Cognitive Therapy and Research, Vol. 24, No. 6, 2000, pp. 609–626 Communication About the Self and Partner in the Relationships of Dependents and Self-Critics Lisa C. Vettese 1,2 and Myriam Mongrain 1 This study examined two depression-related individual difference variables, Depen- dency and Self-Criticism, in relation to communication about the self and a romantic partner. Sixty-five women varying on Dependency and Self-Criticism were assessed with their partners during an interaction in which they appraised their own and each others’ performance on a previous conflict resolution task. Irrespective of current depression levels, highly self-critical women were found to emit higher proportions of negative statements about their own and their partners’ performance. Partners responded, in turn, with more negative feedback about the self-critic. Highly depen- dent women were not distinguished with respect to their own behavior, but elicited less negative feedback from their partners. The roles of Dependency and Self-Criticism in the elucidation of different interpersonal cycles of depression are discussed. KEY WORDS: dependency; self-criticism; depression; communication. INTRODUCTION Interpersonal models of depression posit that dysfunctional interpersonal rela- tionships play a critical role in the onset and maintenance of depression (e.g., Coyne, Burchill, & Stiles, 1991; Gotlib & Hammen, 1992). According to recent reviews of the empirical literature (Marcus & Nardone, 1992; Segrin & Abramson, 1994), there is substantial evidence in support of these models suggesting that depressives engage in more negative, and less supportive, communication with others. It has been shown, for instance, that depressives emit more negative statements (Gotlib & Robinson, 1982) and obtain lower ratings of social competence than nondepressives during first-time peer interactions (Dykman, Horowitz, Abramson, & Usher, 1991; Lewinsohn, Mischel, Chaplin, & Barton, 1980). Depressed people report higher levels of criticism from family members (Franks, Shields, Campbell, McDaniel, Harp, & Botelho, 1992), and receive fewer positive evaluations during interactions 1 Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2 Correspondence should be directed to Lisa C. Vettese, Department of Psychology, Room 297 BSB, York University, 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3; e-mail: lisav@yorku.ca. 609 0147-5916/00/1200-0609$18.00/0  2000 Plenum Publishing Corporation