Encyclopedia of Relationships Across the Lifespan

This comprehensive cross-disciplinary encyclopedia explores the developmental nature of social interactions and is designed for a broad range of readers in college institutional and public library settings. The lifespan perspective illuminates how relationships change throughout the course of human development from family interactions and friendships to dating and work relationships. In the process a diversity of topics are explored such as aging experiences divorce family violence gender roles grandparenthood HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases marriage and alternative lifestyles parenthood and sibling relations. A variety of perspectives are provided including psychological sociological family studies historical anthropological and religious views. The reader is also exposed to how lifespan relationships are shaped by international racial ethnic and class differences.Over 500 easy-to-read entries analyze terms concepts themes theories and policies as well as current historical and multicultural perspectives and provide over 1500 sources for further study. An appendix listing over 100 professional journals of note and a selected bibliography of the latest publications of importance to the topic overall further enrich this volume designed for students teachers practitioners and general readers in all the social sciences.