This study examines several critical factors deemed to be important in examining why children from Mexico and Central America decide to take risks by traveling alone to unfamiliar places, such as the U.S., in such large numbers. An exploration of present day and historical backgrounds provide insight for social, political, and economic conditions that assist in shaping the landscape and outlook of Central Americans and Mexicans, particularly children on a daily basis.

This project investigates the effects of social identity and personal characteristics on foreign policy decision-making. The two main US political parties, Democrats and Republicans, were used as markers for social identity. Participants were first instructed to read a scenario regarding a hostile fictional country followed by a speech regarding the same fictional country. Two speeches were created using a content analysis of speeches from Democrats and Republicans prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Participants were randomly placed into one of four conditions. One condition paired a Democratic-themed speech with a Republican speaker, another paired a Democratic speech with a Democratic speaker, the third paired a Republican speech with a Democratic speaker, and the last paired a Republican speech with a Republican speaker. Participants then answered a survey that asked about their policy preferences regarding the fictional country. Manipulated variables were found to be insignificant, whereas the personality characteristics presented different levels of significance based on models of regression analysis. The data indicates that personality characteristics may be a more salient predictor of foreign policy preferences than social identity.

The majority of today’s emerging adults view climate change as the defining challenge of their generation (Amnesty International, 2019). Young people’s climate concern has translated to unprecedented collective climate action, such as the youth climate strikes of 2019. However, young people and their relevant social identities are underrepresented in research on collective climate action. Following the social identity model of pro-environmental action (Fritsche et al., 2018), the current study assesses the extent to which emerging adults identify with Generation Z, or Gen-Z, as a relevant ingroup. In a Prolific survey of 296 participants aged 18-24 and currently living in Canada, I examined young people’s Gen-Z ingroup identification, perceived collective efficacy of Gen-Z, and three collective action outcomes: intentions to follow youth climate groups on social media, intentions to engage in future collective climate action, and participation in sending an advocacy message to the B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. I hypothesized that the interaction of ingroup identification and collective efficacy would predict collective climate action outcomes above and beyond the influence of each construct individually. This hypothesis was not supported. While Gen-Z ingroup identification and perceived collective efficacy each predicted intentions to follow youth climate groups on social media and intentions to engage in future collective action, the interaction term added no explanatory power to the models. Neither Gen-Z ingroup identification nor collective efficacy predicted participation in the advocacy message behaviour. These findings underscore the importance of systematically investigating broad social identities in the field of collective climate action, which has predominantly focused on specific environmentalist groups. The current study also highlights the need for further investigation of predictors of behavioural outcomes. / Graduate / 2022-12-15

Introduction: People who experience mental illness are unlikely to seek help. Research suggests that mental illness stigma negatively impacts help-seeking, yet there is little information about factors that relate to stigma that are positively associated with help-seeking among those with compromised mental health. Emerging research suggests that aspects of the social identity perspective, namely group social identification and perceptions about the group, may provide insights as to how people who experience mental illness navigate help-seeking. Objective: In two studies we aimed to: (1) identify factors (i.e., social identification and perceptions of the group) that relate to stigma that are also associated with the multi-step process of help-seeking; and (2) explore if these factors and aspects of the help-seeking process that occur prior to service utilization (such as illness and symptom recognition) are positively associated with behavioral service utilization. Method: Study 1 employed Amazon's Mechanical Turk to recruit 90 participants who reported being diagnosed with a mental illness and not actively seeking treatment (i.e., medication or seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist). Study 2 employed Facebook to recruit 131 participants who self-reported a mental illness diagnosis. Results: Controlling for symptom severity, mental illness stigma was positively associated with social identification, which in turn positively impacted help-seeking in Study 1. Further, the relationship between social identification and help-seeking was strongest among those with a negative perception of the mental illness group. In Study 2, results indicated that social identification predicted behavioral service utilization, providing support for Study 1. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings suggest that social identification as a person with a mental illness is positively associated with the multi-step process of help-seeking and may be important for those who experience mental illness stigma to get help that enables and facilitates better functioning.

