Social scientists and laypersons agree that intimacy promotes human well-being, and that its absence has deleterious effects. Until now, however, no one volume has integrated the vast body of interdisciplinary literatures on intimacy into a comprehensive study of the phenomenon. The Psychology of Intimacy, by Karen J. Prager, fills this crucial gap with an exhaustive synthesis of theoretical, empirical, and clinical research on personal relationships. This engaging work explores the complex interconnections between intimacy and individual development, and examines relationships from infancy to old age in their social, cultural, and gender contexts. Through its construction of an innovative, multitiered model of intimate relating. The Psychology of Intimacy offers unique insights to anyone who studies or treats close relationships.