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Friendship Formation And Maintenance: Examining Friendship Patterns Of Homosexual Men And Heterosexual Women In Close Relationships, Amanda G. Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of friendship has focused on various types of relationships involving same-sex and cross-sex friends. Heterosexuality has usually been assumed in these relationships, although recently research has been done involving homosexual friendships. The present study provides a quantitative analysis of personal-social characteristics and relational expectations, and a qualitative analysis of friendship formation, maintenance strategies, and relational importance of homosexual men and heterosexual women in close relationships with each other. These analyses help in understanding why and how close friendships between homosexual men and heterosexual women are formed and maintained. A questionnaire combining elements of one developed by Savin-Williams (1990) …