Male Friendship and Intimacy across the Life Span

Abstract

This paper traces some of the antecedent sources of impoverished male friendship which often reach crisis levels in late life, and then discusses current social values which contribute to the maintenance and support of this aspect of the male role. Much of the available literature is highly speculative, but there is beginning to accrue some work with a strong empirical base. There is a myth in our culture that the greatest friendships are those between men. Although it is true that men seem to prefer the company of other men rather than of women, the intimacy level, the strength and the context of this bond must be examined carefully (Fasteau, 1975; Chesler, 1978). Pleck (1976), for example, noted that emotional relationships (men have) with other men are weak and often absent. ... In fact, male/male friendships are often limited to formalized settings involving teenage gangs, school, college, work, sports and the military. Goldberg (1976) reiterated this claiming that men may have many acquaintances but not one real friend. Likewise, Balswick and Peek (1971) saw men's

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