Abstract
The role of personality in depression has been studied extensively. Anhedonia is a cardinal symptom of depression with important implications for treatment yet there is relatively little research examining its relationship to personality. This study investigated the role of two influential models of personality and depression, the Big Five and Beck's (1983) sociotropy-autonomy, in predicting anhedonia and depression symptoms more generally. Undergraduate students completed the Big Five Inventory, Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Specific Loss of Interest and Pleasure Scale. The results of simultaneous regressions indicated that neuroticism and conscientiousness were the only unique predictors of general depression symptoms, while anhedonia symptoms were significantly predicted by extraversion, agreeableness, and sociotropy (inversely) over and above what could be explained by neuroticism. The findings suggest anhedonia may be predicted by a set of traits that is different in important ways from traits predictive of general depression symptoms. Implications for the role of personality in anhedonia are discussed.
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