The concept of dependence.

The concept of dependence is reviewed in Western and Asian contexts. Asians find it acceptable and necessary, whereas Westerners may adopt an ambivalent attitude or reject the issue. Homeostatic dependence or reliance upon social and physicochemical environment is vital for human development and adaptation. Dependence as a phenomenon can be an interactional state, a trait, a role, and an initiator of mental mechanisms. Imbalanced processes result in pathological dependencies or disorders. An understanding of aspects of dependence has therapeutic implications in the assessment of the patient and the regulation of the role of the therapist.