Reconstruing codependency using self-in-relation theory: a feminist perspective

Judging from advertisements for professional books, continuing education workshops, and speakers, social workers appear to believe that codependency is a problem about which they should be knowledgeable. This article traces the evolution of the codependency construct and its burgeoning popularity in the 1980s. It critically examines codependency from the perspective of researchers who have found little empirical support for the constellation of characteristics used to define the term and from the perspective of feminist analysis. In addition, the article analyzes the assumptions about health and relationships that are embedded in the concept of the codependency and contends, from the perspective of self-in-relation theory, that the concept does not provide a useful framework for social work conceptualization and intervention with women.