Elastic stress fields, self-energies, and energy factors of straight edge and screw dislocations in olivine, orthopyroxene, calcite, and α quartz are calculated numerically from the equations of anisotropic elasticity. Energy factor profiles are used to determine which slip systems are preferred on the basis of elastic self-energies, and the effects of elastic anisotropy on the stresses and self-energies of the dislocations are investigated. The moderate anisotropies of olivine and orthopyroxene lead to results that differ by about 10% from the isotropic elastic solutions. Comparison with observations indicates that the slip direction and glide plane preference of dislocations in these orthorhombic minerals cannot be predicted solely on the basis of anisotropic elasticity theory. In quartz and especially in calcite the large elastic anisotropy does have a major influence on slip system preference, which is consistent with the observed systems. Anisotropic calculations for olivine at 1000¿C and for α quartz near the α-β transition temperature failed to reveal any significant changes in slip system preference assoicated with the effects of higher temperatures.