contents
Why Intimate Relationships Are Important
Intimate Relationships Affect Our Happiness and Well-Being
Intimate Relationships Influence the Well-Being of Children
Intimate Relationships Contribute to Larger Communities
box 1.1 / Spotlight on: Intimate Relationships and Social Conformity
Intimate Relationships Are Universal
Intimate Relationships Determine the Survival of Our Species
box 1.2 / Spotlight on: Talking About Love in Different Cultures
What Makes a Relationship Intimate?
Interdependence Is the Cornerstone of All Relationships
Only Some Social Relationships Are Personal Relationships
Only Some Personal Relationships Are Close Relationships
Only Some Close Relationships Are Intimate Relationships
Love and the Essential Mystery of Intimate Relationships
What Makes a Theory Influential?
box 2.1 / Spotlight on: The Scent of a Man
How the Evolutionary Perspective Guides Research
Evaluating the Evolutionary Perspective
How Attachment Theory Guides Research
How Social Exchange Theory Guides Research
Evaluating Social Exchange Theory
How Social Learning Theory Guides Research
Evaluating Social Learning Theory
How Social Ecological Models Guide Research
Evaluating Social Ecological Models
Unifying Themes in Theories of Intimate Relationships
Challenges of Relationship Science
Understanding Relationships Involves Studying Constructs
Relationships Are Complex and Multidetermined
box 3.1 / Spotlight on: Measuring Relationship Satisfaction
Which Measurement Strategy Is Best?
box 3.2 / Spotlight on: The Case of the Disappearing Curve
Which Research Design Is Best?
box 3.3 / Spotlight on: The Challenges of Studying Couples
Drawing Distinctions: Sex vs. Gender
From Biological Features to Social Expectations
Varieties of Gender Expression: Finding the Individuals in the Categories
How Gender Shapes Thinking and Affects Behavior
box 4.1 / Spotlight on: Changing Places
Not So Innate: The Historical Context of Gender
Measuring Gender Similarities and Differences
Explaining Gender Similarities and Differences
The Evolutionary View: Gender Differences Are Inherited
The Social Structural View: Gender Differences Are Learned
box 4.2 / Spotlight on: Beliefs About Gender and Parenting
Sexual Orientations and Identities
Experiences and Expressions of Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientations of Women and Men
Sexual Orientation and Intimate Relationships
Communication, Cooperation, and Conflict
Sexual Acitivity and Sexual Exclusivity
box 5.1 / Spotlight on: The Curious Case of Divorce Among Lesbians
6Personality and Personal History
Personality Traits and Emotional Tendencies
Personality, Emotion, and Intimacy
Consequences of Negative Affectivity and Low Self-Esteem
box 6.1 / Spotlight on: Relationships Influencing Personality
Childhood Experiences in Families
Family Transitions and the Well-Being of Children
How Childhood Experiences Influence Later Relationships
The Social Learning Theory View
box 6.2 / Spotlight on: Science and the Politics of Divorce
Early Relationships with Caregivers
How Much Does Appearance Matter?
Why Appearance Makes Such a Difference
box 7.1 / Spotlight on: Features of Appealing Faces
Knowing What You Want in a Romantic Partner
How Context Affects Romantic Attraction
First Moves: Signaling Availability and Interest
box 7.2 / Spotlight on: Hooking Up in College
Self-Disclosure: Knowing and Being Known
How Communication Promotes Intimacy
Disclosures and Responses: The Intimacy Process Model
box 8.1 / Spotlight on: Finding Keepers
Research Findings on the Process of Intimacy
Expanding the Self: Shared Activities
Overcoming Stress and Adversity: Social Support
Accentuating the Positive: Capitalization
Responding to Betrayal: Forgiveness
box 8.2 / Spotlight on: Forgiveness and Infidelity
Sexual Satisfaction and Relationship Satisfaction
Ingredients of a Healthy Sex Life
The Functions of Sex in Intimate Relationships
box 9.1 / Spotlight on: Consensual Nonmonogamy
Compensating for Relationship Vulnerabilities
Contributing to Physical Health and Well-being
Obstacles: What Gets in the Way of Sex
The Landscape of Couple Conflict
Social Learning Theory and the Costs of Coercion
Behavioral Building Blocks of Conflict
Disagreements in Happy and Unhappy Couples
box 10.1 / Spotlight on: Quantifying Couple Communication
Partner Perceptions of Behaviors During Arguments
Broad Behavioral Patterns in Disagreements
Consequences of Couple Conflict
box 10.2 / Spotlight on: Predicting Relationship Outcomes
Attachment Theory and Couple Conflict
Negotiating and Violating Exclusivity
Does Biology Predispose Us to Being Unfaithful?
Red Flags and the Progression Toward Infidelity
In the Aftermath of Infidelity
box 11.1 / Spotlight on: The Cycle of Coercive Controlling Violence
Characteristics of Situational Couple Violence
Explaining Situational Couple Violence
Functions of Beliefs and Values
Interpreting Relationship Events
box 12.1 / Spotlight on: Arranged Marriages
Enhancement: Believing the Best
Accuracy: Knowing and Being Known
Responding to Negative Experiences
Ignoring or Forgetting Negative Information
Minimizing the Impact of Negative Information
The Limits of Motivated Reasoning
The Ability to Protect the Relationship
The Motive to Protect the Relationship
Mapping the Context of Intimate Relationships
Chronic Conditions and Acute Events
Stress: When Bad Things Happen to Good Relationships
Physiological Effects of Stress
Behavioral and Cognitive Effects of Stress
Stress Spillover and Stress Crossover
box 13.1 / Spotlight on: Long-Distance Relationships
Social Networks: The Ties That Bind
Advantages of Social Networks for Couples
Do the Poor Value Marriage Less?
Relationship Challenges in Low-Income Communities
14Relationships Across the Lifespan
Born into Intimacy: How Adult Relationships Influence Children
Do Children Understand Adult Interactions?
The Impact of Adult Conflict on Children
The Expanding Social World of Childhood
Adolescence and Initial Steps into Intimacy
How Teenagers Think About Intimate Relationships
A Preview of Coming Attractions
Major Transitions in Intimate Relationships During Adulthood
Intimate Relationships in Later Life
Varieties of Intimacy for Older Adults
The Quality of Intimacy in Later Life
box 14.1 / Spotlight on: Romance Among Alzheimer’s Patients
Couples Therapy: Help for Distressed Relationships
box 15.1 / Spotlight on: How Partners Reward and Punish Each Other
box 15.2 / Spotlight on: A Therapy Session
Evaluating the Models of Couples Therapy
Relationship Education: Building on Strengths
Approaches to Maintaining Healthy Relationships
Evaluating Relationship Education Programs