Interpersonal Relationships

Despite a growing emphasis on relationship studies in interpersonal communication, serious attention to the conceptual meaning of relationship has been limited. The purpose of this volume is to explore the meaning and use of "relationship" in interpersonal communication studies. The contributors to this volume, representatives of related, but differing perspectives, outline definitional boundaries and conceptual implications of the term stemming from their particular ontological and epistemological approaches. This volume provides an engaging and provocative examination of "relationship" by seasoned writers who are committed to seeing the field with new eyes. As such, the book will be invaluable to scholars and researchers in the field.

From the time we are born, we never stop relating, just as our hearts never stop beating. Relating is a characteristic which humans share with all animal forms and any classification of human relating ought to exist in continuity with, and be derivable from, that of the relating of all other animal forms. Relating occurs along two main axes. The one concerned with distance regulation, the other with the adjustment of the power differential. People need both distance and closeness; to both hold power and rely upon those who have power. It is argued that all the main forms of relating are organized around these four needs. Interrelating is the process by which people attempt to reconcile their respective relating needs.

This multidisciplinary study is one of the first books to offer a comparison of relationship practices and beliefs in different societies, and to explore how broader values and economic realities may help explain the similarities or differences in personal relationships across cultures. Robin Goodwin discusses different types of relationships - friendship, romance, family, and the workplace - in a variety of cultural and ethnic contexts, and examines the way in which individual personalities, social norms, and larger economic, political, and demographic transitions have interacted to transform personal relationships around the world.

This volume presents cutting edge research and theory on stability and change in personal relationships. The first section includes chapters that describe the "scaffolding " of stability and change. It focuses on various qualities that partners bring to their relationships. The second section emphasizes ongoing processes that characterize relationships. Chapters focus on issues such as arguing and sacrificing. The final section of the volume describes the influences of social environments on stability and change in relationships. Historical and cross-cultural contexts are examined, as are social networks and the effect of technology.

There is a mysterious connection between our experiences of intimacy--of love, the longing to feel connected, and sexual embrace--and the human sense of time--eternity, impermanence, and rhythm. In this critical analysis of the time-intimacy equation, Bennett shows how the scientific study of personal relationships can address this mystery. As a study of transpersonal science, this book points to the possible evolution of intimacy and of our consciousness of time, and how the two evolutionary paths weave together. Dr. Bennett draws from a wide array of resources to advance and marry two compelling themes: first, the social and clinical science of personal relationships should integrate the spiritual or transpersonal dimension of intimacy, and second, science can contribute to lay understandings by describing the richly temporal aspects of relationships. In blending popular literature, transpersonal psychology, and scientific research and theory, this work also attempts to address the lack of dialogue between academics who study personal intimacy and those writers in the popular press who give advice and guidelines for building intimacy. Time and Intimacy is written for a broad audience, intended for those with a general interest in relationships, as well as for students, counselors, and psychologists. It can be used as a text in courses on personal relationships, as well as to supplement courses in humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, interpersonal communication, relationships, marital and family counseling, human relations, and related areas. Because it advances an interdisciplinary understanding of personal relationships, this book is certain to challenge prevailing views about the meaning of intimacy in both the academic and popular literatures.