Main description:

This book examines the very basic human need to belong. It looks at the intimacy that is a cornerstone of such belonging and closeness, romantic relationships, which signify belonging in the Western world, and loneliness and love, which are inextricably linked to the subject. The book examines these constructs and considers other issues such as the basic human need to belong; the different love styles and how are they expressed; empathy, social support and humour and their influence on looseness and romantic elations; loneliness and marital adjustment; the influence of culture on relationships and the loneliness felt by the partner.

This book is based on papers that were originally published in the Journal of Psychology.

Contents:

Longing, intimacy & loneliness: an introduction A. Rokach Part I: What contributes to a good intimate relationship 1. Dimensions and aspects of longing: Age and gender differences in Swedish 9-, 12-, and 15-year-old children. O. Holm 2. Processes through which adolescents believe romantic relationships influence friendship quality J. J. Thomas 3. How do romantic relationship satisfaction, gender stereotypes and gender, relate to Future Time Orientation in romantic relationships? N. Sakali-Ugurlu 4. Empathy and social support provision in couples: Social support and the need to study the underlying processes I. Devoldre, M. H. Davis, L. L. Verhofstadt, and A. Buysse 5. Relationship satisfaction and conflict over minor and major issues in romantic relationships D. Cramer 6. Socially desirable responding and impression management in the endorsement of love styles M. F. Davies 7. Humor use in romantic relationships: The effects of relationship satisfaction and pleasant versus conflict situations B. Butzer and N. A. Kuiper 8. Words as environmental cues: The effect of the word "loving" on compliance to a blood donation request V. Charles-Sire, N. Gueguen, A. Pascual and S. Meineri Part II: Loneliness and intimate relationships 9. Loneliness and marital adjustment of Turkish couples A. Demir, and H. Fisiloglu 10. How does culture influence the degree of romantic loneliness and closeness? S. Seepersad, M. Choi and N. Shin 11. Longing, love, and loneliness A. Rokach