This study is an investigation of the general questions Is there a relationship or interaction between a subject's dogmatism score (as measured by the Dogmatism Scale) and his self-rating of the perceived stereotypical masculinity-femininity dimension (as measured by the abridged Mf scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)?

Margaret Atwood speaks about a now common and yet still predominant question of female identity. Eye images, appearing frequently, correlate with ideas of observation, perception, and reflection as the woman seeks to understand herself. Introductory material examines three female archetypes, five victim positions, and male-female worlds. Eye imagery in early poetry expresses female feelings of frustration and submission to unfair roles and expectations. Imagery in the middle poetry presents causes for male-female manipulations. In later poetry eye imagery underscores the woman's anger and desire to separate into a new self. Concluding this study is an analysis of female options. From denial and anger the poet moves to recognition of choices open to today's woman, offering a possibility of wholeness.

This interdisciplinary project offers new research to introduce the American cult of the bosom, which emerged in the years following the Revolutionary War and helped shape the discourse around women’s roles in the early republic. The cult of the bosom sought to shift the way in which the female body, and especially the bosom, was regarded and represented by identifying it as the locus of a number of positive qualities associated with women, including virtue, modesty, beauty, and grace. This shift constituted, in the minds of citizens, a significant way in which American culture honored and celebrated women. Additionally, the cult of the bosom tied the bosom’s privileged status to a broader patriotic rhetoric that celebrated the special differences of America’s women and American culture as a whole, and insisted that, while most citizens of the world saw its potential to gratify lust, Americans were sufficiently enlightened to consider and celebrate the bosom’s ‘true’ function as a signifier of sacred womanhood. Through a variety of cultural materials, this project traces the points at which beauty, virtue, femininity, and the female body intersected in the early republic and the implications of these intersections for the political and social status of women. The study consists of five thematic chapters, which address textual foundations for the discourse on the bosom and female modesty in early republican America and examine female portraits of the period in order to identify the visual codes that represented patriotic ideology and signified the bosom.

The graduation thesis Magazines for women today: a shop-window of consumerism? focuses on analysis of editorials in periodicals Blesk pro ženy and ELLE. I analyzed the year 2009 by using qualitative content analysis. In this thesis I am trying to find out how much these editorials are engaged in consumerism and how much they are appealing to the consumer life style. I was also interested in values connected with consumerism and in the ways the consumer life style is being tied in the editorials. By using semiotic theories, sociology and critical media studies literature I am decoding that the pleasurable images and editorials are primarily rooted in the economic system of consumer goods distribution. This thesis is devoted to anyone who is interested in women's magazines and their economic background.

My thesis is focused on construction of gender roles in Czech TV shows of the year 2012. First part of the thesis consists of theoretical background, where the principle of feminine and masculine roles, which are constructed by media too, is presented. The thematic foreign and domestic studies, which are introduced there, show how the experts look at this issue. Other chapters are formed by this view and present the most frequented image of women and men on TV or the media principles. Last sections of the theoretical frame are about consumers' everyday habits of watching TV and about impact, which this programmes could have. Second part of this thesis has metodological character. The objective to decode which gender roles are formed by selected programmes Sama doma, Top Star Magazín, menZONE or Těžká dřina and which signs participate on this constructions are described in this part. The research method is semiotic analysis with description of the narrative, thanks to which the hidden myth is revealed more precisely. The quantitative content analysis is also used in analytic part, however, only in a prototypical form. This probe refers to the other possibilities of further extensions of this thesis. All the results demonstrate that the programmes of current domestic production construct women and...

