Robin Goodwin - Böcker

Is falling in love the same the world over?What makes a 'happy marriage' in different cultures?How does our society influence us in the way we raise our children?Is modern life incompatible with intimacy?In this innovative new text, Robin Goodwin challenges many of the established views on relationships by considering how different cultures view different relationships (love, marriage, friendship, the family, sexual relations). By discussing fundamental differences in values between cultures, alongside other key influences such as social class and education, he explores why these differences occur, and how different political and historical events have challenged existing patterns of relationships. Finally, drawing on research from all parts of the world, he considers how we can use this knowledge to help different communities across the globe cope with their most pressing relational challenges.Dr Robin Goodwin is Reader in Psychology in the Department of Human Sciences at Brunel University, London. He publishes widely on relationships and culture, and lectures about his work across the world.

In a fast-changing world, what impact does social change have on our everyday relationships? How do modernisation processes influence our broader values, and how might these then affect our desires to marry, have a family and develop our social networks? And how do sudden events in a society - invasions, civil conflict, terrorist attacks, collapse of a political system - influence our relationship decisions and processes. In this book Goodwin critically reviews the literature on modernisation and contemporary relationships, challenging simplistic conclusions about the 'end of intimacy' and the inevitable decline of personal commitment. Reviewing work from across the globe, he also contends that adaptation to rapid change is moderated by individual, social class and cultural variations, with consequently differing impacts on everyday relations. In doing so he brings together contemporary debates in psychology, sociology and the political sciences on coping with social change and its impact on personal relations.

In one of the great euphemisms of our time, an embattled President Clinton admitted to an "inappropriate relationship" with his White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. But what exactly is an "inappropriate relationship?" For that matter, what is an "appropriate relationship?" And how can an understanding of the rules of "appropriateness" help us understand personal relationships in our modern world? Contributors to this book discuss the personal boundaries and taboos of modern relationships. Together they examine the power struggles that can occur when individuals are involved in "inappropriate" relationships, and the ways individuals in such a relationship may attempt to buffer themselves against sanctions--or even embrace this relationship as an agent of social change. Representing work from a range of disciplines, this collection will appeal to scholars, researchers, students, and professionals working on relationships issues in areas across the social sciences, including those working in the fields of social psychology, family studies, social anthropology, cultural studies, and communication.