Robert Lauer received his B.S. and Ph.D. from Washington University, his B.D. from Southern Seminary, and his M.A. from Southern Illinois University. Representatives may reach him at rjlauer@aol.com.

"What do you want out of life? If you are like most Americans, you would probably include happiness in your answer. But where can you find happiness? We wrote this text because we believe your personal happiness is crucially tied up with the quality of your intimate relationships. The text not only will provide you with a basic understanding of marriage and family life but also will show you how you can apply the knowledge you gain to enrich your life. In other words, this is not only a text; it's a practical guide as well. It is conceptual and theoretical social science, but it is also applied social science. The former comes from the wealth of information and the empirical work of the hundreds of researchers we discuss. The latter is found in the "Principles for Enhancing Intimacy" sections presented in each chapter as well as in the "Personal," Comparison," and "What Do You Think?" inserts. Hopefully, by the time you complete this book, you will have a thorough understanding of marriage and family life today and an understanding of the steps you can take to enhance the quality of your own intimate relationships. We have updated this edition throughout with the latest available information. First, we have incorporated the latest available research-more than 200 new references from the professional literature. Second, we have utilized the most recent government data. The new references and government data, in addition to updating our knowledge about intimate relationships, provide increasingly more information on racial and ethnic differences in those relationships. This information, integrated throughout the chapters as appropriate, shows how Americans of various racial and ethnic backgrounds have similar as well as dissimilar experiences in their family relationships. In addition to updating every chapter's research base and statistical data, we have made a number of other enhancements to the text's coverage"--