Sociology

House, M.D. is an American television show, now on its sixth episode, that shows the medical and personal lives of a set of doctors belonging to the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH). Gregory House, the lead star in the series, serves as the blood and life of the series due to the unique and interesting attitude that he exhibits in relating with his profession and co-workers. His interpersonal relationships, as presented in the series, are limited to his medical team and other hospital staff. The only real friends, who also treat him as such, are Dr. James Wilson, an oncologist who also works in the same hospital, and Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the hospital administrator and Houses boss. Most of the time, House and Wilson are the only ones who get along really well and understands one another more than others understand them both, especially in the case of House. In some cases, their care and protection of one another, the elements that define the male bond that exists between them, is perceived to be an act of homosexuality. Fortunately, both are not entirely bothered with the idea of having a romantic relationship with one another as they are able to outright deny the issue. The relationship between House and Wilson, as observed from the series, serves as the basis for understanding the concept of male bonding because of the distinct relationship that the two doctors share.

The Concept of Male Bonding
It is important to understand that the concept of male bonding does not exist within a set of finite and rigid lines. The truth is that it can take several forms in accordance to how the males use it in relation to the degree of relationship that they have with the other individual or with regard to the things they have in common (Zeeland, 1999 Pluimer, 2006). For example, two contrasting organizations, the League of Health and Strength and the Boy Scouts, emphasize male bonding through physique and community service, respectively (Bourke, 1996). In the novels of Stephen King, male bonding is presented through the relationships of different characters where it served as a system for emotional support or moral guardians that inspires the individuals to whom the bond applies to (Magistrale, 2006).

There are several definitions provided as an attempt to clarifying the concept of male bonding. According to Murphy (2004), it is institutionalized learned behavior whereby men recognize and reinforce one anothers bona fide membership in the male gender class and whereby men remind one another that they were not born women (p. 42). Furthermore, the author adds that it transpires in instances where two males meet not necessarily through large male groups (Murphy, 2004). Similarly, House and Wilson are able to reciprocate one anothers need for recognition and reinforcement of their status as males. The two doctors do this by motivating the behavior of one another that exhibits their masculinity as they perceive it according to their standards. There are instances when they feel the need to do things that are seen to be masculine, which includes talking about the girls in one anothers lives privately. Their conversations are not limited to what they feel or think about a particular woman but extend to the things that men cannot let the women know. In the case of House, he mostly talks about Dr. Cuddy, his love interest in the story. There are things and plots about and against Dr. Cuddy that House and Wilson share with one another and keep in confidence because it is seen to be a symbol of Houses sense of masculinity over Cuddy. Aside from this, there is also an instance where House and Wilson participated in a speed-dating activity where they manifested male characteristics as they encounter different females who are also present in the program.  There may be a variety of motives for joining such but a prevailing factor is the interaction with the female species and finding out later at the end the number of people who decided to hear from them after the short introduction. To a certain extent, these activities and behavior are usually the ones that House and Wilson share in order to delineate their selves from the women species and to show their masculine characteristics.

Likewise, House and Wilson understand, but not necessarily tolerate, the activities and behavior of one another. In one of the episodes, House is blatantly watching pornographic videos that started after treating a patient who works as a porn star. While Wilson does not approve of what House does, he does not move towards preventing House from watching it. Sexual encounters, regardless of the degree, are a part of the male sexual behavior that they can openly share with one another (Murphy, 2004). In most instances, their sexual relationships are easier to discuss about than the emotional ride that they are experiencing because it is naturally considered as a taboo for men to discuss about the soft issues of their lives. These soft and emotional sides of their stories are left to be considered as feminine characteristics that are not included in the concept of masculinity. Likewise, it is considered to be socially safe not to talk anything related to these kinds of issues (Griffiths, 2007). 

Elements of Male Bonding
Aside from this, male bonding is also characterized by four important elements loyalty to one another, a dyadic relationship with an exclusive tendency, a commitment to a common cause, and a valuing of the friendship above all other relationships (Clines, 1998, p. 362). These elements, while not limiting, are present in attachments found among males because of the influence it has on the capability of men to remain affectionate with one another.

First, in majority of the series story, it can be seen that the loyalty of Wilson always belonged to House and vice-versa. The only difference between their loyalties is the way they express it. For Wilson, he directly shows his loyalty towards House by defending him, mostly against Cuddy. In recent episodes, Cuddy developed a romantic relationship with Lucas that proved the futility of Houses attempts to win Cuddys heart. At a personal level, Wilson maintains his loyalty with House by taking the side of House instead of Cuddys. While he does not state it in a candid manner, he is able to make it clear that he understands the position of House with regard to the issue and is in full support of what House prefers to do, which is to pretend that he is able to ignore the situation. Nonetheless, Wilson is also able to poke around the true feelings of House because he knows how his mind and heart works. As for House, he maintains his loyalty to Wilson by exhibiting a relationship with him that is not like how he is to the others.

