The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence

Description

Although innumerable songs, poems, plays and movies have been written about adolescent romantic relationships, no scientific book has been written on that topic. Numerous volumes exist on adult romantic relationships and on adolescent sexuality, but this volume, first published in 2000, was the first to examine adolescent romantic relationships. A group of eminent investigators met to discuss the topic and were charged with the task of writing about their conceptualization of these relationships and of romantic experiences in adolescence. The papers cover the full range of aspects of romantic relationships, and examine general processes and individual differences within the general context of adolescent development. Each paper contains numerous provocative ideas that are designed to stimulate research on the topic.

"In this pioneering book, well known, first-line researchers present chapters focused on conceptual and theoretical matters. The authors have been careful to resist the temptation to turn their chapters into reports of original research or literature reviews. This volume is an authentic milestone in scholarship. The book offers an important contribution for professionals working with adolescents. In addition, it offers insights about interpersonal relationships, as they are studied in the social and personality development areas, family studies, and clinical psychology. Readers with an interest in romantic relationships would be well rewarded in reading this book, even if they have no special interest in adolscents or human development." William G. Graziano, Contemporary Psychology "...the editors have done a superb job of pulling the different sections together so that it reads as a coherent work and does not have the disjointed quality of many multiauthored texts. This book can best be described as a comprehensive, up-to-date text on the subject of the devlopment of relationships in adolescents. Those in academic medicine who are responsible for training programs in adult and child psychiatry as well as pediatrics would find the book contains useful information to incorporate into the curricule." JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association "This is the first scientific book written on adolescent romantic relationships...the book certainly succeeds in laying the conceptual groundwork on which to base research on adolescent romance. The chapters are well written and pitched toward a professional or graduate student readership. Nonetheless, very little prior knowledge of the topic is necessary to understand the book, making it ideal for someone interested in exploring a new area. This book would be useful for a variety of professionals. I would strongly recommend it for anyone in a sexuality-related profession (educators, therapists, and researchers with an interest in adolescent sexuality), those who counsel adolescents, or anyone teaching a course in related areas. I applaud the work of the editors and authors, and I am grateful that this book has come my way." Journal of Sex Research "Work presented in The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence represents a major scholarly achievement." APA Review of Books "...little research has been done in the area of romantic relationships in adolescence. Therefore, this is an important and interesting new topic of discussion." The Canadian Child Psychology Review