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Journal of Personality Disorders, 2(2), 126-135,1988 The Guilford Press
THE DEPENDENT PERSONALITY:
I. RISK FOR PHYSICAL DISORDERS
Roger P. Greenberg, PhD, and Robert F. Bornstein, PhD
A review of the empirical literature suggests that having a
dependent personality orientation increases the risk for a
variety of physical disorders. Evidence also indicates that dependent persons are more likely than independent people to
view their problems in somatic terms and to seek professional
help for physical symptoms. The implications of these findings
are discussed. The etiology of the dependent personality is
considered in terms of problematic and disrupted child relationships. Some issues warranting further clarification and
additional empirical study are described.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd Ed., American Psychiatric Association, 1980) permits the classification of pa
tients into diagnostic categories by means of a series of criteria promulgated
for each group. The manual was designed to be atheoretical, free from con cerns about underlying dynamics, and devoid of allegiance to any particular
theory of personality. Yet the influence of psychoanalytic and psychodynam
ic formulations is quite evident in many of the diagnostic categories. This is particularly true of the DSM-III-defined personality disorders. The DSM-III category of dependent personality disorder (DPD) is a particularly notewor
thy example of a current diagnostic entity that has emerged from the psy
chodynamic literature. The DPD is an outgrowth of Freud's theories of per
sonality development and is virtually synonymous with the oral dependent
character as conceptualized from Freud's paradigm by Abraham (1927) and
Glover (cited by Abraham, 1927). Individuals likely to be diagnosed today as
having a dependent personality disorder are the same people who would be
labeled oral dependent characters within the psychoanalytic framework. Such people exhibit a cluster of traits and behaviors that may be roughly
characterized as follows: They are passive, dependent, submissive in inter
personal relationships (especially in relationships with authority figures),
and in need of a great deal of support and reassurance from others. In
addition, fear of abandonment and a relatively weak self-concept
From the State University of New York at Syracuse (R.P.G.) and Gettysburg College (R F B )
Requests for reprints should be sent to Dr. Roger P. Greenberg at the Department of Psychi
atry, SUNY-Health Science Center at...