This textbook provides an integrated and organized foundation for students seeking a brief but comprehensive introduction to the field of relationship science. It emphasizes the relationship field's intellectual themes, roots, and milestones; discusses its key constructs and their conceptualizations; describes its methodologies and classic studies; and, most important, presents the theories that have guided relationship scholars and produced the field's major research themes.

Interpersonal Relationships considers friendship and more intimate relationships including theories of why we need them, how they are formed, what we get out of them and the stages through which they go. Social and cultural variations are discussed as well as the effects of relationships on our well-being and happiness. The book is tailor-made for the student new to higher-level study. With its helpful textbook features provided to assist in examination and learning techniques, it should interest all introductory psychology and sociology students, as well as those training for the caring services, such as nurses.

Interpersonal relationships are the core of our societal system and have been since before the dawn of civilization. In today's world, friends, lovers, companions, and confidants make valuable contributions to our everyday lives. These are the relationships whose members are not automatically participants as a result of their birth and kin affiliations. The focus is on these relationships that must be forged from the sometimes indifferent, and sometimes hostile world. Yet, there is still much that is not known about how these relationships evolve, how partners communicate in on-going relationships, how people keep their relationships together, and how they cope when they fall apart. Primary to the focus of this book is the underlying theme of evolving interpersonal relationships from the initial encounter to the mature alliance. The contributors to this volume provide a contemporary perspective for the study of interpersonal relationships. Fresh areas of scholarly inquiry are presented and existing approaches are re-examined. Research in the introductory chapters breaks new ground, and appraises the ultimate question of what impact initial interactions have on further relational development. The mid-section of the volume concerns communication issues that confront the members of a relationship in process, focusing on how conflict and jealousy are communicated to a relational partner. This research considers relational development as well as obstacles and barriers to evolving relationships. The concluding chapters probe the question: Ultimately do all good things have to come to an end? Employing innovative techniques to examine maturing and disengaging relationships, the research presented here focuses on how interpersonal relationships become committed and mature.

This volume provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical work on relationship-induced self-concept change that has occurred over the last 10-15 years. The chapters in this volume discuss the foundations of relationship self-change, how and when it occurs, how it influences relationship decisions and behavior, and how it informs and modifies subsequent knowledge structures, all examined over the course of the relationship cycle (i.e., initiation, maintenance, and dissolution). Additionally, this volume identifies novel applications and extensions of the relationship self-change literature, including applications to health and behavior, intergroup relations, and the workplace. Among the topics discussed: Self-disclosure in the acquaintance process Commitment readiness Bolstering attachment security through close relationships Self-concept clarity and self-change The role of social support in promoting self-development Relationship dissolution and self-concept change Intergroup and sociocultural factors of self-expansion Self-concept change at work Measurement of relationship-induced self-concept change Interpersonal Relationships and the Self-Concept serves both as a comprehensive overview of the existing empirical research as well as a roadmap for future research on self-change, including a discussion of emerging theoretical frameworks. It will interest researchers focusing on romantic relationships, self and identity, and the intersection of self and relationships, spanning the disciplines of psychology, sociology, communication, and family studies.

Writing this book springs from a deep feeling for people and a grave concern that without a proper understanding of the reasons for their inhumanity in relation to one another and the development of a compassionate world view, it is likely that human beings may eventually destroy themselves and life on the planet. This work is an attempt to explain the source of destructive behaviour and how it manifests itself in personal relationships between men, women, couples, and families, and in the social arena. The author presents a position that offers a hope of altering the destiny of humankind's unethical behavior through better psychological understanding and education. Understanding the source of a person's aggressiveness in defending the fantasy bond and learning to cope with the voice process have strong implications for child-rearing and better mental health practices.

This Workbook is designed for use with the text Interpersonal Relationships. It will help you recall and review concepts presented in the text. It will also help you apply what you learn to real-life situations. This Workbook is divided into chapters and lessons that correspond with the text. Each chapter contains one or more activities for each lesson. By reading the text first, you will have the information you need to complete the activities. Try to complete the activities without referring to the text. If necessary, you can look at the text again to complete any activities you could not finish. Some of the activities in this Workbook require factual answers. You can use these activities as review guides for tests and quizzes. Other activities ask for opinions, evaluations, and conclusions. These activities have neither right nor wrong answers since they are designed to stimulate your thinking and help you apply information presented in the text. The challenging activities in this Workbook will allow you to express your creativity and develop skills for daily living. The more thought you put into these activities, the more you will learn from them.