A Program of Research on the Dimensions and Antecedents of Emotional Dependence

Abstract

The problem set for this paper is to outline a program of research which focuses upon an assumed continuity between early childhood conditions and those consequent social behaviors of children which typically have been labeled dependence. In particular, emphasis is placed upon behaviors which are employed apparently to gain such positive social responses from other persons as those involving attention, approval, affection, reassurance, and nearness, and upon the early conditions under which they develop. While it is probable that knowledge of the processes underlying emotional dependence will be critical to the understanding of a substantial portion of the social behavior of children and adults, very little is known either about the dimensionality or the antecedents of that behavior class. The principal focus of this paper is upon child behavior; however, the major problems raised may be considered a subclass of general behavior problems and hence continuous with questions characteristically raised about adaptive behaviors exhibited in simple settings both by infrahumans and humans. Since the theories of social development which do not have their origins in such basic considerations of learning appear to approach the earliest conditions for the development of dependence in a less articulate manner, selected descriptive concepts and postulates which stem from work on general behavior problems are emphasized in this paper. Relatively little emphasis is placed upon concepts at other than simple levels of analysis (e.g., personality characteristics of the mother, her acceptance of the child, social class membership), which appear to be employed in many theories and researches on children's dependence, and index conditions which would qualify early dependence learning. However, it is expected that the reader will bring to mind such concepts, theories and research findings as they are required. A systematic ordering scheme would appear requisite to any research program of intended generality and significance. It is preferable that such 1 The writer is grateful to Mr. D. M. Baer for his valuable aid in the preparation of this paper.