PSYCH 137C Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Document Summary
What makes intimate relationships satisfying and fulfilling is not universal and fixed, but relative - a matter of context and interpretation. How people feel about their relationships may be a function not only of what they experience, but also of how they think about those experiences. A relationship that satisfies one person may be very different from an intimate partnership that would satisfy someone else. Understanding this diversity requires an examination of beliefs and values. Most of us develop intricate ideas about how intimate relationships work and what we want from them simply by observing the relationships of those around us. Our own ideas have some aspects that are unique to us, a product of our specific experiences and observations. Describing how different people"s understanding of intimate relationships might vary requires that we first identify some of the broad ways that knowledge of intimate relationships can vary. Belief: an idea or theory about what the world is actually like.
