Course Overview
Relationships can be the source of our greatest joys and happiness, but relationships can also be connected to our greatest heartbreaks and strains. This course considers social and personal relationships from an academic perspective—the science and humanities in understanding relationships. This course provides a cohesive understanding of the current empirical and theoretical literature on social and personal relationships, with particular consideration to sociocultural perspectives on relationships. You will be able to describe relationships in terms of science and society by focusing on the empirical and theoretical foundations of relationships as well as considering culture and sociocultural contexts. We will examine empirical and theoretical frameworks, case studies, and examples from different cultures and contexts, exploring how social and personal relationship processes are understood. We will then review and synthesize humanities perspectives including literature and art and theatre. The course will culminate with a re-imagined approach to social and personal relationships through the lens of positive health sciences, seeing the connection between relationships and positive health as both a destination and a journey---with health relationships and positive health being any movement toward thriving.
Childhood friends. School friends. Neighborhood friends. College friends. Work friends. Best friends. Boyfriends. Girlfriends. This class provides an overview of the scientific study of personal and social relationships and the theoretical and applied explanations for core principles and constructs of relationship development, maintenance, and dissolution and provides extensive exploration of the nature of close relationship processes. We unpack the assumptions of the scientific processes and also explore what humanities approaches help us understand about relationships. We explore both the social science and humanities with considerations for culture and the sociocultural contexts of close relationships.

When people describe what makes life meaningful, what contributes to their happiness, and what they most value, they identify close relationships. Close relationships are vital to well-being, including happiness, mental health, physical health, and longevity. On the other hand, close relationships can challenge everything we thought we knew about our well-being, emotions, and mental health!! Close personal relationships have a holistic quality that meets more than a need to belong and that is conceptually bigger than shared goals. Close relationships conceptually are more cohesive than a set of interactive moments and more complex than any set of variables.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
1) Describe the theoretical and empirical foundations of relationship science;
2) Synthesize relationship science as a social scientific orientation that is also complimentary to humanities approaches;
3) Articulate the role of culture and global understanding in research and application of relationship science and relational well-being;
3) Demonstrate an understanding of the role of applied research within the inter-disciplinary understanding of relationship science;
4) Develop skills to promote the use of theory that bridges the gap between academic research and applied problems connecting relationship science and the humanities;
5) Understand core concepts in relationship science and in relationships in human flourishing including friendships, romantic relationships, close relationships, and social support;
6) Demonstrate understanding of the vocabulary associated with research about relationship process in social science and humanities;
7) Apply positive health sciences approaches to relationships and well-being;
8) Compare, contrast and synthesize the different theoretical foundations of relationship science and relational well-being with the aim of analyzing “best practices;”
9) Complete a group project that considers relationships and well-being or in an important area of relationship science.

Teaching Approach
This course will be a combination of lectures, readings, and discussions. Each class will begin with a lecture to introduce fundamental topics and concepts, particularly summarizing findings from a social science perspective. Next, students will discuss the assigned readings that explore the topic in greater depth and that offer an alternative perspective. To that end, you should come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Commitment to careful reading and engaged participation is required. During each session, students are encouraged to share your perspectives and to engage in critical thinking, analysis, and applications of the readings and course materials. I will facilitate discussion and application and provide additional context and examples and insight as needed. This course will also include opportunities for small group work and collaborative learning. For example, students will work in small groups to analyze and present a particular aspect of relationships from multiple perspectives including integrating the theoretical and empirical foundations and the strengths and limitations of the current understanding from social scientific orientation, and how humanities offers an additional orientation that can co-inform what we know from social science.

Assessment
Assessment in this course will be based on a combination of participation in class discussions, three response papers that include reflective notes, and your group project explicating the foundations and global/cultural applications of a relationship process.

Digital resources
All readings for this class will be scanned and available to students digitally on the VIU digital library.

