The New Psychology of Love

Description

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 love—biological, taxonomical, implicit, cultural—updated 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 to The 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 Love provides today’s definitive account of the nature of love. Contents Preface 1. Introduction Part I. Biological Theories 2. A Dynamical Evolutionary View of Love 3. A Behavioral Systems Approach to Romantic Love Relationships: Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex 4. The Evolution of Love 5. The Drive to Love: The Neural Mechanism for Mate Selection 6. A Biobehavioral Model of Attachment and Bonding Part II. Taxonomies of Love 7. Styles of Romantic Love 8. Searching for the Meaning of “Love” 9. A Duplex Theory of Love 10. Giving and Receiving Communal Responsiveness as Love Part III. Implicit Theories of Love 11. A Prototype Approach to Studying Love 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 13. Passionate Love : Cross-Cultural and Evolutionary Perspectives 14. Individualism, Collectivism, and the Psychology of Love 15. Conclusion: The Nature and Interrelations of Theories of Love Contributors Index