title: Depathologizing dependency.
abstract: For nearly a century psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals have emphasized the maladaptive, problematic aspects of dependent personality traits. In this article, I review theoretical frameworks that have played a key role in pathologizing dependency, and then describe empirical findings which indicate that dependency is not simply a flaw or deficit in functioning but is also associated with a variety of healthy, adaptive traits, and behaviors. The theoretical, empirical, and clinical implications of depathologizing dependency are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania 17325, USA.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Bornstein
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D003859:Dependent Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D009626:Terminology as Topic