Recent evidence indicates that perceived adequacy of support has substantial predictive power for the subsequent onset of minor psychiatric symptoms. Such findings suggest that social support is not purely a properly of the environment, but is also a function of personality. The problem, however, with a re-emphasis on personality variables is that any one of scores of dimensions can be chosen for study. This paper argues that precision may be gained by conceptualizing personality variables in terms of basic behavioral systems that have been extensively investigated in ethological and developmental studies. One such basic system is attachment. The present paper discusses the relevance of attachment theory for understanding susceptibility to stress and individual differences in the use of social support during times of stress.
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