Intimate Relationships: Issues, Theories, and Research

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
1 Strangers, Friends, and Lovers: Why Is Life So Complicated?
	The Need to Belong
	Distinct Relationship Needs
	The Inevitability of Social Relationships
	Intimate Relationships Yesterday and Today
	Summary
2 Methods to Study Relationships
	The Science of Intimate Relationships
	Methodology: Data Collection and Analysis
	Interpreting Experimental Data: Dyadic Effects
	Collecting Couple Data
	Summary
3 Liking and Attraction
	Psychological Attraction: Theories
	Psychological Attraction: Phenomena
	Physical Attractiveness and Dating Choices
	Standards of Attractiveness: Bodies and Faces
	Evolution and Attractiveness
	The Physical Attractiveness Stereotype: Beauty Is as Beauty Does
	Is Beauty Solely in the Eye of the Beholder?
	Summary
4 Self-Presentation and Self-Disclosure
	Self-Presentation
	Models of Self-Disclosure
	Context Influences on Self-Disclosure
	Summary
5 Fairness and Equity
	The Nature of Resources Exchanged
	Determining What Is Fair: Equity Theory
	Evaluating Relationship Outcomes: Comparison Levels
	The Thibaut and Kelley Model
	Close Relationships as Communal Relationships
	Summary
6 Love and Emotion
	Liking and Loving: A Conceptual Distinction
	The Prototype of Love
	Causal Theories of Love
	Type Theories of Love
	Individual Differences in Love
	Love Over Time: Does It Get Better or Worse?
	Beyond Love: A Quick Look at Guilt
	Summary
7 Attachment
	Patterns of Attachment in Infancy
	Adult Attachment
	Summary
8 Sexuality
	Attitudes About Sex: An Evolving Story
	Sexual Behavior
	Sexual Satisfaction
	Sexual Communication
	Sexual Pathways
	Same-Sex Attraction and Beyond
	Summary
9 Communication: Let’s talk!
	Sex Differences in Communication
	Communication Processes and Strategies in Intimate Relationships
	Technology and Communication: Smartphones and Online Interactions
	The Special Case of Long-Distance Relationships
	Summary
10 Infidelity and Jealousy
	Infidelity and Jealousy across Time and Cultures
	Defining Jealousy
	Sources of Jealousy: The Jealous Person, the Partner, and the Rival
	Reactions to Jealousy
	Coping With the Green-Eyed Monster
	An Attachment Approach to Jealousy
	Summary
11 Relationship Violence and Abuse
	Relationship Violence: Its Definition and Measurement
	Consequences of Relationship Violence
	Causes of Relationship Violence
	Sexual Violence
	Summary
12 Conflict: Causes and Consequences
	Conflict between Lovers and Strangers
	The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Conflict in Intimate Relationships
	Sources of Conflict: “I Said… You Said …”
	Reactions to Conflict
	Transforming Relationships—From Conflict to Growth
	Conflict in Context
	Dissolution of Intimate Relationships: The End of Romance
	Alternatives to Dissolution
	Summary
13 Making It Last: How to Maintain Intimate Relationships
	The Evolution of Marriage
	Relationship Management in Daily Life
	Social Comparison and Relationship Maintenance
	Relationship Maintenance Challenges for Marginalized Groups
	Summary
14 Intimate Relationships in the 21st Century
	Dating and Mating in the Internet Age
	Marriage in the 21st Century
	Being and Remaining Single
	Summary
References
Index