| This study researched the nature of self-identified unlikely ally friendships. An unlikely ally is a person who, despite possible opposition from family or societal group, forms a platonic friendship with someone from another race, religion, ethnic, or cultural group within the United States.; Ten interviews were conducted with people between the ages of 35 and 70 and included one White man, one Latino, two African American women, one Chinese American man, two White women, one African American man, one Arab American Muslim, and one Jewish woman. Participants were initially contacted via email and either self-referred or were referred by friends and colleagues who believed they fit the criteria.; Participants shared their stories during a period of one to two hours in one-on-one interviews that were conducted in person. The interviews were then transcribed and analyzed using a combination of narrative analysis methodologies. Both individual and meta-themes emerged; these themes describe unlikely ally friendships, which were compared to the literature to identify unique qualities of these particular friendships.; Three unique themes are identified. Unlikely ally friends are highly self-analytical, experience a sense of "otherness," and see their friend as both an individual and a member of their cultural group. Four sub-themes are also identified: empathy and forgiveness; self-trust; compassion; and the ability and creativity to deal with complexity.; Contradicting some literature, there is no difference found in the level of intimacy in male friendships as compared to female friendships. |
