Intimate Relationships : Issues, Theories, and Research

This text, written by two social psychologists, tells the story of scientific research on intimate relationships in a comprehensive yet concise manner.

Presented at a level equally suited for beginning and advanced students of the field, Intimate Relationships covers both classic and current material.

Chapters range from attraction to love, attachment to jealousy, conflict to relationship dissolution - all written in a warm, personal, and engaging voice. Each chapter is organized around the major issues and relevant theories, in addition to a critical evaluation about the research.

When appropriate, the authors discuss and evaluate popular ideas about relationship processes in the context of scientific research.

This includes critical evaluations of evolutionary approaches to attraction, victim-based counts of abuse, and the separate-cultures view of the sexes.