The New Psychology of Love

by Edited by Robert J. Sternberg and Karin Weis

• ISBN13: 9780300136173
• ISBN10: 030013617X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2008-07-29
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Love . . . What is it? Can we define it? What is its role in our lives? What causes love, and what dooms it? No single theory adequately answers all our questions about the nature of love, yet there are many theories that can contribute to our understanding of it. This fascinating book presents the full range of psychological theories on lovebiological, taxonomical, implicit, culturalupdated with the latest research in the field. Robert Sternberg and Karin Weis have here gathered more than a dozen expert contributors to address questions about defining love, the evidence for competing theories, and practical implications. Taken together, these essays offer a comprehensive and engaging comparison of contemporary data and theories. As a follow up toThe Psychology of Love, which was published in 1988 and edited by Robert Sternberg and Michael Barnes, this new collection engages with the many changes in the study of love in recent years. New theories are introduced as are modifications to existing theories. Focusing not on a single point of view but on the entire range of current theories,The New Psychology of Loveprovides today's definitive account of the nature of love.

Author Biography

Robert J. Sternberg is dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University.  He is the author or editor of some sixty books, including Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid, published by Yale University Press. Karin Weis is a research associate at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative of the J. F. Kennedy School of Government and School of Public Health at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Biological Theories
A Dynamical Evolutionary View of Love	p. 15
A Behavioral Systems Approach to Romantic Love Relationships: Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex	p. 35
The Evolution of Love	p. 65
The Drive to Love: The Neural Mechanism for Mate Selection	p. 87
A Biobehavioral Model of Attachment and Bonding	p. 116
Taxonomies of Love
Styles of Romantic Love	p. 149
Searching for the Meaning of "Love"	p. 171
A Duplex Theory of Love	p. 184
Giving and Receiving Communal Responsiveness as Love	p. 200
Implicit Theories of Love
A Prototype Approach to Studying Love	p. 225
Cultural Theories of Love
Evolutionary and Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Love: The Influence of Gender, Personality, and Local Ecology on Emotional Investment in Romantic Relationships	p. 249
Passionate Love: Cross-Cultural and Evolutionary Perspectives	p. 274
Individualism, Collectivism, and the Psychology of Love	p. 298
Conclusion: The Nature and Interrelations of Theories of Love	p. 313
Contributors	p. 327
Index	p. 329
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