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Encyclopedia of Human Relationships Published

Susan Sprecher, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, has co-edited The Encyclopedia of Human Relationships, which will be distributed to college and university libraries across the country this month. Sprecher and Dr. Harry Reis of the University of Rochester began their work in early 2007, first to identify their topics, from A (Abortion) to W (Workplace Relationships), and then to identify and invite authors to contribute. Sprecher and Reis began receiving drafts of entries in the fall of 2007. Much of their work centered on reviewing and editing Encyclopedia entries, often working on one or more entries a day. After months of work, the project was completed in record time, accord to the Sage Publishing Company, which published the volumes.

The three volumes include 563 entries written by approximately 680 authors including several ISU faculty members. Maria Schmeeckle, Richard Sullivan, Maura Toro-Morn, and Marion Willetts in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; William Cupach and Sandra Metts in the School of Communication;  Ray Bergner, John Pryor, Glenn Reeder, Renee Tobin,  and Corinne Zimmerman in the Department of Psychology; and Jeanne Howard in the School of Social Work are among the many authors who contributed to the encyclopedia volumes.

This work takes as its starting point the idea that relationships are fundamental to nearly all domains of human activity, from birth to death. Relationships discussed in the volume include many different associations—friends, lovers, spouses, roommates, teammates, parents and their children, siblings, acquaintances, neighbors, mates, coworkers, and business associates. The entries touch upon larger themes of relationship phenomena, including cognitive processes, communication, closeness, the dark side of relationships, emotions, health and the biology of relationships, personality and individual differences, prevention and repair of relationship problems, sexuality, and the social context of relationships. The multi-volume encyclopedia was designed to provide a framework for students, faculty, and lay-persons who want to have updated, easy to read summaries of the current scientific knowledge about interpersonal relationships.
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