Thesis (M. Psych. Sport & Ex.)--University of Queensland, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 131 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Focusing on the architecture of carceral space, ‘impression management’ strategies, and masculinity performances within incarceration, this study examines the extent to which carceral space impacts the identity and behaviour of inmates throughout their interactions, both within the prison system and the inner-city. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten men who experienced periods of incarceration in Manitoba. Their narratives indicate that alternative spatial theorizing is needed to conceptualize the prison space—in terms of the prison as a ‘place,’ as well as ‘social,’ and ‘carceral’ space—and that there is a significant amount of impression and emotional management needed when interacting with other inmates. Recidivism, finding meaningful employment, and building positive social networks with family and friends on the outside remain persistent obstacles for community reintegration. Examining the intersections of spatiality, masculinity, and identity allows us to explore alternative processes to restore (former) inmates into their communities moving forward. / October 2015

Effective gender research requires a revision of the meaning of the current notions of agency (masculinity) and communion (femininity), as well as a close examination of the impact of these constructs on well-being outcomes. Based on V. S. Helgeson's (1994) model of sex, agency, communion, and well-being, two studies were conducted to (1) examine the concepts of agency and communion in a multidimensional manner; (2) assess and review the association between agency and mental health through the inclusion of peer reports and a relevant meta-analysis; (3) explore the association between agency and social adjustment, including two pertinent meta-analyses; and (4) empirically assess conceptual parallels among the constructs of agency and communion with the following personality-related constructs: Masculine and feminine traits, agentic and communal behaviors, power and intimacy motivation, and self-critical and dependent depressive styles, as well as their association with well-being outcomes. Findings reveal a positive association between agency and social adjustment, suggest a possible tendency to inflate levels of psychological adjustment in agentic individuals, and highlight the need to revise the concepts of agency and communion as encompassing multiple as opposed to uniform dimensions. Each dimension can lead to diverse well-being outcomes. Lastly, these studies call into question the need to postulate unmitigated forms of agency and communion. Taken as a whole, this work provides evidence for the complexity of the relations between gender and well-being.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger muscled his way into the competition for the governance of California in October 2003 many thought it was a joke, or worse, a sign of the devolution of American politics into the lowest form of populism (Louw, 2005; Baudrillard, 2005; Indiana, 2005). Yet, Schwarzenegger’s victory in the recall election is indicative of a history of celebrities in American politics as well as a more widespread ‘culture of celebrity’ that has burgeoned beyond entertainment and into all forms of public life (Andrews and Jackson, 2001; Holmes and Redmond, 2006). While much has been made of celebrity in aiding Schwarzenegger’s successful governance campaign (Hoberman, 2005; Indiana, 2005; Mathews, 2006) remarkably little has been said about the role of his hypermuscular body in facilitating his move into politics. Drawing on theoretical approaches to celebrity, the body and masculinity, I go well beyond the recall election to make connections among Schwarzenegger’s media representations as an exemplar of muscular masculinity and his accruement of immense cultural, political, and economic capital. By analyzing his celebrity images across his career (i.e. bodybuilding, film and politics) I show how he has been depicted as a ‘body of governance’ in various media such as bodybuilding magazines, autobiography, film and the popular press. This longitudinal approach enables me to show how Schwarzenegger’s celebrity images have shifted over time as well as how they have shaped and been shaped by the particular promotional contexts in which they have been created. Moreover, I examine these depictions in relation to discourses about bodies such as race and gender that organise hegemonic concepts of masculinity and shape notions about citizenship and leadership in American culture. By providing insight into the complex discourses that enabled a modern day strong man to barter his body for power, this study enriches understandings of how idealised body images in popular culture disseminate much more than measurements for beauty and success. They shape and are shaped by gendered, racialised, classed and sexualised discourse about what it means to be powerful and carry deeply embedded historical and cultural notions about who is perceived as most fit for American citizenship and best built for governance.

No description available.

Four short stories that depict aspects of Seattle not often found in popular culture. Stories that focus on men in tenuous moments of their lives.

This study examines questions of gender, masculinity, and teaching through an autobiographical exploration of my experiences as a male elementary teacher. Its twofold purpose as a self-study was to inform my own teaching through a perspective look at the entirety of my career to this point and to give my teaching a direction for its final years. In order to provide a context within which to locate this autobiography, biographical narratives of four other experienced male elementary teachers were constructed. / The participants were asked, in a series of taped and transcribed interviews/conversations, to relate their experiences as male elementary teachers. The orientation of these biographical constructions followed a life history methodological approach. The participants were asked to trace their careers as elementary teachers and touch on such broad topic areas as: How they became elementary teachers? What has kept them in the classroom? How they see their roles in the context of their female colleagues? What is the future direction of their careers? What are some of the particular issues of teaching that concern them? / It was through my own participation in these conversations, and through the subsequent analysis and construction of their biographies that I was able to address these questions as they related to my own teaching. Their narratives provided a contextual backdrop for our shared experiences and a counterpoint to those experiences that are unique to each of us. I call the emergent methodology "contextualized autobiography." It was, in fact, through their narratives that my own story emerged and granted insight into issues of teaching, gender and masculinity as they exist for the male elementary teacher. The study's significance beyond the exploration of self is addressed to the political issue of the calls for more male teachers in elementary education and the assumptions on which those calls are based.

The term, risk-taking, has often been used to describe some of the behaviours and their associated negative outcomes occurring during adloscence. Statistics have shown that South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection in the world, with most infections occurring during adolescence. The central aim in this study was to explore the relationship between current constructions of masculinity and risk-taking behaviours among a group of young South African men. It was an exploratory study, focused on exploring how young men construct their masculinities, and how this intersects with or impacts on adolescent male risk-taking behaviours. A key conclusion drawn at the end of this project was that some traditional notions of manhood still held sway, and these tied in strongly with how these participants constructed their masculinity.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger muscled his way into the competition for the governance of California in October 2003 many thought it was a joke, or worse, a sign of the devolution of American politics into the lowest form of populism (Louw, 2005; Baudrillard, 2005; Indiana, 2005). Yet, Schwarzenegger’s victory in the recall election is indicative of a history of celebrities in American politics as well as a more widespread ‘culture of celebrity’ that has burgeoned beyond entertainment and into all forms of public life (Andrews and Jackson, 2001; Holmes and Redmond, 2006). While much has been made of celebrity in aiding Schwarzenegger’s successful governance campaign (Hoberman, 2005; Indiana, 2005; Mathews, 2006) remarkably little has been said about the role of his hypermuscular body in facilitating his move into politics. Drawing on theoretical approaches to celebrity, the body and masculinity, I go well beyond the recall election to make connections among Schwarzenegger’s media representations as an exemplar of muscular masculinity and his accruement of immense cultural, political, and economic capital. By analyzing his celebrity images across his career (i.e. bodybuilding, film and politics) I show how he has been depicted as a ‘body of governance’ in various media such as bodybuilding magazines, autobiography, film and the popular press. This longitudinal approach enables me to show how Schwarzenegger’s celebrity images have shifted over time as well as how they have shaped and been shaped by the particular promotional contexts in which they have been created. Moreover, I examine these depictions in relation to discourses about bodies such as race and gender that organise hegemonic concepts of masculinity and shape notions about citizenship and leadership in American culture. By providing insight into the complex discourses that enabled a modern day strong man to barter his body for power, this study enriches understandings of how idealised body images in popular culture disseminate much more than measurements for beauty and success. They shape and are shaped by gendered, racialised, classed and sexualised discourse about what it means to be powerful and carry deeply embedded historical and cultural notions about who is perceived as most fit for American citizenship and best built for governance.