Sex and gender differences in personal relationships
By: Daniel J. Canary, Tara M. Emmers-Sommer, with Sandra Faulkner.
Contributors: Emmers-Sommer, Tara M.; Faulkner, Sandra.
Series: The Guilford series on personal relationships
Publisher: Guilford Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 196
Subjects: Interpersonal relations; Interpersonal communication; Sex differences (Psychology)
Description: Challenging the commonly held assumption that men and women hail from different psychological and social "planets," this illuminating work reexamines what the empirical research really shows about how the sexes communicate in close relationships. The volume highlights evidence of similarities - as well as differences - between the two groups, and shows that stereotypical beliefs about men and women fail to predict their actual interaction behavior.

A reasoned, provocative contribution to a significant area of study, this volume synthesizes important findings for researchers, scholars, and students in communication, social psychology, marriage and family studies, and gender studies. It is a useful primary or secondary text for undergraduate and graduate courses and will also be of interest to clinicians working with individuals, couples, and families.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-189) and index.
Table of contents: title: Moving beyond stereotypes. Do men and women inhabit different worlds? -- Investigating sex and gender differences in personal relationships -- A flowchart model predicting stereotypic interaction behavior -- Overview of the project -- Conclusion -- Sex, gender and emotion. Defining and characterizing emotion -- Methodological concerns -- Research on sex, gender and emotion -- Conclusion -- Communicating intimacy. Defining intimacy -- Two manifestations of intimacy -- Friendships -- Romantic involvements -- Sex differences and sex -- Conclusion -- Communicating control. Power and powerful behavior -- Sex differences in power strategies -- Sex differences in managing interpersonal conflict -- Displays of control in conversational behaviors -- Relational maintenance behaviors -- Conclusion -- Division of household labor. Amount and type of tasks -- Racial considerations -- Explaining the division of labor -- Negotiating couple types and gender identity -- Signs of increased equity -- Conclusion -- Towards an activity-based view of gender. Gender as clusters of activities -- External constraints on the enactment of gender in personal relationships -- Conclusion.