Structure of Sociotropy and Autonomy and Their Correlation with Psychological Adjustment in a Korean University Sample

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Emerging research emphasizes cultural influences on personality and psychopathology. In the present study, it was hypothesized that Sociotropy and Autonomy, the most well-known personality styles which make people vulnerable to depression, reflect cultural values and may have different effects in different cultures. The factor structures of Sociotropy and Autonomy were investigated in relation to psychological adjustment in Korea. Three hundred and five university students completed the Personality Style Inventory (PSI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). As the results, both Sociotropy and Autonomy correlated positively with the measures of depression and social anxiety. Factor analysis of the PSI showed that Autonomy, consistent with previous western studies, consists of two subfactors of ‘Being in Control of One’s Plans’ and ‘Defensive Separation’. However, Sociotropy showed different subfactors from previous western studies, and the subfactor ‘Trying Not to Offend Others’ correlated more strongly with the BDI and SIAS than the subfactor ‘Fear of Being Separated from Others’. Unlike previous western findings in which the second subfactor of Sociotropy was named ‘Dependency’ and was related with psychological maladjustment, it was newly interpreted that such maladaptive effect is attenuated in Korea which emphasizes maintaining relationships with others. On the contrary, it was suggested that the implicit social standard that one should behave in the way that meets others’ expectations may function as a psychological pressure.

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