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“Personal Relationships.” Vol. 1 Studying Personal Relationships
368
BOOK REVIEWS
the simplistic psychoanalytic lore contained in some chapters, most will warm to the accepting, even benevolent, tone of the prose. This must stem in part from Dr Kahn's own personality and its development through working closely with human beings in distress over many years. If our students absorb some of this, as well as the factual information, the book will have more than merited its modest price.
Peter Birleson "Personal Relationships." Vol. z Studying Personal Relationships and Vol. 2 Developing Personal Relationships. Steve Duck and Robin Gilmour. London: Academic Press. 198I. Vol. i, pp. 253 , s
US$24"oo; Vol. 2, pp. 288, s
US$24"oo.
Academic psychology has, in general, paid very little attention to the subject of personal relationships, and for that reason if for no other these two volumes are to be welcomed. Steve Duck and Robin Gilmour have put together two sets of edited papers, the first concerned with the study of personal relationships, and the second with ways in which relationships develop through the life span. The editors have drawn upon a wide range of international talent, and should be congratulated on having included representative authors from Canada, Australia, West Germany and the Soviet Union, as well as a number from the U.K. and the U.S.A. As the editors themselves note, the field of personal relationships is gradually establishing itself as an important area of study, but it is clearly one which transcends the normal barriers between disciplines. Thus, it has many strands to its history, and draws from the academic fields not only of social psychology, but also of ethology, sociology and anthropology. This richness of heritage clearly has advantages, but it does lead to considerable variation in the quality of the contributions and in the perspectives of the contributors. As far as the first volume is concerned, an attempt is made both to consider the methodology involved in studying personal relationships, and to review the experimental evidence available concerning certain types of relationships such as sexual or work relationships. In this volume the first chapter is by Robert Hinde, and is entitled " T h e Bases of a Science of Interpersonal Relationships". It is only right and proper that Hinde should set the scene, since it is he perhaps more than anyone else in this country who has stimulated social scientists to turn their attention in the direction of personal relationships. Other chapters which are impressive include one by McCarthy on "Studying Personal Relationships", a clear, concise and useful review for anyone coming new to the topic, and one by Mangham on "Relationships at Work", which is both interesting and enjoyable to read. The other chapters are, as I have indicated, variable in their viewpoint and their quality, but since this book brings together so much that has previously been so widely scattered, its value z should not be underestimated. It is the second volume dealing with the development of relationships throughout the life span, which will undoubtedly be of greatest interest to readers of this journal, and while most of the work is of very high quality, there are some important limitations in the material on adolescence. One chapter is specifically devoted to
BOOK REVIEWS
369
adolescent friendship. This has been written by Igor Kon, of the Institute of Ethnography, The U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences in Leningrad. The editors have been adventurous in choosing a Soviet view of this topic, and Dr Kon raises some interesting questions and draws upon a wide range of evidence originating from many countries. However, he is perhaps less familiar than comparable reviewers in this country would be with current issues, and the overall impression is somewhat disappointing. Another chapter, by Dickens and Perlman from Winnipeg in Canada, deals with friendship over the life cycle, and here again the treatment of adolescence is less than satisfactory. T o take an example, one of Dickens and Perlman's concluding comments runs as follows: "From the research of Douvan and Adelson (z966) it is evident that adolescence friendship expectations are similar to children's friendship expectations but at a more advanced level" (p. xo9). This is simply untrue, for Douvan and Adelson's conclusions were precisely the opposite, namely that friendship expectations change markedly throughout adolescence, and are quite different from those expectations shown in childhood. I have one final criticism to make. It is disappointing that in a volume devoted to the development of relationships there is no material at all on parents and adolescents. This must surely be a serious gap, and if there are further editions it is to be hoped that the editors will pay some attention to such a crucial stage in the formation of relationships. In conclusion attention should be drawn to other, stronger chapters in the second volume. Sue Pawlby's contribution on "Infant-Mother Relationships" is excellent, as is Sheila Chown's material on "Friendship in Old Age". The two volumes together represent without doubt a valuable set of papers in an area of growing importance. T h e editors have attempted to bring together a heterogeneous collection of theory and empirical research, and mould it into a coherent shape. Inevitably some contributions refuse to fit neatly into a pattern, but perhaps this is no bad thing. These volumes break new ground, and should certainly find a place on as many library shelves as possible. John Coleman
Kids at the Door. R. Holman. Oxford: Blaekwells. x98L Pp. zxx. s s paperback.
hardback,
This is a dual account. Firstly it describes the experience of a professor who, frustrated by academic life and inspired by Christian and egalitarian principles, has the nerve to switch completely to start a project with a budget less than a lecturer's salary, and no resources other than himself and his home. Secondly, it 9is an evaluation of the first three years of an experiment in community social work on an average deprived estate. The combination is a calendar of extraordinary hard work and dedication, counselling and befriending residents and providing recreational facilities for the locality. Unfortunately, the style of doughty exprofessor-as-hero tends to mar the analysis of a most interesting venture.
