Blunders and interpersonal attraction under conditions of dependency.

Previous studies have indicated that attraction for a high-status other is increased when the other exhibits a small blunder or weakness, thus making the other appear "more human." The present study sought to ascertain whether or not this relationship can be generalized to conditions in which the subject is dependent on the high-status other. Specifically, hospitalized psychiatric patients were exposed to blunders made by a confederate playing the role of a (a) psychiatric aide, (b) teacher, or (c) another patient. In contrast with the conditions involving the teacher and the other patient, attraction to the aide decreased significantly when a large weakness was displayed. The results are interpreted in terms of the dependency relationship between the patient and the aide in a psychiatric setting.