Browsing by Subject "Identity (Psychology)"
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Item Beyond the binaries to self-fashioning: identity as the rhetoric of social style(2006) Greene, Carlnita Peterson; Brummett, Barry, 1951-Item Customizing professional identity: a model for early career psychologists(2004) Fitzpatrick, Nicole Danyon; Tharinger, DeborahThe process of becoming a psychologist requires a great deal of time, energy, and training that results in a transformation from student to professional. Likening the developmental process of professional identity construction to the building of a custom home, the current study sought to understand the process whereby early career psychologists begin to “customize” their professional identities. With the understanding that the construction of professional identity is a lifelong developmental process, the current study provides a conceptualization of the important factors comprising customization. After the foundation of one’s professional career has been “laid and framed” throughout graduate training, customization commences. As no two custom homes look completely alike, neither do the careers of two recently licensed psychologists. Qualitative research methods afforded the opportunity to explore professional identity using in-depth interviews with eleven early career child psychologists who had graduated from doctoral training programs within the last two to six years. Upon thorough analysis of the interviews, a theoretical model emerged conceptualizing the decision-making process of early career psychologists during customization. The decision-making process is comprised of three components: connections, weighing options, and settling. Forces of reality and ideals were found to significantly impact decision making. Forces of reality exist outside of the individual and include romantic relationships, family, finances, and health issues. Ideals exist within the individual and are comprised of personal and professional interests, characteristics of self, and goals. Achieving balance between forces of reality and ideals in the context of the decision-making process is discussed. The results of the current study hold implications for training and professional practice. It is hoped that results are used to inform training practices for students and establish mentoring programs for early career psychologists. Psychologists-in-training require time and experience to grapple with the forces of reality and ideals within the supportive context of graduate school. It is hoped that such experiences will result in a shift of priorities for the early career psychologist, placing importance on the need to strive for balance between personal and professional factors, which will facilitate preparedness in making informed professional decisions.Item Fighting identities: the body in space and place(2004) Heiskanen, Benita Anitta; Foley, NeilItem Identity change in students who study abroad(2008-05) Angulo, Sarah Kathryn, 1977-; Swann, William B.Over 240,000 American students studied abroad in the 2006 - 2007 academic year (Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program, 2005). Despite the large number of students abroad and the breadth of the study-abroad literature (e.g., Dwyer 2004, Anderson, Lawton, Rexeisen, & Hubbard, 2006; Dewey, 2004; Milstein, 2005), there is relatively little work on the psychological ramifications of going abroad. Specifically, few studies investigate issues of identity change in students who study abroad. This dissertation was designed to provide an initial examination of these issues. Three theories of identity were applied to understand identity change in students abroad. Self-categorization theory (Oakes, Haslam, & Turner, 1994), which emphasizes the fluidity of identity and its dependence on social memberships, predicts that students will internalize the culture abroad and become very connected to it. Self-verification theory (Swann, 1997; Swann, Rentfrow, & Guinn, 2002) states that because people's personal identities give their lives coherence, meaning, and continuity, people are highly reluctant to change their personal identities. According to self-verification theory, students abroad will cling to their existing identities and remain connected with people from the country of origin. Identity negotiation theory (Swann & Bosson, in press; Swann, 1987) adopts a moderate position, suggesting that people retain their original identities but, under some conditions, modify them in response to exposure to the host culture. Students spending a semester abroad completed online questionnaires before they left the United States, and three times during the semester abroad. Students changed on several characteristics across the semester abroad. Students abroad changed more than a matched-control group spending the semester at the University of Texas at Austin. Personal characteristics, such as extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience, predicted degree of personal change, personal growth, and identification with the host country. Various social behaviors abroad, as well as living with a host family, were correlated with identity change. A model linking each theory with data about various choices of living arrangements, social behaviors, and identity outcomes is presented.Item Identity fusion and the psychology of political extremism(2007) Seyle, Daniel Conor; Swann, William B., Jr.Past research in the psychology of extremism has argued that extremism is a psychological state characterized by a perception that the group is absolutely correct, endowed with moral authority, and threatened or opposed by some active group or entity working against the ingroup. There has been little research which has focused on what psychological processes may underlie this state. It is proposed in this dissertation that extremism is an outgrowth of identity fusion, a state in which the personal and social levels of the self-concept become closely aligned so that they may not be activated independently of each other. Identity fusion is theorized to follow from self-verification motives interacting with salient social identities, so that when people need verification for the way they see themselves and a group which provides such verification is activated, fusion may result. Three studies were conducted to examine different aspects of the identity fusion-extremism link. In Study 1, experimenters manipulated the need for selfverification motives and the social context to determine if self-verification predicted the development of fusion with a verifying, salient group. This study found little