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Therapy Culture

Therapy and the unending quest for self-improvement in lieu of marriage is one of the many ideas in this essay exploring the state of modern matrimony. 

To compensate for the greater challenges and impediments to marriage, working-class Americans are embracing therapeutic culture to prepare for relationships where strong emotional resilience is called for. Therapy culture is part and parcel of the turn to self-worth in the new norms of intimacy. It calls on individuals to cultivate deeper emotional maturity through self-help literature and constant self-improvement regimens.

A very interesting concept. People are bracing up for a life of opportunistic and pragmatic partnerships that ease the burdens of going solo. Someone to spilt the bills with (atleast some of them), a travel companion, the fallback option for holidays if other options do not materialize. Intimacy is just one of the myriad benefits in a structure that does not require a long term plan or commitment. 

My friend S is in her mid 30s - a very bright woman making great strides in her career. She has been in a long-distance relationship for close to a decade because converting that to marriage asks for placing certain constraints on her life she is unwilling and unable to place. Last time we chatted, she spoke of how long it has been since she's known this man and how its not yet the time for marriage. She sounded wistful but confident in the choice she had made. Not sure how much therapy and self-help it takes to attain that state but I can imagine living with difficult choices can benefit from such support to make it a sustainable way of life. 

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