Gabriele Chiari, M. Laura Nuzzo, Vincenzo Alfano, Pasquale Brogna, Tiziana D'Andrea, Giancarlo Di Battista, Paola Plata, and Eleonora Stiffan

Abstract

Following an outline of a constructivist conceptualization of dependency, we investigated the possibility of differentiating developmental paths by means of dependency grids. On the basis of our hypothesis, three alternative personal paths of dependency were expected, each initiated by the main transition of aggressiveness, threat, and guilt that the child experiences through early dependency relationships with parents. A cluster analysis performed on four variables (dispersion of dependency, dependence on mother, dependence on father, and dependence on self) within a sample of 122 young adults differentiated four groups of subjects whose characteristics, explored by means of the Adjective Check List and the Helping Grid, largely corresponded to the expected ones.