Recipient of the 2014 International Association for Relationship Researchers Book Award! This multidisciplinary text highlights the development of romantic relationships, from initiation to commitment or demise, by highlighting the historical context, current research and theory, and diversity of patterns. Engagingly written with colorful examples, the authors examine the joy, stress, power-struggles, intimacy, and aggression that characterize these relationships. Readers gain a better understanding as to why, even after the pain and suffering associated with a breakup, most of us go right back out and start again. Relationships are examined through an interdisciplinary lens -psychological, sociological, environmental and communicative perspectives are all considered. End of chapter summaries, lists of key concepts, and additional readings serve as a review. As a whole the book explores what precipitates success or failure of these relationships and how this has changed over time. Highlights of the book's coverage:Incorporates both cross-sex and same-sex romantic relationships Examines the roles of gender, race, class, culture, age, and sexuality in relationship development Looks at multiple types of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood, including dating and cohabitation Explores both positive and negative relational processes Analyzes the latest and most important scholarship. The book opens with an introduction followed by a historical overview of the development of relationships. Next relationship development models are examined including the influence of social factors and the interaction of the partners involved. This volume examines how partners initiate romantic relationships, including infatuation, sexual attraction, and the impact of technology; how cohabitation affects the quality of the future of the relationship; and the individual, social, and circumstantial factors that predict stability or break-ups in romantic relationships. The book ends with an examination of the "dark side" of relationships, and suggestions for future research on romantic pairings. Intended as a supplement for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in marriage and family, personal/close/intimate relationships, or interpersonal/family communication taught in human development and family studies, psychology, social work, sociology, communication, counseling and therapy, this book also appeals to researchers and practitioners interested in the romantic relationship processes.

Recipient of the 2014 International Association for Relationship Researchers Book Award! This multidisciplinary text highlights the development of romantic relationships, from initiation to commitment or demise, by highlighting the historical context, current research and theory, and diversity of patterns. Engagingly written with colorful examples, the authors examine the joy, stress, power-struggles, intimacy, and aggression that characterize these relationships. Readers gain a better understanding as to why, even after the pain and suffering associated with a breakup, most of us go right back out and start again. Relationships are examined through an interdisciplinary lens -psychological, sociological, environmental and communicative perspectives are all considered. End of chapter summaries, lists of key concepts, and additional readings serve as a review. As a whole the book explores what precipitates success or failure of these relationships and how this has changed over time. Highlights of the book's coverage:Incorporates both cross-sex and same-sex romantic relationships Examines the roles of gender, race, class, culture, age, and sexuality in relationship development Looks at multiple types of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood, including dating and cohabitation Explores both positive and negative relational processes Analyzes the latest and most important scholarship. The book opens with an introduction followed by a historical overview of the development of relationships. Next relationship development models are examined including the influence of social factors and the interaction of the partners involved. This volume examines how partners initiate romantic relationships, including infatuation, sexual attraction, and the impact of technology; how cohabitation affects the quality of the future of the relationship; and the individual, social, and circumstantial factors that predict stability or break-ups in romantic relationships. The book ends with an examination of the "dark side" of relationships, and suggestions for future research on romantic pairings. Intended as a supplement for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in marriage and family, personal/close/intimate relationships, or interpersonal/family communication taught in human development and family studies, psychology, social work, sociology, communication, counseling and therapy, this book also appeals to researchers and practitioners interested in the romantic relationship processes.

The Handbook of Feminist Family Studies demonstrates how feminist contributions to family science advance our understanding of relationships among individuals, families, and communities. Bringing together some of the most well-respected scholars in the field, the editors showcase feminist family scholarship, creating a scholarly forum for interpretation and dissemination of feminist work. The Handbook s contributors eloquently share their passion for scholarship and practice and offer new insights about the places we call home and family. The contributions as a whole provide overviews of the most important theories, methodologies, and practices, along with concrete examples of how scholars and practitioners actually engage in doing feminist family studies.

Key Features:

Examines the influence of feminism on the family studies field, including the many ways feminism brings about a re-visioning of families that incorporates multiple voices and perspectivesCenters the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, age, nation, ability, and religion as a pivotal framework for examining interlocking structures of inequality and privilege, both inside families and in the relationship between families and institutions, communities, and ideologiesProvides concrete examples of how scholars and practitioners explore such facets of feminist family studies as intimate partnerships, kinship, aging, sexualities, intimate violence, community structures, and experiences of immigrationExplores how the infusion of feminism into family studies has created a crisis over deeply held assumptions about family life and calls for even greater fusion between feminist theory and family studies toward the creation of solutions to pressing social issues

The Handbook of Feminist Family Studies is an excellent resource for scholars, practitioners, and students across the fields of family studies, sociology, human development, psychology, social work, women s studies, close relationships, communication, family nursing, and health, as a welcome addition to any academic library. It is also appropriate for use in graduate courses on theory and methodology.

