SOCI 371 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Americanization, Heteronormativity, Sexual Orientation
19 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Life Course, Intimacy and Relationships
Life course of intimacy- start in adult life
Life cycle perspective- biological perspective(a tadpole becoming a frog) resembles the animal world.
Life course perspective- takes into account the different biological progressions, we look at life within
family which does not say that all families have a similar life cycle. Leaves possibilities that what
happens in one family may be completely different from what occurs in another family.ex. Western
parents talk about how difficult teenagers are to parent, this is not an issues in most non western societies.
Reactions to biological processes may be different in different families.
Intimacy-(1970) Giddens talked about intimacy as a form of closeness between two or more people that
may be emotional or sexual in nature and may or may not be for the purposes of reproduction
Plastic sexuality- engaging in sexuality for the purpose of vanity or pleasure, sexuality without
reproduction, emphasis of individual desire and needs shaped by the pleasure of the individuals.
Pure sexualtiy- engaging in a sexual relationship for the purpose of reproduction
(The words used imply a privilege to a certain kind of monogamous, heterosexual relationship from the
perspective of sexuality and reproduction)
Giddens- Pure relationships, the idea of confluent love- contemporary modern love based on respect for
independent views and personal traits of the other. Both partners have equal power. Rejects the idea of
romantic love, relationships based on equality and respect not ‘happily ever after’
This view allows for non monogamous relationships to satisfy the ‘desire’
Giddens was writing in the context of 1970s- immediately after the feminist liberation movement.
01/23/2018
Wedding-industrial complex (Ingram) average expense of a wedding in canada $60000. Making
weddings into an industry. Letting in the media/market into the institution.
Marriage represents a social, economic, cultural, religious, heteronormative institution.
Two types of life course rituals:
1. Rite of Passage- transition from one stage of life to another stage of life.
2. Rites of Progression- celebrate continuity (anniversaries, birthdays)
Conspicuous consumption- ex destination weddings advertised on social media. Showing that you have
the means to consume. A show of your class through rituals.
Sexual scripts- cognitive models to assess and choose sexual activities and behaviors. These scripts are
heavily gendered and cultural.
Mixed-status families- families in which different members hold different citizenship status.
Blended family- when children result from a remarriage, along with kids from previous relationships.
Koontz- we can measure love by measuring how equal the relationship is.
Factors affecting intimacy and commitment: Reliable contraception, Sexual orientation, Culture and
religion, Economy.
01/25/2018
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Document Summary
Life course of intimacy- start in adult life. Life cycle perspective- biological perspective(a tadpole becoming a frog) resembles the animal world. Life course perspective- takes into account the different biological progressions, we look at life within family which does not say that all families have a similar life cycle. Leaves possibilities that what happens in one family may be completely different from what occurs in another family. ex. Western parents talk about how difficult teenagers are to parent, this is not an issues in most non western societies. Reactions to biological processes may be different in different families. Intimacy-(1970) giddens talked about intimacy as a form of closeness between two or more people that may be emotional or sexual in nature and may or may not be for the purposes of reproduction. Plastic sexuality- engaging in sexuality for the purpose of vanity or pleasure, sexuality without reproduction, emphasis of individual desire and needs shaped by the pleasure of the individuals.
