This 2001 book provides a scholarly examination of communication within close relationships.

ATTRIBUTIONS, ACCOUNTS AND CLOSE RELATIONSHPIS documents attributional and accounts approaches to the study of close relationships. Issues of focus include communication pro- blems in marriage and their relationship with causal attri- butions; marital violence and its relationship with early learning experience; ego-defensive attribution and excuse- making in couples and with respect to medical problems; and attributions about transitions in relationships.

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest and research on close relationships and social cognition. In both areas, numerous handbooks, textbooks, and journal articles have been published. However, it is the editors' impression that although cognitive theories and concepts have filtered through to research dealing with close relationships, much of this research reflects a relatively untutored understanding of the theoretical and empirical work in social cognition. Conversely, the research literature that provides a more sophisticated perspective on the role of cognition in close relationships typically reveals a relatively limited knowledge of the literature on close relationships. As researchers who have worked in both social cognitive processes and close relationships, Fletcher and Fincham are convinced that each field has much to offer the other. In fact, their book is based on two important postulates: first, that a social cognitive framework offers a valuable resource for developing our understanding of close relationships; and, second, that studying cognition within close relationships has the potential to inform our understanding of basic social cognitive processes.

Thirty-three of the top scholars in this fast moving domain present a picture of work at the cusp in social psychology -- work that deals with cognition and affect in close relationships. The present volume contains a wealth of research findings and influential theoretical accounts that spring as much from indigenous work in the close relationship field as from purebred social cognition. The chapters introduce theories and research programs concerned with the role of individual and couple differences in close relationship knowledge structures. They deal with the role of emotion and affect in close relationships. And they discuss the function of cognition and knowledge structures in relation to the developmental course of close relationships. Each section is accompanied by a critical review written by an expert in the field. This volume is a must for any close relationship scholar interested in the latest research and theorizing about close relationships that adopt a social psychological perspective. It will also be of interest to scholars and students working in clinical psychology, social cognition, communication, individual differences, and family studies.

This book initially was conceived in 1986 by Weary and Harvey as a revi sion and update of their 1981 Perspectives on Attributional Processes (pub lished by Wm. C. Brown," Dubuque, Iowa). However: toe extensive nature of recent work on attributional processes and the opportunity to collabo rate with Melinda Stanley as a coauthor led to a plan to develop a more comprehensive work than the 1981 book. It definitely is an amalgam of our interests in social and clinical psychology. It represents our commitment to basic theoretical and empirical inquiry blended with the applications of ideas and methods to understanding attribution in more naturalistic set tings, and as it unfolds in the lives of different kinds of people coping with diverse problems of living. The book represents a commitment also to the breadth of approach to attribution questions epitomized by Fritz Heider's uniquely creative mind and work in pioneering the area. To us, the attribu tional approach is not a sacrosanct school of thought on the human condi tion. It is, rather, a body of ideas and findings that we find to be highly useful in our work as social (JH and GW) and clinical (GW and MS) psychology scholars. It is an inviting approach that, as we shall describe in the book, brings together ideas and work from different fields in psychology-all concerned with the pervasive and inestimab1e importance of interpretive activity in human experience and behavior.

High self-esteem people tend to make more benign attributions for their partner's bad behavior than low self-esteem people. The current research examines why this is the case. According to the proposed model of the attribution process, both low and high self-esteem people should make an automatic negative interpersonal dispositional inference, or inference about their partner's disposition toward them, after negative partner behavior. High, but not low, self-esteem people should then use consensus information to correct for their automatic inference. This controlled correction process should lead them to make a dispositional inference, allowing them to protect their belief about their partner's feelings toward them. Because low self-esteem people do not correct for their automatic inference, they should make a relatively more negative inference about their partner's feelings toward them. Experiment 1 examined the automatic inferences made for negative partner behavior. Unexpectedly, high self-esteem people automatically inhibited dispositional information about their partner after negative partner behavior, whereas low self-esteem people automatically activated dispositional information about their partner. The interpersonal dispositional inference, or inference about their partner's disposition toward them, was not affected. Experiment 2 examined the controlled correction process. Although hypotheses were partially supported for high self-esteem people, the results for low self-esteem people were unclear. Experiment 3 examined the effect of consensus information on inferences for negative partner behavior. Unexpectedly, high self-esteem people reacted to consensus information after negative partner behavior by disagreeing with the dispositional inference for negative partner behavior. Low self-esteem people reacted to consensus information after negative partner behavior by endorsing the dispositional inference and making an even more negative inference about their partner's feelings for them. Together, the results of the current research suggest that high self-esteem people make more benign attributions because they respond to negative partner behavior by inhibiting dispositional information about their partner, thereby minimizing the implications of the behavior. Low self-esteem people make more negative attributions because they respond to negative partner behavior by activating dispositional information and making a more negative inference about their partner's feelings for them, thereby generalizing from one bad behavior to the level of the relationship.

Although sexuality is an integral part of close romantic relationships, research linking these two constructs has been less systematic than other areas pertaining to close relationships. To date, researchers in communication, sociology, family studies, psychology, and psychiatry, have made significant advances in both of these fields. The editors' goal is to integrate this research into one volume. They bring together major scholars from the diversity of fields working on close relationship topics to examine past contributions and new directions in sexuality. The emphasis is on theoretical integration and stimulation, methodological rigor, and critical analysis. This volume explores: *early sexual experiences and their impact on late life sexuality; *how life's stresses impact sexuality and satisfaction with closeness; *the affect of postpartum depression on sexuality; and *the relationship between control, power, anger, as well as revenge and sexual processes in couples. The Handbook of Sexuality in Close Relationships is intended for students and researchers in the disciplines of social, clinical, developmental, and health psychology; family studies; counseling; and interpersonal, family, and health communication. An excellent reference in advanced courses in close relationships taught in psychology, communications, sociology, anthropology, and family studies, the material in Part V will also appeal to clinical psychologists, health professionals, and policymakers.