The behaviours, feelings, attitudes, and thoughts exhibited by certain types of married men involved in romantic relationships with certain types of single women are so recognizable and predictable as to constitute a genuine syndrome. A relationship develops based on an unconscious agreement to gratify each other's internal longings, and the intrapsychic dynamics of one partner elicits complementary dynamics in the other. Interactional patterns that are co-determined by each of the participants are defined as much by the dyad as by individual psychology. This extreme form of intersubjectivity...

Many single womanDmarried man relationships are characterized by such recognizable, even stereotypic, interactions and run such a predictable course as to constitute a genuine syndrome. Documenting the existence of this syndrome with case histories from inside and outside clinical practice, Dr. Tuch gives serious consideration to the complex dynamics involved and offers a framework to help patients struggling with their involvement in such affairs. A broader discussion of relations between men and women evolves and addresses such issues as men's dread of women; women's unique inclinations to...