Blogging The Friendship Factor. A Grumble

The Friendship Factor: A Grumble.

Dr. McGinnis discusses four different levels or types of friendship as they relate to a number of topics, more or less simultaneously:

1) your friendship with your spouse
2) deep, same-sex friendships
3) how to make and hold new friends
4) casual friendships, like those with co-workers and others.

He will move from one to the other type of friendship without warning. And while a lot of the advice is good, I would find it more helpful if took the time to draw attention to the specific types of friendships and how to handle each within the topic he is covering in each chapter.

I frequently lose the thread of each topic, and how to apply it, because he really never makes it clear which type of friendship that he is talking about. And what is appropriate for one type is not appropriate for another.

Our book discussion group consists of 10-12 middle-aged men, mostly married. We are doing this as men, looking to improve our friendships with other men. (OK, and with our wives.)

Maybe if I have time, I will attempt to re-organize some of his topics to specifically address male friendships.