In this research programme an attempt is being made to discover and document the relationship process, which leads to success or breakdown of marriage and other relationships. Initially a start was made on a number of lines of research. There was a cross-cultural survey of the rules of relationship, and a number of smaller surveys and questionnaires were also administered, dealing with specific aspects of the main kinds of relationships, such as friends, marriage, parents and children, colleagues at work, and so on. These have been distinguished in terms of the different goals, rules, feelings, situations, satisfactions, difficulties and conceptions of fairness appropriate to each. A 'comparative anatomy' of relationships is starting to emerge, showing the major constituents and properties of each type.