Gender and Close Relationships deals wirh gender and its possible effects on aims and behaviour in close relationships: dating, romantic and sexual partnerships, marriage and friendship. The authors warn their readers that they should bot be looking at why there are gender differences, but at whether, when and under what conditions. The book starts with the explanatory concepts that have been found useful in considering these questions. The authors suggest two dimensions of explanations for gender differences: one dimension involves structural (social roles and expectations) versus individual...

A neglected topic in the field of personal relationships has been the study of friendships. Social psychologists have studied how and why individuals are attracted to one another and the processes of interaction during initial encounters, but they have not paid much attention to ongoing friend- ships. A major goal of the present volume is to develop theories and integrate research on the development and maintenance of friendships. Another major goal is to build bridges between social psychologists and other social scientists by presenting an interdisciplinary approach. Although a majority of...