Social influence in marketing has generally been conceptualized in terms of conformity, where the individual's attitudes and behaviour are influenced by real or imagined group pressure. This is a one-way influence process where the group (majority) influences the individual. This research extends this conceptualization of social influence to include the influence of minority or deviant opinions. A simultaneous social influence paradigm is adopted, in which individuals may not only experience conformity pressure from the majority, but may also be subject to persuasion by minority opinions in the group. Such situations may arise in consumer groups as such organizational buying committees or families. Several conditions that may determine the extent of conformity or minority influence were delineated. It was hypothesized that the extent of social identification with a minority or majority source, i.e., source-similarity, would determine the extent of its influence. It was proposed that issue-involvement would play an important role in determining conformity versus minority influence effects, as well as interact significantly with source-similarity. The role of other mediating variables in this social influence process, such as source credibility and source feelings, were also explicated. An empirical test of the theory was undertaken through a 2 (high/low similarity) X 2 (high/low involvement) factorial design. Subject were exposed to persuasive communication from both a majority and a minority source, who advocated contrary positions. The two sources always assumed opposite social identities, and thus when one source was similar to the subject, the other was dissimilar. As anticipated, the minority opinion was more persuasive when the minority was similar, rather than dissimilar. However, this effect was dependent on the level of involvement. The results were generally consistent with the proposed model, with both similarity and involvement playing a crucial role in determining the extent of minority influence. Source credibility and feelings towards the source were both significant mediators in the social influence process. This research indicates a further need to explore the role of involvement in such simultaneous influence contexts using other consumer contexts, and it opens several avenues for future research.

The dissertation is an investigation of modern subjectivity as it is expressed in the form of celebrities. First of all, it establishes that celebrities are linked to both the development of a democratic culture, where there is an investment in conceptions of the popular will for political and cultural legitimation, and consumer capitalism, where power and subjectivity are intimately connected to the commodity and a consumer identity that is formed through commodities. Secondly, the dissertation establishes that the significance and meaning of the celebrity in contemporary culture are linked to its dual formation by the culture industries and by the audience which embraces and remakes the meaning of the produced celebrity. A critical reading of individual celebrities that have emerged from different domains of the culture industries is conducted which integrates a hermeneutic of intention into a hermeneutic of reception. Thirdly, the work shows how the forms of public subjectivity privileged in the entertainment industries are elemental parts of the construction of the contemporary political leader. / The dissertation concludes that the celebrity, along with other forms of public personalities that emerge in the public sphere, is an attempt to contain or embody a certain type of power that is difficult to sustain because of its connection to mass sentiment and supposed forms of irrationality. The celebrity then is the continual attempt to embody this affective power in contemporary political and popular culture.

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According to self-categorization theory (SCT), environmental context is the key factor in determining whether or not a social identity will be activated. Blanz (1999) has extended SCT by suggesting that there are certain social categories (i.e., race and gender) that people will chronically use to categorize individuals. However, neither of these two perspectives addresses the notion that individuals could differ in the chronic accessibility of a given social identity. The present research explored this hypothesis. By adapting Higgins and colleagues' (1982) methodology for studying the chronic accessibility of personality traits, three studies were conducted to determine if there are differences in chronicity of female (Experiments 1 and 3) and anglophone (Experiment 2) social identities. Results suggest that individual differences in accessibility appear to exist. However, differences in chronicity of female and anglophone social identities were not related to discrimination, an important variable in social identity theorizing. Theoretical and real-world implications are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a film on homosexuality and a presentation by the Gay Alliance on attitude change toward homosexuality. A review of the literature indicated that a class which offers eduction on homosexuality results in a more positive attitude toward homosexuality. It was also found that participants are less tolerant toward homosexuality after viewing an explicit, erotic film of two hmosexuals. Participants were 58 male and 113 female students enrolled in one of three Introductory to Psychology classes. All were given the Kite Attitude Toward Homosexuality Scale and a demographic questionnaire during their usual class times. One week later a filmstrip on homosexuality was shown to one class and the Gay Alliance gave a presentation to a second class. The third class was not given any additional information on homosexuality. Two weeks later all participants completed the Kite Scale and the questionnaire again. A 2x3 Analysis of Covariance showed there was no significant difference between groups or gender. A stepwise multiple regression indicated the best predictor for attitude change was if the subject had read something other than a textbook on homosexuality. A stepwise multiple regression also found the best predictors of a positive attitude toward homosexuality was if the participant had a friend who was homosexual, if the participant was female, and if the participant had a relative who was homosexual. The explanation for the results found included a discussion on AIDS, the low number of male subjects in the two experimental groups, and the fact that there were some difficulties with the group which viewed the filmstrip.

This research is concerned with menstruation as it is experienced and presented by women involved in feminist groups in Montreal. Biomedical discourse hegemony in the production of a discourse on women's body has been sometimes reinforced and sometimes questioned by feminist movements. The interviews reveal that despite the impact of feminist discourses, women's experience seems deeply influenced by biomedical and hygienist discourses and by negative stereotypes commonly found in society at large. Feminist discourses allow these women to open spaces of freedom and criticism in their practices and thoughts regarding menstruation.

