Social Influences on Romantic Relationships

How do we choose a partner to initiate a relationship with, and what makes us stay in a given relationship over time? These questions are most often pursued by scholars with an emphasis on the internal thoughts, feelings, and motivations of individual decision-makers. Conversely, this volume highlights the importance of considering external influences on individual decision-making in close relationships. Featuring contributions from internationally renowned scholars, the volume is divided into two interrelated sections. The first section considers global and societal influences on romantic relationships and the second focuses on social network and communicative influences on romantic relationships. Taken together, this collection helps us to better understand how external factors influence the internal machinations of those involved in intimate relationships.

Christopher R. Agnew is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. His research focuses on close, interpersonal relationships and the use of relational models to understand broader social and health processes. Dr Agnew has published and presented his research widely, and has served on the editorial boards for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Personal Relationships (on which he served as Associate Editor). He was the recipient of the Early Career Award from the Relationships Researchers Interest Group of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and served as President of the International Association for Relationship Research.

'External influences, such as those rooted in social networks and norms, are essential to understanding relationships. This is an informative and inspiring volume that I recommend to any scientist or academic professional interested in relationships.' Paul A. M. Van Lange, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 'The importance of understanding the impact of social contexts on relationships has never been more evident. This timely collection of chapters offers a diverse and wonderfully rich overview of research programs that take contextual influences on relationships seriously. It's a highly informative must-read for relationship scholars.' Harry T. Reis, University of Rochester