Developmental psychology of personal relationships - Rosemary S. L. Mills

This book is concerned not with the way specific relationships developbut rather with the way individuals learn to relate to other people. A basic premise guiding theory and research in this area is that the most formative learning experiences are relationship experiences. Our ways of relating to other people are largely determined by the reationships in which we have participated.
Attempts to understand the nature of the processes involved in learning to relate to others have gradually been moving beyond accounts of specific types of relationships (parent–child, peer, sibling) to include the identification of linkages across different relationships. This has stimulated new ideas and new research on the processes of relationship learning. The contributors to this volume review these recent advancements and point to challenging directions for the future.
This volume provides a useful reference for professionals whose research and/or clinical practice focuses on personal relationships. This book is also intended for advanced students in the areas of developmental psycholgy, clinical and counseling psychology, communication studies, family studies, and sociology.