The Internet has emerged as a prominent medium of communication. Today, it has become the focus of enormous debate and evaluation. The objective of this study is to examine the evolution of its impact on society. In this regard, various interpretations of its societal impact are provided. First, the debate on the information society exhibits the widespread belief that society is transforming and a new type of society is emerging. Second, a chronological description of the evolution and development of the Internet displays its burgeoning growth and current utility and capacities. Third, optimistic and pessimistic perspectives elucidate opposite views of the potential it can have on society and humankind. Lastly, a synchronic analysis of media coverage, using The Globe and Mail as an illustration, demonstrates the present reporting of its impact. These various interpretations provide an understanding of the Internet's increasing significance and position within society.

This study explores discussion forums within two autistic community websites in an attempt to gain intimate insights into the educational experiences and cultural identification of high functioning autistics (HFAs). Throughout this thesis I have referred to people with Autism as 'autistics' or HFAs in recognition of their self-referencing on the websites and to strike consistency with their identity politics. (ex: Autistic Pride Parade). The study maintains a narrative component from the perspective of a teacher-researcher as a means of facilitating the development of a grounded theory for educating high functioning autistics. The study begins with an examination of contemporary controversies within the field of autistic studies, with a particular focus on issues surrounding the classification of Asperger's Syndrome under the deficit model of mental disorders. Several tables are then presented from data collected from Aspiesforfreedom.com and Wrongplanet.net. The tables present high functioning autistic opinions, thoughts and experiences related to emerging autistic advocacy efforts, as well as retrospectives of their social and academic experiences over the course of their schooling. An Internet Culture Theory (ICT) develops which honors the existence of an authentic community of autistics online. ICT explores how this acknowledgment can help shape educational policies and practices related to improving the self-esteem, identity formation, academic success and social experiences of HFAs in both our schools and communities. The study contends that modifications should be implemented prior to grade 7 due to reports of emotional deterioration during this particular year of development. Existing programs operating in the spirit of ICT are discussed in order to provide some concrete examples of what certain modifications might look like.

The social implications of anxiety have received little empirical attention. Moreover, the continuity of interpersonal processes associated with clinical and non-clinical levels of chronic social anxiety has not been systematically investigated. The relation between interpersonal behavior and anxiety reported during naturally occurring social interactions was examined in two studies; the first examined community volunteers exhibiting a range of chronic social anxiety levels, while the second compared individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD) to a matched sample of non-clinical controls. Unique patterns were expected to emerge with respect to state versus chronic levels of social anxiety. State social anxiety was conjectured to predict an alliance-protective response characterized by increased levels of agreeable behavior and decreased levels of quarrelsome behavior. Chronic social anxiety was hypothesized to predict a self-protective interpersonal style characterized by increased levels of submissive behavior and decreased levels of dominant behavior. Event-level appraisals of inferiority were expected to moderate this self-protective orientation; socially anxious individuals were expected to report enhanced levels of submission and reduced levels of dominance during interactions in which subjective inferiority was elevated. As predicted, increased state social anxiety was associated with decreased levels of quarrelsome behavior. Elevated state anxiety was also associated with increased levels of submissive behavior. This pattern was observed across all levels of chronic social anxiety, although participants with GSAD displayed an even greater tendency to increase submissiveness in response to state social anxiety compared to controls. As predicted, elevated levels of chronic social anxiety were associated with increased submissive behavior and decreased dominant behavior across all levels of state social anxiety. Subjective appraisals of inferiority enhanced levels of submission and reduced levels of dominance among socially anxious individuals. The results illustrated separate patterns of behavior for state and chronic social anxiety and were consistent with the proposition that situational elevations in social anxiety are associated with alliance-protective behavior strategies while chronic elevations are associated with a self-protective orientation that is amplified by sensitivity to negative social cues. The findings also supported the contention that social anxiety is a continuous construct associated with similar interpersonal processes across clinical and non-clinical populations.

Diabetes Mellitus is a complex chronic disease that is prevalent throughout the world (Wild, Roglic, Green, Sicree, & King, 2004). People living with this disease are confronted with lifestyle modifications that require daily attention to a myriad of self care behaviors and health practices. Adherence to these self care recommendations can prevent the devastating complications that are associated with diabetes (UKPDS Group, 1998; Stratton, Adler, Neil, et al., 2000). Though knowledge plays an important role in the self management of diabetes, education alone does not ensure adherence to life-long behavior changes (Norris, Lau, Smith, Schmid, & Engelgau, 2002; Krichbaum, Aarestad, Buethe, 2003). It is recognized that additional research is needed to understand barriers and facilitators to behavior change. Studies have identified that people with diabetes have worries about their disease and specific sources of worries include worries about being able to carry out family responsibilities in the future, worries about their financial future, worries about weight, and worries about risk for hypoglycemia (Peyrot, Rubin, Lauritzen, Snoek, Matthews, & Skovlund, 2005). Investigation into the effects of worry on health has focused primarily on worry's motivational properties and little is known about how worry impacts self management adherence in the diabetic population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between worry, self efficacy and adherence to self management recommendations in the API diabetic population. An analysis of data previously collected from a two arm randomized controlled intervention trial (ENHANCE project) was undertaken to answer the research questions. The findings of this study suggest that levels of and types of worry have an effect on self efficacy and on self management adherence. Social worries had a direct effect on self efficacy and positively moderated self efficacy's impact on self management adherence. Disease specific worries had a negative direct effect on self efficacy and negatively moderated self efficacy's effect on adherence. In addition, our study supported the understanding that worry perception and impact may differ among ethnic groups. The Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in our study experienced less worries as measured by our social worry tools than the Asian participants.