Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Christian University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Description based on Print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-157).

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Christian University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Description based on Print version record. Bibliography: leaves 108-110.

The main purpose of this study was to explore how second-generation young adults with foreign background understand their ethnic identities and how they relate to their national identities. Semi-structured interviews with 7 second-generation young adults with foreign background were conducted. The basis for our analysis was social identity theory, identity theory and previous research. As the result shows, the participants in this study had developed an understanding of their ethnic identities in relation to their national identities based on influential factors. The influential factors that elicited these understandings of their ethnic identities in relation to their national identities were: influential people and cultural influences. On the basis of these influential factors, it had become easier for some participants to identify themselves more with their ethnic identities. However, for other participants, the understanding of their ethnic identities did not influence their feelings of belongingness to the host society, which means they have considered themselves to belong to both their ethnic and national identities. For those participants who could not identify themselves with both their ethnic identities and relate to their national identities chose to identify themselves with something else, which in this case religion.

The past three decades have seen increasing interest in the integration of Muslims as the most visible ethno-religious minority group in Britain. Previous research reported that Muslims in northern parts of England, for instance, had developed separate rather than integrated lives (Cantle 2001: 9). Though more recent surveys have reported an emerging change in such trends (Simpson 2012), Muslims in the Scottish context established a more mixed and integrated way of living with the majority from the outset, (Hussain and Miller 2006: 19) which was associated partly with the smaller population of Muslims in Scotland (Penrose and Howard 2008: 95). This qualitative research looks at the different identity negotiation and integration strategies of Muslims, and introduces the idea of ‘Halal integration’ which entails fitting into society while maintaining religious identity. This refers to the life of many Scottish Muslims, Halal Scots, who integrated into many aspects of Scottish society whilst maintaining their religious identity and practices. One example of such integration was the construction of hybrid or multiple social identities that constitute both Scottish and Muslim identity (Saeed et. al. 1999: 836; Hussain and Miller 2006: 150; Hopkins 2008: 121). Other examples were adopting alternative ways of socialising such as meeting at cafés, running family and social events in non-alcoholic environments, and taking part in voluntary and charitable work. This study, thus, explains important barriers and pathways to Muslims’ integration in Scotland. The research involved 43 semi-structured interviews with Muslims who were differentiated by generation and gender. Most existing studies of Muslims in Scotland have focused on major urban areas such as Edinburgh and Glasgow (Hopkins 2004; Hussain and Miller 2006; Virdee et. al. 2006; Kyriakides et. al. 2009). My study will therefore extend such research by comparing the experiences of Muslims across Scottish major cities and small towns. It will thus deepen our understanding of Muslims in Scotland. This thesis suggests that even though religion played an important role in their integration and identity negotiation, other factors such as nationality, ethnicity, racism and Islamophobia also played a significant part. It also suggests an emerging shift in the second generation Muslims’ economic, educational and social integration into Scottish society.

