Intimacy: Understanding the Subtle Power of Human Connection - Hardcover

Marar, Ziyad

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9781844655274: Intimacy: Understanding the Subtle Power of Human Connection
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 184465527X ISBN 13: 9781844655274
Publisher: Routledge, 2014

Synopsis

The hope for intimacy lies deep within us all. That moment of feeling uniquely understood, the antidote to isolation, is what gives us value, validation and self-belief. But as Ziyad Marar shows in this fascinating and engaging study, intimacy is a tricky business. The prevalence of social media, for example, is a sign of our desire for human connection, yet is a symptom of how little we truly achieve it.

Often confused with love, intimacy is in many ways more important. Marar's investigation and celebration of this elusive but profound human experience shows how intimacy is central to a life well lived. But how do we spot the real thing? Marar helpfully identifies a key set of ingredients - reciprocity, conspiracy, heightened emotion, kindness - that when brought together enable the strongest experiences of intimacy. Without these four characteristics in the mix we are experiencing something less, or something else.

Drawing on a wide range of sources - from key thinkers, as well as telling examples from familiar films and novels - Marar illustrates the subtlety and intricacies of intimacy and shows how closely it is bound up with notions of trust, control, risk and our own insecurities.

Intimacy, argues Marar, is a necessary component of a fulfilled life. Yet we should not take for granted that we know what it is and how to get it. A better understanding of this powerful experience and the many barriers to achieving it may just help us to brave the search for it. For anyone bold enough to do so, which should be all of us, Intimacy is required reading.

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About the Author

Ziyad Marar has a BSc and MA in psychology and philosophy, and is Global Publishing Director of the academic and professional publisher, SAGE. His previous books include The Happiness Paradox and Deception.

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Publisher
Routledge
Publication date
2014
Language
English
ISBN 10 
184465527X
ISBN 13 
9781844655274
Binding
Hardcover
Edition number
1
Number of pages
238
Rating
  • 3.90 out of 5 stars
    31 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781844658220: Intimacy

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1844658228 ISBN 13:  9781844658220
Publisher: Routledge, 2012
Softcover