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Introduction: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders which put a huge burden on individuals and society. Personality elements are based on the nature and character of depressed patients in different countries. Since the pattern of personality elements have varied considerably among people of different nations, including Iranians, one wonders whether or not these elements differ among depressed Iranian patients. Methods: 160 patients diagnosed with standard major depression, determined by a psychiatrist, and 145 healthy subjects with similar characteristics participated in the present study as the control group. The participants were all Iranian; the mean age of the patients was 31.31 ± 9.15 years and that of the control group was 32.72 ± 10.15. Personality elements were evaluated by TCI-125 questionnaire and these elements were compared between the case and control group subjects. Results: Novelty seeking elements in the nature and self-expression in the genus were similar in patients and control group. Other elements shoes significant or very significant changes;these elements included increasing risk aversion, rewarding and persevering in nature, as well as self-directed and cooperative nature of patients. Conclusion: While, similar to the present research several studies have associated risk aversion and self-directed behaviors associated with depression, the present study suggests the relationship between high rewarding and persistent relationship, and low cooperation with depression among Iranian patients; this difference can be due to the cultural and social differences of Iranians, especially in the field of relations of people in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]