<p>Theories of self-regulation address the continuous process in which individuals compare their behavior to salient goals or standards. Two well-known theories of self-regulation, self-discrepancy theory (SDT) and regulatory focus theory (RFT), each make distinctions regarding the types of standards and goals in reference to which individuals self-regulate. Authenticity--the idea of being one's true self--has the potential to influence the kinds of goals or standards that individuals come to possess and may have implications for understanding the outcomes of self-regulatory processes. This research links the construct of authenticity with SDT and RFT, emphasizing how individual differences in authenticity could influence the motivational and affective consequences of self-regulation predicted within each theory. Individual differences in authenticity were expected to influence the nature of the goals and standards that individuals hold, as well as the acute and chronic affective consequences of discrepancies between the actual self and the ideal and ought self-guides respectively. Specifically, individual differences in authenticity were expected to predict magnitude of actual:ideal and actual:ought self-discrepancy as well as the intensity of distress that individuals report (acutely as well as chronically) in association with self-discrepancies. More importantly, self-discrepancies were expected to be less prevalent among individuals high in authenticity, but more distressing among high-authenticity individuals than among individuals with lower levels of authenticity. The results of this research suggest that individual differences in authentic behavior do have a direct influence on both acute and chronic affect. Authenticity was found to interact with self-discrepancies in predicting chronic affect. Authenticity has a unique role in the process of self-regulation, distinct from the contributions of SDT and RFT.</p> / Dissertation

As an age old virtue, courage has been linked to several characteristics / however, the number of empirical studies discussing these linkages is few. Also, the literature lacks a proper self report measure of courage. With these voids in mind, the aims of the present research are threefold: a) to develop a new scale to measure courage which has been mostly understood in terms of being able to present oneself in a genuine way, perseverance under difficult circumstances, and pursuit of morally right behavior / b) to investigate self related differences in courage within the context of Balanced Integration and Differentiation (BID) Model of self (imamoglu, 2003) and c) to explore the relationship between courage and other proposed related constructs. A set of questionnaires including the Courage Scale, BID Scale (imamoglu, 1998), Battery of Interpersonal Capabilities (Paulhus, &amp / Martin 1988), Moral Courage Scale (Bronstein et al, 2007), Short Form of Authenticity Scale (imamoglu et al, 2009), Hope Scale (Snyder et al, 1991), and Voice Scale (Van Dyne, &amp / LePine, 1998) have been administered to 313 university students (182 female, 127 males and 4 not specified). Results suggested that the newly developed Courage Scale had acceptable levels of internal consistency. Also, it showed converging patterns with Moral Courage Scale which is a more specific measure of the concept throughout different analyses. In congruence with the literature, courage was positively correlated with voice behavior and certain personality characteristics such as self-confidence, assertiveness or honesty. Based on the results, it was concluded that people who have balanced and separated-individuated selves (i.e. who had satisfied both individuational and relational needs and who had satisfied only individuational need, respectively) had higher scores of courage than other self types indicating the importance of intrapersonal developmental orientation for courage. However, both individuation and relatedness were powerful predictors of courage in regression analyses. Results involving a proposed model of courage as a latent variable (predicted by the Courage and Moral Courage Scales) indicated that relatedness, individuation and hope predicted courage indirectly through the mediation of authenticity while the latter two variables also predicted it directly. The study contributed to the literature by exploring the role of self on courage for the first time, by specifying various empirical relationships among concepts that are regarded close to courage and by suggesting a model of courage. The results were discussed in terms of limitations and suggestions as well.

In this thesis, the problem of human being&rsquo / s alienation from its own Self, society, species-being, objects (products) and labour, which occurs in capitalist modernity through the formation of mass cultures, is analyzed in the conceptual context of Being and Time. In this respect, it is discussed that Heideggerian philosophy is not at odds with Marxism in contrast to Theodor W. Adorno&rsquo / s arguments in The Jargon of Authenticity. Additionally, the claim of this study is that Heidegger&rsquo / s ontologico-existential philosophy can be effective in the analysis and solution of the problem with regard to some socio-psychological causes and effects of alienation in which the method of political economy can remain inadequate. In particular, Dasein&rsquo / s free and authentic self-understanding which gets rid of the suppressive authority of publicness and the ontological Being-with Others in society in harmony with nature can introduce a revolutionary perspective into the problem of alienation. In this context, the similarities in the approaches of Marx and Heidegger on the modes of alienation are stated and the concept of alienation [Entfremdung] in Being and Time is discussed in relation to Marxist conceptions and the relevant concepts in Being and Time.

