This thesis is concerned with issues relating to young people, identity and physical culture, and attempts to highlight how the comelex structure of young people's social experiences can influence their constructions of self. It follows a number of calls by various researchers for a multi-dimensional approach to the study of youth lifestyles (e. g. Hendry et al, 1996), and one that, while acknowledging societal influences on young people's practices, does not deny their potential to act agentically (e. g. Christensen & James, 2000). As such, taking into account the concerns expressed over the increasing pressures facing young people in contemporary society, and the problematisation of various youth behaviours, it examines the extent to which young people shape and are shaped by their experiences in a number of interrelating social contexts. The research upon which this account is based focuses on a notion of identity that is ephemeral, reflexive, and embodied, and examines the experiences of young people in five intersecting social sites that were identified from the literature as important contexts for individuals' constructions of identities: family, peers, school, media, and physical culture. These social arenas are likened to Bourdieu's notion of fields, and are perceived to be structured spaces in which the development of an appropriate habitus and the possession of relevant capital can help to determine an individual's practice and position within them. Data were generated through a series of focus group discussions with four groups of five young people (ten boys and ten girls) from three schools in tile Midlands. The young people were selected from a larger sample that had been surveyed and clustered in relation to their motivation to physical activity, and each group comprised an individual from each cluster. The focus group sessions involved semi-structured conversations in addition to a program of activity-based research tasks, and culminated in the creation of individual identity posters. The taped conversations and material infonnation generated through the focus group sessions were then collated, and a grounded theory approach was employed in the thematic analysis of tile data. A number of analytic strategies such as coding, memos, and conceptual mapping were utilised within this process, and, in association with a consideration of tile conceptual tools of field, habitus, practice, and capital, contributed to the development of theory. Within tile thesis, the five main analysis chapters presented the key themes in relation to each field, and highlighted the identity i work that the participants engaged in within each of these social sites. The chapters. map out the structure and practices of each field, and examine their influences on the young people's attempts to construct understandings of self. The final chapter of the thesis then attempts to summarise the findings of these previous analysis chapters, and examine them in relation to the central research questions that guided and underpinned the study. As such, the repetition of core themes, such as the management and presentation of self, a desire for autonomy and respect, and a tension within a dialect of conforinity and resistance, were identified as significant aspects of young people's social practices. Additionally, the evident overlaps between the different contexts indicated the complex configuration of fields within the experiences of young people. In relation to this issue, the final chapter focuses in particular on how the fields configured for the young people in relation to the field of physical culture, as this was identified in the study as a primary site for the construction of embodied identities. Having presented these key findings, the thesis concludes with a discussion of the implications for those working with and for young people, and for the design and implementation of youth policies, particularly in relation to the area of physical activity.

Upon entering a relationship, individuals merge their identities with their partner’s identities to form a relational self. This proposal draws from the self-expansion and identity fusion theories to suggest three ways in which the identity merger process can unfold, with individuals either: losing their personal identities (forfeited-self mode), disproportionately influencing the relational self (imperialistic-self mode), or integrating their identities with their partner’s identities in a balanced manner (fused-self mode). I describe seven studies that aim to 1) validate a measure of these identity merger modes and explore their unique effects on personal and relational outcomes; and 2) investigate the nature of these identity merger modes. Studies 1, 2, and 3 assess discriminant and criterion validity of these identity merger modes. Studies 2 and 3 also test the hypothesis that feelings of personal agency statistically mediate the association of identity merger modes with relationship quality and responses to relationship threats and difficulties. Study 4 measures the longitudinal effects of identity merger modes in a newlywed sample through tracking how identity merger modes are linked to responses to relationship conflicts over the course of two weeks. Study 5 tests the causal effects of the identity merger modes on experimentally manipulated threats to the relationship and the partner. Study 6 explores how people’s construals about their partners and themselves differ among the identity merger modes using a reaction time task. Finally, Study 7 investigates more ecologically valid evidence of direction of influence within identity merger modes through assessing language use and verbal communication patterns between spouses. I predict that only the fused-self mode will be associated with positive relationship quality and resilience to relationship difficulties due to high personal agency within the relationship. Those in the forfeited-self mode would experience low agency within relationships and consequently internalize relationship difficulties. Finally, I predict that those in the imperialistic-self mode would respond maladaptively to relationship difficulties. / text

The use of extra-legal factors in determining criminal sentences has long been a topic of interest to criminologists. Research on sentencing guidelines has consistently found unwarranted disparities related to defendants' ethnoracial identity, but there is limited research on the effects of defendants' citizenship status. Roughly 40 percent of defendants convicted in federal courts are non-U.S. citizens, thus by shear size, citizenship status has become a major issue within federal courts. Using U.S. Sentencing Commission data between Fiscal Years 2000 to 2003, this dissertation examines the impact of defendants’ ethnoracial identity and citizenship status on sentencing outcomes in federal criminal court. Building on intersectional theory, particular attention is given to the interaction between defendants’ ethnoracial identity and citizenship status. Decomposition of hetroskedastic tobit regressions are used to model unwarranted disparities for both the probability and length of incarceration. Results indicate that relative to White U.S. citizens, Asian and Pacific Islander U.S. citizens have lower probability of incarceration and shorter sentences. Black and Hispanic defendants, both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens tend to have harsher sentences relative to their White counterparts. Overall, non-U.S. citizens whom are Black and Hispanic experience a multiplicative disadvantage in sentencing outcomes relative to Whites and Asian or Pacific Islanders. Additionally, results from this study indicate that defendants whom are not U.S. citizens and from Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islanders, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Middle-East all serve harsher sentences relative to White U.S. citizens. / text

