Dynamics of Romantic Love Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex

by Mikulincer, Mario; Goodman, Gail S.

• ISBN13: 9781593852702
• ISBN10: 1593852703
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-14
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

A theoretically and empirically rich exploration of universal questions, this book examines the interplay of three distinct behavioral systems involved in romantic love. Leading attachment researchers are joined by proponents of other perspectives, including interdependence theory and self-expansion theory, to review the current state of knowledge in the field. Presented are compelling new studies that address intimacy, jealousy, self-disclosure, sexual behavior, partner violence, and other processes in both satisfying and dysfunctional relationships. Special topics include gender differences in attachment as well as attachment dynamics within same-sex couples.

Author Biography

Mario Mikulincer, PhD, obtained his doctorate in psychology from Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, in 1985, and has been Professor of Psychology there since 1992. He has published more than 220 articles and book chapters and one book, Human Learned Helplessness: A Coping Perspective (1994). Dr. Mikulincer's research interests include attachment styles in adulthood, terror management theory, personality processes in interpersonal relationships, evolutionary psychology, and trauma and posttraumatic processes. He currently serves on the editorial boards of several journals and as associate editor of Personal Relationships and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In 2004 he received the EMET Prize in Social Science, sponsored by the A. M. N. Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Art, and Culture in Israel, and awarded by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Gail S. Goodman, PhD, obtained her doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1977, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Denver and the UniversitT RenT Descartes in Paris, France. She is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Public Policy Research at the University of California, Davis, and Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her research focuses on memory development, including attachment and memory, and forensic developmental psychology. Dr. Goodman has served as president of two divisions (Division 37, Child, Youth, and Family Services; and Division 41, Psychology and Law) and one section (Child Maltreatment, in Division 37) of the American Psychological Association. She has received many awards for her research, including two Distinguished Contributions awards in 2005 from the American Psychological Association.

Table of Contents

PART I. Introduction
1 Attachment to Attachment Theory: A Personal Perspective on an Attachment Researcher	3	(20)
Gail S. Goodman
2 Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex within Romantic Relationships: A Behavioral Systems Perspective	23	(24)
Mario Mikulincer
PART II. Basic Attachment Processes in Couple Relationships
3 What Is Adult Attachment?	47	(55)
Cindy Hazan, Mary Campa, and Nurit Gur-Yaish
4 The Evolution of Attachment in Romantic Relationships
Claudia Chloe Brumbaugh and R. Chris Fraley
5 An Attachment Perspective on Abusive Dynamics in Intimate Relationships	102	(26)
Kim Bartholomew and Colleen Allison
6 Sex Differences in Jealousy: A Matter of Evolution or Attachment History?	128	(21)
Kenneth N. Levy, Kristen M. Kelly, and Ejay L. Jack
PART III. Interplay between the Caregiving and Attachment Systems
7 Responding to Need in Intimate Relationships: Nonnative Processes and Individual Differences	149	(41)
Nancy L. Collins, AnaMarie C. Guichard, Máire B. Ford. and Brooke C. Feeney
8 Attachment, Mental Representations of Others, and Gratitude and Forgiveness in Romantic Relationships	190	(26)
Mario Mikulincer, Phillip R. Shaver, and Keren Slav
9 Daily Perceptions of Conflict and Support in Romantic Relationships: The Ups and Downs of Anxiously Attached Individuals	216
Jeffry A. Simpson, Lorne Campbell, and Yanna J. Weisberg
PART IV. Attachment, Sex, and Love
10 Attachment Styles, Sex Motives, and Sexual Behavior: Evidence for Gender-Specific Expressions of Attachment Dynamics	243	(32)
M. Lynne Cooper, Mark Pioli, Ash Levitt, Amelia E. Talley, Lada Micheas, and Nancy L. Collins
11 How Do I Love Thee?: Implications of Attachment Theory for Understanding Same-Sex Love and Desire	275	(18)
Lisa M. Diamond
12 Attachment-Related Pathways to Sexual Coercion	293	(44)
Deborah Davis
13 How Do Sexuality and Attachment Interrelate?: Goals, Motives, and Strategies	337	(22)
Omri Gillath and Dory A. Schachner
PART V. Interfaces between Attachment Theory and Other Perspectives on Romantic Love
14 Romantic Relationships from the Perspectives of the Self-Expansion Model and Attachment Theory: Partially Overlapping Circles	359	(24)
Arthur Aron and Elaine N. Aron
15 Implications of Attachment Theory for Research on Intimacy	383	(21)
Harry T. Reis
16 Seasons of the Heart	404	(19)
Ellen Berscheid
17 The Dynamics of Romantic Love: Comments, Questions, and Future Directions	423	(34)
Phillip R. Shaver
Index	457