The paper reviews aspects of a young child's emotional development occurring in social interactions and discusses implications for children having, or at risk of having, emotional and behavioral problems. Contributions of ethology and ecology are cited in an examination of the child's interaction with the family. Research findings are reviewed on attachment behavior, impact of infant behaviors on parent functioning, the child's socialization, and emotional problem solving. The author concludes that severe emotional and behavioral problems occur in the presence of a continuous malfunction in the organism-environment transaction over time. (CL)