Interpersonal behavior of depressive individuals in a mixed-motive game.

Abstract

Three groups of subjects (depressed, nondepressed/other psychological problems, and normal) interacted with a same-sex normal person in a modified Prisoner's Dilemma procedure in which each player's relative power was manipulated. Dyads also had several opportunities to exchange communications during the game. The results indicated that when depressed individuals were in the high-power role, the interactive pattern in the Prisoner's Dilemma procedure was relatively exploitive and noncooperative. High-power depressed persons also displayed elevation in communications of self-devaluation-sadness and helplessness. This array of behaviors elicited noncooperativeness, extrapunitiveness, and expressions of helplessness in their normal partners. Depressives in the low-power role exhibited no unique game behaviors but communicated self-devaluation and helpless messages; and in addition, they tended to blame their partner for their devalued condition-a pattern that elicited more ingratiating behaviors in their normal partners. These findings are discussed in relation to social-interactional approaches to depression. This report is an attempt to extend the literature on the interpersonal behaviors of depressed individuals and to study further the reactions of others to those behaviors. The growing body of data on these issues (cf.

Responses to Conflict and Cooperation in Adolescents with Anxiety and Mood Disorders

“…In particular, it will be important to include an adequate number of depressed, non-anxious participants to ascertain whether distinct patterns of behavior and emotional response relate independently to depressive versus anxiety disorders. This appears particularly important, in light of findings that depressive symptoms in healthy adults relate to a more conflict-laden pattern of play (Haley & Strickland, 1986;Hokanson, Sacco, Blumberg, & Landrum, 1980). Examining distinctly depressed versus distinctly anxious adolescents, to the extent possible, given high rates of comorbidity, might provide an explanation for divergences between our findings and those in these two earlier studies.…”

“…Findings from two studies in healthy adults suggest that depressive symptoms relate to an uncooperative pattern of response during the task (Haley & Strickland, 1986;Hokanson, Sacco, Blumberg, & Landrum, 1980). Hokanson and colleagues (1980) found adults with high levels of depressive symptoms to play more uncooperatively and exploitatively than non-depressed peers when they knew their co-player's responses in advance.…”

Satisfaction in interpersonal interactions as a function of similarity in level of dysphoria.

“…Because depressed people experience a lack of efficacy, expect future failure, and think self-derogating thoughts, their behavior conveys a submissive interpersonal stance that invites other people to adopt a dominating role (e.g, advice giving), which in turn invites the depressed person to remain submissive, thereby sustaining the depression (Altman & Wittenborn, 1980, Beck, 1967Blumberg & Hokanson, 1983;Cofer & Wittenborn, 1980;Coyne, 1976b;Gotlib & Robinson, 1982;Hokanson, Sacco, Blumberg, & Landrum, 1980). As a result, the depressed person continues to feel depressed and the partner eventually comes to feel frustrated (Horowitz & Vitkus, 1986).…”

Difference in serotonergic and noradrenergic regulation of human social behaviours

“…Each item is rated on a 1-6 scale. The Communication Checklist (Hokanson et al 1980) is a computerised 24-item inventory to allow dyads to communicate during the mixed-motive game. The checklist measures six different types of communication, extrapunitiveness, cooperativeness/ friendliness, ingratiation, sadness/self-devaluation, blaming partner/devalued feeling, helplessness/withdrawal.…”