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Men getting real? A study of relationship change in two men's groups

journal contribution
posted on 2003-06-01, 00:00 authored by Andrew SingletonAndrew Singleton
Questions about men's capacity to change the ways they relate to one another have informed recent scholarly and popular discussions about men's relationships. One social context which consistently produces anecdotal claims about changes in men's relationships is dedicated men's groups. This article presents the findings from a qualitative study conducted with participants in two relationally centred men's groups. It discusses the type and quality of relationship change experienced by the participants in both groups and identifies the socio-cultural factors which appear to have facilitated this change. According to the informants, group involvement enabled them to transcend traditional masculine modes of relating and form intimate and trusting relationships with other participants. The interviews indicate that this change is attributable to various immediate contextual factors related to the group itself, rather than to a strident commitment to challenging traditional masculine codes of behaviour.

History

Journal

Journal of sociology

Volume

39

Pagination

131-147

Location

London, Eng.

ISSN

1440-7833

eISSN

1741-2978

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2003, Australian Sociological Association

Issue

2

Publisher

Sage