BOOK REVIEWS
the simplistic psychoanalytic lore contained in some chapters, most will warm to the accepting, even benevolent, tone of the prose. This must stem in part from Dr Kahn's own personality and its development through working closely with human beings in distress over many years. If our students absorb some of this, as well as the factual information, the book will have more than merited its modest price.
Peter Birleson "Personal Relationships." Vol. z Studying Personal Relationships and Vol. 2 Developing Personal Relationships. Steve Duck and Robin Gilmour. London: Academic Press. 198I. Vol. i, pp. 253 , s
US$24"oo; Vol. 2, pp. 288, s
US$24"oo.
Academic psychology has, in general, paid very little attention to the subject of personal relationships, and for that reason if for no other these two volumes are to be welcomed. Steve Duck and Robin Gilmour have put together two sets of edited papers, the first concerned with the study of personal relationships, and the second with ways in which relationships develop through the life span. The editors have drawn upon a wide range of international talent, and should be congratulated on having included representative authors from Canada, Australia, West Germany and the Soviet Union, as well as a number from the U.K. and the U.S.A. As the editors themselves note, the field of personal relationships is gradually establishing itself as an important area of study, but it is clearly one which transcends the normal barriers between disciplines. Thus, it has many strands to its history, and draws from the academic fields not only of social psychology, but also of ethology, sociology and anthropology. This richness of heritage clearly has advantages, but it does lead to considerable variation in the quality of the contributions and in the perspectives of the contributors. As far as the first volume is concerned, an attempt is made both to consider the methodology involved in studying personal relationships, and to review the experimental evidence available concerning certain types of relationships such as sexual or work relationships. In this volume the first chapter is by Robert Hinde, and is entitled " T h e Bases of a Science of Interpersonal Relationships". It is only right and proper that Hinde should set the scene, since it is he perhaps more than anyone else in this country who has stimulated social scientists to turn their attention in the direction of personal relationships. Other chapters which are impressive include one by McCarthy on "Studying Personal Relationships", a clear, concise and useful review for anyone coming new to the topic, and one by Mangham on "Relationships at Work", which is both interesting and enjoyable to read. The other chapters are, as I have indicated, variable in their viewpoint and their quality, but since this book brings together so much that has previously been so widely scattered, its value z should not be underestimated. It is the second volume dealing with the development of relationships throughout the life span, which will undoubtedly be of greatest interest to readers of this journal, and while most of the work is of very high quality, there are some important limitations in the material on adolescence. One chapter is specifically devoted to
BOOK REVIEWS
369
adolescent friendship. This has been written by Igor Kon, of the Institute of Ethnography, The U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences in Leningrad. The editors have been adventurous in choosing a Soviet view of this topic, and Dr Kon raises some interesting questions and draws upon a wide range of evidence originating from many countries. However, he is perhaps less familiar than comparable reviewers in this country would be with current issues, and the overall impression is somewhat disappointing. Another chapter, by Dickens and Perlman from Winnipeg in Canada, deals with friendship over the life cycle, and here again the treatment of adolescence is less than satisfactory. T o take an example, one of Dickens and Perlman's concluding comments runs as follows: "From the research of Douvan and Adelson (z966) it is evident that adolescence friendship expectations are similar to children's friendship expectations but at a more advanced level" (p. xo9). This is simply untrue, for Douvan and Adelson's conclusions were precisely the opposite, namely that friendship expectations change markedly throughout adolescence, and are quite different from those expectations shown in childhood. I have one final criticism to make. It is disappointing that in a volume devoted to the development of relationships there is no material at all on parents and adolescents. This must surely be a serious gap, and if there are further editions it is to be hoped that the editors will pay some attention to such a crucial stage in the formation of relationships. In conclusion attention should be drawn to other, stronger chapters in the second volume. Sue Pawlby's contribution on "Infant-Mother Relationships" is excellent, as is Sheila Chown's material on "Friendship in Old Age". The two volumes together represent without doubt a valuable set of papers in an area of growing importance. T h e editors have attempted to bring together a heterogeneous collection of theory and empirical research, and mould it into a coherent shape. Inevitably some contributions refuse to fit neatly into a pattern, but perhaps this is no bad thing. These volumes break new ground, and should certainly find a place on as many library shelves as possible. John Coleman
Kids at the Door. R. Holman. Oxford: Blaekwells. x98L Pp. zxx. s s paperback.
hardback,
This is a dual account. Firstly it describes the experience of a professor who, frustrated by academic life and inspired by Christian and egalitarian principles, has the nerve to switch completely to start a project with a budget less than a lecturer's salary, and no resources other than himself and his home. Secondly, it 9is an evaluation of the first three years of an experiment in community social work on an average deprived estate. The combination is a calendar of extraordinary hard work and dedication, counselling and befriending residents and providing recreational facilities for the locality. Unfortunately, the style of doughty exprofessor-as-hero tends to mar the analysis of a most interesting venture.