The New Psychology of Love

by Edited by Robert J. Sternberg and Karin Weis

• ISBN13: 9780300116977
• ISBN10: 0300116977
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2006-09-25
• 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. He lives in Boston. Karin Weis is a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and is completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut. She lives in Storrs.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(14)
Karin Weis
Part I Biological Theories
2 A Dynamical Evolutionary View of Love	15	(20)
Douglas T. Kenrick
3 A Behavioral Systems Approach to Romantic Love Relationships: Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex	35	(30)
Phillip R. Shaver and Mario Mikulincer
4 The Evolution of Love	65	(22)
David M. Buss
5 The Drive to Love: The Neural Mechanism for Mate Selection	87	(29)
Helen Fisher
6 A Biobehavioral Model of Attachment and Bonding	116	(33)
James F. Leckman, Sarah B. Hrdy, Eric B. Keverne, and C. Sue Carter
Part II Taxonomies of Love
7 Styles of Romantic Love	149	(22)
Clyde Hendrick and Susan S. Hendrick
8 Searching for the Meaning of "Love"	171	(13)
Ellen Berscheid
9 A Duplex Theory of Love	184	(16)
Robert J. Sternberg
10 Giving and Receiving Communal Responsiveness as Love	200	(25)
Margaret S. Clark and Joan K. Monin
Part III Implicit Theories of Love
11 A Prototype Approach to Studying Love	225	(24)
Beverley Fehr
Part IV Cultural Theories of Love
12. Evolutionary and Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Love: The Influence of Gender, Personality, and Local Ecology on Emotional Investment in Romantic Relationships	249	(25)
David P. Schmitt
13 Passionate Love: Cross-Cultural and Evolutionary Perspectives	274	(24)
Debra Lieberman and Elaine Hatfield
14 Individualism, Collectivism, and the Psychology of Love	298	(15)
Karen K. Dion and Kenneth L. Dion
15 Conclusion: The Nature and Interrelations of Theories of Love	313	(14)
Karin Weis
Contributors	327	(2)
Index	329