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The Mating Game
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The Mating Game
A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage

Third Edition


January 2016 | 472 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
The Third Edition of The Mating Game: A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage is the only introductory text about human mating relationships aimed specifically at a university audience. Encompassing a wide array of disciplines, this comprehensive review of theory and empirical research takes an integrated perspective on the fundamental human experiences of attraction and courtship; mate selection and marriage; and love and sex. Strongly grounded in methodology and research design, the book offers relevant examples and anecdotes along with ample pedagogy that will spark debate and discussion on provocative and complex topics.

 
PART I. Mating Relationships
 
Chapter 1: Mate Preferences
Theoretical Approaches to Human Mating

 
Methods Used to Examine Mate Preferences

 
Empirical Evidence

 
Continuing Debates

 
 
Chapter 2: Attraction, Affiliation, and Courtship
Who Do We Like? Principles of Romantic Attraction

 
Who Do We Approach? Principles of Romantic Affiliation

 
How Do We Convey Romantic Interest? Principles of Flirting

 
E-Courtship: Attraction, Affiliation, and Flirting in Cyberspace

 
The First Date

 
Beyond the First Date: Initiating a Romantic Relationship

 
Pathways to Commitment

 
 
Chapter 3: Relationship Development
The Sequence of Relationship Development

 
The Process of Relationship Development

 
 
Chapter 4: Marriage and Mate Selection
Mating Systems Across Cultures

 
The Nature of Marriage

 
Division of Labor

 
Marital Satisfaction: How Happy Are Married Couples?

 
Has Marriage Changed Over Time?

 
Same-Sex Marriage

 
Cohabitation: An Alternative to Marriage

 
 
Chapter 5: Conflict and Dissolution
Conflict

 
Relationship Dissolution

 
 
Chapter 6: Intervention
Identifying Distressed Relationships

 
Treating Distressed Relationships

 
Does Therapy Work?

 
 
Part II. Love
 
Chapter 7: General Theories of Love
The Triangular Theory of Love

 
The Colors (Styles) of Love

 
The Prototype Approach: Mental Models of Love

 
 
Chapter 8: Passionate and Companionate Love
Passionate Love: A “Sexy” Kind of Love

 
Companionate Love: A “Sturdy” Kind of Love

 
 
Chapter 9: Love Gone Bad: Problematic Aspects of Love
Unrequited Passionate Love: When the One We Love Does Not Love Us

 
Relational Stalking: When Romantic Interest Becomes Obsession

 
Relational Aggression: When Love Turns Violent

 
Loss of Passion: When Attraction Fades

 
 
PART III. Sex
 
Chapter 10: Sexual Attitudes
 
Beliefs About Sex in Dating Relationships
 
Beliefs About Sex in Marital Relationships
 
Chapter 11: Sex in Beginning Relationships
Sexuality and the Attraction Process

 
Sexuality in Beginning Relationships

 
 
Chapter 12: Sex in Established Relationships
Sexual Frequency

 
Sexual Practices

 
Sexual Preferences

 
Sexual Satisfaction

 
Sexual Communication

 
Sexuality and Relationship Satisfaction

 
 
Chapter 13: Sex Gone Bad: Problematic Aspects of Relational Sex
Sexual Disinterest: When the One We Desire Does Not Desire Us

 
Sexual Assault: When Sex Becomes Nonconsensual

 
Sexual Infidelity: When the One We’ve Chosen Cheats

 
Sexual Jealousy: A Common Response to Infidelity

 
 
PART IV. Individual Differences
 
Chapter 14: Maleness and Femaleness
Biological Sex

 
Psychological Gender and Gender Role Orientation

 
 
Chapter 15: Personality
Supertraits

 
Self-Monitoring

 
Sociosexual Orientation

 
 
Chapter 16: Interpersonal Belief Systems
Attachment Styles

 
Rejection Sensitivity

 
Romanticism

 

Supplements

Instructor Resources Site

Instructor Resources

  • An author-created test bank with 500+ multiple-choice questions provides a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity to edit any question and/or insert personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.

Broad range of subjects covered

Dr Amanda Grieme Bradley
Psychology, Trevecca Nazarene University
July 18, 2019
Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

  • Updates in every chapter reflect current, cutting-edge theory and research, resulting in more than 400 new references.
  • Additional real-life examples have been added to chapters to capture reader interest and help illustrate the concepts under discussion.
  • Coverage of multiple, entirely new content areas includes brand new sections on romantic attraction and affiliation in initial encounters; E-courtship (attraction, courtship, and relationship formation in cyberspace); conflict termination; consensual non-monogamy and polyamorous relationships; bereavement and loss; specific components and features of passionate love; cyberstalking; and intimate partner violence.
  • Updates in Chapter 4 (Marriage and Mate Selection) reflect recent changes in the legal status of same-sex marriage in the U.S. and worldwide, as well as new research on polygamy or plural marriage, cohabitation, and the recently-identified phenomenon of “stayovers” among partners in long-term romantic unions.
  • Updated end-of-chapter discussion questions are ideal for in-class or take-home activities to encourage student involvement and active participation.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Comprehensive reviews of theory and empirical research on love, sex, and marriage from a variety of social and behavioral science literature highlights the links among these interrelated topics.
  • A strong grounding in methodology and research design, including coverage of a number of measurement instruments for self-use or course-related research, helps students develop a true understanding of how to interpret empirical research findings.
  • Student learning aids, such as tables and figures, chapter outlines, key terms and concepts, part openers, chapter summaries, recommended readings, and discussion questions, help students master key concepts.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 9


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