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W H E N L O V E
FINALLY WINS IT
HAS TO FACE ALL
KINDS OF DEFEAT
U L R I C H B E C K ( 1 9 4 4 – 2 0 1 5 ) A N D
E L I S A B E T H B E C K - G E R N S H E I M ( 1 9 4 6 – )
S
ustaining a happy, intimate
relationship can be a
difficult and tiring business,
yet at the same time a compelling
one. In The Normal Chaos of Love
(1995), German husband-and-wife
team Ulrich Beck and Elisabeth
Beck-Gernsheim try to explain
why this is so. They trace the
development of a new social order
that has transformed the ways in
which we conduct our personal
lives, arguing that one of the main
features of this new order is “a
collision of interests between love,
family, and personal freedom.”
The traditional nuclear family—
“built around gender status”—
is disintegrating “on the issuesIN CONTEXT
FOCUS
The chaos of loveKEY DATES
1992 Anthony Giddens’ The
Transformation of Intimacy
presents an optimistic view
of egalitarian relationships in
a reflexive (self-aware) society.1994 US right-wing thinker
Charles Murray asserts that
traditional family values need
to be emphasized to halt a
breakdown in society.1998 British sociologist
Lynn Jamieson suggests
that “intimacies” is the most
useful term for describing
the organization of our
personal relationships.1999 British academics
Carol Smart and Bren Neale
suggest parental relationships
with children are far more
enduring than fragile
intimate partnerships.