This dissertation aims to find further understanding of how people with special interest in a certain artist utilise music and the fact that they are fans in their everyday lives. I have opted to study two fans included in each group selected for this study: Kiss, Status Quo and Lasse Stefanz, one male and one female fan belonging to each respective group. I have worked according to grounded theory as a method, and through an analysis of their musical life stories, I have attempted to identify why they became fans and how them being fans has affected them in their lives. Four categories, fandom as: a marker of identity, socialisation, a form of self therapy and a pseudo religion and the core category authenticity usage show the results of the study. The categories show that to a large extent it all comes down to the musical identity of these people, i.e. the identity of being a fan, and their experiences of being fans. They have been socialised into a specific genre, which has meant increased interest in a specific artist. Family, media and friends have all played a part in this socialisation. The informants have developed cultural competence as concerns their idols, although they have also gained the subcultural capital resources required in order to come across as credible fans. Various kinds of experiences offer meaning and nourish the fans. Security and stability in everyday lives are also contributing factors to them being fans and the music offers them something that they are unable to acquire from elsewhere. They have established different strategies in order to be able to be fans, one of these being legitimacy. A vital part of this legitimacy consists in them viewing the bands as authentic, i.e. important. / <p>Eva Kjellander är också affilierad med Linné-universitetet</p>

The aim of the dissertation is to describe and analyze the practice and meaning of Middle Eastern dance through the study of a number of performers in Stockholm. In particular, this study emphasises the ways in which the performers seek, create and defend values such as femininity, authenticity, empowerment and respectability in and through their dancing. Data for this study consists of field notes from participant observation in dance classes, festivals and gatherings; in-depth interviews and written material, such as leaflets and Internet material. Field notes from a trip to Lebanon with a group of Swedish dancers are also included. The performance of Middle Eastern dance in Stockholm may be seen as a way for Swedish women to find new femininities. They strive to combine a glamorous hyper-femininity with strength and respectability. This is a difficult task. The dancers constantly have to maintain a balance. While enjoying the hyper-femininity of oriental dance they must avoid being too sexy and thereby running the risk of being reduced to the position of sexual objects. To avoid losing control of the situation performing in public the dancers use different tactics. Many try to make the performance a clearly bounded event and make distinctions between themselves as individuals and the personas they embody on stage. This gives the performers a chance to playfully embody hyper-femininity. Other dancers have changed the dance itself, removing all movements and costumes that could be perceived as sexually inviting or aiming to please.

I denna uppsats ville vi undersöka hur den samiska kulturen representeras inom turism I Sverige. Vi utgick från fyra relevanta teman; dessa var autenticitet, identitet, makt och turism. Frågeställningarna var: Hur framställs den samiska kulturen i turismsammanhang i Sápmi? Hur påverkas den samiska identiteten av hur kulturen framställs inom turismnäringen? Hur mycket får samerna själva vara med och bestämma när det kommer till hur kulturen framställs inom turismnäringen?   Vi började med att se över den samiska befolkningens historia. Det är viktigt att förstå hur de har behandlats förr för att kunna förstå varför saker och ting är som de är idag. Teorierna som användes i denna studie hanterar frågor om kulturell representation inom turism, vad det gör med människors identitet samt vad som verkligen menad med autentisk representation. En del teorier är också knutna till maktrelationer, vilket uttrycks i ämnen som handlar om ”Vi” kontra ”Dem”. Dessa teorier utgör en lins som ger en djupare och bredare förståelse av de problem som lyfts och kontextualiseras i den empiriska delen av uppsatsen.   Vi samlade in vårt empiriska data genom intervjuer med människor involverade i turismindustrin. Vi gjorde även en kompletterande strukturerad observation genom att besöka några samiska utställningar och museum.   En viktig slutsats som vi kom fram till är att den samiska befolkningen vill och måste bli mer involverade i hur de representeras av turismindustrin. Samisk turism kan bli en stor inkomstkälla för samerna men de behöver mer statlig finansiering. Förståelsen för kulturen är idag relativt liten, delvis på grund av att industrier som turism ofta använder en stereotypisk bild när de framhäver samer. Mycket kan därför fortfarande göras när det kommer till kulturell representation.

