Ideal and Actual Romantic Partners of Women Varying in Dependency and Self‐Criticism

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Abstract
The Dependency and Self‐Criticism scales of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (Blatt, D'Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976) were used to assess 66 college women's vulnerabilities to (a) depressive states characterized by feelings of dependency and loneliness and (b) states characterized by self‐criticism and guilt Subjects rated three motivational characteristics of their ideal boyfriends‐their needs for Intimacy, Achievement, and Masculinity Women with high scores on Dependency and average to high levels of Self‐Criticism described their ideal boyfriends as high on need for Intimacy Women with high scores on Self‐Criticism and average to high levels of Dependency described their ideal boyfriends as high on need for Achievement Ideal need for Masculinity was positively related to Self‐Criticism Women's ratings of their actual boyfriends indicated that Self‐Criticism was negatively related to satisfaction, while Dependency was positively related to love These main effects were qualified by interactions of Dependency and Self‐Criticism with measures of the similarity of actual and ideal boyfriends' needs for Achievement and Intimacy The results were discussed in relation to Blatt's (1974, Blatt & Shichman, 1983) description of the interpersonal correlates of Dependency and Self‐Criticism

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