The Transformation of Intimacy

What it is about

The Transformation of Intimacy is Anthony Giddens’s account of the “pure relationship” and plastic sexuality: the modern idea that a bond continues only while it satisfies both people. He links this shift to democracy in personal life, contraception, and the decline of marriage as destiny. The book is sociological theory about how intimacy was redefined in late modernity, not a how-to for keeping a partner and not a moral sermon to abandon commitment. It sits on the shelf so contemporary expectations of equality and exit can be named historically.

Questions it can answer

• What does Giddens mean by a “pure relationship” and plastic sexuality?
• How does he link intimacy to equality and the right to leave?
• Why is this a historical sociology of expectations rather than a dating method?

What you will not find

• Step-by-step communication exercises for one couple
• A full legal history of marriage in every country
• Advice that satisfaction alone always justifies ending a marriage without care for safety or children