The Mating Game: A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage - Softcover

Regan, Pamela C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0761926364 ISBN 13: 9780761926368

Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2003

Synopsis

This engaging, interdisciplinary primer brings together theory and research on three major aspects of human mating dynamics: love, sexuality, and marriage. The book is divided into three parts that encompass a wide range of theoretical and empirical work. Part One considers the topic of love and begins with an exploration of theory and research on the nature of love. Special attention is given to the two types of love that have received the most scrutiny from social and behavioural scientists: passionate and companionate love. This part ends with a consideration of problematic aspects of love relationships. Part Two explores relational sexuality. Topics include beliefs and attitudes about the role of sex in dating and marital relationships, as well as sexuality in beginning and established relationships. Problematic aspects of relational sexuality ranging from sexual aggression and violence to sexual infidelity and sexual dissatisfaction are also considered. Part Three focuses on mate selection and marriage, presenting theoretical frameworks for understanding human mating, summarizing research on mate preferences, and exploring attraction and courtship. Theories of relationship development are discussed, as is research on mate choice and marriage in both the United States and around the world.

About this title

Review:

"The Mating Game is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, introductory text about human mating relationships aimed specifically at a university audience.  It progresses beyond a psychological or biological/physiological stance and encompasses a wide array of disciplines.  The comprehensive review and up-to-date information contained in The Mating Game not only provides answers to questions about important life events but also encourages readers' interest in the field of interpersonal relationships and human mating.

―SirReadaLot.org (Savannah Jones SirReadaLot.org 2008-04-04)

"Pamela Regan's writing style moved a chapter along at a brisk pace, but by chapter's end I felt that the topic had been covered fully and relatively completely. As a seasoned professional in the area, the book was an excellent review." (Clyde Hendrick 2009-04-06)

About the Author:

Pamela Regan is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota and her undergraduate degree in English from Williams College. Her research interests are in the areas of close relationships and human sexuality, with an emphasis on passionate love, sexual desire, and mate preference. She has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and reviews (and has given over 75 professional presentations) on the dynamics of sex, love, and human mating, and she is the author of Close Relationships (Routledge, 2011), the co-author (with Ellen Berscheid) of The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships (Pearson, 2005) and Lust: What We Know About Human Sexual Desire (Sage, 1999), and the co-author (with Bruce King) of Human Sexuality Today (Pearson, 2014). In 2007, she was honored with the Outstanding Professor Award by her university for excellence in instruction and professional achievement.

About this edition

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0761926364
• ISBN 13: 9780761926368
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304