According to Williamson, intimacy is a paradox and a marital puzzle. There is a functional relationship among intimacy and differentiation. When one of the partner dies the survivor is at risk. If he/she will not find a new balance to overcome the loss, cronicity seems to be a possible solution. For the couples with a previous good differentiation, clinical work aims to give new value to the lost intimacy. While partners differentiation was weak, death can lead to a distruptive outcome, even in new generations. An intimacy assessment becomes prognostic in the clinical work with families who experienced a loss.
Keywords: Couple, intimacy, differentiation, death, family, mourning