Offering a positive view of the family, Cox’s Human Intimacy: Marriage, the Family, and Its Meaning discusses the characteristics of successful intimate relationships and teaches the decision-making skills that lead to strong marriages and families. This Research Update edition includes timely coverage of such topics as diversity within the American family (including rural and military families), gay marriage, singles, cohabitation, gender roles, theories of love, date rape and courtship violence, and parenting and life stages, as well as the latest census data and statistics on marriage and birth rates, household composition, and education and income level of different racial groups. (Author abstract)