Dependency Level Test | Explore Your Autonomy and Decision-Making Independence

I. What Is Dependent Personality Tendency?

Dependency is not simply 'clinginess' or 'lacking opinions', but rather, in emotion, decision-making, and life management, an excessive seeking of others' support and confirmation - a psychological pattern. It stems from an individual's underestimation of their own abilities and a deep fear of separation, loneliness, or abandonment.

A moderate degree of dependence is the lubricant of a healthy relationship, but when dependence becomes asurvival strategy, making an individual unable to make choices independently, afraid to take responsibility, or losing their personal boundaries, it may develop into dependent personality traits, affecting personal growth and mental health.

II. Theoretical Basis: Self-Differentiation and Learned Helplessness

This test is primarily built on two core psychological theories:

• Bowen Family Systems Theory (Self-Differentiation): Proposed by psychiatrist Murray Bowen. 'Self-differentiation' refers to an individual's ability to separate emotionally and intellectually from their family of origin. People with a low degree of differentiation are easily affected by others' emotions, find it hard to hold their own position, and tend to comply with the group or authority.
• Learned Helplessness: Proposed by Martin Seligman. After repeatedly experiencing uncontrollable negative events, a person will give up trying even when a chance to change later appears, believing they are 'powerless', which produces a passively dependent behavioral pattern.

III. The Four Assessment Dimensions of This Test

To comprehensively assess your level of dependence, we examine the following four core dimensions (16 questions in total):

• Decision-Making Autonomy: When facing a choice, do you tend to think independently, or must you wait for others' instructions or approval?
• Willingness to Take Responsibility: When things go wrong, do you bravely take responsibility and look for solutions, or tend to shift blame or seek others to back you up?
• Tolerance for Being Alone: When alone, do you feel comfortable and fulfilled, or anxious and restless, urgently needing others' company to feel secure?
• Boundary Clarity: In social interactions, can you distinguish 'my business' from 'others' business', and do you find it hard to refuse others' requests?

IV. Test Purpose and Target Audience

This test aims to help you identify whether you have an excessive dependence pattern in life and relationships:

• Often feeling unable to make decisions independently and always needing others to decide for you
• Feeling suffocated in an intimate relationship, yet afraid of losing your partner
• Lacking initiative at work and used to waiting for instructions
• Wanting to build confidence and improve your ability to solve problems independently

V. Scoring and Result Interpretation

Each question is scored from 1 to 5, from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. The system calculates your weighted scores across the four dimensions and finally classifies you as one of the following three types: Independent Type, Moderately Interdependent Type, Overly Dependent Type. The higher the score, the more pronounced your dependence tendency on that dimension.