This dissertation focuses on the process of identity development and the role of boundaries in that process. Toward this end a study was conducted to explore the interaction between Hartman's (1991) boundaries, Marcia's (1966) identity statuses, and Berzonsky's (1989) identity styles. Data for this study was collected via survey from a convenience sample of undergraduate college students (n = 549) between ages 18 and 24 and across 4 courses at a large state institution in rural Southeastern United States. A 2-way ANOVA was used in this study to explore differences in boundary scores for both Marcia's (1966) identity statuses and Berzonsky's (1989) identity styles. No significant main effect was found for identity status, and no interactional effect was found between identity status and identity style, but a significant main effect was found for identity style. Post-hoc analyses for identity style revealed the diffuse/avoidant style as significantly higher in boundary score than the informational style, which in turn was significantly higher in boundary score than the normative style, with higher boundary scores indicating thinner boundaries. A discussion of these results and their implications for counseling practice are provided. / Ph. D.

Previous research examining the link between parenting and identity have either indirectly assessed a single dimension of parenting or explored the degree of achievement rather than the process of identity development. The present study examines the influence of maternal and paternal parenting behaviors on the identity formation process in late adolescence. Participants (N = 1134), ranging in age from 18 to 25, completed questionnaires to assess their perceptions of parental behaviors and their current identity status. The results indicate an association between maternal acceptance and identity achievement, and moratorium was correlated with lax control and psychological control. Parental acceptance and psychological control were linked with foreclosure, and all three dimensions of parenting were found to be associated with identity diffusion. The findings are discussed from an intervention standpoint as to which specific parental behaviors can protect against the unachieved identity statuses and facilitate the identity formation process. / Master of Science

The National Research Council (2010) reports that minorities and women are consistently overlooked as a critical source of STEM talent and expertise, and are a segment of the population that must be sought after if the U.S. is to meet the educational, industry and military demands of tomorrow. These three entities (education, industry and military) are key stakeholders in the preparation of a strong STEM workforce, and each is heavily vested in the recruitment of the most talented individuals. Despite the military's ongoing efforts, specifically those of the Department of the Air Force (DAF), the armed forces continue to fall short in recruiting and retaining women and minorities in engineering (National Research Council, 2010). This qualitative, phenomenological study is informed by Gee's (2000) theory of four interconnected perspectives of identity, Erickson's (1962) Psychosocial Theory of Development, Godwin's (2016) engineering identity development, Kummel's (2018) military identity, and Lent et al.'s (1994) social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and sought to answer the following research question: How do Department of the Air Force (DAF) Women Of Color (WOC) Developmental Engineers (DE) describe the lived experiences that have affected and shaped their engineering identity development and enabled them to become DAF WOC DEs? The current state of knowledge about and understanding of the many ways in which WOC become DE in the DAF and develop their engineering identity are complex but amenable to further review and intervention solutions. Many of the issues addressed in the literature review remain unaddressed or insufficiently addressed: the need for self-belief, competent and compassionate educators, science learning experiences with engineers, role models, STEM motivation and identity, shared military meaning for engineers, affiliations with minority engineering programs, and a range of support including family, financial, emotional and educational. Purposeful sampling was used to intentionally find the people who have experienced the phenomenon of being a WOC Developmental Engineer (DE) in the DAF to best articulate their lived experiences and inform the research study (Creswell and Poth, 2018). Criteria for participation included identifying as a woman or female, being a member of the DAF (USAF or USSF), carrying the 62E Developmental Engineering Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), and belonging to one of the following ethnic or minority groups: American Indian/Native Alaskan, Asian, Black or African American, identified as more than one race, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Island, Hispanic or Latino. Six women responded to the solicitation and were interviewed. The research participants for this study are adult female members of the DAF, active duty or retired. DAF comprises both the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space Force (USSF). The key points from the findings suggest four major themes, closely aligned with the work of Gee (2000), in understanding the dynamic nature of identity as an important analytic tool for how people perform or see themselves in society, in school, in learning, and in life. The four major perspectives/themes are nature identity e.g., female; institutional identity e.g. DAF; discursive/discourse identity e.g. recognition; and affinity identity e.g. developmental engineering. Based on the experiences of these women, developing an interest in STEM or engineering along with setting a goal early in life is key to becoming an engineer. Additionally, various learning experiences supported by a strong math foundation played a role in developing an interest in engineering, especially hands-on experiences. Having a strong math foundation was important to developing engineering identity. Math helps students think abstractly, develop critical thinking skills, and enables them to deal with hard, ill-defined problems. Math is also an area where students need encouragement and are likely to struggle and need help. Connecting math to real world situations and applications helps with interest and as Alma puts it, math can "activate the curiosity of the mind". Critical choices were made to get scholarships and to join ROTC enabling them to earn an engineering degree and providing a pathway to the DAF. Essentially, learning experiences including having a strong math foundation, interests/goals, support/self-belief, and critical choices supported these women in developing their engineering identity. Having the support of family and teachers and encouragement are also keys to self-belief and perseverance. Within this, conscientiousness is also seen because the women set a challenging goal and then took the necessary steps to achieve that goal. They were diligent in their learning experiences and very achievement oriented. The women valued having a cohort for encouragement and support. Recognizing that both the military and engineering will enable a career and not just a job seemed critical to these women. There was a need to be financially independent so engineering and the military provided this. Whether it was deciding to be an engineer or deciding to be an engineer in the DAF, seeing minority women in leadership roles was critical for pivotal decisions. Seeing women of color in the military in leadership roles served as a source of inspiration for some of the participants and fostered certain decisions. Once into their career, the desire to stay technical served as a recognition of who they are as engineers and led to new goals and decisions. The participants did not allow the military to strip them of their identity but they fought to have impressive careers. Several implications and recommendations are presented for how to get more Women of Color into the engineering career field and into the DAF. Recommendations were distilled to recruiting, encouragement and mentoring, exposure, utilizing various platforms to showcase representation, developing partnerships with ROTC and local schools, and ensuring visuals on television and in movies. / Doctor of Philosophy / The National Research Council (2010) reports that minorities and women are consistently overlooked as a critical source of STEM talent and expertise, and are a segment of the population that must be sought after if the U.S. is to meet the educational, industry and military demands of tomorrow. Despite the military's ongoing efforts, specifically those of the Department of the Air Force (DAF), the armed forces continue to fall short in recruiting and retaining women and minorities in engineering (National Research Council, 2010). This study sought to better understand how six DAF Women of Color (WOC) Developmental Engineers (DE) describe the lived experiences that have affected and shaped their engineering identity development and enabled them to become DAF WOC DEs. Understanding how these WOC developed their engineering identity will provide insight into improving DAF recruiting strategies for this demographic. Each woman agreed to meet for a semi-structured interview via zoom. This qualitative, phenomenological study is informed by Gee's (2000) theory of four interconnected perspectives of identity, Erickson's (1962) Psychosocial Theory of Development, Godwin's (2016) engineering identity development, Kummel's (2018) military identity, and Lent et al.'s (1994) social cognitive career theory (SCCT). Recommendations are directed to DAF and are heavily weighted toward education/learning experiences and mentorship.

Emerging adulthood can be viewed as a time of exploration and experimentation for college-aged adults (Arnett, 2000). As individuals begin trying on their possible selves as they explore personal identity, they can gravitate to peer groups that fit their interests. For some, that can mean being drawn to the emo subculture. This subculture focuses on its fashion, often based on dyed black hair, dark clothing, studded accessories, and black eyeliner (Chernoff & Widdicombe, 2015), centered around music with lyrics often interpreted as depressive or angst?ridden. Emo subculture has been subject to criticism and stereotypes, especially those with mental health themes (Arunrangsiwed & Arunrangsiwed, 2019). This research explored possible differences in identity status (Marcia) and identity style (Berzonzsky) among those who identify as emo compared to emerging adults who did not identify with this subculture. The purpose of this study was to examine identity formation in individuals who identify with the emo subculture compared to individuals who do not identify with this subculture. The sample for the survey comprised emerging adults 18-26 recruited through social media sites offering a link or QR code to an online survey consisting of measures of identity status, identity style, and psychological well-being-related questions. There were 648 participants in total, out of which 87.00% identified themselves as emo. The research provides useful insights into identity development within the emo subculture. It explores the connections between exploration, commitment, different identity styles, and mental health themes. According to the study, there are notable differences in the identity processes, statuses, and styles between emerging adults who identify with the emo subculture and those who do not. The research shows significant differences in identity status and identity processes between individuals who identify with the emo subculture and those who do not.

Religious trauma is most often the result of prolonged emotional and mental trauma, rather than a one-time occurring physical experience, which can thereby lead to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). This prolonged form of trauma can have negative impacts on one’s psychological well-being and possibly one’s sense of identity. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how religious trauma may be related to identity development. College students (N = 223) completed an anonymous online survey battery for course credit. Scores on a measure of religious and spiritual struggles was positively correlated with identity distress and identity exploration, but not with identity commitment. Religious and spiritual struggles predicted C-PTSD scores, but also post-traumatic growth (PTG) scores. Deliberate rumination predicted PTG while intrusive rumination predicted C-PTSD. The complex role of rumination as a byproduct of identity exploration in the development of C-PTSD and PTG is further explored and discussed.

No description available.

A transgender person develops an identity over time and must overcome several obstacles such as stigma, transphobia, discrimination, and sexism, which can be even more difficult for transgender people who choose to come out and transition in a rural area. Grounded in queer theory, social constructivism, and rural identity development theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the lived experiences of 4 transgender persons who came out and transitioned in a rural area, and who accessed online communities as a source of information during their identity development. A 4-stage process was used to collect data, including a semistructured interview, artifact analysis, participant observations, and an art project created by the participants. The data were loaded into the NVivo qualitative data analysis software and analyzed using coding, memoing, within-case, and cross-case analysis from the case histories of the participants. The principle findings of the study were that these transgender people living in a rural area used the Internet for both gathering information and connecting to the larger transgender community. Many other significant details provided insight into the lives of these transgender people, such as shopping for clothes, spending time in public, dealing with personal safety, and managing family and friend relationships during their transitions. These findings may inform mental health professionals about the potential identity developmental trajectory of transgender persons living in a rural area; the findings also give a voice to a population that is often hidden in rural areas.

No description available.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Candyce S. Russell / There has been a rapid growth of heterosexual Black and White interracial couples in the United States in recent decades and numbers continue to increase. In addition, the concept of racial identity within Southern heterosexual Black and White interracial couples has not been explored. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how racial identity affects the dynamics of Black and White interracial relationships within the context of their extended family and community and the effect of interracial relationships on racial identity development. The focus of the study was to explore how partners in heterosexual Black and White interracial couples living in the South constructed and/or defined their individual racial identity, how the couple addressed cultural difference within the relationship, and how the couple handled opposition toward their relationship. Three theoretical/philosophical frameworks were used in this study. Phenomenology and social constructionism were utilized to provide a framework for the methodology of the study; Black racial identity theory (Cross, 1971, 1991) and White racial identity theory (Helms, 1990) were utilized to provide a framework for thinking about racial identity development. The sample consisted of four couples, each with children. Each couple was interviewed conjointly in a neutral setting and then allowed the researcher to accompany them on an outing in a public setting. This experience allowed the researcher to observe how the couple was received in public and how the couple managed public response. Interviews provided rich descriptions of how the research participants experienced themselves as individuals and as a couple in their marriage with respect to racial identity. Through case study analysis, six main themes and 22 sub-themes were identified. The main themes included: marital dynamics, racial identity, influences, reactions, advice, and counseling. Cross-case analysis revealed a small number of subthemes shared across cases. Differences between cases were considerable and were presented via the identification of new subthemes and unique cases. Three new subthemes were identified: normal couple, gaining acceptance, and religious affiliation. Recommendations are offered for future research and, tentatively, for marriage and family therapists who may work with couples similar to those in this study. Most notably, couples in this study saw themselves as “normal couples” brought together by love, and did not necessarily think of themselves as “interracial.” They did, however, talk as a couple about how to racially identify their children and how to help them respond to questions about their racial heritage.