The Mating Game ─ A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage

This engaging and interdisciplinary primer brings together theory and research on four major aspects of human mating dynamics: love, sexuality, marriage, and individual differences that come into play when forming relationships. The book is divided into four parts that encompass a wide range of theoretical and empirical work.

Part One considers the topic of love and begins with an exploration of theory and research on the nature of love. Special attention is given to the two types of love that have received the most scrutiny from social and behavioral scientists: passionate and companionate love. This part ends with a consideration of problematic aspects of love relationships.

Part Two explores relational sexuality. Topics include beliefs and attitudes about the role of sex in dating and marital relationships, as well as sexuality in beginning and established relationships. Problematic aspects of relational sexuality-ranging from sexual aggression and violence to sexual infidelity and sexual dissatisfaction-are also considered.

Part Three focuses on mate selection and marriage, presenting theoretical frameworks for understanding human mating, summarizing research on mate preferences, and exploring attraction and courtship. Theories of relationship development are discussed, as is research on mate choice and marriage in both the United States and around the world.

Part Four delves into individual differences that come into play when relationships are being formed, and discusses how these differences affect whether or not a relationship will begin, last, or end. Maleness and femaleness are discussed, along with personality and interpersonal belief systems.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

• Comprehensively reviews theory and empirical research on love, sex, and marriage from a variety of social and behavioral science literatures in ways that highlight the links among these interrelated topics.
• Strongly grounded in methodology and research design, the text introduces students to a number of measurement instruments for self-use or course-related research activities and attempts to give students a true understanding of how to interpret empirical research findings.
• Provides examples and anecdotes intended to capture attention of undergraduate students and basic pedagogy, such as tables and figures, chapter outlines and key terms and concepts, part openers to set the stage, and chapter summaries followed by recommended readings and discussion questions to spark debate and discussion.