Overview of the Course

Overview of Social and Personal Relationships as an Interdisciplinary Area of Study
What is Relationship Science?
Inter-disciplinary scientific approaches represent a broad range of disciplines, such as family studies, psychology, communication, sociology, child/lifespan development, gerontology, education, clinical work (e.g., counseling, therapy), philosophy, and anthropology

Relationship Science- Theory and Empirical Foundations
Considering Culture (and co-culture) in Relationship Science
Theory and Application of Relationship Science in the Global Context
Humanities Approaches- Accompaniment, Human Flourishing, and Relationships
Social and Personal Relationships in Art, Literature, and Theatre
Culture and global comparisons in romantic relationships and marriage
Sociocultural Contexts (Relationship Science and/or Humanities—or co-informing perspectives)

PART 1: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRCAL FOUNDATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS

The Building Blocks of Relationships
In this class session we look at the building blocks of relationships. We look at the nature and importance of intimacy, the influence of culture, the influence of experience, the influence of individual differences, the influence of human nature, the influence of interaction, and the dark side of relationships.
READ: Miller, R. (2018). The building blocks of Relationships. Intimate Relationships. Chapter 1.
Friendships Across the Lifespan
In this class session we explore friendships across the lifespan, with a particular focus on friendship in later life and cross-cultural comparison. Friendship is a relationship that can endure across the entire lifespan, serving a vital role for sustaining social connectedness in late life when other relationships may become unavailable. We explore theoretical approaches for conceptualizing friendship research, and areas research about late-life friendship research. We include a presentation of innovative research methods for understanding international data sets that can advance late-life friendship research using large samples and cross-national comparisons. We explore interventions aimed at improving friendship and reducing social isolation among older adults.

READ: Blieszner, R., Ogletree, A.M., & Adams, R.G. (2019). Friendship in Later Life: A Research Agenda. Innovation in Aging.

Close Relationship Processes in Relationship Science
What is relationship science? In this meeting, we explore the interdisciplinary study of relationship science focusing on the implications for science and society.
Relationship science explicates concepts such as love, commitment, respect, jealousy, willingness to sacrifice, loneliness, disclosure, and positivity in close relationships. Relationships involve cognitive, behavioral, and affective (or emotional) aspects as manifest in a series of interactions particular to the people involved. Close relationships involve mutual understanding of closeness and behavior as developed over time. We explore concepts such as relationship commitment, stability, relationship integration, goal pursuit, emotional bonds, and sacrifice and the communicative enactment of ongoing relationships. You will understand how relationship science as an interdisciplinary field of study approaches theoretical and empirical work in social and personal relationships.

READ: Hsieh, E., & Kramer, E.M. (2021). Rethinking Culture in Health Communication. An interdisciplinary overview of health communication using a cultural lens—uniquely focused on social interactions in health contexts. Chapter 1. pp 1-25.

Attraction
Why are people attracted to others? What part is individual choice? How does culture influence attraction? In this meeting, we explore the science of attraction and social cognition.
We consider the fundamental basis of attraction, proximity (why we like those near us), physical attractiveness, reciprocity, similarity, gender and culture. We look at cognitive processes in first impressions (and beyond), the power of perceptions, impression management, and assumptions about how well we know people we think we know (including partners).

Self and Connectedness: Individual and Dyadic Levels of Analysis Social and Personal Relationships and Culture
In this class meeting, we explore the foundations of social and personal relationships by considering individual and dyadic levels of analysis of social and personal relationships. When we consider the individual, we will explore the self, personal traits, personality, personal growth and development, and a life span perspective). We introduce implications for different disciplines, for cultures and co-cultures, and for global perspectives. I will introduce you to research on: Individual Differences in Relationship Processes and Relational Ambivalence, Personality and close relationship processes, Attachment Theory and Relational Ambivalence, Culture and Individual Differences, Global Considerations for Individual Differences, and Connectedness: Dyadic Level Understanding.

READ: Kelley, D. L. (2020). The person within the mask: Mask-wearing, identity, and communication. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 4, 111-130. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/8712

Humanities Approaches- Illumination, Accompaniment, Human Flourishing, and Relationships
In this class session, we discuss humanities approaches focusing on illumination and accompaniment, and the understanding of human flourishing as connected to relationships. We unpack the assumptions and approaches from humanities.

READ: TWO CHAPTERS from David Brooks- How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Seen.
Illumination. Chapter 3.
Accompaniment. Chapter 4.

Family Systems Understanding
Understanding social and personal relationships from a systems perspective is grounded in what we know from family systems, where the family is treated as a unit. From a systems perspective / family systems perspective, when something affects one person (member of the system), it affects every other family member (member of the system) as well. The strength and stability of the family unit (or system) can provide support when one member needs help. Family systems and systems approaches focuses on the generational, social, community, and cultural factors that influence individuals and families (or system). In this class session, we discuss family systems / systems understanding. We unpack the assumptions and approaches from external family systems and compare with more recent approaches including internal family systems.

