ABSTRACT
The study of couple relationships entails evaluating interplaying dimensions and motivational systems that create complex patterns. The concept of motivational systems has become central in psychoanalytic thinking. Using results from research into early childhood, and the contributions of self psychology, J. D. Lichtenberg proposed a theory based on five motivational systems driving individual functioning. A more complex issue concerns the way in which motivational systems "dominate" and/or "interact" with each other at different stages of a relationship. The caregiving system is usually activated when a partner requests help. In developing a theoretical model of the functioning of the caregiving system in adulthood, a number of questions have to be answered. Many studies have been carried out to understand the way in which individual differences of attachment influence the expression of caregiving. The care-seeking partner feels supported, and this positive perception can contribute to the general sense of couple security and personal wellbeing.