Due to its emphasis on the concepts of self-reliance, inner guidance and the aboriginal Self, Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophy elaborates theses that favor the individual over community, such as the superiority and sanctity of self-definition, as opposed to definitions constructed by society and imposed on the individual. It is possible, then, to perceive his philosophy as important for the formation of the Women's Rights Movement and for the emerging feminism. In his four romances, Nathaniel Hawthorne creates female protagonists who advocate for women's right to self-reliance as Emerson describes it. Hawthorne's heroines can be understood and interpreted as contemplating the Emersonian principles, thus illustrating the connection between Emerson's philosophy, and themes and motifs present in Hawthorne's romances. Related to Hawthorne's portrayal of the heroines' reflections on the concepts of inner guidance, the aboriginal Self, moral dereliction and self-reliance is Hawthorne's attitude toward the relationship between "womanhood" and "femininity" on one side, and "manhood" and "masculinity" on the other side. The ambivalence of woman, as depicted by Hawthorne, consists in the discrepancy between attributes traditionally associated with "femininity", such as devotion, affection and humility, and the will...

Faire du rapport des individus à leur apparence corporelle une véritable question sociologique, telle fut l'ambition de cette thèse. Prenant appui sur un étonnement intellectuel - relatif à la difficile constitution du champ de la sociologie du corps et au décalage fort entre l'omniprésence des enjeux esthétiques dans le monde social (notamment médiatique) et leur modeste considération dans l'espace des sciences sociales - cette visée s'est matérialisée par la mise en oeuvre d'une enquête qualitative, menée entre 2013 et 2014, auprès de 60 individus (32 femmes et 28 hommes), âgés de 21 à 52 ans. Cette étude, dont le fil conducteur a été de mettre en exergue les modalités de l'expérience esthétique des individus (coûts, bénéfices, vécus, stratégies, dans le rapport à soi et à autrui), s'est appuyée sur l'outil analytique du genre, véritable catalyseur de l'injonction à l'autonomie et à la réflexivité esthétique à l'oeuvre depuis la seconde moitié du XXème siècle. Les deux axes analytiques qui orientent la trame de cette thèse sont ainsi les suivants : (1) quels sont les enjeux des dimensions « intra-genre », « inter-genre » dans la construction d'une identité esthétique, (2) dans quelles mesures la dialectique entre rapport à soi et rapport à autrui constitue-t-elle le socle de l'appropriation esthétique d'un soi genré ? Effectivement, en étudiant l'apparence comme une théâtralisation du genre des individus, nous avons notamment pu mettre en évidence combien la consistance des corps et les pratiques esthétiques représentaient des modalités essentielles de la recomposition contemporaine des existences genrées. Notre enquête nous a ainsi amenée à penser que la posture analytique la plus légitime pour une sociologie de l'apparence est celle qui envisage cet objet « apparence » avant tout comme une expérience réflexive à laquelle chacun se trouve confronté, le rapport au corps constituant un support identitaire central pour l'individu contemporain. En ce sens, l'étude du « bricolage esthétique de soi » des acteurs sociaux constitue à nos yeux une orientation pertinente pour les sociologues afin d'appréhender les contours de ce qu'être un individu (incarné) aujourd'hui dans notre société représente pour tout un chacun. / Studying the relationship of individuals with their own body and appearance as a real sociological question, such was the aim of this thesis. Building on an intellectual astonishment - the difficult constitution that marked the field of the sociology of the body and the huge gap between the omnipresence of aesthetic issues in the social world (including media) and their modest consideration in the Social Sciences world - this aim has been materialized through the implementation of a qualitative survey, conducted between 2013 and 2014, with 60 individuals (32 women and 28 men), aged from 21 to 52 years. The common thread of this study was to outline the terms of the aesthetic experience of individuals (costs, benefits, experiences, relationship with oneself and with others) and we used the analytical tool of gender, real catalyst of the autonomy and aesthetic reflexivity injunctions ongoing in our society since the second half of the twentieth century. The two analytical axes that guide the frame of this thesis are as follows: (1) what are the issues of the two dimensions: "intra-gender", "cross-gender" in the construction of an aesthetic identity, (2) to what extent the dialectic between self-relation and relationships with others could be the base of the aesthetic appropriation of a gendered self? Indeed, studying the appearance as a dramatization of the gender of individuals, has enabled us to highlight how the consistency of the body and aesthetic practices represente essential modalities regarding the contemporary restructuring of gendered lives. Our investigation let us think that the most legitimate analytical posture for a sociology of appearance is the one considering this item "appearance" first and foremost as a reflexive experience to which each individual is faced, relationship with the body constituting a central identity support for the contemporary individual. In this sense, the study of "self-esthetics handiwork" of social actors is in our opinion a relevant guidance for sociologists to grasp the framework of what being an (embodied) individual today in our society represents for everyone.

