Think about it: When was the last time you were hurt in a close relationship? Who was it who hurt you? What led up to it? How severe was the hurt you experienced? What interpretations and explanations did you have for what the other person did? How did you feel initially? What did you do? How did the other person respond? Did your feelings change? Was the incident resolved? Questions of this sort are what this book is all about: It examines the feelings of hurt that we experience in our relationships.

HURT: ITS NATURE AND PREVALENCE

Throughout the book, there are several definitions of hurt. A useful starting point for several contributors is editor Anita Vangelisti's statement that hurt is “a feeling that occurs as a result of a person being emotionally injured by another” (Vangelisti, Young, Carpenter-Theune, & Alexander, 2005, p. 446). Thus the hurt of concern in this volume is a reaction to the interaction between two people. The reaction is in the negative part of the emotional spectrum, with the outcomes often – but not necessarily – being negative.