Italian emerging adults stay at home with their parents until they marry. Being involved in a romantic relationship may be considered one precursor of the success of the transition to adulthood. In this study, 92 dating and 84 nondating emerging adults were compared on when they left the parental home and their future plans. They were also…

Quilts have become a part of American Indian culture, and they are mentioned and even highlighted in certain works of contemporary Native American literature. Certain questions can be posed in regard to the inclusion of quilt references in contemporary American Indian novels. Do the quilts and the making of quilts have some type of metaphorical…

A secure "state of mind with regard to attachment", as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), as well as attachment styles as assessed by questionnaires (the two most prevalent facets of attachment representations assessed in adolescence and adulthood) were examined as potential contributors to adolescents' capacity for…

This study combined qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the reasons many women use indirect messages to say "no" to men's attempts to escalate sexual intimacy. Subjects were six female students at a large southwestern university. At one time, one group had four women, at another time the group had two women. All were…

This bibliography presents annotations of 28 selected items (mostly journal articles) which deal with conflict communication in intimate relationships. It updates a similar bibliography on conflict management and resolution in close personal relationships published in 1986. (SR)

A study used a qualitative account analysis of excessively intimate encounters to investigate behaviors commonly described by male and female receivers, cognitive schemata invoked to explain why the intimacy was excessive, and the effect of the excessively intimate episode on the relationship. Subjects, 86 female and 37 male students enrolled in…

Although psychologists, sociologists, family scientists and communication experts are making important contributions to the study of personal relationships, discussion of the gender differences that often create barriers to intimacy, and how these differences are reflected in the communication process, is notably absent from much of this work.…

Asserts that heterosexual sexual involvement in the contemporary college population is often sporadic, episodic, without commitment, and accompanied by deliberate effort of both partners to suppress tender, romantic feelings and intimacy. Suggests the sources of this situation lie in changes in the ethos, the ascent of women, advances in…

Examined the process of marital disaffection to determine whether there is a pattern of sequential stages. Developed three-phase model of disaffection from the results of in-depth interviews with 49 highly disaffected spouses. Results suggest that marital therapy must involve different goals and interventions during each phase of disaffection to…

Investigated factors associated with relationship quality of 49 first-time pregnant women and their mothers using data from a two-wave mail survey. Compared correlations of intimacy and perceptions of equity with correlations of intimacy and actual help patterns. Findings indicated that perception of equity is more associated with relationship…

Describes assessment technique used by interdisciplinary staff on coed Alzheimer's disease unit to help determine patients' competencies to participate in intimate relationships. Two case studies are presented to highlight how assessment led to treatment decisions. (Author/NB)

Examines the effectiveness of indirect requests in attaining assistance from intimate and nonintimate others. Finds that directness of requests increases request force and interacts with relational intimacy to influence verbal compliance. Finds that directness is more effective at eliciting verbal compliance at higher levels of intimacy. (KEH)

Avoidance strategy use, techniques used to deal with unwelcome requests from others, has been found to vary along compliance and bilateral dimensions in intimate relationships. Examined avoidance strategy use among undergraduates from United States (U.S.) and Mexico. Found U.S. women used more nonverbal disapproval and voicing objections than did…

Examined potential effect of self-disclosure in intervention program for male college seniors (N=60) with deficient job-interviewing skills. Four different counselors treating participants on individual basis provided predetermined, genuine self-disclosures reflecting qualities of intimacy and/or skill display. Results did not support supposition…

A number of writers have argued that Erikson's stages of identity and intimacy do not address the experience of women accurately. This article contends that such claims come out of a serious misreading of Erikson's work, and shows that the stages as they stand are not incompatible with the idea that there are relational components of identity…