Intimate Relationships : Issues, Theories, and Research

This text, written by two social psychologists, tells the story of scientific research on intimate relationships in a comprehensive yet concise manner.

Presented at a level equally suited for beginning and advanced students of the field, Intimate Relationships covers both classic and current material. Chapters range from attraction to love, attachment to jealousy, conflict to relationship dissolution – all written in a warm, personal, and engaging voice.

Each chapter is organized around the major issues and relevant theories, in addition to a critical evaluation about the research. When appropriate, the authors discuss and evaluate popular ideas about relationship processes in the context of scientific research. This includes critical evaluations of evolutionary approaches to attraction, victim-based accounts of abuse, and the separate-cultures view of the sexes.

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Ralph Erber is professor of psychology and associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at DePaul University. He received his undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Mannheim and his Ph.D. in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University. His work has been published in a number of places, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. He is also the author and editor of several books, including Understanding Genocide: The Social Psychology of the Holocaust (with Len Newman). He was president of the Midwestern Psychological Association in 2005-2006, and with Leonard Martin edited Psychological Inquiry from 2003-2009.

Maureen Wang Erber is professor of psychology at Northeastern Illinois University where she is Associate Chair of the department. Her Bachelor’s degree includes a double major in Psychology and French, with certificates from L’Institute Catholique and the Sorbonne in Paris.  She received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Her work has been published in a number of places, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. Her research interests include conflict and trust in intimate relationships and mate-choice copying.

The authors met at a social psychology conference in October 1988 and were married the following summer. They live in north suburban Chicago with their children Kekoa and Kai, two cats, a pet turtle, and assorted fish. The game of soccer is one of the many passions they share.