READ: Friedman, E. (1990). The Bridge from Friedman’s Fables. Guilford Press.

READ: Dunst, C.J. (2021). Family Strengths, the Circumplex Model of Family Systems, and Personal and Family Functioning: A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships Among Study Measures. Journal of Behavior, Health & Social Issues , 13 (2), 1–16.

PART 2: CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS

Conceptualizing Interdependence in Relationship Science
In this class session, we consider social exchange and interdependence in close relationships. We read about social exchange and the economics of relationships and commitment. We also consider interdependence as theoretical foundation of interconnectedness. Many of the variables of interest in conceptualizing close relationships, and in the scientific study of close relationships, are causally bi-directionally and highly correlated with each other (e.g. trust, love, commitment). In this class session, we analyze interdependence theory and consider culture in relational interdependence.

READ: Rusbult, C.E., & Van Lange, P.A.M. (2008). Why We Need Interdependence Theory. Social and Personality Compass.

Culture in Close Relationship Processes
Culture shapes human social and relational life as well as priorities, access to meeting goals, and interpretation and evaluation of individual actions and social events. For many, culture is experienced as the invisible assumption of “normal.” In contrast, relationships, especially family relationships and close relationships, are the salient center of the human social environment and thus carry central culture-specific goals. We will consider culture and close relationship processes including close relationships and cultural representations of relationships. We will analyze the interconnection between close relationships and health across cultures East Asian Cultures.

READ: Campos, B., & Kim, H.J. (2017). Incorporating the Cultural Diversity of Family and Close Relationships in the Study of Health. American Psychologist.

Intimate Relationships: Romantic Attraction, Dating, and Love
In this session, we discuss love and why it matters. We begin with a brief history of love and individual and cultural differences in love. We explore why intimate relationships are important (including science as evidence), what makes a relationship intimate, how intimacy is different from love, influential theories of intimacy, and romantic attraction including physical appearance, personal characteristics, contexts of romantic attraction. We explore the science of different types of love including compassionate love, companionate love, the science of affection, and love as mutual interests, and shared laughter. I share summaries of the science of affection and methods used to study love and affection.

READ: No Reading. Focus on Integrated Reflection on Your Close Social and Personal Relationships.

Marriage and Romantic Partnerships
We look at the history of marriage and implications for the self (and self discovery) and for relationships We explore implications for culture and marriage and the aftermath of breakups. We discuss the legal meaning of sex and romantic relationships and the interconnected assumptions about whether legal changes in the regulation of sexuality and domestic relationships contribute to public perceptions that partnerships accompanying the act of sex are a wholly private matter.

READ: Finkel, E.J. (2017). The All-or-Nothing Marriage. New York Times Opinion article.
TEDxUChicago on “The Marriage Hack”
https://elifinkel.com/videos

Sex and Sexuality in Relationships
In this class session, we explore sex and sexuality. We look at relationship science perspectives as well as humanities perspectives on sexual attitudes, sexual behavior, sexual satisfaction, sexual coercion, and sex and sexuality beyond binary boundaries.

The Italian Context: Intersectional Perspectives on Challenges to Intimate Relationships and Marriage in Italy In this class session, we consider sociocultural changes and the Italian context for marriage, the dissolution of marriage, and identity and options outside the monogamous borders of heterosexual marriage and recent same-sex civil unions. We explore intersectionality and the lived experiences through narratives of traditionally non-normative experiences in Italy.
READ: Guarneri, A., Rinesi, F., Fraboni, R., & De Rose, A. (2021). Magnitude, Frequency, and Nature of Dissolution of Marriage in Italy. Genus.
READ: Gusmano, B. (2018). Coming out Through an Intersectional Perspective: Narratives of Bisexuality and Polyamory in Italy. Journal of Bisexuality.

