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Privileging the bromance: a critical appraisal of romantic and bromantic relationships

  • Adam White
    ,
  • Stefan Robinson
    ,
  • Eric Anderson
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Open access

Abstract

In this research, utilising data from 30 semi-structured interviews, we examine how heterosexual undergraduate men compare their experiences of bromances to that of their romantic relationships (romances). We find that the increasingly intimate, emotive and trusting nature of bromances offers young men a new social space for emotional disclosure, outside of traditional heterosexual relationships. Participants state that the lack of boundaries and judgement in a bromance is expressed as emotionally rivalling the benefits of a heterosexual romance. Our participants mostly determined that a bromance offered them elevated emotional stability, enhanced emotional disclosure, social fulfilment, and better conflict resolution, compared to the emotional lives they shared with girlfriends. Thus, this research provides an empirically grounded conceptual framework for understanding men’s view of close homosocial relationships in comparison to their romantic relationship in the 21st century.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 850-871

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Men and Masculinities (Volume 22, Issue 5)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 12/10/2017

Publication status

Published - 12/10/2017

ISSN

1097-184X

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/622456
  • Scopus: 85073615398

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