Abstract
Three broad traditions can be seen in human research on depression and related
conditions: Experimental research, research focusing on a specific stressor, and
survey research. Each represents an attempt to deal with the prerequisite of any
rigorous research on the topic: The need to define the stressor event in a manner
which is untainted by the psychological consequences of it. That is, although
from an intuitive viewpoint it seems reasonable to call an event stressful only
when it is followed by an adverse effect (or, perhaps, a compensatory effort), to
do so involves an element of circular reasoning which is unacceptable m a
research context. The three viable approaches are discussed briefly here.