Handbook of Relationship Initiation - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805861599 ISBN 13: 9780805861594

Publisher: Psychology Press, 2008

Synopsis

The Handbook of Relationship Initiation is the first volume to focus specifically on the very beginning stage of relationships – their origin. In this Handbook, leading scholars on relationships review the literature on various processes related to the initiation of relationships: how people meet, communicate for the first time, and begin to define themselves as being in a relationship. Topics include attraction, mate selection, influence of social networks on relationship initiation, initiation over the internet, hook-ups among young adults, and flirting and opening gambits. In addition, the dark side of relationship initiation is considered, including unwanted relationship pursuit and barriers to relationship initiation including social anxiety.

This volume provides an overdue synthesis of the literature on this topic. It is especially timely in view of the growing prevalence on relationship initiation online, through matchmaking and other social networking sites, which has increased awareness that science can be used to understand, create, and facilitate compatible matching.

This Handbook provides an essential resource for an interdisciplinary range of researchers and students who study relationships, including social psychologists, communication scientists and scholars of marriage and the family.

About this title

Synopsis:

Relationship initiation is one of the most neglected topics in the growing collection of literature addressing personal relationships. The relationship stages of maintenance and dissolution, and topics including satisfaction, love, commitment and sexuality have all been covered extensively and completely. However, no previous text focused exclusively on the birth of relationships, despite how critical this stage is. Before relationships can reach the development, maintenance, and dissolution stages - and before partners can experience love, commitment, sex, and disenchantment - two people must meet, communicate for the first time, and begin to define themselves as being in a relationship.This volume is timely not only by providing an overdue synthesis of literature on this topic, but also because the increasing media interest in, and popularity of, relationship initiation on the Internet (through "matchmaking" and other social networking services) has increased awareness that science can be used to create and facilitate compatible matching.

About this edition

• Publisher: Psychology Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0805861599
• ISBN 13: 9780805861594
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 594
• Editor: Sprecher Susan, Wenzel Amy, Harvey John