The Dark Side of Relationships
Close relationships can bring out the best in us, but close relationships can also be associated with stresses and strains. We look at the science of hurt feelings, ostracism, jealousy, deception and lying, and betrayal. We consider how close relationships can also manifest complicated dilemmas and contradictions and paradoxical patterns where we unwittingly enact and encourage the very behaviors we wish to control and curtail. We compare the dark side of interpersonal processes and relationships. We also look at the dark side of societal structures that shape relationships. We consider culture and global contexts for dark side dilemmas.

READ: Spizberg, B.H., & Cupach, W.R. (2014). The Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit: From Attraction to Stalking. Chapter 1 and Chapter 4.

When Support Becomes Control in Health and Well-Being
People in close relationships are involved in a complex interplay between their own and their close others' health behaviors, making this a critical context in which to understand health-related social support and social control. Although these constructs are often viewed as separate in theory and research, they both shape and are shaped by attempts at health-enhancing communication and relational dynamics in close relationships, and are associated with a variety of health outcomes and consequences.
Tricia J. Burke, T.J., Young, V.J. & Duggan, A. (2021). Recognizing the blurred boundary between health-related support and control in close relationships. Personal Relationships.

Communicating Revenge
In this class session we explore more deeply a “dark side” relationship process: Revenge. We explore how and why people take revenge on others in modern social life. We consider research across academic disciplines to show the times and places at which revenge occurs, the types of acts that people engage in, and the psychological and social effects revenge can have on both receivers and avengers in various interpersonal relationship contexts, including romantic relationships, professional relationships, families, and friendships. I will share various methods of conducting empirical research on revenge. We read a theoretical account to explain why revenge occurs when it does. We discuss ethical and philosophical issues surrounding the practice of revenge.
Boon, S.D., & Yoshimura, S.M. (2020). Revenge as social interaction: Merging social psychological and interpersonal communication approaches to the study of vengeful behavior. Social Personal Psychology Compass.

Hope and Healing: Communicating Interpersonal Forgiveness
Now we turn to hope and healing in personal relationships. We look at the interpersonal processes of communicating forgiveness. We consider the literature on forgiveness in relationships. We explore real-life forgiveness narratives from interdisciplinary work that includes such related fields as psychology counseling, family studies, peace studies, conflict management, religious studies, and organizational behavior. We turn to a hopeful framework for negotiating healthy and just responses to relational disappointments. We consider societal level approaches including restorative justice.

READ: Wolf, B. M., Kelley, D. L., & Broberg, S. E. (2020). Forgiveness Communication and Health. The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication.

PART 3: THE SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT OF RELATIONSHIPS

The SocioCultural Context of Social and Personal Relationships
In this class meeting, I introduce and explore the social ecology of relationships and how the sociocultural context helps us understand assumptions that can be inaccurate or biased. The individual and dyadic levels of analysis are well documented, but relationship science often has a “context problem” in that they are disproportionally focused on Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) samples. We consider intersectionality and contexts such as political climate, culture, and socioeconomic status. We consider the historic and systemic marginalization of individuals with minoritized racial and ethnic identities and how it impacts various aspects of their social and personal lives. We consider gender and sexuality as essential to relationship experiences and organization.
READ: Cross, S.E., & Joo, M. (2024). Sociocultural Perspectives on Romantic Relationships: A View from the East and West. In Brian Ogolsky (Editor). The Sociocultural Context of Romantic Relationships. Cambridge University Press.

Religion and Spirituality in Romantic Relationships
Different specific religions or spiritual beliefs can be helpful or hurtful for romantic relationships. In this class meeting, I facilitate a nuanced understanding about the dual-natured intersection of religion and / or spiritual beliefs and romantic relationships. We delineate findings that link global religion and spirituality factors to the formation (partner selection, decisions to cohabit or marry), and maintenance (union satisfaction, infidelity, domestic violence), and dissolution (divorce or separation) of romantic relationships.
READ: Mahoney, A., McGraw, J.S., & Chinn, J. (2024). Religion and Spirituality in Romantic Relationships. In Brian Ogolsky (Editor). The Sociocultural Context of Romantic Relationships. Cambridge University Press.
READ: Vignoli, D., & Salvini, S. (2014). Religion and Union Formation in Italy: Catholic Precepts, Social Pressure, and Tradition. Demographic Research.

Cultures and Friendships
We consider cultural variations in close friendships and consider how close friendships differ in individualist compared to collectivist cultures. We explore dimensions of friendships across cultures including value of autonomy, value spending quality time with friends, and support for sense of self. We look at involvement in friends’ lives and the interdependent nature of friendships and cultural variations in dimensions.

