Can Men and Women Be Just Friends Without Involving Intimate Romantic Feelings - Research Proposal Example

Can Men And Women Be Just Friends Without Involving Intimate Romantic Feelings? Grade (November 20, Can men and women be just friends without involving intimate romantic feelings? Introduction The question whether men and women can be just friends without involving intimate or romantic feelings has been studied for the longest time, but there is still no clear answer on the same. The proponents of the view that men and women can just be friends hold that there are many instances in life where heterosexual men and women interact on the basis of pure friendship, for example at school, in the workplace or in church (Bleske-Rechek, 2012). However, the opponents of the view that men and women can be friends without involving romantic feelings argue that there is always a feeling of romantic attraction between heterosexual men and women friends, only that such feelings are suppressed due to fear and other external forces (Bleske, & Buss, 2000). The external forces that cause the suppression of the romantic feelings harbored by heterosexual men and women include the need to avoid breaking up the friendship, respect for the other party and their marriage or family status, as well as the fear of speaking out the romantic feeling without the certainty that the feelings will be reciprocated. Thus, the purpose of this study is to establish whether heterosexual men and women can coexist in a pure friendship that does not involve any romantic feelings. The importance of this study is that it might provide the answer to the question that has remained controversial and unanswered for long, thus help in ending this controversy once and for all. Research Hypothesis Hypothesis 1: It is possible for men and women to be just friends without involving romantic feelings Hypothesis 2: it is not possible for men and women to be just friends without involving romantic feelings Research questions Do you have friends of the opposite sex? For how long have you been able to sustain the friendship? What is good about having a friend from the opposite sex? Is the relationship just pure friendship or is it romantic? Have you ever developed romantic feelings towards your opposite sex friend(s)? What makes it possible or impossible to maintain the relationship as pure friendship? What challenges are involved in sustaining a friendship with the opposite sex? Do you believe it is possible for men and women to be just friends without involving romantic feelings? Literature review The history of social relationships has little to offer in relation to the issue of heterosexual men and women just having pure friendship that is not romantic or intimate. Traditionally, any form of friendship between the members of opposite sex was discouraged and disapproved, unless it was targeted at having the man and the woman involved get married (Nicholson, 2013). Further, arranged marriages played a critical role in determining who a man or a woman would end up having as their partner in marriage, since the traditional social system restricted the intermingling of members of different social classless, while the inter-class marriages were prohibited (Bleske-Rechek, 2012). Thus, the role of selecting the best suitors for both men and women was vested on the family and close relatives in the traditional society. However, Bleske and Buss (2000) observes that in the modern society, the friendships between the members of the opposite sex are highly valued. The value of the modern opposite sex friendships derives from the fact that such friendships enhance companionships; stimulate conversation and boosts self-esteem for both partners involved in the opposite sex friendships (Nicholson, 2013). Opposite sex friendships are important in the modern society, especially for men, since they are representative of the social status, respect and social abilities of the men and women involved in these friendships (Bleske & Buss, 2000). Nevertheless, the opposite sex friendships also comes with different costs for men, such as the confusion over the status of the relationship for the man and woman involved in the friendship, which causes the covering up of bubbling sexual impulses simmering between the opposite sex friends (Bleske-Rechek, 2012). The other costs associated with opposite sex friendships for men include jealousy and lack of attractiveness to the other potential love partners, due to the existing friendship between the members of the opposite sex (Bleske & Buss, 2000). On the side of women, opposite sex friendships come with benefits such as companionship, protection, social networking and economic advantages that accrue from being covered for different expenses such as meals, travel and shopping for personal effects (Nicholson, 2013). However, the opposite sex friendship comes as a cost to women in the form of men desiring sex or romance, as well as hindering the women’s dating efforts. According to a study undertaken by Bleske & Buss (2000), the perception of opposite sex friendship also differs for men and women. Men are likely to see the rise of sex and romantic relationship with a female friend as a benefit, with 22% of men favoring the development of a friendship with a female friend into a sexual and romantic relationship (Bleske & Buss, 2000). On the other hand, women are more likely to perceive the rise of a romantic and sexual relationship with a male friend as a cost to the friendship, with the study indicating that only 11% of women favored the development of a friendship with a male partner into a sexual and romantic relationship (Bleske & Buss, 2000). However, the common aspect of the perception between both men and women involved in a romantic relationship is that; both men and women are left feeling uncomfortable on the event that their romantic feelings are not reciprocated by their opposite sex friends (Bleske & Buss, 2000). Methods Qualitative research methodology will be applied under this study. The choice of the qualitative methodology is informed by the fact that this method of research is able to venture deep into understanding the human behavior and the reasons that govern such behaviors. Sample Under the qualitative research methodology, two set of samples will be selected for the study. First, a sample of 50 set of opposite sex friends will be selected from the college fraternity to be used under the study. Secondly, another sample of 100 students will be selected at random, but this sample will not require comprising of a set of opposite sex friends. Overall, the study will select a sample of 200 participants. Both the sample of the 50 set of opposite sex friends and the 100 individual participants will be selected through random sampling, where all the students in the college and their friends will have an equal opportunity to be selected for the study. Procedure The data collection procedure will apply two data collection techniques, namely interviews and questionnaires. The interviews will be conducted with each of the pair of the 50 set of opposite sex friends that comprise 50 females and 50 males. Each interview will be conducted separately, such that each partner to a given friendship will be interviewed starting with the female partner and then followed by the male partners at separate times and locations, so they do not share the interview questions and information. The questionnaire will be used to collect data from the other set of 100 individuals who are not a paired set opposite sex friends, who will respond to the questionnaires and then deliver them back. Analysis The regression and correlation analysis will be applied as the data analysis methods, in order to compare and establish the nature of the relationships that opposite sex friends have, and the strength of their relationships. Through the regression and correlation analysis, it will be able to establish whether men and women are able to have a pure friendship that does not involve romantic feelings. Ethical considerations Privacy and confidentiality are ethical considerations that must be taken care of in this study. Thus, the privacy and confidentiality of the participants will be observed through interviewing the participants separately, and ensuring that the information they give will be kept a secret. As such, no names of the participants will be used in the study, since coding will be applied to represent the students’ names. Secondly, informed consent will be sought before recruiting the friendship participants into the study, so that all the participants will be involved in the study with their full knowledge and permission. Discussion The expected results of the study is that information regarding what opposite friends feel for each other will be provided. It is also expected that the different reasons for the women and men to engage in opposite sex friendships will also be established. Finally, it is expected that information gathered will help in determining whether men and women can be just friends, without involving romantic feelings. Conclusion and limitations This study seeks to establish whether it is possible for men and women to engage in just friendship that does not involve romantic feelings for each other. The question of whether men and women can coexist in a friendship without having romantic feelings for each other is a controversial issue that has not found an agreeable answer for long. The limitation of this study is that there is no foolproof method of achieving the internal feelings of the friends of opposite sex towards their partners, if they choose not to speak out their inner feelings. Thus, this study highly depends on the belief and trust that the participants will be sincere and open to speaking out the deep secrets about what they feel about their partners in the friendship. References Bleske, A. L., & Buss, D. M. (2000). Can men and women be just friends? Personal Relationships 7, 131-151. Bleske-Rechek, A. et al. (2012). Benefit or burden? Attraction in cross-sex friendship. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 29(5) 569–596. Nicholson, J. (2013, April 30). Can Men and Women Be "Just Friends"?Psychology Today. Available at: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201304/can-men-and-women-be-just-friends Read More