A Psychosocial Exploration of Love And Intimacy

"Drawing on a fascinating interview study of the way in which two widely separated generations describes experiences of love in their own lives, Joanne Brown develops a distinctive psychosocial study of emotion by creating a discursive dialogue between sociological, cultural, psychological and psychoanalytic perspectives. In doing so, she not only throws new light on romantic love in the modern world, exploring the tension between two dominant views of love as a possible reality and as an impossible dream, but also demonstrates the contribution that an innovative, interdisciplinary, psychosocial approach can make to such investigations."--BOOK JACKET.

JOANNE BROWN is a Lecturer in Mental Health at Southampton University, UK. She taught for many years in the Psychosocial Studies subject area at the University of East London. Her research interests and publications are informed by a disciplinary approach that combines socio-cultural theory and methods with psychoanalytic theory.

Acknowledgements * PART 1: INTRODUCTION * The Demise of Romantic Love * A Psychosocial Approach to Emotional Life * PART 2: LOVE IDEALS * Modern Love: Sociological Approaches * Love as Bad Faith: Philosophical Approaches * Transference Love: A Freudian Approach * Reparative Love: A Kleinian Approach * Reflexive Love Sociological and Psychoanalytic Insights * PART 3: METHODS AND FINDINGS * A Psychosocial Approach to Biographical Studies and Reflexive Research * Personal Accounts of Love: Details of Method * Love and War: Eighty Something Reflections on Romance * Love and Peace: Thirty Something Reflections on Romance * PART 4: CONCLUSION * Conclusion * References * Index Acknowledgements * PART 1: INTRODUCTION * The Demise of Romantic Love * A Psychosocial Approach to Emotional Life * PART 2: LOVE IDEALS * Modern Love: Sociological Approaches * Love as Bad Faith: Philosophical Approaches * Transference Love: A Freudian Approach * Reparative Love: A Kleinian Approach * Reflexive Love Sociological and Psychoanalytic Insights * PART 3: METHODS AND FINDINGS * A Psychosocial Approach to Biographical Studies and Reflexive Research * Personal Accounts of Love: Details of Method * Love and War: Eighty Something Reflections on Romance * Love and Peace: Thirty Something Reflections on Romance * PART 4: CONCLUSION * Conclusion * References * Index