In The Politics of Uncertainty, Peter Marris examines one of the most crucial and least studied aspects of social relationships: how we manage uncertainty. Connecting theories of child development to theories of social power and ideology, Marris asks whether contemporary societies can retrieve the moral consensus necessary to nurture and protect their members.

Drawing on John Bowlby's attachment theory, Marris looks at how each of us creates a world of predictable relationships out of our unique experiences and shows how strategies of competition interact with the individual's sense of personal agency to place the heaviest burden of uncertainty on those with the fewest social and economic resources. He argues that these strategies maximize uncertainty for everyone by undermining the reciprocity essential to successful economic and social relationships.

At a time when global economic reorganization is undermining security of employment, The Politics of Uncertainty makes a convincing case for strategies of cooperation at both personal and political levels to ensure our economic and social survival in the 21st century.