Perception of self and other in major depression

Previous research on the nature of person perception in depression has been inconclusive. This investigation differs from earlier studies in that extensive free-response descriptions of other people and self were collected from patients with major depression and from nonpsychiatric control Ss. In comparison with control Ss, depressed patients described fewer positive aspects not only of self but also of parents and significant others and reported more negative aspects of these people. Cluster analysis (HICLAS) also showed that more cognitive differentiation of negative self-perceptions (negative self-complexity) was characteristic of clinical depression. In both control Ss and patients, a positive (or negative) view of self was highly correlated (.85 or more) with a positive (or negative) view of parents and significant others. These correlations were significantly stronger than those between self and less important others.