Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 July 2009
Like fingerprints, all marriages are different.
—G. B. ShawThe study of marriage has advanced significantly over the last two decades, with new theories and methodologies coming to the fore. In this book, we have assembled some of the most innovative and creative work in this area, and the studies represent a broad sample of the latest research. The contributions shed new light on the characteristics of couples' day-to-day interactions, together with their attempts to negotiate major problems and transitions.
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
The studies of marriage presented in this book come from a range of theoretical perspectives. This theoretical underpinning is a major strength, allowing researchers and clinicians to develop and test specific predictions about the nature of interaction processes and their effects on marital outcomes.
Attachment Theory
Attachment theory provides a guiding framework for the research by Simpson and his colleagues, and is also discussed in a number of other chapters. This theory highlights the importance of the bond between marital partners and the implications of earlier relationship experiences for the success of their couple relationships. This focus on intimate relationships as attachment relationships comes from the work of Hazan and Shaver (1987), who explored the relevance of attachment history and attachment security to adult romantic love. According to this perspective, attachment behavior is a normal part of romantic involvements, and these relationships play a central role in meeting partners' needs for comfort and security.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.