Relationships, Development, and Psychopathology

Abstract

Interpersonal relationships are pivotal for studying psychopathology in general and devel-opmental psychopathology in particular. This is so at multiple levels of analysis, from defining psychopathology, to describing preconditions and contexts, and to imderstanding its origins and nature. For example, relationship problems often are markers of disturbance, and the diagnosis of disorder often centers on relationship considerations. From social phobias to conduct problems to psychotic disorders, across the whole range of problems in childhood and adulthood, distur-bances in interpersonal relationships are prominent criteria for classification in psychopa-thology. Thus, vAtcda therejs_.psychological disturbance, interpersonal relationships also are^ likely to bedSftfrBSTGiven the critical S^ortmceWrelafrdnsKfw^^ this is not surprisingrTES"role of relationship problems as markers of pathology would, in and of itself be sufficient grounds for emphasizing the developmental study of relationships for the field of psychopathology. But this is only the beginning.