Student Number : 9901978A - MA research report - School of Human and Community Development - Faculty of Humanities / This research explored the relationship between gender identity, body image and ego strength in men. A questionnaire consisting of a demographic section, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Adonis Complex Questionnaire- Revised, and the Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strength was administered to 74 male students from the School of Actuarial Science and Statistics at the University of the Witwatersrand during lecture time. Correlation analyses were used to infer the relationships between the three variables, while a multiple regression assessed whether particular combinations of gender identity and ego strength could predict higher body image dissatisfaction. The results showed that both masculinity and androgyny had a positive effect on body image satisfaction, as did higher ego strength. The latter was also positively correlated with both femininity and masculinity, though not with androgyny. Body image disturbance did not correlate with any dimension of gender identity or ego strength. With regard to the interaction between the variables, higher ego strength was found to have a moderating effect on body image dissatisfaction in men who endorsed femininity, but not with men who endorsed masculinity. An androgynous orientation further predicted lower body image dissatisfaction irrespective of the degree of ego strength. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Os transtornos alimentares (TAs) são caracterizados como graves perturbações no comportamento alimentar, que podem resultar em prejuízos biológicos, psicológicos e sociais. A prevalência é substancialmente maior no sexo feminino e os sintomas eclodem predominantemente na adolescência, coincidindo com a transição psicossocial que marca essa etapa do ciclo vital e a intensificação das vivências sexuais. Sob a ótica da psicanálise, os TAs podem ser compreendidos como respostas somáticas a estados de tensão emocional desencadeados por processos mentais que não puderam ser simbolizados. Essa dificuldade de simbolização parece estar relacionada à impossibilidade da adolescente se individuar, o que necessitaria da assunção de um corpo e uma mente de mulher adulta. A fusão psíquica e decorrente angústia de separação em relação à figura materna também estão relacionadas com as representações inconscientes da feminilidade: a irrupção da sexualidade na adolescência leva a menina a vivenciar um luto pela perda do corpo infantil que, assim como os pais da infância, está sendo deixado para trás. Partindo-se da hipótese de que o sintoma da recusa alimentar pode ser considerado como uma defesa inconsciente utilizada para obliterar o processo de separação-individuação, que é parte inerente ao desenvolvimento emocional, o presente estudo teve por objetivo investigar o desenvolvimento da sexualidade e da feminilidade em mulheres que desenvolveram TAs, na perspectiva das pacientes, de suas mães e de seus pais, buscando estabelecer relações entre esses aspectos fundamentais da constituição subjetiva e os sintomas que caracterizam o quadro psicopatológico. Trata-se de um estudo de caso coletivo, descritivo e transversal, com enfoque qualitativo. As participantes eram adolescentes e jovens adultas com TAs, vinculadas ao Grupo de Assistência em Transtornos Alimentares (GRATA) do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (HC-FMRP-USP), e seus respectivos pais (casal parental, entrevistados em separado), totalizando sete tríades edípicas. Os instrumentos utilizados para a coleta dos dados foram: roteiro de entrevista semiestruturada, aplicada individualmente com cada membro da tríade; diário de campo, elaborado pela pesquisadora após as entrevistas; e Critério de Classificação Econômica Brasil/2015. As entrevistas foram gravadas em áudio para posterior transcrição e análise temática. Os dados foram interpretados com o apoio do referencial teórico da psicossomática psicanalítica de Joyce McDougall. Os resultados demonstraram que a dinâmica psíquica das tríades era marcada por fusão entre mãe e filha, e distanciamento afetivo do pai. A feminilidade era vivenciada tanto pelas filhas quanto pelas mães como equivalente à vulnerabilidade, tornando-se fonte de angústias. Para os genitores do sexo masculino, a feminilidade das filhas foi vivenciada como ameaçadora, suscitando afastamento entre pai e filha na época da puberdade. Evidenciou-se dificuldades, por parte das filhas, no acesso à genitalidade, que guarda relação com a dificuldade no processo de individuação e separação em relação aos pais da infância. Os achados proporcionam insumos para a prática clínica no que concerne à articulação entre as vivências relacionadas à sexualidade/feminilidade e a