Reviews research concerning prevalence, varieties, contributing factors, and harmful consequences of sexual intimacies (occurring either prior to or subsequent to termination of treatment) between mental health professionals and clients. Notes that the sequelae of therapist-client sex may form a distinct syndrome and identifies 10 aspects of…

Examined relationship of discrepancy between couple's actual level of intimacy and desired level of intimacy and marital adjustment using data from 185 randomly selected couples. Results revealed that discrepancy between actual and desired intimacy of husbands and wives was highly predictive of marital adjustment. Couples with low intimacy scores…

Sees counseling interventions with gay men as most useful when mental health counselors are comfortable with their own sexual orientation and when they have conceptual maps to guide them in understanding issues unique to gay men. Assists counselors working with gay men in developmental exploration of identity and intimacy tasks. Provides…

Examined the extent to which young Iranian women (n=77) in Los Angeles have kept traditional values and/or identify with liberal values of United States. Results indicated the more acculturated the woman was the more liberal were her attitudes toward sex roles and intimate relationships. (ABL)

Explores possible relationships between adult attachment and violence among intimates. Describes insecure attachment patterns (Avoidant and Anxious/ambivalent), relating each to specific manifestations of courtship violence in dyadic interaction. Sees concepts contributing to understanding of courtship violence as exaggerated form of behavior…

Presents intimacy genogram, method for charting patterns of intimate behavior multigenerationally by questioning clients about their definitions of intimacy and how that intimacy is and was experienced and expressed historically in the family. Explains procedures for developing intimacy genogram and presents case example to illustrate its use. (NB)

Used longitudinal data from National Survey of Children to examine parent-child relationships in middle childhood and early adolescence. Found fathers much more involved with sons and tending to concentrate on more instrumental facets of support, whereas mothers tended to be more supportive across genders in traditional, affective sense.…

Examines gender and three aspects of couples' (N=50) marital intimacy using a method establishing both objective and subjective indices of intimacy. Results suggest that high intimacy is based on both understanding and similarity of intimate experience. Women reported higher levels of intimacy and were also better than men in predicting their…

Compares 32 nonfamilial child molesters with 32 comparable nonoffenders on measures of empathy, intimacy, loneliness, and self-esteem. Results indicate that the child molesters were deficient in empathy, intimacy, and self-esteem. Among the offenders, the correlations between scores on most of the measures had higher values than among the…

Examines associations between relationship duration, qualities, and sexual behaviors in adolescent couples (N=61). Frequency of sexual behavior and perception of global relationship predicted relationship length. Positive relationship qualities were associated with relationship longevity for male partners only. Discusses findings in light of gaps…

Friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) are defined as relationships between cross-sex friends in which the friends engage in sexual activity but do not define their relationship as romantic. Relationship scholars have only recently begun to examine these relationships, despite their mention in the popular media (e.g., HBO's 'Sex in the City,'…

The authors examined the relationship between sibling structure variables (i.e., gender, number of sisters, number of brothers, sibling spacing, number of siblings, and birth order, all men, and all women siblings) and current relationships with parents and spouse/partners. Participants included 519 adults between the ages of 19 and 59 years. Two…

How is the transition between intersubjectivity and subjectivity accomplished? While many developmental theorists have argued that social interaction gives rise to individualistic capacities (e.g. representation, language, consciousness), relatively few theorists have attempted to identify the precise mechanisms that might be responsible for this…

We used longitudinal data and multilevel modeling to examine how intimacy, relational uncertainty, and failed attempts at interdependence influence emotional, cognitive, and communicative responses to romantic jealousy, and how those experiences shape subsequent relationship characteristics. The relational turbulence model (Solomon & Knobloch,…

We examine affective closeness, contact, and helping among adult siblings using data for over 1,500 respondents in 2-child families from the National Survey of Families and Households. Using this subsample allows us to investigate differences by gender of respondent and of individual siblings using a nationally representative sample. We find that…