In a traditional sense, religion has been culturally, societally, and relationally influential on humankind in substantial ways. However, consumers are shifting towards a more modern expression of religion in which brands are seemingly equal alternatives. This shift is viable due to the concept of brand religiosity within community, defined as an intense devotion to a brand that is central in a consumer’s life, which is contingent upon identification with a brand community. Across four studies, I show that the concept of brand religiosity has overlooked the importance of the brand community. Although the brand is important, brand religiosity is rooted in the brand community, and the brand is the mechanism to which community members express religiosity. Specifically, I conduct 24 in-depth interviews using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to uncover antecedents and outcomes of brand religiosity within community. I empirically test the antecedents and outcomes of brand religiosity within community using Social Identity Theory. From there, I conduct a textual content analysis to reveal the nuances of brand religiosity within community in a different context. I analyze the role appreciation of the brand community plays in strengthening the outcomes of brand religiosity within community. Studies 1, 2, and 3 examine the positive aspects of brand religiosity within community; however, it is important to understand the construct holistically, so Study 4 analyzes the dark side of brand religiosity within community. Study 4 examines the outcomes of brand religiosity within community that could lend themselves to perceptions of fanaticism, ultimately hurting the brand through brand avoidance and dislike of the brand community. Conducting these studies offers answers to the following research questions – What are the antecedents and outcomes of brand religiosity within community? How do the antecedents influence brand religiosity within community and, ultimately, the outcomes? What are the nuances of brand religiosity within community? How does the appreciation of a brand community impact the relationships from brand religiosity within community to the outcomes? Does brand religiosity within community have a dark side? How can outcomes of brand religiosity within community lead to negative outcomes for a brand? Implications are also discussed.

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Architecture has a remarkable capacity to not only reflect social patterns and behaviors but to engender public image and identity. Therefore, it has proven to be a viable source for understanding the lives of ancient people. In fact, many scholars have established a connection between the atrium-house's design and the power and social identity of the paterfamilias, or male head of household. However, little has been said about what these same architectural features mean in relation to his female counterpart, the materfamilias. Therefore, this paper argues that the architecture of the atrium-house likewise engendered a sense of power and freedom for the Roman matron in two main ways. First, the atrium-house was considered in many ways a continuation of the public realm, and was thus structured to be open and outward instead of inward and private. In addition, archaeological and other evidence suggests that the atrium-house lacked gendered divisions and therefore allowed the matron to freely utilize even the most public areas of the home. Second, just as the paterfamilias was able to use the visual dynamics of the atrium-house to manipulate his public image and to glean authority, so also did the materfamilias use the tactics of visibility to assume masculine power. As a result, the architecture of the atrium-house helped to structure the social identity of the materfamilias in promoting her power and influence in both family and social life.

Three experiments integrated insights from achievement goal theory, social identity threat, and stress and coping research, to develop a theory-based strategy individuals can use to navigate social identity threat in high stakes achievement settings. In all experiments women were asked to adopt a mastery goal (focus on learning and building skills) or a performance goal (perform well; avoid errors) before a mock job interview. In Experiment 1, women expected their interviewer to be either sexist (creating identity threatening situation) or not sexist (a non-threatening situation). Women who focused on mastery rather than performance goals felt more challenged and less threatened while anticipating a job interview in an identity threatening situation; goals did not affect their appraisals of a non-threatening interview. Moreover, women who focused on mastery rather than performance intended to be more assertive (Experiment 2) and ultimately performed better in the interview (Experiment 3). Mediational analyses showed that a focus on mastery led women to appraise the identity threatening situation as a challenge they could overcome rather than a threat they were helpless to combat; challenge, in turn, enhanced performance.

When heavy metal fans traverse through their everyday life, they are faced with countless opportunities to engage in social interactions with others. Such interactions question, establish, and strengthen fans’ heavy metal identities whilst providing them with a sense of community and belonging through engaging with others who also share a preference for heavy metal music. This thesis is built on a qualitative research approach, complimented by an insider and ethnographic orientation in order to explore identity expression, the feeling of belonging and community, everyday life processes, and the role of heavy metal music in the everyday life of heavy metal fans. Through social interactions based on shared musical preference, heavy metal fans are able to meaningfully engage with others through which communal affiliations are strengthened and reinforced. Despite mainstream, and largely negative attitudes towards heavy metal, the music provides a safety net for listeners and is a driving force in their experience of the reciprocal relationship between personal identity and group membership and community. Due to the deep connection listeners have with heavy metal, the music becomes something which fans are able to call theirs alone.

Individer som befinner sig mellan olika kulturer upplever ofta utmaningar associerade med dubbelidentitet. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur andra generationens invandrare upplever sin identitet när de har föräldrar med annan etnisk bakgrund än svensk. Studiens två frågeställningar fokuserar på identiteten i sociala och kulturella kontexter. Urvalet gjordes genom ett målinriktat och snöbollsurval, och vidare genomfördes åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer där deltagarna berättade om sina upplevelser. Analysen utfördes utifrån en tematisk analysprocess i sex steg där sju teman identifierades: anpassning i dagliga interaktioner, intern självreflektion av social identitet, social tillhörighet och gemenskap, kulturell dualitet med balansering, fördomar och identitet, språkets roll, och upplevda kulturkrockar. Resultatet visade att deltagarna ständigt förhandlar sin identitet mellan två kulturer för att passa in. Några viktiga diskuterade ämnen var tillhörighet, bikulturell identitet och kulturkrock. Studien kan bidra till framtida forskning om mångkulturella situationer och till en fördjupad förståelse för individers upplevelser kring etniskt ursprung.