Relationship of sociotropy/autonomy and dependency/self-criticism to DSM-III-R personality disorders

Relationships between Beck's constructs of sociotropy/autonomy and Blatt's constructs of dependency/self-criticism and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) Axis II personality disorders were examined. Two measures of personality styles and a structured diagnostic interview for personality disorders were administered to 138 outpatients. Significant relationships were found between both sets of constructs and a number of personality disorders using both categorical and dimensional measures of Axis II psychopathology. These relationships were consistent with previous theory, supporting recent conceptualizations extending the range of psychopathology associated with these personality styles from depression to the personality disorders. However, the autonomy/self-criticism dimension was correlated with a broader range of personality disorder traits and diagnoses than anticipated.