Understanding Marriage

• Introduction; Part I. The Effect of Cognition on Interaction Patterns: Introduction to Part 1; 1. Thought and action: connecting attributions to behaviours in married couples' interactions Valerie Manusov; 2. Self-evaluation motives in close relationships: a model of global enhancement and specific verification Lisa A. Neff and Benjamin R. Karney; 3. Competition in romantic relationships: do partners build niches? Steven R. H. Beach, Daniel Whitaker, Heather A. O'Mahen, Deborah Jones, Abraham Tesser and Frank Fincham; 4. Cognition and communication during marital conflict: how alcohol affects subjective coding of interaction in aggressive and non-aggressive couples Alan Sillars, Kenneth E. Leonard, Linda J. Roberts and Tim Dun; Part II. Understanding the Importance of Positive Interaction: Introduction to Part 2; 5. Observational 'windows' to intimacy processes in marriage Linda J. Roberts and Danielle R. Greenberg; 6. Bases for giving benefits in marriage: what is ideal? what is realistic? what really happens? Margaret S. Clark, Steve Graham and Nancy Grote; 7. Shared participation in self-expanding activities: positive effects on experienced marital quality Arthur Aron, Christine C. Norman, Elaine N. Aron and Gary Lewandowski; Part III. Coping with Disappointment, Criticism and Betrayal: Introduction to Part 3; 8. Coping with disappointments in marriage: when partners' standards are unmet Anita L. Vangelisti and Alicia L. Alexander; 9. On empathic accuracy and husbands' abusiveness: the 'overattribution bias' William E. Schweinle and William Ickes; 10. The war of the roses: an interdependence analysis of betrayal and forgiveness Caryl E. Rusbult, Madoka Kumashiro, Eli J. Finkel and Tim Wildschut; Part IV. Power, Conflict and Violence in Marital Interaction: Introduction to Part 4; 11. Demand-withdraw communication during couple conflict: a review and analysis Kathleen A. Eldridge and Andrew Christensen; 12. Approaches to the study of power in violent and nonviolent marriages, and in gay male and lesbian cohabiting relationships John Gottman, Janice Driver, Dan Yoshimoto and Regina Rushe; 13. The communication of couples in violent and nonviolent relationships: temporal associations with own and partners' anxiety/arousal and behavior Patricia Noller and Nigel Roberts; Part V. Marital Interaction at Important Transition Periods: Introduction to Part 5; 14. Adult attachment, the transition to parenthood, and marital well-being Jeffry A. Simpson, W. Steven Rholes, Lorne Campbell, Carol Wilson and Sisi Tran; 15. Allocation and performance of household tasks: a comparison of new parents and childless couples Judith A. Feeney and Patricia Noller; 16. Caregiving and its influence on marital interactions between older spouses Helen Edwards and Patricia Noller; Part VI. Interventions for Strengthening Relationships: Introduction to Part 6; 17. Risk factors, risk processes, and the longitudinal course of newlywed marriage Lisa B. Story, Alexia D. Rothman and Thomas N. Bradbury; Does working at a relationship work? relationship self-regulation and relationship outcomes W. Kim Halford, Keithia L. Wilson, Alf Lizzio and Elizabeth Moore; Conclusions.

Review of the hardback: 'This is an excellent book. It is handy because of its coverage of a range of related topics and useful because it presents the latest developments in the field of marital interactions. It would form a brilliant guide to researchers, practitioners, and students in the field and one that is highly recommended.' Journal of Family Studies