e-Article
Young women's passionate friendships: a qualitative analysis.
Document Type
Article
Source
Subject
*YOUNG womens' attitudes
*FEMALE friendship
*EMOTIONS
*QUALITATIVE research
*SEXUAL orientation
*HETEROSEXUAL identity
*TRANS women
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Language
ISSN
0958-9236
Abstract
Recent research suggests that heterosexual and sexual minority women are more similar to each other in relationship development than they are to men who identify a similar sexual orientation (Diamond, L.M., 2008.Sexual fluidity: understanding women's love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; Glover, J.A., Galliher, R.V., and Lamere, T.G., 2009. Identity development and exploration among sexual minority adolescents: examination of a multidimensional model.Journal of homosexuality, 56, 77–101). The current study adds to this literature by examining past and current passionate friendship experiences of a small sample of heterosexual and sexual minority young adult women through qualitative interviews. Passionate friendships represent a unique relationship category that blurs the lines between friendship and romantic relationship. Five content themes emerged regarding the formation, features, and function of passionate friendships. Implications for future research based on preliminary findings of similarities and differences within this small sample of heterosexual and sexual minority women's passionate friendships are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]