This study was designed to determine whether separation anxiety proneness in normal preschoolers is associated with distinctive ways of relating to other people. A total of 14 preschool children (6 girls and 8 boys) were rated for separation anxiety proneness by their parents prior to preschool entrance. The preschool teaching staff then rated them for entrance distress each day of the first two weeks of preschool attendance. A clinical psychologist made almost daily observations in the nursery school throughout the school year; in addition, periodic observations, parental interviews, and developmental assessments were made by a child study group composed of another clinical psychologist, a developmental psychologist, and several graduate students. At the end of the year, the clinical psychologist who served as regular observer prepared summaries on each child based on the group's consensus from individual findings. The material from these case summaries was analyzed using a clinical judgmental process. The findings indicated that children who are prone to high separation anxiety have more limited repertoires for peer interaction than other children do, and that their relationships with both peers and adults are dependent ones. It was concluded that separation anxiety in early childhood has important implications for psychosocial development. (JMB)