I have chosen to explore the identity of contemporary western couples by taking a twofold approach, sociological and psychoanalytic. Starting from issues surrounding the historicity of the very notion of couple, I first propose my personal view, which constitutes an initial, theoretical, identity construction. Then, I look at a major attribute of the identity of any couple, its culture, which proceeds from work, couple work, just as conjugal functioning as a whole does. Third, I explore the singular identity of contemporary western couples through their essential characteristics, both psychological and sociological, which leads me to questions about contemporary society on the basis of certain aspects proper to it. Finally, from the perspective of the investigation of certain processes at work in the construction of their conjugal identity, I present a contemporary couple experiencing suffering, Martine and Louis.