No description available.

No description available.

Social self-preservation theory (SSPT) suggests that when faced with social-evaluative threat, a set of psychological and physiological responses are elicited concurrently (Dickerson, Gruenewald, & Kemeny, 2004; Kemeny, Gruenewald, & Dickerson, 2004). A series of studies examined the applicability of SSPT to the examination of social-evaluative body-related threats. In the first study, interviews were conducted to identify and describe uncomfortable body-related situations, and typical responses to such situations. Findings provided preliminary evidence of the applicability of SSPT to everyday body-related threats of young adult women – the threats, context of those threats, and responses to such threats were consistent with SSPT. The second study examined psychobiological responses to, and recovery from, a social-evaluative body-related threat. Findings from this study showed that the social-evaluative body-related threat elicited a psychobiological response consistent with SSPT; women in the threat group reported higher social physique anxiety and had higher cortisol following the threat. The third study sought to extend the applicability of SSPT to examine the psychobiological responses to, and recovery from, an anticipated social-evaluative body-related threat. In addition, the potential moderating effect of appearance investment on responses to a threat was examined. Findings from this study showed that women in the threat group reported higher shame and social physique anxiety after anticipating a social-evaluative body-related threat than following a quiet rest period for women in the control group. Results also indicated that both groups showed an index of decrease for cortisol, with the control group showing a significantly greater overall decrease than the threat group. Appearance investment did not moderate cortisol responses to a threat. Findings from the third study provide partial support for SSPT’s applicability to the anticipation of a social-evaluative body-related threat. Together findings from all three studies provide converging evidence for the use of SSPT in understanding the psychobiology of body image.

Social self-preservation theory (SSPT) suggests that when faced with social-evaluative threat, a set of psychological and physiological responses are elicited concurrently (Dickerson, Gruenewald, & Kemeny, 2004; Kemeny, Gruenewald, & Dickerson, 2004). A series of studies examined the applicability of SSPT to the examination of social-evaluative body-related threats. In the first study, interviews were conducted to identify and describe uncomfortable body-related situations, and typical responses to such situations. Findings provided preliminary evidence of the applicability of SSPT to everyday body-related threats of young adult women – the threats, context of those threats, and responses to such threats were consistent with SSPT. The second study examined psychobiological responses to, and recovery from, a social-evaluative body-related threat. Findings from this study showed that the social-evaluative body-related threat elicited a psychobiological response consistent with SSPT; women in the threat group reported higher social physique anxiety and had higher cortisol following the threat. The third study sought to extend the applicability of SSPT to examine the psychobiological responses to, and recovery from, an anticipated social-evaluative body-related threat. In addition, the potential moderating effect of appearance investment on responses to a threat was examined. Findings from this study showed that women in the threat group reported higher shame and social physique anxiety after anticipating a social-evaluative body-related threat than following a quiet rest period for women in the control group. Results also indicated that both groups showed an index of decrease for cortisol, with the control group showing a significantly greater overall decrease than the threat group. Appearance investment did not moderate cortisol responses to a threat. Findings from the third study provide partial support for SSPT’s applicability to the anticipation of a social-evaluative body-related threat. Together findings from all three studies provide converging evidence for the use of SSPT in understanding the psychobiology of body image.

Mexican immigrants living in the United States face academic challenges as well as being exposed to stereotypes. Additionally, Mexican immigrants tend to report lower self-efficacy compared to their American counterparts. This quantitative study aimed to fill a gap in the literature by examining the impact that stereotype threat (STT) has on Mexican immigrants' academic performance and social self-efficacy using a two-way between subjects design. Self-efficacy theory and stereotype threat theory provided the theoretical foundation for the study. Caucasian and Mexican immigrants were randomly assigned to one of two groups- a group exposed to STT (Caucasian n = 94, Mexican immigrant n = 10) or a group who was not exposed to STT (Caucasian n = 155, Mexican immigrant n = 21) for a total of N = 280. All participants were given quantitative analysis questions, analytical reasoning questions, and a social self-efficacy questionnaire. Results showed that Mexican immigrants in the stereotype threat group and Mexican immigrants in the no threat group underperformed on the quantitative analysis and analytical reasoning measures compared to Caucasians in both of those groups. Mexican immigrants in the stereotype threat group and the no threat group also reported lower social self-efficacy scores compared to Caucasians. This research highlighted the importance of the impact stereotypes may have on academic performance and social self-efficacy, especially among immigrants. The implications for social change include insight for Mexican immigrants about the types of challenges they may encounter upon moving to the United States. Additionally, this research could extend the conversation about the various negative effects that stereotypes may have on immigrants' lives.

No description available.

En kvantitativ enkätstudie genomfördes med syftet att undersöka om självdisciplin, yrkesrelaterad kognitiv self-efficacy och yrkesrelaterad social self-efficacy kan predicera motivation på arbetsplatsen. Därtill kontrollerades deltagarnas kön, ålder och utbildningsnivå. Deltagarna rekryterades genom kontaktpersoner på tre olika företag i södra Sverige. Totala deltagarantalet blev 40 personer. Studien innefattade två hypoteser som testades genom en multipel regression, korrelationsanalys samt en envägsanova. Hypotes 1 var följande: Social och kognitiv self-efficacy samt självdisciplin är prediktorer till motivation på arbetsplatsen. Hypotes 2 var: Det finns en korrelation mellan kön, ålder eller utbildningsnivå och motivation på arbetsplatsen. Regressionsanalysen visade ett signifikant resultat och att självdisciplin är en valid prediktor till motivation på arbetsplatsen. Ingen annan variabel visade ett signifikant resultat i de olika statistiska testerna. Detta diskuteras vidare då resultatet delvis stödjer tidigare forskning och teorier. Efter metodologiska övervägande och slutsatser kan resultatet inte generaliseras till övriga populationen (arbetare) i Sverige utan härleds endast till deltagarna som utgör urvalet i denna studie. / A quantitative survey was conducted with the purpose to investigate if selfdiscipline, occupational cognitive self-efficacy and occupational social selfefficacy can predict motivation at work. The participants age, gender and education level were also controlled. The participants were recruited through contacts at three different companies in southern Sweden. The number of participants were 40. The study had two hypothesis that was tested through a multiple regression, correlation analysis and a one-way anova. Hypothesis 1 was: Social and cognitive self-efficacy as well as self-discipline are predictors of motivation in the workplace. Hypothesis 2 was: There is a correlation between gender, age or level of education and motivation in the workplace. The regression analysis showed a significant result and self-discipline as a valid predictor to motivation at work. The other variables did not show a significant result. It leaded to a discussion due to that the result partly supports previous research and theories. After methodological considerations and conclusions, the result cannot be generalised to the population (company workers) in Sweden, it can only derive to the participants in the sample of this study.

BACKGROUND: Social self-concept is a foundational construct in the healthy development of early adolescent girls; however, few gender-specific social self-concept interventions exist to support adolescent girls' development. OBJECTIVES: The overarching goal of the dissertation was to enhance the design, delivery, and evaluation of the Growing Girls Program. To achieve this, three distinct yet complimentary aims were established, to: (1) identify best practices in existing social self-concept interventions, (2) evaluate the effect of the current Growing Girls Program on early adolescent girls' social self-concept, and (3) identify gender-specific messages that early adolescent girls interpret from print media. METHODS: The dissertation employs a mixed-methods design, integrating findings from a systematic review of social self-concept interventions, content analysis of parent focus groups (n=4) and interviews (n=11), quantitative analysis of participant questionnaires (n=40) and visual content analysis of adolescent created collages (n=20). RESULTS: The results by specific aim illustrated: 1) the value of interventions that are: implemented in the school setting, developmentally and culturally appropriate, informed by theory, led by well-trained and supported facilitators, and implemented for 12 weeks to 6 months in duration, 2) that the evaluation of the Growing Girls Program provided promising evidence for its future implementation; and 3) that early adolescent girls perceived media messages to promote the importance of physical beauty, sex-appeal, cosmetic use, confidence, designer brands, perfect bodies and health. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the improvement of the Growing Girls Program, and thereby to the practice of promoting early adolescent girls' social self-concept. Findings illustrate the lack of interventions focused on social self-concept and the challenges of adequately conceptualizing and measuring the construct. Therefore, the enhancement of the gender-specific Growing Girls Program fills an important gap in the social self-concept development literature. RECOMMENDATIONS: The Growing Girls Program should retain current practices assumed to be associated with its success, including its developmentally appropriate, gender specific, 22-week curriculum, its school-based setting, its use of trained and well-supported program facilitators, and it fidelity tracking. To improve, the program should 1) add lessons on the subjects of physical beauty, sex appeal, and the need to appear confident, 2) reduce levels of attrition, and 3) enhance its evaluation practices by including a comparison group, utilizing alternative self-report social self-concept measures, and including a follow up post-intervention.

George Herbert Mead constructed a brilliant theory of the self as a social phenomenon emerging from the interplay of linguistic symbols. While the persuasiveness Mead's theory remains, he provides an inadequate account of the significance of emotions and conflict for the development of the self. After outlining Mead's theory, this study suggests how Mead's understanding might be improved to account more adequately for the significance of emotions and conflict while maintaining the central strengths of Mead's theory. Examining a range of Mead's writings, this study critiques Mead's theory via three primary means: the theoretical works of William James and Karen Horney; contemporary research in neuroscience; Mead's attempts to apply his theoretical understanding to concrete social conflicts. This study concludes that while Mead's theory fails to account adequately for the significance of emotion and conflict, his theory can be readily modified by incorporating some of the ideas of James and Horney.

This is a case study that investigates the experiences of eight friendless seventh grade students as they transition from elementary school to junior high. In an effort to examine the wide-range of experiences of friendless students, I explored and compared the experiences of students who have high social self efficacy and students who have low self-efficacy. Each student was interviewed two times and both interviews were analyzed using a priori codes of when and where students felt isolated and distressed. The interviews were also analyzed using an open coding method looking for emergent codes. The study highlights and illustrates what each student expresses about their experiences in terms of isolation, friendship, and belonging. The cases show that peer group disruption, introversion and extroversion, the role of the adult at school, and family dynamics affect the experiences of the participants. Findings of the study suggest that schools need to plan and organize different types of spaces for friendless students to meet and connect with peers.