This thesis is an ethnographic examination of a local punk subculture. Its focus is the processes of meaning construction and subcultural identity formation and maintenance. Through in-depth interviews and on-site observations, the meanings of punk emerge in acts of social co-construction. An empirical analysis of the ways by which individuals define and explore what is involved and valued in a punk identity provides insight into this subculture. The concept of punk as a social practice is investigated discursively through interviews and documented discussions. My goal is to uncover thematic ideas, beliefs, and values in these interactions that form a matrix of interlocking cultural expressions, collectively creating a shared subcultural identity. As with any subculture, punk appears to be governed by a set of cultural codes and norms. The research reported here indicates that these themes are dominated primarily by knowledge displays and symbolic boundary maintenance.

Abstract This is an exploratory study that poses the questions and discussion regarding live and recorded sales presentations via television. With its rich history, it appears that live television has more types of appeal that will get the shopper buying products. However, the recorded and edited presentation played back on television has had its share to grab the shopper's attention. Research questions are presented to determine which broadcasting method is stronger by examining factors related to home shopping such as credibility, authenticity, involvement, urgency, informativeness, entertaining value, sense of real time, spontaneity and interactivity. Additional questions will look at the overall presentation, the product itself, and what the potential future of home shopping may be based upon this study. The main findings show there is a significant difference in all factors between live and recorded; however, some factors are stronger than others between live and recorded. These factors could indicate where home shopping may want to concentrate its efforts to remain a viable entity in electronic retail.

District and school leadership are essential to the success of our students and our schools. While extensive conceptual literature describes leadership characteristics, there are few empirical studies that address the daily reality of schools. In addition, additional research is needed describing how principals maneuver within the context of schools and school districts. This phenomenological study explored how one elementary school principal understands and enacts leadership and to what extent she employs intentional strategies to facilitate change. The purpose of the study was to offer a rich profile of one elementary school principal's practice to understand how a principal constructs meaning, deploys action, and employs strategies to affect change. The results reveal this principal uses vision, the intentional strategies of expectations, modeling, decision-making processes, reflection, authentic conversations, and stories to facilitate change within her school. In addition, she maintains a human resource focus establishing relationships and building capacity in others as leadership strategies. The principal did not employ the same intention or strategies in relationship to the district or community, however. Results further indicated the district is also acting as a barrier to the implementation of leadership for change. Results of this study have implications for practitioners and future research. Practitioners can employ similar strategies as well as gaining awareness of the importance employing intention and political skill with the district. The results also highlight the need for additional leadership research as well as research investigating the role of the district in support of schools.

This study is based upon the idea that foreign language (FL) classrooms exist apart from their target language communities. While historically, this has been a geographic truth, divides between FL learners and native speakers may also reflect symbolic social distance. Given the symbolic, if not geographic, isolation of the FL classroom from the real world, this study presumes that a challenge inherent to the endeavor of FL education is that the authentic, real-world language and culture under study are, by definition, not naturally present in the FL classroom. This study considers how this challenge, referred to as the challenge of authenticity, is managed in one FL classroom. Seven eighth-grade students and their teacher comprise Classroom 204, a beginning Spanish FL classroom at a private school in the southwest U.S. This qualitative case study uses classroom observations, audio-recordings, classroom artifacts, and participant interviews as data to consider not only how authenticity is imported, imagined, and conjured by participants in Classroom 204, but how authenticity is assigned value therein. Data is analyzed largely with discourse analysis of transcripts of classroom talk about (and classroom talk that constituted) various facets of authenticity, value, and the real world. Ecology theory serves as a broad theoretical lens through which to understand (and accept) the complexity inherent to the social phenomena being researched. Benedict Anderson's (1991) theory of imagined communities is adopted to understand the boundaries that delineate the inside of the FL classroom from the outside, and Bourdieu's (1992) notion of symbolic capital is used to understand the ways by which authenticity becomes valuable (and, conversely, how that which is valuable becomes authentic). Findings suggest that, while participants are largely oriented to real-world manifestations of Spanish language and culture, authenticity is not most present in Classroom 204 in the form of stuff imported from elsewhere. Rather, authenticity emerges out of the highly local, socially-immediate interactions and value systems unique to Classroom 204. Suggestions for both pedagogy and future research focus on approaches that acknowledge and capitalize on the power of local authenticity in the FL classroom, as cultivated by local social actors. / text