Understanding Interpersonal Relations

This enlightening book combines insights from evolutionary psychology, communication studies and other social sciences to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on human connection. Charlotte J.S. De Backer explores cooperation, conflict, language, emotion, body & dress, foodways and silence to demonstrate how interpersonal relations are built through communicative acts that go way beyond the words we exchange. Chapters always start with a ‘human universal’ approach, highlighting how shared mental mechanisms shape interpersonal relationships across time and cultures. All chapters also examine key group and individual differences, acknowledging the depth of interaction between ancestral, developmental, and situational contexts. At the end of each chapter De Backer critically reflects on how the digital age (re)shapes interpersonal relations. The book encourages readers to reflect carefully on how they relate to others, and why interpersonal relations are so important for human life. Understanding Interpersonal Relations is a vital resource for scholars and students of psychology, sociology, anthropology, digital media, and communication studies. Educators, coaches, and practicing psychologists will also benefit from its conceptual tools and ethically grounded insights.