'Encountering each other' : love and emotional relationships between men and women in Britain, 1950s-1970s
This is a study of the influence of psychological concepts on popular understandings of 'healthy' emotional life. It examines the rise of a discourse of 'emotional maturity' in the 1950s, a psychological concept emphasising emotional control, containment and restraint, and how this was broken down in the 1960s and 1970s by new psychological theories encouraging unrestrained emotional expression and authenticity. It is a story about the rise of a confessional culture which no longer accepted pure release of tension through 'cathartic' divulging of secrets or personal thoughts, but encouraged individuals to engage in continual mutual disclosure and intensely honest conversation to reveal more of themselves, whilst also learning about each other. This was the beginnings of the 'therapeutic culture' we enjoy (or take issue with) today. It is the story of a period when arguing with one's spouse or lover no longer signalled a doomed relationship and the depths of unhappiness, but a 'positive' occurrence to be embraced as a chance to 'grow' as individuals and to achieve intimacy. The argument, indeed, could be presented to the outside world as evidence of a 'strong' relationship. This thesis will trace the beginnings
Brown, Lucy
'Encountering each other' : love and emotional relationships between men and women in Britain, 1950s-1970s. This is a study of the influence of psychological concepts on popular understandings of 'healthy' emotional life. It examines the rise of a discourse of 'emotional maturity' in the 1950s, a psychological concept emphasising emotional control, containment and restraint, and how this was broken down in the 1960s and 1970s by new psychological theories encouraging unrestrained emotional expression and authenticity. It is a story about the rise of a confessional culture which no longer accepted pure release of tension through 'cathartic' divulging of secrets or personal thoughts, but encouraged individuals to engage in continual mutual disclosure and intensely honest conversation to reveal more of themselves, whilst also learning about each other. This was the beginnings of the 'therapeutic culture' we enjoy (or take issue with) today. It is the story of a period when arguing with one's spouse or lover no longer signalled a doomed relationship and the depths of unhappiness, but a 'positive' occurrence to be embraced as a chance to 'grow' as individuals and to achieve intimacy. The argument, indeed, could be presented to the outside world as evidence of a 'strong' relationship. This thesis will trace the beginnings
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