This volume aims to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to read contemporary, cutting-edge research on the psychology of love and relationships. The articles selected for this anthology are written by some of the most active researchers in the field and address a broad cross-section of topics. These articles were specifically chosen to complement the basic material available in most current textbooks on love and relationships, and to provide a more in-depth look at some of the hottest areas of current research, including the neurobiology of bonding, long-term predictors of marital satisfaction and stability, same-sex relationships, intimate violence, and the health implications of love.
The mix of empirical articles and chapters make the book lively and interesting, providing a balance between breadth and depth, and allowing even non-psychology students to get a close-up perspective on this exciting topic. The editor, Dr. Lisa M. Diamond, integrates a broad cross-section of readings that reflect the diverse methodological and theoretical approaches taken to this topic. The result is an accessible, insightful collection of readings that can be used as a standalone teaching text or supplement the range of textbooks current available on this topic.
Lisa M. Diamond is Associate Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Utah. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Cornell University. Dr. Diamond is an internationally-recognized expert on female sexuality and specifically on "female sexual fluidity," and is best known for her unprecedented 15-year longitudinal study of 100 lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, and unlabeled women. Her 2008 book, "Sexual Fluidity," published by Harvard University Press, has been awarded the Distinguished Book award from the International Association for Relationship Research. Dr. Diamond has received other numerous awards for her work from the American Association of University Women, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and the American Psychological Association."