This graduate report is a description of my artistic exploration through the graduate program at the University of Texas at Austin. It records my development and growth as an artist in relationship to investigating the meaning of identity and its relationship to my artwork. My aim in this thesis is to summarize the progression of my understanding of what is an identity in relationship to my autobiography. This thesis will demonstrate how my investigation in identity brought choices I make for my current body of works. / text

published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy

Sexual objectification occurs when women’s participation in the society is represented merely by their bodies and thus women are deemed as mere tools to meet other’s desires (Bartkey, 1990). Sexual objectification happens frequently in women’s daily lives through media portrayals (e.g. Harper, & Tiggemann, 2008; Harrison & Fredrickson, 2003) and interpersonal encounters (e.g. Calogero, 2004; Tiggemann, & Boundy, 2008). Sexual objectification causes many negative outcomes to women. For example, objectified women suffer from negative emotions (e.g., shame and depression; Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997; Quinn, Kallen, & Cathey, 2006), impaired intellectual performances (Fredrickson, Roberts, Noll, Quinn, & Twenge, 1998), and decreased well-being and life satisfaction (Breines, Crocker, & Garcia, 2008; Mercurio & Landry, 2008). In the present investigation, I hypothesized that sexual objectification would lead women to feel that their personal growth and development are deprived which triggers an enhanced desire for financial resources as money. Consistent with my predictions, Study One showed that women’s trait self-objectification correlated positively with their materialism orientation. In Study Two, sexual objectification was manipulated by delivering appearance-related comments to female participants; and women’s desire for money was indexed by their donation intention to a student fund. It was found that sexual objectification increased women’s desire for money by decreasing the amount of money that women were willing to donate. In Study Three, a different paradigm was adopted to induce the feeling of objectification, specifically, participants viewed pictures that depicted women in a sexually objectified way. Then participants’ sense of deprivation as well as desire for money was directly measured to test the hypothesized relationship between objectification, deprivation and money desire. The results showed that women who viewed the pictures of objectified women reported stronger money desire and this effect was mediated by the perceived deprivation of personal growth and development. Study Four replicated the findings of Study Three by using a different paradigm (i.e. recalling past experience of being objectified) to induce the feeling of being objectified and thus provided further evidences for the hypothesized effect. Finally, using the same paradigm of objectification as Study Two, Study Five further substantiated the predicted relationship between sexual objectification, perceived deprivation and women’s money desire by showing that framing objectification experiences as beneficial to women’s personal growth and development was sufficient to remove the effect of sexual objectification on women’s desire for money. The five studies consistently demonstrated that sexual objectification induces a feeling of being deprived of personal growth and development in women, which further triggers a strong desire for money in women victims. These findings were discussed in terms of their implications on understanding women’s self-perception, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations as well as general mental health and well-being. / published_or_final_version / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

abstract / English / Master / Master of Arts

Increasing numbers of individuals are simultaneously members of two or more social categories. To investigate the effects of single- versus dual-identity status on children's group views and intergroup attitudes, elementary-school-age children (N = 91) attending a summer school program were assigned to novel color groups that included single-identity ("blue" and "red") and dual-identity ("bicolored," or half red and half blue) members. The degree to which dual-identity status was verified by the authority members was also manipulated: teachers in some classrooms were instructed to label and make use of three social groups ("blues," "reds," "bicolors") to organize their classrooms, whereas teachers in other classrooms were instructed to label and make use of only the two "mono-colored" groups ("blues" and "reds"). After several weeks in their classrooms, children's (a) views of group membership (i.e., importance, satisfaction, perceived similarity, group preference), (b) intergroup attitudes (i.e., traits ratings, group evaluations, peer preferences), and (c) categorization complexity (i.e., tendency to sort individuals along multiple dimensions simultaneously) were assessed. Results varied across measures but, in general, indicated that dual-identity status affected children's views of their ingroup. Specifically, dual-identity children in classrooms in which their status was not verified were more likely to (a) perceive themselves as similar to other ingroup members (i.e., bicolored children), (b) want to keep their shirt color, and (c) assume that a new student would want their shirt color more than their single-identity peers. They also showed higher levels of ingroup bias in their competency ratings of groups than their single-identity peers, and demonstrated greater cognitive flexibility when thinking about social categories than their single-identity peers. Overall, these results suggest that dual-identity children experience identity issues differently than their single-identity peers and that additional theories are needed to address the complexities of social membership and bias among children with dual memberships. / text

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

This thesis is an exploratory study about adolescents' conceptions of food. It begins from a sociological or social anthropological perspective from which existing studies have illustrated that food and eating can be used in order to create, maintain or dispute social boundaries, symbolising both group membership and individual identity. The thesis draws on data generated through the use of participant observation in three schools and one youth club and through conducting ethnographic interviews with some of these adolescents. The main argument presented in this thesis is that adolescents conceptualise food in terms of 'ways of eating' which are defined on the basis of where the food comes from, 'where it is eaten, whom it is eaten with, who prepares the food. how it is eaten and the type of food eaten. When analysing these ways of eating, clear and consistent patterns emerge which show that adolescents employ different ways of eating in order to define, maintain or contest different identities available to them in the diverse social settings of which they are part. By analysing different adolescent ways of eating at school, home and out I illustrate that there are multiple identities that adolescents adopt or are ascribed in these settings. I suggest that adolescents are best understood as occupying a liminal status which is distinct from the statuses of both child and adult. In all three settings adolescent ways of eating can be understood as both creating and reflecting this distinction through the adoption of a particular 'public adolescent identity'. At other times though adolescent ways of eating can be used as a means of moving from one status to another, most notably as a means of adopting an adult rather than adolescent status. By conceptualising adolescence as a liminal period this necessarily incorporates analysing periods of movement and transition during which statuses, roles and obligations are negotiated and shifted. This thesis gives a preliminary insight into the role which adolescent ways of eating plays in this adoption or ascription of identities.