Dependency in the Writing Center: Psychological Profiles and Tutorial Strategies

Because they are uniquely situated in many educational institutions, offering individual instruction and personal assistance with academic tasks, writing centers can stimulate dependency behaviors in some students. This dependency can manifest itself in a variety of ways, ranging from blind compliance in tutorial sessions to pathological visitation practices. Recent work in dependency theory by social, clinical, and developmental psychologists provides insights into the nature of dependency and, as a consequence, the pedagogical strategies which might prove most effective for dealing with these students. This article reviews several relevant articles in the psychological literature, discusses how their findings apply to dependent students in writing centers, and offers several strategies that tutors might employ in conferences.