The Mating Game

Pamela Regan is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota and her undergraduate degree in English from Williams College. Her research interests are in the areas of close relationships and human sexuality, with an emphasis on passionate love, sexual desire, and mate preference. She has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and reviews (and has given over 75 professional presentations) on the dynamics of sex, love, and human mating, and she is the author of Close Relationships (Routledge, 2011), the co-author (with Ellen Berscheid) of The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships (Pearson, 2005) and Lust: What We Know About Human Sexual Desire (Sage, 1999), and the co-author (with Bruce King) of Human Sexuality Today (Pearson, 2014). In 2007, she was honored with the Outstanding Professor Award by her university for excellence in instruction and professional achievement.

Preface
Dedication
Part I. Love
Ch. 1. General Theories of Love
The Triangular Theory of Love
The Colors (Styles) of Love
The Prototype Approach: Mental Models of Love
Summary
Ch. 2. Passionate and Companionate Love
Passionate Love: A "Sexy" Kind of Love
Companionate Love: A "Sturdy" Kind of Love
Summary
Ch. 3. Love Gone Bad: Problematic Aspects of Love Relationships
Unrequited Passionate Love
Mismatched Love Styles
Obsession
Loss of Passion
Summary
Part II. Sex
Ch. 4. Sexual Attitudes
Beliefs About Sex in Dating Relationships
Beliefs About Sex in Marital Relationships
Summary
Ch. 5. Sexuality in Beginning Relationships
Sexuality and the Attraction Process
Sexuality in Beginning Relationships
Summary
Ch. 6. Sexuality in Established Relationships
Sexual Frequency
Sexual Practices
Sexual Preferences
Sexual Satisfaction
Sexual Communication
Sexuality and General Relationship Satisfaction
Summary
Ch. 7. Sex Gone Bad: Problematic Aspects of Relational Sexuality
Sexual Aggression
Sexual Dissatisfaction
Sexual Infidelity
Summary
Part III. Mate Selection and Marriage
Ch. 8. General Theories of Mate Selection
Social Context Theories: The World That Is
Evolutionary Models: The World That Was
Summary
Ch. 9. Mate Preferences
Methodologies
Empirical Evidence
Individual and Group Differences
Do We Always Get What WE Want: The Issue of Compromise
Do We Always Know What We Want? The Issue of Self-Report
Summary
Ch. 10. Attraction and Courtship
Initial Encounters: Communicating Romantic Interest
The First Date
Beyond the First Date: Initiating a Romantic Relationship
Pathways to Commitment
Summary
Ch. 11. Relationship Development
The Sequence of Relationship Development
The Process of Relationship Development
Summary
Ch. 12. Conflict and Dissolution
Conflict
Relationship Dissolution
Summary
Ch. 13. Mate Choice and Marriage
Mating Systems Across Cultures
The Nature of Marriage
Has Marriage Changed Over Time?
Alternatives to Marriage
Summary
Part IV. Individual Differences
Ch. 14. Maleness and Femaleness
Biological Sex
Psychological Gender or Sex Role Orientation
Summary
Ch. 15. Personality
Supertraits
Self-Monitoring
Sociosexual Orientation
Summary
Ch. 16. Interpersonal Belief Systems
Attachment Styles
Rejection Sensitivity
Romanticism
Summary
Concluding Remarks
About the Author
References
Author Index
Subject Index