Suchergebnisse

Heterosexual men's close relationships with women versus men were compared using open-ended interview methods. Participants were 56 ethnically diverse and heterosexually active men recruited from STD/health clinics and neighborhoods with high HIV/STD seroprevalence in New York City. Men were generally divided between identifying relationships with women as closer, relationships with men as closer, or relationships with both genders as equally close but different. Common reasons men felt emotionally closer to women included greater ability to disclose to women, greater comfort discussing emotional issues with women, feeling more understood by women, and sexual intimacy shared with women. Men were more likely to identify the ability to relax and be oneself as a reason for emotional closeness with men. These findings indicate that men are able to develop and share close emotional relationships with both genders and their relationships are expressed differently in response to the emotional needs each gender fills.