Transformative Moments Among Men in the Midst of Parallel Play

摘要

The present study sought to explore the nature and factors underlying men's formation of same-sex friendships with other men. Drawing on 16 semistructured in-depth interviews with male undergraduates at an American university, we find conditions under which men are capable of engaging in same-sex friendships on an emotionally deep level. Men's relative competency with regard to emotional literacy, their willingness to break masculine social norms, and random unintentional events regulate the depth and development of these friendships. Some participants defined their friendships in terms of a bromance between two heterosexual men while others simply described the relationship as consisting of tangible expressions of emotional or physical intimacy. Compared to the research on men in the U.K., American men demonstrated decreased levels of emotional and physical intimacy and expressed greater apprehension related to social and cultural influences in how they interact with their peers. Results support the notion that men are desiring emotional investment and intimacy from their same-sex peers but calls into question the potential ramifications for men that progress through the lifespan without social support from their same-sex peers.