The Privatization of the Personal? I: Intimate Disclosure in Modern-Day Russia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The dramatic changes in the political and economic structures of Russian society have been widely documented and have focused interest on the interpersonal lives of the Russian peoples. The two studies reported in this paper use the cultural theory of Mary Douglas to examine intimate disclosure amongst cohorts of students, entrepreneurs and manual workers. Structured questionnaire responses analysed at the individual level suggest that those who believe in rules disclose less than those who do not. Analysis at the occupational level revealed that manual workers found discussing the family problematic whilst entrepreneurs found discussing sex and love difficult. Some age and sex effects were also evident, with younger informants and female respondents more willing to disclose. The implications of these findings for the efficacy of cultural theory, and the future development of interpersonal life in Russia, are discussed.

This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit: