Abstract
This chapter on “Interpersonal Dependency” explores implications of the International Classification of Diseases, 11th edition (ICD-11) personality disorder (PD) framework for clinicians’ understanding of pathological interpersonal dependency. The chapter begins by outlining the Cognitive/Interactionist (C/I) model, an evidence-based framework which illuminates the central role of the “helpless self-concept” in the etiology and dynamics of interpersonal dependency and helps account for temporal and contextual variations in dependency-related responding. The chapter describes how interpersonal dependency is manifested at different levels of PD severity (mild, moderate, or severe), and reviews research on trait specifiers that characterize this personality style (Negative Affectivity, Dissociality, and Disinhibition). Implications of the ICD-11 PD framework for assessment and treatment of problematic dependency are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.