Women talk to explore problems, but men do not. Instead, men talk to fix problems. This can sometimes
cause problems between the sexes. Janet West, a freshman in college, remembers encountering this
issue with a male friend recently. “I told my friend Derek about a problem I was having with my parents.
He immediately came up with possible solutions to the problem. Being told how to fix the problem was
kind of frustrating because it wasn’t what I was looking for. I asked him to stop trying to fix the problem
and try talking with me about it instead. He seemed completely confused and said, ‘Why bother talking
about a problem unless you’re trying to find a solution to it?’”