Changiz Mohiyeddini, PhD, MSc (Editor)
Professor of Personality Psychology and Research Methods, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, Holybourne Avenue, London, UK
Professor of Personality Psychology, Psychological Assessment and Research Methods, Webster University Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Series: Psychology of Emotions, Motivations and Actions
BISAC: PSY013000

Undoubtedly, emotional relationships, as a description of the emotional bond between any two individuals or between an individual and an animal or an object, are one of the most challenging ontogenetic and developmental tasks. Hence, the main purpose of the present edition is to discuss crucial issues related to emotional relationships.

The initial chapter provides the reader with a brief introduction into key aspects of emotions that delineate their high degree of importance to humans and their wide range of functions as a highly complex phenomenon. Chapter Two examines the representation of research on the role played by primary reference persons and significant others in everyday-life emotional relationships and health in psychology. Trierweiler and Krampen have made a theoretically insightful attempt to determine which reference persons are studied in psychological research with regard to human (psychosocial and emotional) development and health in general; the frequencies with which these reference persons are studied as significant others; and the significance of the reference persons for psychological health and successful development. Chapter Three discusses the impact of the perception of injustice in human relationships. Thomas, Baumert and Schmitt provide an overview of the emotional consequences of injustice and common assumptions about the perception-emotion link and discuss theories that postulate the cognitive mediators and moderators that might diminish emotional response. Chapter Four focuses on emotional disclosure in bereavement and provides empirical evidence for the hypothesis that emotional disclosure is associated with both depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Chapter Five provides an insightful review on intimate partner violence as a devastating societal problem with tremendous emotional and psychological consequences, and with significant communal costs. Chapter Six provides an examination of early adult friendship maintenance difficulties, mindfulness ability and the history of childhood abuse. The results of Walter and King show that individuals who acknowledged relatively more frequent episodes of parental physical abuse during upbringing described heightened personal and situational maintenance difficulties in a close contemporary friendship.

As emotions can be overpowering and become debilitating and intrusive in daily life, thus, the ability to effectively regulate emotions is paramount as it serves as a protective factor against emotional distress. Considering the fact that emotions have a crucial impact on all levels of our work life, Chapter Seven focuses on managing emotions in the workplace, followed by a review on emotional intelligence in Chapter Eight that recognizes the individual differences in processing and managing emotions in everyday life. Freudenthaler and Papousek review two leading perspectives on emotional intelligence as ability versus trait, and discuss their relevance to personal adaptation and social functioning followed by a critical discussion of the limitations of both approaches. Chapter Nine reviews the growing interest in utilizing human-animal relationships for enhancing physical and emotional well-being. Wolf and Brown explore the nature of the life-enhancing relationship between humans and animals, and describes the Animal Assisted Play Therapy Program as one illustration of how the human-animal bond may facilitate well-being and can be the foundation for building other relationships. (Imprint: Nova)