Second, the relationship of House and Wilson is considered to be two-fold and is exclusive to one another. As best friends, they show that they are the ones who share the relationship and that the membership to their friendship is not open to other people. There are semi-permeable barriers placed around their bond that makes it difficult for others to join it and further reinforces the exclusivity of their relationship. Likewise, it is a binary relationship between the two as they both give and take from one another.

Third, the doctors have a common cause that they both share. From the series, it is known that both are involved in the medical field, which also serves as the common goal of both. They have the purpose of fulfilling the demands of their medical profession, which involves saving the lives of their patients and treating medical conditions. There are several instances when House sought medical advice from Wilson in order to complete his diagnose of a patient. Just the same, Wilson also required the involvement of House for some of his patients. The fact that they can speak the same language in fulfilling the cause they have, which is medical based on their professions, is an important element of the bond that they share.

Lastly, a crucial element of male bonding is allocating greater value for their friendship compared to other relationships. The relationship of both doctors has faced challenges in the past but they are able to show that the significance of their friendship remains above all other things. It can be remembered that in one of the seasons, the girlfriend of Wilson died and he blamed House for what happened. Wilson grieved and decided that he needed some space and time away from House. At that point, he decided that he did not want to treat House as a friend, which is probably brought about by the outpour of his emotions. House, being the stubborn person that he is, managed to convince Wilson that their friendship is still alive and worth keeping. He allowed Wilson to grieve and blame him but used his own strategies to show him that their friendship is worth more than the challenges they are facing. In this case, it is important to note that the vulnerability of Wilson played a crucial role in his decision to leave their friendship. However, they are able to rule out the value of their friendship and continued the way they are, if not better. Through this challenge, both, especially Wilson, are able to prove that their relationship is worth more than the relationships that they have. Otherwise, Wilson would not be able to forgive House for what happened if he gave more importance to the relationship he has with his girlfriend. However, this is not to say that Wilson did not value his romantic relationship. It is possible that it meant a lot to him, too, but decided that his friendship with House supersedes it.

Male Bonding as a Struggle
Another perspective on male bonding is that it involves a struggle between males that is related to competition. According to Nicholson (1999), male bonding is a process of domination of other males, by which some gains benefits from subordinating others (p. 31). The definition of competition within the framework of male bonding can be either positive or negative. In the case of House and Wilson, their competition is positive because it is generally a healthy one where both doctors benefit from the challenge derived from the situation.

It is the attitude of House to consistently push Wilson into a bet where both offer their insights regarding the medical condition of a patient. While some may deem it unethical, it is a way for both doctors to prove that the other is wrong. The competitive struggle between the two doctors is witnessed in the one of the episodes where a friend of Wilson, who has been diagnosed of cancer and recovered, is admitted back to the hospital because he showed signs of recurrence. Wilson tried to fight against the possibility of cancer but House speculates that it is. Both doctors entered a bet that increased their desire to prove that their diagnose is right. Throughout the story, House consistently shows that he is a better doctor and, at times, can persuade people better than Wilson. Wilson, on the other hand, also boasts of his medical accomplishments to House. In one instance, Wilson even looked for house and bothered him at the middle of his diagnosis to boast about how he diagnosed one of his patients, who also happens to be the previously mentioned friend who was diagnosed before to have cancer.

Deviations of House, M.D.
Most of the elements that surround the relationship between House and Wilson fall under the umbrella of male bonding. However, there are distinct deviations from the norms associated with male bonding, which can be attributed to the fact that the concept cannot be wholly contained under a single set of characteristics. The attitude of House to be blatant about almost anything allows both men to talk about their emotions with one another. They can do this without thinking of shame and embarrassment or the discomfort of being unaccepted after showing their emotional side. Apart from this, they interact with one another on a daily basis, especially after House transferred to Wilsons apartment, that allowed them to know more about one another. Male bonding, for others, usually meant that they are limited to what the other males think about in relation to the topics they discuss. There are times when males have this bond but do not share personal information with one another. For the case of House and Wilson, they know each other that it becomes easier for them to pinpoint the others strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, their familiarity with each other enables them to predict the behavior and response of one another.

Conclusion
Male bonding is generally understood as the relationship between males that serves as the reinforcement and recognition of their membership in the male population. In relation to this, male bonding is characterized by the following elements  loyalty to one another, a dyadic relationship with an exclusive tendency, a commitment to a common cause, and a valuing of the friendship above all other relationships (Clines, 1998, p. 362). Commonly, there is also the existence of a competitive struggle between the males involved that can result to either positive or negative outcomes. From the story of House, M.D., it is observed that most of the elements of Houses and Wilsons relationship are characterized by male bonding. Nonetheless, there are still deviations to the common understanding of male bonding because of the inherent attitudes and beliefs of the two doctors. These deviations serve as the proof that there are several variations to the stigma associated with male bonding depending on the males involved in the relationship.