The complementary-needs hypothesis,

authoritarianism, dominance, and other

Edwards Personal Preference Schedule
scores
Gilbert Becker, Louisiana State Untversity, New Orleans

The hypothesis that differences that permit a symbiosis be-

tween members of a dyad promote a more or less permanent
relationship has been called by Wmch (1952) the theory of
complementary needs With reference to the need for domi-
nance, for example, Wmch et al wnte "If A is highly ascendent
[dommant], we should expect A to be more attracted to B
who IS submissive than to C who, like A, is ascendent And
- B should be reciprocally attracted to A" (Wmch, Ktsanes, &
Ktsanes, 1954, p 242) Wmch and his co-workers (Wmch, 1955)
have obtamed empincal support for this hypothesis from ratmgs
and from data obtamed m a special mterview designed to elicit
evidence on needs
Other mvestigators (Bowerman & Day, 1956, Murstem, 1961),
employmg different personahty assessment procedures, have
failed to find evidence consistent with the hypothesis of com-
plementary needs Moreover, still other research (Burgess &
Wallm, 1953, Flemmmg, 1935) has revealed data supportmg a
homogenous- or similar-needs hypothesis
Upon logical analysis these mconsistencies may be attnbuted
to any of the follovnng (c) needs may not have been measured
at the appropnate level, {b) complementanty may hold for some
needs and similanty for others (Cross, 1956), (c) the mathemati-
cal mdex devised by Wmch (1955) and used by many others to
tap complementanty may not be adequate, {d) researchers may
fail to recognize hmitmg factors or special conditions under which
complementanty may hold for a given vanable (and other condi-
tions imder which similarity may hold) The last two possibih-
ties, focusmg on dommance and submission needs, will be given
empmcal support m the findmgs to be reported below.
The complementary-needs hypothesis 55
The results suggested the followmg conclusions.
1 Dommance may be complementary or homogenous de-
pending on the authontarian atbtude of the dyad
2 It IS the male partner who detemnnes differences between
the groups on average F, and it is the female partner who de-
termmes differences between the groups on Dommance and
Dom-D
3 Fmdmgs of complementarity or similanty are empty unless
the mediatmg processes are understood and serve only to direct
further research mto the nature of tbis mediabon.
4 A defimbon of complementarity based on Difference scores
in addibon to a "negabve-f" model may be supenor to one based
solely on the latter. Adequacy can be determmed tbrougb
knowledge of mediatmg processes.

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56 Gilbert Becker
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Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Umver of Washmgton, 1957

Manuscript received May 16, 1963