ABSTRACT
The domain of couple closeness extends well beyond the individual couple members themselves. Although couplemembers’ cognitions and feelings about each other are important indicators of closeness, there are other key indicators that reside in the couple’s social environment (e.g., among family and friends) and even in their physical environment. This chapter describes research that examines whether couple members’ closeness is reflected in (a) the level of support they receive from family and friends, and (b) the way that they arrange the objects in their home. Extant research on closeness has examined the facets (Aron, A. & Fraley, 1999), antecedents (Feeney, 1999), development (Montgomery, 1993), and outcomes of closeness (Aron, A., Aron, E. N., Tudor, & Nelson, 1991). Less is known about the social and physical environmental concomitants of closeness, which are the focus of this chapter.
