ABSTRACT
Most people acknowledge the desire for closeness with romantic partners. However, a more complex picture of closeness emerges when one moves beyond the range of closeness often examined by much of the research on romantic relationships, and instead explores the situation where closeness becomes suffocating. This chapter explores a facet of this complex picture-the desire for less closeness-by integrating data from Mashek’s (2002) laboratory research and Sherman’s clinical experience.
