The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships

A benchmark of the current state of scholarship, synthesizing the extant theoretical and empirical literature on personal relationships.

Anita L. Vangelisti (Edited by), Daniel Perlman (Edited by)

9781107130265, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 June 2018

596 pages, 16 b/w illus. 1 map 18 tables
28.7 x 22.2 x 3.1 cm, 1.85 kg

'Vangelisti and Perlman once again masterfully assemble most of the giants of their fields as well as many of the new and rising stars. As such, this is the perfect collection for both a scholar's shelf and a graduate seminar. The selection of topics is excellent in breadth and depth, and will no doubt set the stage for the field of personal relationships for the next decade to come.' Brian H. Spitzberg, Senate Distinguished Professor, San Diego State University

With the field of personal relationships having grown dramatically in the past quarter century, The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships, Second Edition serves as a benchmark of the current state of scholarship, synthesizing the extant theoretical and empirical literature, tracing its historical roots, and making recommendations for future directions. Written by internationally known experts from key disciplines, the Handbook addresses both fundamental questions and cutting-edge concerns. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent developments in analytical techniques, shifts in theoretical emphases, and an increased attention to social processes. New chapters include the Neuroscience of Salutary Close Relationships; Self-Disclosure in Relationships; Acceptance, Rejection, and the Quest for Relational Value; Relationships and Physical Health; Personal Relationships and Technology in the Digital Age; and Promoting Healthy Relationships. This compendium of state-of-the-art research and theory on personal relationships will be of great value to researchers, graduate students, and practitioners.

Personal relationships: an introduction
Part I. Foundations for Studying Relationships: 1. The seven seas of the study of personal relationships research: historical and recent currents
2. What is good and what is missing in relationship theory and research
3. Navigating methodological trade-offs in close relationships research
4. Analyzing cross-sectional and longitudinal data in close relationships
5. Relationship typologies
Part II. Developmental Arc of Relationships: 6. Relationship initiation and growth
7. The affective structure of marriage over time
8. Divorce and post-divorce relationships
Part III. Relationships across the Lifespan: 9. Friendships in childhood
10. Personal relationships in adolescence and early adulthood
11. Close relationships in middle and late adulthood
Part IV. Individual Differences: 12. Personality in close relationships
13. Attachment theory as a framework for studying relationship dynamics and functioning
14. Gender and relationships
15. The intimate relationships of sexual and gender minorities
Part V. Basic Processes: 16. Neuroscience of salutary close relationships
17. Social cognition in romantic relationships
18. Communication: basic properties and their relevance to relationship research
19. The Roles of emotion in relationships
Part VI. Interactive Processes: 20. Self-disclosure in relationships: revealing and concealing information about oneself to others
21. Social support in close relationships
22. Understanding couple conflict
23. Sexuality in personal relationships
Part VII. Threats to Relationships: 24. Lying and deception in close relationships
25. Stress, dyadic coping, and social support: moving toward integration
26. The universal threat and temptation of extradyadic affairs
27. Aggression and violence in romantic relationships
28. Acceptance, rejection, and the quest for relational value
29. New ways of theorizing and conducting research in the field of loneliness and social isolation
Part VIII. Relational Quality: 30. Romantic love
31. Relationship satisfaction
32. Commitment processes in personal relationships
33. Relationships and physical health
Part IX. Context: 34. Social networks and personal relationships
35. Personal relationships and technology in the digital age
36. Ethnicity, culture, and close relationships
Part X. Maintenance and Repair of Relationships: 37. Promoting healthy relationships
38. Maintaining relationships
39. Treating relationship distress
Part XI. Conclusion: 40. Whither relationship science? The state of the science and an agenda for moving forward.

Subject Areas: Psychology: emotions [JMQ], Social, group or collective psychology [JMH], Family psychology [JMF], Psychology [JM], Sociology: family & relationships [JHBK], Sociology [JHB], Communication studies [GTC]