The proposed studies examine a cognitive/interactionist (C/I) model of interpersonal dependency, which contends that dependency-related motivations, behaviors, and emotional responses result from activation of a schema of the self as vulnerable and ineffectual. Variables that increase the accessibility of the dependent person's """"""""helpless"""""""" self-schema should alter responding in each of these domains. Subliminal lexical priming and affective priming techniques are used to increase the accessibility of the helpless self-schema, and the impact of schema priming is assessed using measures of: a) schema accessibility (Experiments 1 and 2); b) dependency-related behavior (Experiments 3 and 4); and c) dependency-related motivation (Experiments 5 and 6). Benefits of these studies include: a) delineating pathways that link the cognitive, emotional, and motivational components of interpersonal dependency; b) elucidating the inter- and intrapersonal processes that underlie situational variability in dependency-related behavior; c) refining diagnostic criteria and assessment techniques for use with dependent psychiatric and medical patients; and d) understanding interpersonal process variables that may enhance the efficacy of treatment techniques for dependency-related disorders (e.g., depression).
| Bornstein, Robert F (2012) From dysfunction to adaptation: an interactionist model of dependency. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 8:291-316 |
| Bornstein, Robert F (2006) The complex relationship between dependency and domestic violence: converging psychological factors and social forces. Am Psychol 61:595-606 |
| Bornstein, Robert F; Ng, H Mei; Gallagher, Heather A et al. (2005) Contrasting effects of self-schema priming on lexical decisions and interpersonal stroop task performance: evidence for a cognitive/interactionist model of interpersonal dependency. J Pers 73:731-61 |
| Bornstein, Robert F; Geiselman, Kimberly J; Gallagher, Heather A et al. (2004) Construct validity of the relationship profile test: impact of gender, gender role, and gender role stereotype. J Pers Assess 82:104-13 |
| Bornstein, Robert F (2003) Behaviorally referenced experimentation and symptom validation: a paradigm for 21st-century personality disorder research. J Pers Disord 17:1-18 |
