Abstract
Introduction: People vary in the degree to which theyaffiliate with others; exaggerated efforts maintain inter-personal closeness versus distance are codified in long-standing categorical models of personality pathology, andin contemporary dimensional frameworks as well.Objective: To examine associations between destructiveoverdependence (DO), dysfuntional detachment (DD), andhealthy dependency (HD) and qualities of the self‐concept.Method: A mixed‐sex sample of 229 adults completed theRelationship Profile Test to assess DO, DD, and HD, andthe Object Relations Inventory (ORI) to assess qualities ofthe self‐concept.Results and Conclusion: Analyses indicated that (1) the ORIStrong dimension was uniquely predictive of DO (inverselyrelated); (2) ORI Warm and Nurturing were uniquepredictors of DD (both inversely related); and (3) ORINurturing and Successful were unique predictors of HD.This study illuminates key intrapersonal features of thesethree personality styles.