Closeness in the same-sex friendships of men in long-distance and geographically close platonic relationships.

Abstract

The present study sought to find how men negotiate closeness in their same-sex long-distance friendships. Findings from Fehr (2004) were used to guide the hypotheses. Men were believed to prefer the use of shared activity to build closeness even though they regard self-disclosure as the primary pathway to closeness in their same-sex friendships. Self-disclosure, closeness, satisfaction, and commitment were each measured in regards to men's best geographically close or long-distance friendship. The relationship of gender orientation and homophobia to these variables was also tested. The results showed that men were more satisfied with their geographically close friendships than men in their long-distance friendships. Feminine gender orientation was found to be positively related to self-disclosure, closeness, and commitment. Homophobia was found to be negatively correlated with self-disclosure.