The Role of Interdependence and Perceived Similarity in Depressed Affect Contagion Article

Paukert, AL, Pettit, JW, Amacker, A. (2008). The Role of Interdependence and Perceived Similarity in Depressed Affect Contagion . BEHAVIOR THERAPY, 39(3), 277-285. 10.1016/j.beth.2007.08.001

cited authors

  • Paukert, AL; Pettit, JW; Amacker, A

authors

abstract

  • This study hypothesized that perceived similarity significantly impacts depressed affect contagion only for individuals with highly interdependent self-construals. Baseline self-construal and affect were measured. Then, after reading a vignette about a depressed or nondepressed target, affect and perceived similarity were assessed. Participants reading the depressed vignette reported higher negative affect than participants reading the nondepressed vignette. Positive affect did not differ between the two conditions. For participants exposed to the depressed vignette, the hypothesized interaction between perceived similarity and interdependence significantly predicted positive affect. It appears that participants with more interdependent self-construals were more likely to "catch" the low positive affect displayed by the depressed target only if they perceived themselves as highly similar to the target. © 2008.

publication date

  • September 1, 2008

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 277

end page

  • 285

volume

  • 39

issue

  • 3