Christopher R. Agnew is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University, Indiana. His research focuses on close, interpersonal relationships and the use of relational models to understand broader social and health processes. Dr Agnew has published and presented his research widely, and has served on the editorial boards for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Personal Relationships (on which he served as Associate Editor). He was the recipient of the Early Career Award from the Relationships Researchers Interest Group of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and served as President of the International Association for Relationship Research.

• Introduction: external influences beyond the dyad Christopher R. Agnew; Part I. Global and Societal Influences on Romantic Relationships: 1. The influence of globalization and technological development on intimate relationships Çağla Sanrı and Robin Goodwin; 2. Social capitalization in personal relationships Robert M. Milardo, Heather M. Helms, Eric D. Widmer and Stephen R. Marks; 3. Family relationships embedded in United States military culture Leanne K. Knobloch and Erin C. Wehrman; 4. Prejudice and stigma in intimate relationships: implications for relational and personal health outcomes Justin J. Lehmiller and Michael Ioerger; Part II. Social Network and Communicative Influences on Romantic Relationships: 5. The influence of subjective norms on close relationships Paul E. Etcheverry and Benjamin Le; 6. Network perceptions of daters' romances Elizabeth Keneski and Timothy J. Loving; 7. The new story of Romeo and Juliet H. Colleen Sinclair and Chelsea N. Ellithorpe; 8. Third-party forgiveness: social influences on intimate dyads Jeffrey D. Green, Jody L. Davis and Chelsea A. Reid; 9. Relationship advice Erina MacGeorge and Elizabeth Dorrance Hall.

'External influences, such as those rooted in social networks and norms, are essential to understanding relationships. This is an informative and inspiring volume that I recommend to any scientist or academic professional interested in relationships.' Paul A. M. Van Lange, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam