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The patterned interactions in a support group for adolescent mothers are analyzed in the context of the specific construction(s) of adolescent pregnancy and motherhood that legitimate the program's existence. Particular attention is paid to the way in which staff and clients are positioned vis a vis one another through the typification of the program's mission and goals. Data analyzed include field notes recorded during ten months of participant observation with the group, program documents describing the history, mission, and goals of the program, and an in-depth interview with the Program Director. Changes in funding patterns led to an increased emphasis on the prevention of child abuse as a goal of the program. The resulting expectations of program staff and assumptions about adolescent mothers cast these two groups of women into social identities containing inherent contradictions. Differences of social class further complicate the relationship between the groups. Varying strategies of self-presentation are employed by clients and staff as they struggle with these contradictions. The young mothers present themselves in ways that maintain distance between themselves and staff. While the staff are never completely successful and breaking down the barriers between themselves and the young mothers, one style of self-presentation has the potential to bridge the gap. The findings have practical implications for the design and implementation of human service programs, particularly those which address stigmatized categories of women. The findings also have theoretical implications relevant to ongoing discussions of feminist epistemology, and the intersection of gender and social class. / Ph. D.

Significant research in cultural psychology has underlined differences in Eastern and Western cultures. While differences in many cognitive domains have been examined, there is a gap in cross cultural research on information processing and integration. This research explores the effect of independent or interdependent thinking on how a subject processes information. It is hypothesized that subjects with an interdependent mindset will process information holistically and subjects in an independent context will process information individually, or with an attribute based approach. A preliminary study tested the averaging and additive effects of information processing and served as the foundation for two subsequent explorations. The first examined cultural differences in information processing through presenting subjects of different cultural backgrounds with presenter and evaluator situations. In the second study, individualistic and collectivist priming methodology was used to prompt subjects' ability to process information individually or holistically. Established measures of religiosity and connectedness were examined as possible moderators of the relationship between self-construal and information integration. Results show that differences between subjects primed in the interdependent condition were moderated by religiosity. Possible explanations for this effect are discussed. / Master of Science

The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate behavioral differences between high Machiavellians (MACHS) as described by Christie (1970a) and those exhibiting the aberrant self-promotion pattern proposed by Gustafson and Ritzer (1995). The aberrant self-promoter (ASP) was defined as having a high degree of narcissism, combined with a low need to appear conventionally "nice" along with pronounced antisocial behavior. The Machiavellian was described as one who is capable of manipulating others to obtain some advantage. The situation that was proposed differentiate the two groups is a legislature game which involves bargaining and forming alliances. ASPs and Machiavellians were identified by the same procedures used by Gustafson and Ritzer (1995). In Condition 1, the issues being voted upon were value laden in the sense that they were designed to elicit an affective response. In Condition 2, the issues were value and affect neutral. The experimental subjects were undergraduates enrolled in psychology courses. It was predicted that because Machiavellians are better at separating affect from rational thought than are either ASPs or non-Mach non-ASPs, Machiavellians would perform better than either of the other groups in the value laden issues condition. It was also predicted that participants would rate aberrant self-promoters less favorably than other players on trust, respect, and likability due to the ASPs ineffectiveness in bargaining and forming alliances. Two repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to test the hypotheses. Results supported only the last prediction regarding likability. Reasons for these findings and implications were discussed / Master of Science

Self-appraisals of performance are traditionally lenient and inaccurate, hampering their practical utility in applied settings. The purpose of the current study is to examine the underlying processes, namely self-deception and impression management, which contribute to this leniency and inaccuracy. Because self-ratings are inflated regardless of environmental affordances, self-deception is said to occur. However, when environmental contingencies that reward positive self-evaluations exist, leniency and inaccuracy increases. This suggests that impression management processes also contribute to inflated and inaccurate self-appraisals. The environmental affordances associated with self-ratings are often couched in terms of reward and nonreward purposes of appraisal (POA). The occurrence of leniency and inaccuracy in reward purposes of appraisal are potentially moderated by personality variables such as self-monitoring (SM). Consequently, POA and SM were examined in the current study. Participants completed a model building task in both non-reward and reward POAs, with self-appraisals following each task. They also completed surveys which assessed their levels of self-monitoring, self-deception, and impression management. It was predicted that self-rated performance would be lenient across conditions, reflecting self-deception. It was further predicted that participants would be more lenient and less accurate in the reward POA than in the non-reward POA, reflecting impression management processes. This would suggest an additive effect in which impression management leads to increased inflation beyond the level of inflation attributed to self-deception. Finally, it was predicted that self-rating leniency in the reward POA would be moderated by self-monitoring, such that only high self-monitors would be significantly more lenient in the reward POA in terms of their self-rated performance. Repeated measure ANOVAS using four accuracy and four leniency measures yielded limited support for the hypotheses. Implications for future research are discussed. / Master of Science

In today's digital era, the way we receive, share, and interpret information has evolved dramatically due to technological advancements and shifting social dynamics. The Web 2.0 era has revolutionized communication, transforming it into an interactive exchange between content creators and audiences. This shift has empowered individuals to engage actively with information, rather than just consuming it passively. Audiences, now seen as active participants, interpret content based on their demographics and preferences, influenced by media ownership and distribution channels. Digital media platforms, particularly social media and streaming services, provide new avenues for audience engagement and participation.  Despite extensive research on digital media audiences and consumer behavior, there is a notable gap in understanding the perspectives of digital advertising professionals on their audiences. These professionals shape consumer behavior and act as intermediaries between business entities and audiences. This study examines how advertising professionals perceive their audiences through the concept of imagined audiences. By examining the formation of imagined audiences, communicators can tailor their messages to resonate with diverse audiences across various platforms. This study utilizes qualitative methods, specifically semi-structured interviews with digital advertising professionals in Indonesia, to explore their perceptions of imagined audiences. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Goffman's impression management, Cooley's looking-glass self, and symbolic interactionism, this research aims to provide insights into impression management practices and enhance the effectiveness of advertising efforts in the digital landscape.

VD-ordet har utvecklats till en viktig del av årsredovisningen i noterade företag. Impression management, Pollyannaeffekten och Legitmitetsteorin indikerar att företag kan använda VD-ordet i strategiskt syfte för att ändra intressenters syn på företaget. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om covid-19-pandemin har medfört förändringar i svenska företags VD-ord. Syftet uppfylls genom en kvantitativ och kvalitativ studie av fyra svenska företags VD-ord under åren 2018, 2020 och 2022. Längd, antal covid-19-benämningar, den visuella framtoningen av dessa benämningar, andelen positiva ord och förändring i teman är aspekter som undersöks inom ramen för den kvantitativa och kvalitativa analysen. En slutsats från studien är att VD-orden har förändrats genom att covid-19 identifieras och omnämns i VD-orden och att förändringar i andra teman går att observera. Studien visar att företag använder sig av Impression management och legitimeringsstrategier i VD-orden för samtliga år men att detta är tydligare för företag som presterar sämre. Studien visar vidare att företag alltid använder sig av fler positiva än negativa ord vilket indikerar en användning av Pollyannaeffekten. Icke desto mindre tyder förändringar av andelen positiva ord i motsatt riktning.

Everyone wants others to think as well of them as possible, particularly during structured social presentations, such as a speech. High self-monitors have an innate facility with impression management-the process of projecting a favorable social image. If a student is a high self-monitor, how might this impact his or her grades? Might low self-monitors' grades improve during the course? Surprisingly the results of this thesis showed that self-monitoring was not correlated with speech grades. Reasons for this finding and possible insights for future research are also discussed.