This study focuses on how important foreign policy crises are interpreted and used to construct images and framing of transnational threats. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Ukraine 2014, the security order in Europe and within the European Union has been affected in various ways because of how Russia is portrayed as a potential threat. Accordingly, the aim of the study is the examination of the extent of EU’s framing of Russia as a military and political threat in the annual Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) reports between 2012-2020. Through a qualitative content analysis with a quantitative conception, the aim is to identify the negative frames of demonization that can be distinguished in the CFSP reports that correlate to EU’s framing of Russia as a threat. The theories of neoclassical realism, demonization and framing are used to provide the deductive approach of indicators that construct the frames of categorization for Russia as a military and political threat within the CFSP reports. The study concludes that the EU has framed Russia as a military threat in relation to Russia’s border transgression within Ukraine, implementing the annexation of Crimea, and Georgia. Russia is also demonized as a political threat through means that intend to cause instability in neighboring states in order to influence domestic policies, for example economic-induced pressures, spread of disinformation, and different kinds of hybrid weapons.

Intergroup bias is a phenomenon of favoring one’s own group and derogating other groups. This can be expressed through an individual’s positive evaluations of the ingroup and negative evaluations of outgroups. Research has found that feeling threatened plays a relevant role for the occurrence of bias, i.e., when under threat, people tend to express increased intergroup bias. Given numerous recent societal crises (e.g., COVID-19, war, inflation) this study investigated the relationship between various types of threats, political orientation, and political intergroup bias. The groups studied were the Swedish political left and right. Data was collected via an online survey (N = 149) in which participants initially rated threat perception, followed by evaluations of political left and right supporters. The participants’ in- and outgroups were defined through stating their political identification prior to the evaluations. Threat of the political situation in Sweden was shown to be the only threat to significantly correlate with political intergroup bias. Linear regression analysis showed that both Swedish political threat and political orientation were significant predictors of intergroup bias, although political orientation was a stronger predictor. In other words, the results provided insight into the relevance of contextual correspondence between the examined threat and groups. Methodological and theoretical limitations are discussed. Controlling for personality traits and degree of political identification is suggested for future research.

Sexual minorities are the target of numerous negative stereotypes in the United States, and are sometimes perceived as deviant and devalued as compared to heterosexuals. Stereotype threat, the anxiety of confirming a negative stereotype about oneself or one's group, has been linked to perceived stress; and stress has been linked to low job satisfaction. Sexual minorities provide a unique test of stereotype threat theory because they may choose to conceal their minority status at work. Thus, this study also examines whether the visibility of the stigma is a necessary precursor to the experience of stereotype threat. Given the uniqueness of this population, a new and presumably more comprehensive model of stereotype threat (the Multi-Threat Framework) was also examined to ensure that stereotype threat was being adequately measured by examining every possible type of stereotype threat. Job satisfaction has been linked to many organizational outcomes such as poor performance, absenteeism, and turnover intentions; thus, it is important to examine predictors of low job satisfaction. Thus, the current study tested perceived stress as a mediator between stereotype threat and low job satisfaction in a sample of 150 sexual minorities who were employed full time. Internalized homophobia was predicted to moderate the relation between stereotype threat and perceived stress. Results indicated support for the moderated mediation model using only the traditional measure of stereotype threat; that is, stereotype threat predicted low job satisfaction through job stress. Moreover, at high levels of internalized homophobia, individuals reported high job stress, regardless of levels of experienced stereotype threat. However, those with low internalized homophobia reported high job stress only when stereotype threat was high. No differences were found with regards to degree of concealing, suggesting that the deleterious effects of high stereotype threat on job stress occurred regardless of whether participants were concealing. Additionally, the moderated mediation model was not supported when measured using the new Multi-Threat Framework, suggesting that the measure may not be measuring the same construct as the traditional measure. Finally, results suggest that stereotype threat added significant incremental validity in predicting job dissatisfaction over perceived discrimination. These findings, in total, suggest that stereotype threat is a valuable construct for predicting negative work outcomes for stigmatized individuals. Implications for improving the work lives of sexual minorities were discussed.

