Despite general agreement that psychosocial factors play an important role in various facets of the etiology, onset, treatment response and outcome of depressive disorders, the replicability of research results has left much to be desired. Because much of this unreliability has been attributed to variability in diagnostic criteria, this volume focuses on efforts to identify sources of variability in the definition and diagnosis of depressive disorders within Western society and cross-culturally. It also explicates the elusive role of aversive life events in the development and course of depressive disorders, deals with the interpersonal experiences and dispositions related to the vulnerability and maintenance of depression, and addresses an often neglected issue: how stress and social support affect the quality and response to treatment received. The text concludes with the presentation of an integrative framework for vulnerability to recurrent depressions which emphasizes the interaction of biological and psychosocial factors as largely mediated by personality and temperament.