Znaki miłości — praktyki tworzenia związku intymnego

Abstract

The author begins by addressing theories in which love is either the key bond in intimate interpersonal relations (Giddens, Beck, Illouz) or is a set of everyday practices aimed at generating and maintaining a close relationship (Kauffman) and in which love can be understood through certain signs and symbols and other structures of meaning (Danesi). The author’s analysis conforms to the concepts of the sociology of everyday life, the sociology of the couple, and the theory of social practices, according to which an intimate relationship is built on the basis of a couple’s daily activities, which “produce” that relationship through their repetition. The author analyzes ways of showing love to one another in everyday practices and attempts to embed these gestures and symbols in cultural conditions. The author’s reflections are based on a qualitative analysis of empirical research.