ABSTRACT
D. Shapiro views all psychopathology as related to compromises and distortions of autonomous functioning, but nowhere does he see such compromises and distortions more evident than in the personality disorders. He claims that the capacity to objectify the world is necessary for the achievement of self-directed action, and that the “development of self-direction and individual autonomy is at the same time the development of the capacity for abstract thought”. The essential feature of the dependent personality disorder, as explicated in DSM-IV, “is a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation” beginning in early adulthood. In our society, girls and boys grow up in different contexts for psychological learning, and the differences in the learning environments may influence the later psychological functioning of both sexes. The socialization process can affect various dimensions of the self-concept differently, resulting in the internalization of quite dissimilar values by boys and girls.
