders, the reliability of the diagnoses and the natural history of the disorders remain to be explored in a prospective and systematic manner, before definite conclusions can be drawn regarding therapy.