What are the bases of human relationships? Friends, lovers, roommates, teammates, parents, co-workers, brothers and sisters, spouses, acquaintances, neighbours, mates, companions - how are we to understand the many relationships that are so central to our lives? Our relationships with other people influence virtually all aspects of our everyday existence and are of deep interest to students and researchers across the social and behavioural sciences. This multi-volume encyclopedia will provide a framework for students, academics, and lay-people who need to understand this important element of human behaviour, irrespective of their programme of study, and will be an essential back-up for anyone taking a course in human or interpersonal relationships. This three-volume encyclopedia presents up-to-the minute information about how people think, feel and act toward other people with whom they have relationships. It presents a set of entries around which readers will be able to wrap their knowledge, with an overview of their relevance to the field at large. Associated concepts in the Encyclopedia are listed at the end of every entry along with references for further reading.