Buddy system
Subtitle: understanding male friendships
By: Geoffrey L. Greif.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 304
ISBN-13: 9780195326420
Subjects: Male friendship
Description: "Much has been made of the complex social arrangements that girls and women navigate, but little scholarly or popular attention has focused on what friendship means to men. Drawing on in-depth interviews with nearly 400 men, therapist and researcher Geoffrey L. Grief takes readers on a guided tour of male friendships, explaining what makes them work, why they are vital to the health of individuals and communities, and how to build the kinds of friendships that can lead to longer and happier lives. Another 120 conversations with women help map the differences in what men and women seek from friendships, and what, if anything, men can learn from women's relationships." "The guiding feature of the book is Grief's typology of male friendships: he dispels the myth that men don't have friends, showing that men have must, trust, just, and rust friends. A must friend is the best friend a man absolutely must call with earthshaking news. A trust friend is liked and trusted but not necessarily held as close as a must friend. Just friends are casual acquaintances, while rust friends have along history together and can drift in and out of each other's lives, essentially picking up where they last left off. Understanding the role each of these types of friends plays across men's lives reveals fascinating developmental patterns, such as how men cope with stress and conflict and how they make and maintain friendships. We also learn how notions of masculinity and the women in their lives shape their friendships, and how their friends keep them active and happy."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: How do we understand men's friendships; title: What do friendship and friend mean?; title: So how do friendships actually work?; title: What do men learn from their fathers about friendships?; title: Do women influence men's friendships?; title: Do women feel the same way about friends as do men?; title: Marty in his 20s : needing friends and family; title: Zach in his 30s : balancing family, friends, and work; title: Mal in his 40s : continuing the balancing act; title: Mick in his 50s : needing friends more than ever; title: Michael in his 60s : friendships shaped by early experiences; title: Donald in his 70s : going strong; title: Tom in his 80s : realizing all his friends are gone; title: Fred in his 90s : thinking maybe it's in the genes; title: Men's fellowship at a Saturday morning church group; title: Getting more mileage from your friendships.