Esta tese teve como objetivo analisar como as Identidades Sociais dos bancários têm sido afetadas pelas transformações do mundo do trabalho e pelos valores da sociedade do consumo. As Identidades Sociais são consideradas como importantes referenciais para entender a dinâmica dentro das organizações. Há uma corrente de pensadores que descrevem o trabalho perdendo sua relativa importância como referência social em função das metamorfoses que vem sofrendo. Por outro lado, autores descrevem que os valores da sociedade do consumo estão se revigorando no atual contexto, servindo, cada vez mais, como parâmetros para os sujeitos. Na medida em que as Identidades Sociais são afetadas pelos valores que permeiam determinado contexto social, procurou-se entender como tais mudanças estão afetando o constructo. Partindo de uma visão construcionista, estabeleceu-se uma abordagem qualitativa para estudar como 50 bancários, por meio de seus discursos, reconstruíam suas Identidades Sociais e as ligações dessas com o trabalho e o consumo. Os dados foram tratados por meio de análise de conteúdo, sendo que também foi realizado um focus group com bancários, discutindo os resultados da pesquisa. Como conclusões obteve-se que os elementos do trabalho ainda são fonte de referência para as Identidades Sociais. Os elementos do consumo também apareceram como parâmetros importantes no discurso. O consumo e o trabalho se mostram como referências complementares, embora sejam provenientes de situações e relações antagônicas. / This thesis aimed to analyze how the bank workers Social Identities have been affected by the changes in the global work order and by the values of the current consumption society. The Social identities are considered important references to comprehend the dynamics inside the organizations. There is a group of researchers that describes the work activity failing to maintain its relative importance as a social reference due to the metamorphosis it has been experiencing. On the other hand, the authors assure that the consumption society values are gathering new strength in the present context, and are offering new patterns to the individuals. As the Social Identities are affected by the values that permeate a specific social context, we tried to understand how such changes are affecting the constructus. We started from a constructionist conception and we established a qualitative approach to study how the 50 bank workers unveil through their discourses the ways they reconstruct their Social Identities in relation to work and consumption. The data were treated by means of an analysis upon the content, and we also carried out a focus group with the bank workers, in which we discussed the results of the research. We reached the conclusion that the constituents of the work are yet a strong reference to the Social Identities. The consumption elements also appear as important patterns in the discourse. The consumption and the work are revealed as references, although they derive from antagonistic situations and relationships.

Le bodybuilding incarne l’une des formes contemporaines de façonnage et de transformation -littéralement, de construction – corporelle les plus spectaculaires. La surenchère musculaire évoque d’emblée la masculinité, sur un mode hyperbolique, mais non sans contradictions : car ces corps hypertrophiés n’ont pas d’autre but qu’esthétique, rompant avec la logique sportive qui suppose l’accomplissement d’une performance. Au sein de ce sport-spectacle, l’idéal corporel bodybuildé -alliant les critères triadiques de volume, définition et symétrie - est atteint par un travail méticuleux et morcelé de chaque groupe musculaire, et un véritable dispositif disciplinaire quotidien, proche de l’ascèse. Notre travail se propose d’interroger les ambiguïtés et contradictions que soulève la pratique du culturisme au regard de l’identité corporelle et genrée. Dans un premier temps, il s’agira d’étudier la façon dont les hommes et femmes culturistes établissent une définition genrée d’eux-mêmes et la perception qu’ils ont des groupes masculin et féminin, en comparaison de sujets qui ne pratiquent pas. Par la suite, à partir de la question du primat de l’apparence dans la conception de soi, on s’est intéressé aux construits de l’auto-objectivation : la tendance à privilégier des attributs corporels esthétiques au détriment d’attributs fonctionnels, la surveillance (ou monitoring de son apparence) et la honte corporelle. Les résultats des axes quantitatif et qualitatif mettent en évidence une identité corporelle spécifique au groupe culturiste, davantage marquée par l’objectivation, ainsi qu’une identité genrée également spécifique, relevant d’une description plus masculine, mais non moins féminine de soi. Au sein du groupe culturiste, certaines différences de mesure liées au sexe tendent à disparaître ; les données qualitatives suggérant également une homogénéisation des représentations (en particulier, le caractère « a-genré » du muscle) entre bodybuilders et bodybuildeuses. Ces éléments sont, en conclusion, discutés au regard de la théorie de l’identité sociale et plus particulièrement de l’auto-catégorisation / Bodybuilding is one of the contemporary forms of body transformation and shaping - literally of body construction - which lies within the most spectacular. The acute work out for muscles immediately evokes masculinity, on a hyperbolic mode, but not without contradictions: because those hypertrophied bodies don’t have any other goal but esthetical, breaking up with the common logic of sports that implies as a matter of fact the accomplishment of a performance. Within this sport-show, the ideal body suggested by bodybuilding – combining the triadic criteria of volume, definition and symmetry – is reached by a meticulous and fragmented work out of each muscular group, and a real daily disciplinary arrangement, close to asceticism. Our work intends to question the ambiguities and contradictions raised by the practice of bodybuilding in the light of corporal and gender identity. First, we will study how male and female bodybuilders picture a gender definition of themselves and the perception they have of masculine and feminine groups, compared to individuals that do not have this practice. Afterwards, on the basis of the primacy question of appearance within the conception of the self, our interest grew for the self-objectification constructions: the tendency to favor physical and esthetical attributes at the expense of functional attributes, the appearance monitoring and the physical shame. The results of the quantitative and qualitative axis highlight the corporal identity specific to bodybuilders’ group, particularly marked by the objectification, as well as a gender identity also specific, going with a foster masculine description, but not less feminine. Within the bodybuilders’ group, a few measuring differences gender-related seem to disappear; the qualitative data suggesting also a homogenization of the mindsets (in particular, the asexual character of the muscle) between male and female bodybuilders. These components are, to conclude, discussed in the light of the social identity theory and most particularly self-categorization theory.

