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The neurotic dependence conflict lies between impulses to independence, self-assertiveness, self-sufficiency, initiative, self-determination, etc., on the one hand, and opposite tendencies on the other. Dependent needs arise from a condition of immaturity at the beginning of development; but neurotic dependent needs do not fulfil any useful function in reality, serving only unconscious purposes.
Manifestations of the need to be independent can be observed very early in human development, and it can be considered innate. If the head of a newborn infant is forced towards the breast, without considering spontaneous motility or intensity of hunger, resistance appears that can lead to complete rejection of the food. If food is offered too late or too early in relation to the sudden appearance of hunger, or if repeated or prolonged interruptions occur during breast feeding, the whole feeding process becomes a frustration for the immature ego that does not yet possess sufficient inhibitory mechanisms. Again, the infant may systematically reject the bottle once or twice before accepting it greedily. In this way the infantile ego appears to reject impositions from without and affirms his individuality. Similar manifestations can be noticed in other young mammals, such as the dog.