The relationship between neurotic personality and indebtedness: The mediating role of self-critical rumination and fear of intimacy

Negative affective responses and perceived obligations following the receipt of help often result in feelings of indebtedness, which are thought to be closely associated with neurotic personality patterns, self-critical ruminative tendencies, and perceptions of emotional closeness as threatening. In line with this, the present study investigated the predictive roles of neurotic personality types (compliant, aggressive, and detached), self-critical rumination, and fear of intimacy in feelings of indebtedness through path analysis within the framework of structural equation modeling. Additionally, the potential mediating roles of self-critical rumination and fear of intimacy in the relationship between neurotic personality structures and feelings of indebtedness were examined. The research was conducted using a correlational survey model with a sample of 769 participants (412 women, 357 men) selected through a purposive sampling method. Data were collected via the Socio-Demographic Information Form, Indebtedness Scale, Self-Critical Rumination Scale, Fear of Intimacy Scale, and the Horney-Coolidge Tridimensional Inventory. Independent samples t-test analyses revealed significant differences in self-critical rumination, aggressive type, and detached type based on gender; in fear of intimacy based on educational level; in self-critical rumination, fear of intimacy, and aggressive type based on marital status; and in fear of intimacy and aggressive type based on socioeconomic status. Additionally, significant differences were observed in self-critical rumination and aggressive type based on age. Path analysis results indicated that the compliant type, detached type, and self-critical rumination directly predicted feelings of indebtedness. Furthermore, the aggressive type predicted indebtedness only indirectly through full mediation by self-critical rumination. A serial mediation effect was found between the detached type and feelings of indebtedness: the detached type increased fear of intimacy, which in turn elevated self-critical rumination, ultimately enhancing feelings of indebtedness. The final model explained 18.8% of the total variance in indebtedness, 28.9% of the variance in self-critical rumination, and 6.7% of the variance in fear of intimacy. These findings suggest that personality configurations and internal cognitive processes exert a multidimensional and integrated influence on the experience of indebtedness in the context of interpersonal relationships.