Organisational Change

2.8.3 Dependency Motive

Being a feudal culture, the dependency motive has been fairly strong in India. Dependency motive is characterised by a tendency to depend on and please the authority figure, and to expect others who are lower in authority to do the same thing in turn. This is reflected in various forms. When dependency is high, it results in some of the following behaviours.

Avoidance Syndrome

Lack of initiative is one symptom of the avoidance syndrome. In a dependency situation, the individual does not take the initiative to make a decision. He merely carries out a decision. Similarly, a person does not take responsibility for an action because he himself is not responsible for the action. Another characteristic of the avoidance syndrome ...