This is a study into the impact of precarious work, defined as low-skill and low-pay jobs, on workers in the South West of Britain. In it, I investigate the experiences of three broad groups of precarious workers: migrants, care assistants (adult and nursery) and employees working for ‘Cleanwell’, an international provider of cleaning and catering services. My approach identifies and occupies the central ground between two opposing perspectives. Along with Guy Standing (2014; 2011), I acknowledge the existence of employment structures which can be objectively described as lacking the security of meaningful pay, tenure, access to training and progression. However, I reject the reductive structural determinism, from structures of work towards working experiences, which he implies. With Kevin Doogan (2015; 2013), I recognise the opposing, ‘rising security’ argument which cautions against homogenous classifications of precarious workers. Nevertheless, I view it as incomplete, challenging only the extent of precarity conditions but not the inherently negative experiences associated with them. In my investigation, I distinguish between ‘precarity’, as the terms and conditions of low-pay and low-skill work and ‘precariousness’, conceptualised as the corresponding worker experiences. Grounding my study in a phenomenological paradigm of enquiry and adopting a ‘meaning condensation’ method of analysis (Kvale, 1996), I seek to understand whether workers can re-construct the negative impact of precarious contexts. As a result, I present precariousness as essentially relational and not absolute. Furthermore, the re-construction of the precarious experience draws on the support of social groups and can lead to fulfilling professional identities. Lastly, precariousness can be a pedagogic experience, both positive and developmental, through which workers can follow the example set by parents and grandparents, as well as serving as role-models themselves. In the study, I challenge assumptions that precarious work has a predominantly negative impact on workers, yet caution against arguments for worker collectivisation and resistance. I argue that precariousness is a phenomenon neither fully determined by low-skill, low-pay contexts, nor simply a psychological state manifested in isolation from precarious work. Rather, it is the phenomenological ‘intending’ (Sokolowski, 2000) of precarious structures, that is, the conscious engagement of precarious workers with low-pay and low-skill work through a range of attitudes, beliefs, views and opinions. Defining it in such a way is a departure from conventional approaches and through it, I show that precariousness offers a wider range of, both positive and negative experiences. It is a means through which even the employment context of precarious work can be re-constructed by individual workers who do not have allegiance to a precariat class, whether actual, or ‘in-the-making’ (Standing, 2011).

Master of Arts / Department Not Listed / Colene Lind / The world relies on agriculture and its producers for food, fuel, and fiber. These agricultural producers make up approximately two percent of the United States population, and they attempt to feed the world even as a minority group (American Farm Bureau, 2017). A growing world population and depleted natural resources challenge the global food system, agricultural producers, and everyone who eats. However, the two percent, who are the most directly involved and knowledgeable, are not talking about the problems or processes of agriculture with others (Higgins, 1991). Feeding the world’s population increasingly will demand personal and collective decision-making that would be aided by a fully engaged and informed public. But only if those in agriculture talk about their livelihoods can we close the communication gap between producers and non-producers and thereby work together to solve the shared problems in and of agriculture. Through qualitative interviews with agricultural producers, this study used Social Identity Theory (SIT) and intergroup communication to explore how producers understood their social identity, as well as how their social identity impacted communication with non-producers. This study is unique in that it uses SIT as the guiding theory, focusing on how agricultural producers identify as compared with the relevant out-group, non-producers. This study finds two major themes in producer self-understandings. First, this study shows that agricultural producers view themselves as high in social status while they presume that others do not afford them the same respect. Second, agricultural producers orient themselves to non-producers in two different ways, including the Determined and the Resigned, with each holding a different sense of their ability to bridge the communication gap. This thesis makes several contributions to communication scholarship and practice. First, the findings suggest that social competition and social creativity—two strategies for gaining and maintaining group status—might have different communication and group-relation outcomes when enacted via direct contact with the out-group. Future research is therefore needed to potentially extend SIT theory in regard to these status strategies. Second, the findings suggest that group members who could speak to the tensions within their social identity engaged with out-group members, also prompting the need for more research to clarify this phenomenon relative to SIT. Third, a striking cleavage between those who seek to engage with the out-group as compared to those who do not merits further study, and this study offers several possible avenues for explaining this difference. Fourth, and more practically, the study suggests that producers ought to be introduced to the concepts of social identity and competition to reduce tensions and to encourage interaction between producers and non-producers.

Becoming a mother derails many women’s chances for career progression. One reason for this is that women leave organisations when they become mothers, or reduce their working hours. Another reason is that people within the organisation start to view them as less career-orientated as a result of being mothers. At the core of this issue is that who a woman is – her identity – is being redefined in the transition to motherhood, by herself and by those around her. But, little is known about how her professional identity develops during the transition to motherhood, or whether its development is related to her growing maternal identity. This paper, therefore, presents a systematic review of the literature concerning changes in maternal and professional identities, as well as the relationship between them. Based on the evidence, this review concludes that although the development of maternal identity has been well documented in the literature, little is known about how a woman’s professional identity develops, as she becomes a mother. Suggestions for further research and practice are discussed.

This is a multi-method research which consists of four studies. The first examined the influence of cultural values and ethnic identity on collective self-esteem, acculturative stress and attitudes toward seeking psychological help among 117 Saudi students living and studying in the UK, 20 of them were interviewed in the second part of the study in order to examine their acculturation strategies and their attitude toward seeking psychological help. The measures used were: Asian Values Scale (AVS), Male Arab Acculturation Scale (MAAS), Male Arabic Ethnic Identity Measure (MAEIM), Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF), and Collective Self-Esteem (CSE-R). The study sample was divided into two groups: 49 (Junior) newly arrived students and 68 (senior) students who had spent more than one year in the UK. Also, gender and marital status were considered as variables. Interviews were conducted to examine the questionnaire's findings in depth. Results supported the hypothesis that adherence to original cultural values is a positive predictor of collective self-esteem. Also it was found that there was a difference between new and senior students in the scores on the following scales: AVS, CSE, SAFE, ATSPP, and MAAS Int. Results also supported the hypothesis that ethnic identity is a positive predictor of collective self-esteem. However, no relation was observed between adherence to original cultural values and students‟ attitudes towards seeking psychological help, acculturative stress, and communication styles. Also, ethnic identity did not correlate with acculturative stress. Regarding gender and marital status, findings suggest that they are not significant predictors of the research‟s dependent variables. In the third part of the study: the researcher examined and measured the effect of providing counselling sessions for a sample of 12 Saudi students during their stay in the UK using a pre- and post- Culture Shock Questionnaire, and results were compared with a control group of 12 Saudi participants who were not engaged in the counselling sessions. Results were statistically significant for the experimental group which indicated a positive effect of providing counseling services for Saudi students. In the fourth part of the study: the researcher measured the effect of reverse culture shock on students who returned home using a modified version of the Home-comer Culture Shock Scales (HCSS) and inviting view participants to take part in un formal interview. The thesis will be concluded with an explanatory conclusion which might lead to further studies.