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Resumo

The present article treats the significance of heterosexual relationships in the development of individuality and the fulfilment of the quest for fellowship in modern society. Three couples are described, each of whom has created various organizing principles in order to manage their shared everyday life. However, these principles serve to legitimize the man's individuality at the cost of the woman's. The woman proves more adaptable than the man, thereby facilitating his desire for individuality. Concurrent with the rising divorce rate and wider opportunities for women to become individualized, the increased involvement of men in the raising of children can be interpreted as an awareness of the need for stable relationships. This does not imply that male dominance in the relationships has disappeared. In couples, less credence is given to the woman's own individuality than the man's, which can undermine her chances of contending for a position of greater equality both within the relationship and in society at large. However, these women gain confidence in their individual capacity from their surroundings and from their children. Each has succeeded in her own way in defining certain boundaries and in resisting the subordination process within the relationship. The significance of resistance in both this context and on a social level is emphasized in the present article.

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