The Science of Intimate Relationships

About the Book

The Science of Intimate Relationships by Garth J. O. Fletcher, Jeffry A. Simpson, Lorne Campbell, and Nickola C. Overall is an academic introduction to the scientific study of romantic and intimate relationships. The second edition brings together research from social and evolutionary psychology with perspectives from cognitive science, developmental psychology, anthropology, comparative psychology, clinical psychology, genetics, sociology, and biology.

Rather than treating relationships through popular psychology alone, the book examines how scientific research can help explain the formation, development, maintenance, and ending of intimate relationships. It considers both the psychological processes involved in relationships and the biological and social factors that shape human connection.

What the Book Covers

The book explores major topics including the relationship mind and body, development from infancy to adulthood, mate selection, attachment, love, communication, sex and passion, relationships and health, family and friends, relationship violence, and relationship dissolution. The second edition also includes chapters specifically examining health and relationships and the role of friends and family.

Its interdisciplinary approach makes it useful for understanding intimate relationships from several scientific perspectives rather than relying on a single psychological theory. The authors also examine how human cognition, emotion, behaviour, culture, and biology interact within close relationships.

Who Is It For?

This book is particularly suited to upper-level undergraduate students studying psychology, human sexuality, anthropology, and related subjects. It can also be useful for researchers, educators, and readers seeking an academic introduction to relationship science.

Key Features

Relationship science; intimate relationships; social psychology; evolutionary psychology; attachment theory; mate selection; love and attraction; communication; sex and passion; relationships and health; family and friendship; relationship violence; relationship dissolution; interdisciplinary psychology

Product Details

Authors: Garth J. O. Fletcher, Jeffry A. Simpson, Lorne Campbell, Nickola C. Overall; Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; Edition: 2nd Edition; Publication Date: August 2019; ISBN-13: 9781119430049; Pages: 376; Format: Paperback; Language: English; Subject: Psychology, Social Psychology, Intimate Relationships.

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