READ: Baumgarte, R. (2016). Conceptualizing Cultural Variations in Close Friendships. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture.

PART 4: INNOVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS: RE-IMAGING SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE LENS OF POSITIVE HEALTH SCIENCES

Flourishing relationships could provide the strongest link to positive health. In the last part of this course, we explore relationships from the lens of positive health sciences and we re-imagine hopeful possibilities for research, for cross-cultural engagement, for peace, and for human flourishing.
Assignment. You will take five images of things (other than yourself) that affirm or reinforce flourishing relationships for you, and five images of things that threaten or undermine your flourishing relationships for you. You will caption these images. You will share your images and captions and be prepared to discuss how reflective experiences help us understand our perceptions of relationships, and might be used even more imaginatively, to improve relationships and well-being health. What domains/areas can self-expressive images be helpful for relationships and well-being?

The Emergence of Positive Health Sciences
In this class period, I introduce the foundations of positive health sciences. We begin with the emerging construct of positive health as an approach to health and well-being that recognizes the importance of social and personal factors that drive disease and illness but also focus on processes that underpin optimal health and well-being. The development of positive health sciences is similar to the rationale used to articulate the principles of positive psychology. Positive health sciences integrate lifestyle medicine and positive psychology and further expand the science-informed approaches to well-being. We consider positive health as both a destination and a journey. As a destination it signifies the pinnacle of physical, mental, social, emotional, and meaningful thriving. As a journey, it reflects the fact that any movement towards thriving is a positive health journey.

READ: O’Boyle, C.A., Lianov, L., Burke, J., Frates, B., & Boniwell, I. (2024). Positive Health: An Emerging New Construct. Chapter 1 from Burke, Boniwell, Frates, Lionov, & O’Boyle (Editors). Routledge International Handbook of Positive Health Sciences.

Do Our Relationships Make Us Healthier?
We explore positive health sciences in this class period by highlighting the importance of social relationships to our physical health and psychological well-being. We review theoretical foundations including attachment theory and social support. We discuss mechanisms linking relationships to health focusing especially on relationship quality and processes and their psychological constructs.

READ: Sanri, Ç, & Jarden, A. (2024). Do Our Relationships Make Us Healthier? Psychological Correlates of Social Connections and Close Relationships. Chapter 6 from Burke, Boniwell, Frates, Lionov, & O’Boyle (Editors). Routledge International Handbook of Positive Health Sciences.

A Dialogical Way of Being in Relationships
Coaching has become an increasingly popular intervention in health contexts. The new role of “health coach” is emerging across health systems globally. We explore ‘way of being’ a positive health coach and consider what that means for flourishing relationships.

READ: van Nieuwerbergh, C., & Knight, J. (2024). Positive Health Coaching: Adopting a Dialogical Approach to Health and Well-Being. Chapter 14 from Burke, Boniwell, Frates, Lionov, & O’Boyle (Editors). Routledge International Handbook of Positive Health Sciences.

Special Topics with Out of Class Activities:

Venice as City for Romantic Relationships
We will explore Venice and romance. As a city that is described as one of “the most romantic cities in the entire world.” We explore the city from the perspectives of what we have learned in this class about flourishing relationships and well-being. This section will include two out of class activities. We will explore “romantic” Venice as a class, and we will write a reflection integrating academic and research-based understanding of relationship process with the claims of romantic destinations.

READ: Utterly Romantic Things to do in Venice
READ: 5 Most Important Relationships for People in Venice

Relationships and the Survival of the Plague
We will participate as a class in the Festa della Salute –this commemorates survival from the plague. This will include an out-of-class visit to Santa Maria Della Salute and learning about what that means for Venice historically and currently.

READ: What is the Festa della Salute?

Out of Classroom Activities as a Class:
---We will visit the hospital and medical museum in Venice.
---We will celebrate in November the Venice celebration of the Festa della Salute –this commemorates survival from the plague. This will include an out-of-class visit to Santa Maria Della Salute and considering what that means for relationships in Venice historically and currently.
---Celebration of one of the most important relationships in Venice—the relationship people have with food. We have a Venice group meal at Professor Duggan’s apartment.

Last updated: January 29, 2025