Psychometric characteristics of revised Sociotropy and Autonomy Scales in college students

Beck, Epstein, Harrison and Emery (unpublished manuscript, 1983) developed the Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale (SAS) to assess personality constructs that were considered possible vulnerability factors to reactive depression. Principal components and factor analyses of an expanded 93-item version of the SAS were performed with successive samples of undergraduates totalling 2041 Ss. Only 59 items were needed to establish the generalizabilities of one dimension of Sociotropy and two dimensions of Autonomy. Three subscales reflecting Sociotropy, Solitude and Independence were constructed from these items. The convergent and discriminant validities of the three subscales were assessed with respect to a variety of other psychological tests. The overall pattern of relationships indicated that Solitude was positively correlated with dysphoria, perfectionism, self-criticalness, and loneliness. In contrast, Independence was positively correlated with perfectionism and self-efficacy, but inversely related to concern about approval from others. Sociotropy was correlated with dependency, self criticalness, and affiliation motivation. The findings supported the construct validity of the three revised SAS subscales.