Individual interpersonal dependency and its impact on attitudes toward relational intimacy and relational power and control.

摘要

The present study is examining the relationship between interpersonal dependency and attitudes toward intimacy and control in relationships. Quantitative methods included the administration of the following three instruments to 205 (148 females, 57 males) volunteer subjects: The Interpersonal Dependency Inventory, the Intimacy Attitude Scale, and the Control Attitude Scale.;A semi-structured interview was conducted with 10 (3 males, 7 females) subjects who scored more than one standard deviation above the Mean on the emotional reliance subtest of the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory. These interviews were designed to compare qualitative finds based on personal experience with quantitative statistical data.;Two hundred and five subjects were recruited. All were over 20 years of age with a range of 20 to 75 years. Eighty percent of the sample were caucasian, the remaining divided over the other minority groups (including black, hispanic, and asian). The educational levels of the sample ranged from 10 with at least a high school level to 56 who were on the graduate level. Forty five percent of the group were married, 17% had been married at one time, and 35% had never been married. Sixty six percent were employed in business and professional occupations with the remainder in skilled and semi-skilled occupations. Over 50% of the sample earned above 36,000 in annual income.;The findings indicate that dependency is a significant factor in attitudes toward intimacy and control. Individuals who have high feelings of dependency have higher positive feelings about intimacy in relationships. Individuals with high feelings of dependency have stronger feelings about wanting control in a relationship. Individuals with lower feelings of dependency tend to be more egalitarian in their attitudes in relationships.;Although gender was not found to be statistically significant in the relationship between intimacy and dependency, there were trends evident. Women who were more dependent desire intimacy but also resist it while low dependent men have the lowest resistance to intimacy. Interviews with the volunteer subjects validated many of the quantitative findings of the present research.