A Intimidade nas relações afetivas na contemporaneidade

Abstract

During his existential trajectory, man is invited to experience love through affective relationships, which is a horizon constantly sought by him. As a being-in-the-world his existence is understood only in the coexistence with the other, making the desire for loving fulfillment proper to the human condition. It is in the relationship that the being is configured and constituted, affecting and being affected by the other in a unique and singular way. In view of this, intimacy is revealed as an important construct to be developed in the relationship, since it provides both individual and collective growth for those involved. In this perspective, this study aims to investigate and understand how contemporary love relationships shaped by liquid modernity are configured. To achieve this objective, a bibliographic survey was carried out through the Federal University of Minas Gerais’s Library System Portal, selecting works that characterized and described contemporary times, as well as current affective relationships. The study revealed that contemporary society is under the control of a high-speed technological capitalist system, which values individuality, immediacy and consumerist activity. It was observed that the mercantilist logic was transferred to human relationships, in which man loses his post as a subject and assumes the role of an intermediate object for the satisfaction of individual purposes. In addition, it was found that the new cultural model of sexual and affective intimacy was strongly influenced by social movements of the 1960s, which concern feminism and the sexual revolution. The experience of intimacy was modified from the new standards of equality established between the partners involved in the relationship and the emancipation of women in modern society. The developments point out that in the “liquefaction” process of contemporary society, relationships are marked by sexual and gender equality, fragility of affective bonds and lack of commitment between those involved. Bearing in mind the aspects addressed, the establishment of a sustainable and healthy affective relationship today represents a challenge, however it is necessary to be aware that the relationship corresponds to a walk with obstacles, with trials and errors, continuous experimentation, an eternal openness to the other, able to lead to a land of knowledge.