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Dating and Mate Selection

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Handbook of Marriage and the Family

Abstract

Classic and contemporary studies of mate selection share a common goal: to describe and explain how individuals in romantic unions choose one another as partners. Upon first reading, this definition may seem to imply that mate selection is concerned only with choosing a partner for a committed relationship, but the study of mate selection is much more varied and dynamic in its focus. A full understanding of mate selection requires attention to the development and maintenance of romantic relationships, including their very beginnings and endings and the ups and downs in between. In this chapter, we review research aimed at these topics and suggest ways in which they are and are not being addressed. Because other chapters in this volume are devoted to cohabitation and to gay and lesbian relationships, we concentrate on mate selection in heterosexual relationships, and we discuss cohabitation only as it pertains to contemporary dating relationships and mate selection.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University Harrisburg, W-351 Olmsted Building, 777 W Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA, 17057-4898, USA

    Catherine A. Surra PhD

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Jill M. Boelter MA

Authors
  1. Catherine A. Surra PhD
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  2. Jill M. Boelter MA
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Correspondence to Catherine A. Surra PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Miami University Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Oxford, Ohio, USA

    Gary W. Peterson

  2. Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Miami University Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Oxford, Ohio, USA

    Kevin R. Bush

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Surra, C.A., Boelter, J.M. (2013). Dating and Mate Selection. In: Peterson, G., Bush, K. (eds) Handbook of Marriage and the Family. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3987-5_10

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