Yamaguchi & Ariizumi (2006)

Close interpersonal relationships among Japanese: Amae as distinguished from attachment and dependence.

Since Doi (1971)  Amae has been brought to western attention, but has been misunderstood as dependence or insecure attachment.

Doi (1992) suggests it involves "basking in another's indulgence" and Doi 2001 suggests that it involves Love and Emotional dependence.

Taketomo (1986) offers a critique where he suggests that Amae involves a situation where:

a) Interactions are under temporary suspension of some ordinary restraints &
b) this suspension is agreed upon by the interactants.

Kim & Yamaguchi (1995) Empirically tested the concept of Amae through an open-ended questionnaire with about 1000 participants from junior high-school students through to adults.

They found that Amae involves:
a) either (or both) positive and negative emotions or feelings
b) a situation that is acceptable as long as it does not disrupt interpersonal relations
c) two kinds of relationships: vertical & Horizontal

Hence:  Amae is "presumed acceptance of one's inappropriate behavior or request" (Yamaguchi 1999, italics added).

As seen in the everyday lives of Japanese this forms a folk concept, but it is distinguished from dependence since it entails control (unlike dependence) and receiver does not need to receive approval, since they know what they want.

It is also distinguished from insecure attachment where it is not merely the need to "maintain proximity to another individual.

Yamaguchi (2004) found that in response to standard scenarios that Americans also engage in Amae behaviour as do the Japanese, indicated that it is not culturally bound, but has something etic to it's character (e.g., take care of cat).