The New Science of Intimate Relationships
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Book Overview
In this elegantly written and provocative book, Garth Fletcher, one of the world's leading relationship scientists, provides an antidote to the avalanche of pop-psychology books on intimate relationships. Integrating the latest scientific work from social psychology and evolutionary psychology, with contributions from clinical psychology and anthropology, he analyses and answers questions such as: how do people know they are in good relationships? does good communication produce successful relationships? where does love come from? do men have stronger sex drives than women? why do people sometimes batter or kill their partners? The answers provided are never less than fascinating and are often surprising. Fletcher dissects the arguments surging around evolutionary and social psychological theories. He also authoritatively describes the reality of the intimate lives and minds of both men and women, exploding the stereotypes and myths of pop psychology as he goes. Fletcher has written a book that is rigorous, and true to the science, but is also accessible and engagingly written.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:063122078X
ISBN13:9780631220787
Release Date:February 2002
Publisher:Wiley-Blackwell
Length:336 Pages
Weight:1.10 lbs.
Dimensions:1.0" x 6.1" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
A "must read" for social scientists
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Garth Fletcher has managed to write a book that is both highly informative and entertaining. With a clear writing style that is comparable to Matt Ridley, Fletcher accurately describes the current state of affairs in research on intimate relationships, never fearing to tackle controversial issues (and there are many). As a true social scientist, Fletcher weaves together various theoretical perspectives, and discusses the importance of evolution in the understanding of why people seek to form intimate relationships. While reading the book I found myself eager to turn the page, wondering what mysteries lurked ahead. Reading this book is time well spent.
real science about real life
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
With so many books that just recycle the same cliches about relationships on the market (think: Mars/Venus), it it can be amazing to find one that actually has new things to say. This may be because the author is not some self-appointed expert but a veteran scientist who has published extensively in the research literature in social psychology. This book describes not just the conclusions but the scientific research on which the conclusions are based. The reader will learn a lot about psychology in general as well as about relationships. The topics include everything from flirting to passion to long-term marriages, and some of the conclusions are surprising. Finally, everything the book says is rooted in a fundamental view of human nature based on modern research in evolutionary psychology. This is a fun read and you will learn something too.
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