In a review of existing written works on the subject, Val Gillies, a senior research fellow at South Bank University, argues that there are two dominant accounts of present-day personal relations, each reflecting a particular ideological stance.
Today's theorists tend to emphasise either family breakdown and moral decline, or transformation and democratisation. The more negative account of family change appeals to traditionalist, conservative interpretations, while liberals favour the more positive version.
A third perspective, claiming that there has been little substantial change in the way people relate to one another, is rarely heard, despite research evidence suggesting that individuals continue to place great importance on personal ties and obligations.
The working paper points out that statistics drawn on to show an increased diversity of living arrangements, such as divorcees, lone parents and step-families, can also be used to demonstrate an enduring continuity of traditional ties, with the majority of families still composed of a heterosexual couple.
Val Gillies said: "The claim that dramatic changes have taken place in the way that people relate to one another has not been subject to research.
"Nevertheless, change and transformation is a commonly cited premise when personal and family relationships are written about, driving theories, models and prescriptions."
The paper, produced as part of the Families and Social Capital ESRC Research Group, examines the way interpretations of family and intimate relations have shifted over the years and how published material from particular schools of thought have documented and shaped our understanding of the subject.
In the past, intimacy was seen very much as part and parcel of the obligations and functions of family and kinship. Today, however, the strong focus is on the ethics of friendship, negotiation and disclosure.
Those who still regard traditional family values as crucial to social and economic stability speak of this cultural shift in terms of loss, decline and gradual degeneration. Meanwhile, other theorists are busy documenting positive gains for those engaged in less conventional personal relationships, stressing their potential for more equal treatment.
Both these approaches are constructed on the premise that social and economic transformations have profoundly influenced the way people relate to one another.
Challenging this assumption of change, a third position points to a largely enduring status quo, particularly in terms of gender and class. Although this view is marginalised and seldom discussed, Val Gillies describes it as an important counterbalance to 'dominant and unsubstantiated claims' of family breakdown or greater individual freedom.
The paper highlights the difficulties of researching the topic of intimacy, showing how family and other close relationships are viewed through particular ideological lenses, fixing the parameters for understanding and explanation.
In conclusion it raises the possibility of alternative, yet to be explored dimensions to the way individuals connect with one another, and emphasises the importance of conducting grounded research based on everyday lived experience.
For further information, contact:
Val Gillies on 020-8523-4431 or 020-7815-5875; e-mail: gilliev@sbu.ac.uk Or Lesley Lilley or Anna Hinds at ESRC, on 01793-413119 / 413122
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. The paper 'Family and Intimate Relationships: a review of the sociological research' was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Val Gillies is a senior research fellow in the Social and Policy Studies division of the South Bank University, LONDON SE1 0AA.
2. The Families and Social Capital ESRC Research Group, under whose auspices the working paper was produced, focuses on the inter-relationship between the dynamics of family change and the processes of social capital.
3. The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It provides independent, high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £76 million every year in social science and at any time is supporting some 2,000 researchers in academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences to nurture the researchers of tomorrow. More at http://www.esrc.ac.uk
4. REGARD is the ESRC's database of research. It provides a key source of information on ESRC social science research awards and all associated publications and products. The website can be found at http://www.regard.ac.uk.