A variable was introduced which classified 151 women with breast cancer into those with perceived self- or other-reliance regarding their recovery from breast surgery. While this factor played no direct role in psychological adjustment, it did serve as a modifier of the relationships between stress, social support, and adjustment. Life stress assumed more and support assumed less importance for those who were self-reliant. It is suggested that self-reliance is related to locus of control. The implications of this suggestion are applied to these findings.