Our primary focus is the concept of intimacy, especially in the context of adult American male relationships. We begin with an examination of comradeship, a nonintimate fm of friendship, then develop an uccount of the nature and value of intimacy in friendship. We follow this with discussions of obstacles to intimacy and of Aristotle's wiews. In the final section, we discus the process of men attaining intimacy .Life is so very different when you have a good friend. I've seen people without special friends, close friends. Other men, especially. For some reason men don't often make and keep friends. This is a real tragedy, I think, because in a way, without a tight male friend, you never really are able to see yourself. That is because part of shaping ourselves is done by others; and a lot of our shaping comes from that one close friend who is something like us.-Mr. Hal (Walker 1989, 114) The "tradition" in the West has made comradeship between men the paradigm of friendship. Friendships in their purest form have been thought to exist more often among men than among women. Vera Brittain summarizes:From the days of Homer the friendships of men have enjoyed glory and acclamation, but the friendships of women, despite Ruth and Naomi, have usually been not merely unsung, but mocked, belittled. . . (Brittain 1947, 2)
'For the most part the characteristics of loyalty, fellow feeling, and concern for the other's interests have been stressed much more heavily than intimacy in male friendships. Moreover, the presence of these characteristics has been thought to make male friendship superior to female friendship.In contrast, recent studies of Americans indicate that men tend not to have same-sex friendships that are as satisfying to them as same-sex friendships are
Christian Scientists' refusal of medical care for their children illustrates the kind of conflict over moral and practical authority that can arise between groups in a pluralistic society. While consensus may not be possible, changes in the way both groups socialize members may allow the medical and Christian Science communities to achieve a compromise that is respectful to both.
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