When Morris Dees was a young man in Alabama, the law said that black people couldn't drink from the same water fountain as white people, or sit at the same lunch counter. Back then, the government created and sanctioned divisions between human beings. The Civil Rights Movement changed all of that, of course, and ended state-mandated apartheid in…

In this article, the author begins by discussing relevant research in nineteenth-century women's literacy on intimacy and community building. The author then describes how missionary women stationed in Hawai'i maintained some rhetorical expression and autonomous meaning making through the letters they wrote home to the States, the letters they…

Despite the recent emphasis on acceptance in romantic relationships, no validated measure of relationship acceptance presently exists. To fill this gap, the 20-item Frequency and Acceptability of Partner Behavior Inventory (FAPBI; A. Christensen & N. S. Jacobson, 1997) was created to assess separately the acceptability and frequency of both…

Data from a longitudinal sample of dating couples (some of whom married) were analyzed to test the aspect of Waller's (1938) principle of least interest that states that unequal emotional involvement between romantic partners has implications for relationship quality and stability. Both members of the couples were asked multiple times over several…

Joint custody and cooperative coparenting are often unsafe for women who leave violent partners. Although certain legal protections are available, more work is needed to understand and address abused women's needs in this context. This study provides divorce scholars and practitioners with information on the interface between separation/divorce…

To date, there has been little research examining HIV/STD risk among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals who are in abusive relationships. This article uses data collected from a community-based organization that provides counseling for LGBT victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). A total of 58 clients completed the…

Painful situations arise during the education and careers of counselors and therapists. Most theoretical orientations fail to address how clinicians are to handle their live adversity during the course of their work with clients. In fact, irrespective of the theoretical orientation, most clinicians are given the directive to "check your own…

This article develops an imbalance theory to explain physical violence against women in intimate relationships in South Africa. The theory proposes four typologies: dependence, compensation, submission, and transgression, through which imbalances in resource contribution and power distribution between spouses are hypothesized to contribute to…

Assumptions regarding the relationships among personality type, communication, and relationship satisfaction were investigated. The Myers-Briggs' claim about personality matching, communication, and relationship satisfaction was directly evaluated. Myers-Briggs has asserted that homogamy of psychological type has a direct and positive impact on…

Examined effect of widowhood on ego identity and psychological functioning among 83 widows. Found group scored significantly higher than national norms on structured measure of self-esteem. Twenty-five percent of respondents reported positive changes after widowhood, 39% reported mixed effects, and 30% reported only negative changes. Data fit…

Research on the attitudes of heterosexual churchgoers is extensive. However, very little empirical information is available about the attitudes held by gay and lesbian Christians. In the current study, it was hypothesized that gay and lesbian Christians, unlike their heterosexual peers, would demonstrate desire for and acceptance of social…

The age at which young people expected the initiation of certain sexual practices was studied with 522 15- and 16-year olds. There was progression in modal ages indicated from least intimate to more intimate behaviors. There was also a strong relationship between sexual timetables and timetables for autonomy and use of drugs such as alcohol. (SLD)

Examines college students' preferences and attitudes regarding romantic physical affection (PA) types and relationship satisfaction. In general, PA was found to be highly correlated with relationship and partner satisfaction as is suggested by prior research. (Contains 12 references and 4 tables.) (GCP)

Observed 9- to 14-year-old physically abused and nonabused children engaged in tasks with a close friend. Found that dyads with an abused child displayed less intimacy and more conflict than dyads with nonabused children. Compared to other dyads, those with abused boys displayed more negative affect during games, and those with abused girls…

Compared the willingness of sexually abused late adolescent women (n=22) to self-disclose general and sexual information to strangers and intimate partners with that of similar women who had not been sexually abused. Results indicate that those who were sexually abused in childhood are less likely than nonabused counterparts to be highly…