Emotional Reflexivity in Contemporary Friendships: Understanding It Using Elias and Facebook Etiquette

The popular social networking site Facebook has become a part of millions of people\'s everyday lives. In order to help people navigate the friendships they form and maintain on Facebook there are many websites offering advice about etiquette. This advice, and responses to it, can help reveal how contemporary emotional expression is organised, especially as it relates to friendship. This paper critically adapts the approach of other sociologists such as Norbert Elias, and Cas Wouters who have used etiquette and advice books to explore social changes in emotionality. Using online advice about Facebook etiquette, it is argued that there is uncertainty about the degree of emotional closeness appropriate for friendships in contemporary life, especially where there are status differences. It is difficult to know how to feel and how to behave within the relational complexity of contemporary life. In particular, expanded definitions of friendship form part of this complexity which promotes and requires an \'emotionalization of reflexivity\'.Emotion, Friendship, Elias, Manners, Facebook, Reflexivity

Love Lives at a Distance: Distance Relationships over the Lifecourse

Distance relationships may be increasingly undertaken by dual-career couples at some point in their life course. Although this can make it difficult to quantitatively measure, the extent of distance relating, qualitative analysis of distance relationships promise to give considerable insight into the changing nature of intimate lives across the life course. This paper indicates the kind of insights offered via analysis of exploratory research into distance relating in Britain. What begins to emerge is a picture of distance relating as offering certain possibilities in relation to the gendered organisation of emotional labour and of care in conjunction with the pursuit, especially of professional, careers. These possibilities might be more realistic, however, at certain points in the life course. Nevertheless, this new form of periods of separation between partners, tell us a considerable amount about how people approach the challenges of maintaining a satisfying and egalitarian intimate life, involving caring relationships with others, within contemporary social conditions.Distance Relationships, Commuter Marriage, Intimacy, Lifecourse, LAT

Introduction: Friendship and Emotions

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Intimacy, Distance Relationships and Emotional Care

The social changes surrounding individualisation and globalization impact upon our emotional and intimate lives. Geographical mobility is especially significant and its effects on relationships much debated. Distance relationships are one example of how people respond to such changes. This paper is based on an ESRC funded qualitative study of couples in distance relationships. The argument is that such forms of loving are not all about self-satisfaction, although they may prompt reflexivity about how to connect and how to care. They illustrate that embodiment must still be attended to, but may also help in rethinking care as about mutual interdependence. Practical caring is difficult within contexts of individualisation and of increased (often global) mobility, but more abstract forms of mutual emotional support take on importance

A summary of research in written and oral composition.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit