New Edition Now Available!
Intimate Relationships: Where have we been? Where are we going? is an innovative text that focuses on the interpersonal dynamics of couples, and on the dynamics of couples in-context. We explore how intimate relationships evolve and develop – and how they succeed or fail. We talk about a variety of important relationship topics and skills, including early attachment, courtship and dating, marriage, sexuality, gender, power, communication, conflict resolution, relationship problems (e.g., abuse, infidelity, divorce), couples’ enrichment, and couplehood over the life-course. The science of these foci as studied by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, historians, couple and family therapists, and family social scientists is incorporated throughout.
This revised text was written in collaboration with students (undergraduate, graduate) and alumni from the University of Minnesota – all connected through an extraordinary class about some of the most important things in our lives: love, intimacy, healing, and growth.
Chapter 1 Intimacy: What Is It? How Do We Develop It?
Chapter 2 Attachment: How Where We Have Been Influences What We Do in Relationships
Chapter 3 Personality and Intimate Relationships
Chapter 4 Gender Socialization and Relationship Formation: What Is It and What Has It Got To Do with Me?
Chapter 5 Social and Cultural Contexts of Meeting and Dating
Chapter 6 Dances of Intimacy: Patterns of Communication, Boundaries, and Barriers
Chapter 7 Boundaries: Where I End and You Begin
Chapter 8 Authenticity in Intimate Relationships
Chapter 9 Intimacy Killers
Chapter 10 Intimacy Healers
Chapter 11 Uncharted Territory: Long Distance Relationships in College-Age Commuters
Chapter 12 The Influence of Culture on Relationships
Chapter 13 Religion and Spirituality in Intimate Relationships
Chapter 14 The Role of Ritual in Relationships
Chapter 15 Sexual Intimacy
Chapter 16 LGBTQ+ Relationships
Chapter 17 Compassion & Forgiveness in Intimate Relationships
Chapter 18 Relationships Across the Lifespan
Chapter 19 Are Intimate Relationships Good for Your Health?
Chapter 20 Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going? Charting the Course in Our Intimate Journeys
Tai J.
Mendenhall
Dr. Tai Mendenhall is a Medical Family Therapist (MedFT) and Associate Professor in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota (UMN) in the Department of Family Social Science. He is also the Associate Director of the UMN’s Citizen Professional Center, Director of the UMN’s Medical Reserve Corps’ Mental Health Disaster-Response Teams, and an Adjunct Faculty Member and Clinician in the UMN’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. He works actively in the conduct of collaborative family healthcare and community-based participatory research (CBPR) focused on a variety of public health issues. In professional writing, Tai has contributed extensively to both medical and social sciences through publications in peer reviewed journals and book chapters. He has also published five edited books (four as first-author/ editor), including two texts regarding cutting-edge applications of MedFT. In professional forums, he regularly delivers workshops and presentations across state, national, and international arenas. Originally from New Zealand, Tai is now a “kiwi in the arctic.” Outside work, he enjoys motorcycling, running, and home-remodeling projects.
Elizabeth Jeanne
Plowman
Dr. Elizabeth (“Libby”) Plowman is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the School of Education at American Public University and American Military University. In addition to teaching, she works as a research consultant with several marketing firms in Chicago, IL, and co-owns a small business dedicated to fundraising for breast cancer research. Libby has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented her work at various national and international conferences. Her academic interests center on innovative research designs in family science, the assessment of parent–child relationships, and parenting education. Outside the office, Libby is passionate about spending quality time with her husband and their young daughter, Leonie.
Lisa A.
Trump
Dr. Lisa Trump is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas. Her program of research has focused on couple- and family-level interventions for chronic illness management, and investigating new approaches to support patients’ biopsychosocial/spiritual needs. Lisa has co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented her work at local and national conferences. When she is not teaching and writing, she spends time with her young daughter at home. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in northern Minnesota at her family’s cabin and trying new restaurants and coffee shops in the Twin Cities.