Diabetes is a serious health threat that disproportionately affects Hispanics of Puerto Rican heritage. Current evidence supports diabetes prevention programs to change health behaviors in people who are at risk and thus prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. However, few interventions exist for Hispanics, and even fewer have been designed for Puerto Rican adults. A literature review of community-based diabetes prevention programs involving at-risk Hispanics was conducted using a cultural sensitivity framework to determine the state of the science and identify gaps in knowledge regarding diabetes prevention for Puerto Ricans. An integrated theoretical framework was developed using constructs from the extended parallel process model (perceived severity and susceptibility) and social cognitive theory (self-efficacy) to design program components aimed to educate and motivate positive dietary behavior change in Puerto Rican adults. The two key components were a diabetes health threat message and dietary skill building exercises that incorporated spirituality and relevant faith practices, and were culturally-tailored for Puerto Ricans. A pretest-posttest, concurrent mixed methods design was used to test the impact and evaluate feasibility of a diabetes health threat message and skill-building exercises in a sample of Puerto Rican adults. A total of 24 participants enrolled in the study and attended six-weekly meetings that included baseline data collection, a health threat message, dietary skill building exercises, focus group interviews, posttest data collection, and an end-of-study potluck gathering. All of the study participants were Puerto Rican and a majority were female (70.8%), with a mean age of 55.5 years (SD 13.71). Most had a family history of diabetes (n = 21, 87.5%) and believed they were at-risk for the disease (n = 16, 66.7%). Using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test, significant increases or improvements were found in perceptions of diabetes severity (p < .01), dietary self-efficacy (p = .002), and dietary patterns (p = .02) at posttest in comparison to baseline. Spearman's rank correlations found moderate to strong relationships between the following variables: perceived severity and weight (rs = -.44, p = .03), dietary self-efficacy and dietary patterns (rs = .43, p = .04), dietary self-efficacy and fasting blood glucose levels (rs = - .45, p = .03), and American acculturation and weight (rs = .51, p = .02). The qualitative themes that emerged contributed to our understanding of participants' perspective relative to the health threat message, dietary skill building exercises, and the importance of cultural relevance and spirituality. The data support feasibility of this faith-based intervention that had an attendance rate of 58% and no loss of sample due to attrition. Diabetes prevention interventions for at-risk Puerto Ricans adults that incorporate a faith-based, culturally-tailored health threat message and dietary skill building exercises may help educate those who are at-risk and motivate lifestyle behavior change to prevent the development of diabetes. Further faith-based, culturally-tailored diabetes prevention research is indicated for Puerto Rican adults.

Studies have shown that facial sexual dimorphism, ranging on a continuum from very feminine to very masculine, affects observers’ ratings of dominance and threat. These studies, however, have used forced-choice paradigms, in which a pair of faces that have been manipulated to appear more masculine (masculinized) and feminine (feminized) are presented side by side. They are susceptible to demand characteristics, situational aspects of the experiment which produce the desired outcome, because participants may be able to draw the conclusion that faces which appear more masculine should be rated as more dominant. In this dissertation, I evaluated whether facial sexual dimorphism affects observers' threat perceptions in a way that minimizes the confounds caused by demand characteristics. In Experiment 1 and Experiment 2, I presented observers with masculinized and feminized faces individually, rather than in pairs, and for an extremely brief duration (Experiment 1). I predicted that observers would assign higher dominance (Experiment 1) and threat ratings (Experiment 2) to masculinized faces. Observers assigned higher dominance (Experiment 1) and threat (Experiment 2) ratings to masculinized faces, even when they were presented individually, and for as little as 100 milliseconds (ms) (Experiment 1). This would suggest that they can appraise differences in facial sexual dimorphism following very brief exposure. I proceeded to evaluate the effects of facial sexual dimorphism on men’s selective attention, while reducing the effects of demand characteristics, by testing for an attentional bias towards task-irrelevant masculinized men’s faces. In Experiment 3, forty-five men completed a Posner Cueing Paradigm in which they classified shapes, presented either right or left of center screen after a masculinized or feminized man’s face was presented in either the same or opposite location. Participants were faster to classify the shape following the presentation of a masculine face; however, they were not faster when a masculine face cued target position. In Experiment 4, forty-four men completed a Flanker Task in which they judged letter orientation (i.e., upright or upside-down), while ignoring flanking faces. Participants’ RT was not affected by Morph Type (i.e., whether the face was masculinized, feminized or unmodified). In Experiment 5, forty-one men completed a Dot Probe Task. They were presented with two facial photographs of different Morph Types to the left and right of center screen. This was followed by the presentation of a target shape, in the location of one of the faces. Participants’ objective was to classify shape orientation. Facial sexual dimorphism did not affect participants' classification speed. In Experiment 6, I primed participants with images meant to induce fear or arousal before each trial of a Dot Probe Task. Following the presentation of a fear inducing picture, participants RT to classify shapes when a masculinized face cued target position did not differ from when a feminized face cued target position. The two different presentation times did not create different patterns of results, indicating that masculinized faces did not induce either a cueing or inhibitory affect. Overall, my results do not support my hypothesis that men selectively attend to masculinized faces when they are presented as irrelevant information. I conclude by discussing future directions for evaluating the effects that facial sexual dimorphism has on observers’ interpersonal perceptions of threat and dominance, while controlling for the effects of demand characteristics.

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.

The current research integrates social cognitive theories of psychological construals and information processing with theories of social identity to identify the conditions under which multiculturalism helps versus hinders positive intergroup relations. Three experiments investigated how abstract vs. concrete construals of multiculturalism impact majority group members' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward ethnic minorities in the US. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that construing multiculturalism in abstract terms by highlighting its broad goals reduced majority group members' prejudice toward ethnic minorities by decreasing the extent to which diversity is seen as threatening the national group. However, construing multiculturalism in concrete terms by highlighting specific ways in which its goals can be achieved increased majority group members' prejudice toward minorities by amplifying the extent to which diversity is seen as threatening the national group. Experiment 3 then revealed that a different concrete construal that incorporates values and practices of both majority and minority groups reduced perceived threats to the national group and in turn attenuated prejudice and increased desire for contact with ethnic minorities. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate when and why multiculturalism leads to positive versus negative intergroup outcomes, while identifying new ways in which multiculturalism can be successfully implemented in pluralistic nations.