precipitação e manutenção dos sintomas de TAs, proporcionando uma compreensão mais abrangente dos aspectos psicológicos por parte dos profissionais envolvidos na assistência, prevenção e promoção de saúde na adolescência. / Eating disorders (ED) are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior, which may result in biological, psychological and social prejudices. Prevalence is significantly higher in female gender and symptoms start mainly during adolescence, coinciding with the psychosocial transition that marks this stage of vital cycle and the intensification of sexual experiences. From the perspective of psychoanalysis, ED can be understood as somatic responses to emotional tension triggered by mental processes that could not be symbolized. This difficulty of symbolization seems to be related to the adolescent\'s impossibility to individuate, which would require an adult´s woman body and mind. Psychic fusion and the resulting anxiety from separation of the mother figure is also related to the unconscious representations of femininity: the eruption of sexuality in adolescence leads the girl to grieve for her child body, and also her child\'s parents, which are being left behind. Starting from the premise that the symptom of food refusal may be regarded as an unconscious defense used to obliterate the process of separation-individuation, which is an inherent part of emotional development, the present study aimed to investigate the development of sexuality and femininity in women who developed ED, from the perspective of patients, their mothers and their fathers, seeking to establish links between these fundamental aspects of subjective constitution and the symptoms that characterize the psychopathological condition. It is a collective case study, descriptive and cross-sectional, with qualitative approach. Participants were female adolescents and young adults with ED, linked to the Group of Assistance on Eating Disorders (GRATA), from the Clinics Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (HC-FMRP -USP), and their parents (parental couple, interviewed separately), totalizing seven oedipal triads. The instruments used for data collection were: semi-structured interviews, applied individually with each member of the triad consisting of daughter-mother-father; field diary, prepared by the researcher during data collection; and Brazilian Economic Classification Criterion/2015. Interviews were audio-recorded for later transcription and thematic analysis. Data was be interpreted with the support of the theoretical framework of Joyce McDougall´s psychoanalytic psychosomatic. Results showed that the triads´ psychic dynamic included mother-daughter fusion, and father´s detachment. Mothers and daughters perceived femininity as equivalent to vulnerability and source of distress. Fathers were frightened by their daughters´ femininity, which made them distance themselves. Daughters´ difficulties regarding reaching genitality was evident, and was associated with difficulties of individuation and separation from the parents from childhood. This study provides input into clinical practice with regard to the relationship between the experiences related to sexuality/femininity and symptoms of ED, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the psychological aspects related to sexuality by the professionals involved in care, prevention and health promotion in adolescence.

[pt] Esta dissertação investiga a experiência da feminilidade em uma comunidade rural, sob ótica da psicanálise. Discute inicialmente os conceitos de sexualidade feminina e feminilidade em Freud, apresentando, a seguir, uma nova concepção psicanalítica de feminilidade. Em seguida, aborda diferentes concepções históricas sobre a mulher, concluindo com uma apresentação sobre a mulher rural brasileira e as transformações que vem atravessando, as quais apontam para sua inserção no espaço público. Finalmente, analisa o material obtido com 14 entrevistadas sugerindo a emergência de novas possibilidades subjetivas dentre essas mulheres que nem sempre obedecem ao modelo falocêntrico de subjetivação. / [en] This dissertation investigates, through the optics of psychoanalysis, the experience of femininity within a rural environment. Concepts of feminine sexuality and femininity in Freud are initially discussed, followed by a new psychoanalytic conception of femininity. Different historical aspects regarding women are approached, concluding with a presentation of the Brazilian rural woman and the changes she is undergoing in time which reflect on her insertion within public space. Finally, an analysis is made of the material collected from 14 interviewed members, suggesting the emergence of new subjective possibilities, which not always comply with the phallus centric model of subjectivity.