The communicative management of cross-sex friendship
Abstract
This project investigated the management of adult cross-sex friendships. More specifically, research questions focused on males and females' perceptions of cross-sex friendship, the negotiation of romance and sexuality in cross-sex friendship, and the management of third party relationships while engaged in a cross-sex friendship. For this study, in-depth individual and dyadic interviews were conducted with ten pairs of adult, close cross-sex friends. In addition, ten minute conversations between the friends were audio-recorded. An interpretive analysis of the participants' remarks revealed several themes in the participating cross-sex friendships. First, these males and females described fluidity in their friendship behaviors, depending on whether they were interacting with close same-sex or close cross-sex friends. The similarities and differences in these behaviors are detailed. Further, romance and sexuality were not prominent ongoing themes in eight of the participating friendships. Rather, a variety of internal and external constraints moved these friendships away from a romantic definition. Romance and sexuality did pose difficulties for two of the friendship pairs. Thus, this report describes the strategies these friends utilized in managing these issues. Finally, this dissertation examines how these friends managed their simultaneous involvement in a close cross-sex friendship and third party relationships, such as romantic and family relationships. These outside relationships influenced the internal dynamics of the cross-sex friendships and were in turn influenced by the friends' participation in their friendships. The friends' conversations provided information about the participants' perceptions of the interview experience. More importantly, the friends also conversed about their friendship and everyday activities. Therefore, comparisons were made between their descriptions of the friendship obtained in the individual interviews and their actual talk with one another.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Rawlins, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Communication|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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