Examines the dark side of relating, an inevitable part of interacting with others. How is it that we need others so much, indeed rely on them for our survival and well-being, yet often find it so difficult to maintain satisfying relationships? How can the loved one who raises your spirits by leaving flowers for you one day be the same individual who the next day acts like an insensitive jerk? Relationships provide us with meaning and psychological well-being but are the source of many, perhaps most, of life's greatest frustrations. -- Publisher description