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The Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress proposes that physiological markers of generalized stress impair learning of safe cues in stressful environments. Based on this model, chronic problems inhibiting physiological arousal lead to a heightened perception of threat, which involves experiencing anxiety symptoms without any obvious precipitating stressful or traumatic event. This investigation aims to determine the impact of stressor- versus context-related emotional learning on generalized unsafety, using a Pavlovian threat-conditioning paradigm. The difference in learning threatening cues ([CS+] paired with an aversive stimulus) compared to safety cues ([CS-] not paired with an aversive stimulus) was used as a proxy measure of generalized unsafety, as conceptualized by the GUTS model. This difference is expected to be moderated by individual differences in tonic cardiac regulation (i.e. heart rate variability). Lastly, a temporal-differences learning model was used to predict skin-conductance learning during stressor, stressor context and general contexts to determine which best predicts Pavlovian learning. TD learning is expected to better predict skin-conductance in individuals with higher fear inhibition in comparison to those with low fear inhibition. / Doctor of Philosophy / This study examined the claims of a theory about how human bodies respond to stress and what this tells us about how anxiety develops in and affects the mind and body. The theory is named the Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress (GUTS) and two main hypotheses were tested in this study: 1) the theory suggests that a person's feeling of safety is affected by the variation in their heart rate at rest, and 2) that a person's feeling of safety could be observed most accurately by their body's defense responses when they are experiencing a threatening situation that is objectively safe. Individuals experiencing anxiety often report being aware that they are safe, yet their heart rate remains elevated and palms remain sweaty. Most studies that have examined the body's defense response have focused almost solely on reactions to a threat by looking at the reactions of one or more organs that make up the body's defense-response systems (e.g., heart). Results of this study confirmed the unique GUTS perspective. Specifically, the heart rate's variation at rest affects the defense response (sweaty hands) during threatening and objectively safe contexts, which in turn, predicts a person's feeling of safety. These results confirm that there are measurable biological constraints that change the way people learn about and react to their environments, which is very important for understanding the development and maintenance of anxiety physiology and behavior. The way a person learns to associate emotional responses to certain cues in their environment, particularly threat and safety cues, can be measured as defense responses in the body in response to a series of trials. Exploratory analyses examined human threat learning in comparison with mathematically-generated learning in order to better model the processes whereby anxiety develops based on learning of threat and safety cues.

Individuals with high anxiety levels from clinical and non-clinical populations tend to exhibit an attentional bias where they selectively allocate more attention to threat stimuli than neutral stimuli, in comparison to individuals with lower anxiety levels. However, longitudinal studies investigating the relations between attentional bias to threat and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social anxiety––some of the most common mental disorders––are scarce. Using a concurrent and longitudinal design, we investigated the relations between attentional bias to threat and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social anxiety; concurrently in adulthood (the 30s) as well as longitudinally between young adulthood (the 20s) and adulthood (the 30s). We also investigated whether attentional bias to threat in the 30s moderated and/or mediated the relation between symptoms of psychopathology in the 20s and the same symptoms in the 30s. We found significant concurrent correlations between attentional bias to threat and greater symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social anxiety in the 30s. We also found positive longitudinal correlations between attentional bias to threat in the 30s and symptoms of anxiety (approached significance) and depression (significant) in the 20s. Thus, greater symptoms of internalizing-related psychopathology were associated with greater attentional bias to threat. Attentional bias to threat did not mediate the relation between early psychopathology and later psychopathology, but it did moderate the relation between anxiety in the 20s and social anxiety nearly a decade later. In individuals with greater attentional bias to threat, early anxiety was significantly associated with and predicted greater future social anxiety, but this was not the case for individuals with lower attentional bias to threat. Hence, attentional bias to threat may have a critical role in internalizing-related psychopathology, and interventions targeting it may have preventative and therapeutic potential for mitigating the likelihood of the development and/or persistence of internalizing-related psychopathology. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / People with higher anxiety levels pay more attention to threatening information than neutral information, compared to people with lower anxiety levels. Relatively few studies have investigated the long-term relation between attentional bias to threat and symptoms of mental disorder. Our study investigated the concurrent and longitudinal relations between attentional bias to threat and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and social anxiety. We found that anxiety, depression, and social anxiety in the 30s were concurrently related to greater attentional bias to threat. Additionally, anxiety and depression in the 20s were longitudinally related to greater attentional bias to threat 10 years later. Moreover, people with high anxiety and high attentional bias to threat were more likely to experience social anxiety in the future than people with high anxiety but low attentional bias to threat. Therefore, attentional bias to threat might have a critical role in the development and/or persistence of some mental disorders.