A portion of the royalties from this book have been contributed to the Jessie Bernard Endowment (sponsored by the Feminism and Family Studies Section of the National Council on Family Relations) in support of feminist scholarship."

Blending qualitative interviews with current research findings, this timely book explores the ?dark side? of courtship ? the negative interactions that take place between dating and courting partners, most notably physical aggression and sexual exploitation. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how power dynamics, verbal aggression, interaction patterns, issues of control, and relationship dynamics are integrally tied to physical and sexual aggression. The authors also examine the contextual factors that encourage the use of physical and sexual aggression in romantic relationships and allow them to continue without necessarily bringing about the demise of the relationship. These contextual factors include patriarchal structures, the power of romance, and patterns of gender socialization. Personal anecdotes from interviews conducted by the authors are interwoven with the interpersonal and contextual framework, as well as the extant literature on physical and sexual aggression during courtship. It is unique in its emphasis on interpersonal dynamics, as the vast majority of the literature on courtship aggression has focused on the role of personality and other intra-individual factors.

Although an anecdotal association between communication and family violence was noted early in the family violence literature, a communication approach to family violence has been underrepresented in the literature. This book is a welcome contribution to the literature because it demonstrates that the connection between communication and family violence is much more complex than a skills deficit of one or more members of a violent relationship. --Gail Whitchurch, Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University Adding an innovative perspective to traditional psychological and sociological approaches, Family Violence from a Communication Perspective lays out a new theoretical framework for understanding and resolving abusive family interactions. This exceptional volume features contributions from a variety of disciplines that examine the interactional processes at the core of domestic abuse, aggression, and violence. The contributors explore the development of violence in the family, beginning with courtship violence, proceeding through marital violence, and perpetuated through parent-child violence. Providing keen insight, the chapters examine the commonalities and differences inherent in emotional, psychological, verbal, and sexual abuse and how they all stem from basic communication problems. An essential resource for students and scholars in communication, family studies, relationship studies, psychology, sociology, and women's studies, Family Violence from a Communication Perspective also offers a refreshing viewpoint for professionals in the human services.

Although an anecdotal association between communication and family violence was noted early in the family violence literature, a communication approach to family violence has been underrepresented in the literature. This book is a welcome contribution to the literature because it demonstrates that the connection between communication and family violence is much more complex than a skills deficit of one or more members of a violent relationship. --Gail Whitchurch, Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University Adding an innovative perspective to traditional psychological and sociological approaches, Family Violence from a Communication Perspective lays out a new theoretical framework for understanding and resolving abusive family interactions. This exceptional volume features contributions from a variety of disciplines that examine the interactional processes at the core of domestic abuse, aggression, and violence. The contributors explore the development of violence in the family, beginning with courtship violence, proceeding through marital violence, and perpetuated through parent-child violence. Providing keen insight, the chapters examine the commonalities and differences inherent in emotional, psychological, verbal, and sexual abuse and how they all stem from basic communication problems. An essential resource for students and scholars in communication, family studies, relationship studies, psychology, sociology, and women's studies, Family Violence from a Communication Perspective also offers a refreshing viewpoint for professionals in the human services.

Dating. Courtship. These words evoke great interest in nearly every reader. In Courtship, the authors explore courtship research, paying particular attention to differences between relationship development and deterioration and courtship development and deterioration. They describe factors that affect the later course of marriage, trace the historical roots of courtship in America, discuss various models of courtship that have guided research in this area for the past 40 years, examine circumstantial factors that discriminate between stable and unstable premarital relationships, explore the "dark side" of courtship--violence between dating partners--and reveal the processes involved in the dissolution phase of premarital relationships. The volume concludes with a look at the future of courtship as an institution and suggestions for further research. Provocative and thoughtfully presented, Courtship is directed to advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and professionals in psychology, communication, sociology, family studies, and social work. "This volume should have broad appeal for both students and professionals. It is clearly and carefully written, and draws on scholarship from several relevant disciplines. The authors do an outstanding job of summarizing extant research in a fashion that is digestible to undergraduate students, yet useful to the interested researcher. Cate and Lloyd have painted a coherent and provocative picture of a broad and difficult phenomenon. Their synthesis should be useful in helping to establish a sound agenda for future research on mating and dating." --ISSPR Bulletin "This volume of the Sage Series on Close Relationships provides a cogent, concise, and highly readable overview of courtship. Given the book's brevity, one is favorably surprised by the amount and depth of material covered. . . . Many insights are offered. . . . The inclusion of the darker side of dating relationships is a welcome addition. . . . Chapters . . . weave a scholarly narrative with such expertise that the reader may come away with the feeling of having read a well-written and well-documented historical novel. . . . The authors are to be commended for their articulate and insightful coverage of this aspect of relational life. Regardless of discipline, students of personal relationships would benefit greatly from this review." --Journal of Marriage & The Family