Foundations of Interpersonal Attraction

1st Edition - January 28, 1974
Editor: Ted L. Huston
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 6 3 1 4 - 4

Foundations of Interpersonal Attraction is intended to provide students of interpersonal relationships with a source book that reviews, integrates, and elaborates basic material… Read more

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Foundations of Interpersonal Attraction is intended to provide students of interpersonal relationships with a source book that reviews, integrates, and elaborates basic material concerned with interpersonal attraction—the affectional component of social relationships. All interpersonal relationships can be characterized, in part, by the strength and nature of the affectional tie between the persons involved. The ubiquity of attraction phenomena, and the extensive data that have begun to emerge concerning its nature, antecedents, and interpersonal correlates, provided the original rationale and impetus behind the development of the book. The book contains 16 chapters organized into five parts. Part I briefly highlights the history of attraction research and lays out some central themes related to conceptualizing and researching attraction. All persons develop attachments through social interaction, but the nature and antecedents of such feelings differ depending on the age and cognitive-developmental level of the persons involved as well as on the sociocultural context in which the interaction takes place. Part II is devoted to detailing these issues. Parts III and IV consist of a series of contributions that provide conceptual frameworks for studying attraction. Part V is devoted to romantic attraction.

List of Contributors

Preface

Part I Introduction

1. A Perspective on Interpersonal Attraction

I. Introduction and Overview

II. Problems with Conceptualizations of Attraction

III. Attraction as a Multifaceted Attitude

IV. The Measurement of Attraction

V. Social Relationships and Attraction

VI. The Reward Hypothesis

VII. Concluding Comments

References

Part II The Contexts of Attraction

2. A Cognitive-Developmental Approach to Interpersonal Attraction

I. Introduction

II. The Cognitive-Developmental Conception of Social Motivation

III. Developmental Changes in Attachment in Early Childhood

IV. Cognitive-Structural Levels of Moral Development and Interpersonal Attraction

V. The Development of Formal Logical Operations

VI. The Development of Inference and Understanding of Social-Psychological Causality

VII. Levels of Ego Development as a Framework for the Study of Attraction

VIII. Conclusion

References

3. The Social Context of Interpersonal Attraction

I. Introduction

II. The Field of Desirables

III. The Field of Available

IV. Normative Adherence

V. Normative Definition

VI. Social Structure, Role Definition, and Interpersonal Attraction

VII. Conclusion

References

4. Cross-Cultural Perspective on Attraction

I. Introduction

II. Attraction and Freedom of Choice of Spouse

III. Cultural Context of Attraction

IV. Interaction in the Building of Attraction

V. Personal Characteristics and Attraction

VI. Ceremonies and Ritual in Commitment Building

VII. Long-Term Development of a Relationship

VIII. Conclusion

References

Part III Conceptual Frameworks

5. A Three-Level Approach to Attraction: toward an Understanding of Pair Relatedness

I. Introduction

II. Levels of Human Relatedness

III. Behavioral Indices of Relatedness

IV. The Context of Interpersonal Reinforcement

V. Summary

References

6. The Communication of Interpersonal Attitudes: an Ecological Approach

I. Introduction

II. An Ecological Orientation to Interpersonal Relationships

III. A Conceptual Framework of Interpersonal Attraction

IV. Behavioral Indicators of Social Penetration

V. Summary

References

7. A Reinforcement-Affect Model of Attraction

I. A Description of the Model

II. A Multilevel Conceptualization of Theory Construction and Theory Testing

References

8. The Role of Reward in the Formation of Positive Interpersonal Attitudes

I. Introduction

II. The Meaning of Reward

III. Sources of Reward

IV. Interpersonal Attraction and the Reward Hypothesis

References

9. Attributions, Liking, and Power

I. Introduction

II. Some Unexplained Findings

III. The Nature of Attraction

IV. Attraction as a Power Resource

V. Interpretations of the Evidence

VI. Some Final Thoughts

References

10. A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Attraction

I. Reconceptualizing Interpersonal Attraction

II. The Problem of Interpersonal Attraction

III. Determinants of Alter's Character

IV. Determinants of Ego's Attachment to Alter's Character

V. Conclusions

References

Part IV Antecedents of Attraction: Affective Feedback, Attitudes, and Situational Factors

11. Affective Reactions to Appraisal from Others

I. Introduction

II. Personal Evaluations Taken of Face Value

III. The Evaluation Incongruency Pseudoqualification

IV. The Internal States Qualifier

V. Characteristics of the Evaluator

VI. The Perceived Intent of the Evaluator: Ingratiation and Other Ulterior Motives

VII. The Gain-Loss Model

VIII. Conclusions

References

12. Attitude Similarity and Attraction

I. Introduction

II. Correlational Research on Attitude Similarity and Attraction

III. Experimental Research on Attitude Similarity and Attraction

IV. A Similarity—Attraction Research Paradigm

V. Similarity—Attraction Theories

References

13. Social Comparison and Selective Affiliation

I. Introduction

II. Opinion Comparison and Affiliation

III. Emotional Comparison and Affiliation

IV. Ability Comparison and Affiliation

V. Personality Comparison and Affiliation

VI. Individual Differences in Social Comparison

VII. Conclusions

References

14. Social Psychology of Justice and Interpersonal Attraction

I. Introduction: Some Theoretical Considerations

II. Attraction and the Perception of Justice

III. Reactions to Injustice: the Effects on Attraction

IV. Summary

References

Part V Romantic Attraction

15. A Little Bit about Love

I. The Elusive Nature of Love

II. Liking and Loving

III. A Tentative Theory of Passionate Love

IV. Generating Physiological Arousal: the First Step in Generating Passionate Love

V. The Second Step in Generating Passionate Love: Labeling

VI. Summary

References

16. From Liking to Loving: Patterns of Attraction in Dating Relationships

I. Introduction

II. Conceptual Beginnings

III. Measuring Liking and Loving

IV. Loving and Looking

V. Similar Attitudes and Different Religions

VI. Love, Liking, and Mate Selection

VII. Conclusion

References

Author Index

Subject Index