evidence of this link. Study 2 used counterattitudinal messages to assess the link between fusion and absolutist patterns of thinking. Fused participants were found to show significantly more emotional response to and rejection of counterattidudinal messages, in line predictions. Finally, Study 3 examined the behavioral and linguistic correlates of fusion and found some evidence that fusion predicted self-reported behaviors in line with political extremism and patterns of language use which emphasized the personal self.Item Identity fusion and the psychology of political extremism(2007-05) Seyle, Daniel Conor, 1978-; Swann, William B.Past research in the psychology of extremism has argued that extremism is a psychological state characterized by a perception that the group is absolutely correct, endowed with moral authority, and threatened or opposed by some active group or entity working against the ingroup. There has been little research which has focused on what psychological processes may underlie this state. It is proposed in this dissertation that extremism is an outgrowth of identity fusion, a state in which the personal and social levels of the self-concept become closely aligned so that they may not be activated independently of each other. Identity fusion is theorized to follow from self-verification motives interacting with salient social identities, so that when people need verification for the way they see themselves and a group which provides such verification is activated, fusion may result. Three studies were conducted to examine different aspects of the identity fusion-extremism link. In Study 1, experimenters manipulated the need for selfverification motives and the social context to determine if self-verification predicted the development of fusion with a verifying, salient group. This study found little evidence of this link. Study 2 used counterattitudinal messages to assess the link between fusion and absolutist patterns of thinking. Fused participants were found to show significantly more emotional response to and rejection of counterattidudinal messages, in line predictions. Finally, Study 3 examined the behavioral and linguistic correlates of fusion and found some evidence that fusion predicted self-reported behaviors in line with political extremism and patterns of language use which emphasized the personal self.Item Images and cognitive styles in strategic decision-making groups(Texas Tech University, 1995-12) Smith, Yvonne SueNot availableItem My sense of spiritual self: a qualitative study of role-related adult spiritual identity(Texas Tech University, 2002-08) Kiesling, Chris AlanFrom the fountainhead of Erik Erikson's identification of identity as the most prominent issue across the life span, research has contributed significantly to the exploration of identity development. Despite advancements, little attention has been directed toward understanding an individual's sense of their spiritual self The absence of such research is notable considering the profound interest of Erikson in detailing the developmental psychohistories of key significant spiritual leaders. From the theoretical foundations of Erikson's psychosocial developmental perspective and George H. Mead's symbolic interactionism, one's sense of spiritual identity is regarded as a role in which the ultimate questions of life are mediated. This study utilizes an extensive, qualitative interview called the Role-Related Identity Interview (RRII) to explore the salience and flexibility of a respondent's sense of spiritual identity. Interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of fifteen males and fifteen females, ranging in age from 22 to 72 and differing in race, marital status, and religious orientation. Using multiple indicators, these interviews were utilized to explore respondent's sense of spiritual self. Characterizations of four spiritual identity patterns are described as an extension of James Marcia's depiction of identity statuses. The metaphor of space provides a helpful means to distinguish among these patterns and how they are constructed. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are noted.Item Seeing African American women: the structure of psychosocial identity(Texas Tech University, 2002-12) Childers, Chandra EThe development and structure of identity is complicated. Much of the theoretical and research literature focuses on select groups (ie,. White middle class) and the diversity and complexity of the development and structure of identity is lost. The current study addresses this issue by focusing upon a community sample of low income African American women. Findings from the current study emphasize the importance of including diverse samples and the use of qualitative methods for increasing our understanding of identity. While there is a great deal of continuity between theory and the identities of informants, there is also a great deal of discontinuity. While these women evidence a desire for traditional marriage and family values as well as occupational success, which theory would predict for young adulthood, their special circumstances provide obstacles that require further investigation if identity development is to be fully understood.Item Self-complexity and family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease victims(Texas Tech University, 1991-05) Fankhauser, Betty LanierThere are strong indications that the elderly population of the United States is ever increasing in number. The most significant increase has been in those over age 85. This becomes particularly important when one considers the fact that Alzheimer's disease is for the most part a disease of the elderly. During the past decade, a great deal of interest has been shown in helping the caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients deal with the oftentimes intense, long-term demands placed upon them while caring for victims of this basically unremitting disease. The present study was specifically interested in how the caregivers cope with stress-related burden and depression, with the special contribution of this study being the inclusion of Linville's self-complexity model. It is a model for examining self-complexity as a stress-related cognitive buffer or moderator variable. When in a multiplicative interaction with stress, self-complexity is hypothesized to provide a buffering effect on the adverse impact of stressful events. Participants were 74 adult family caregivers. The study involved two sessions, spaced a month apart, with the participants completing a packet of six instruments during each session. The participants reported life stresses, sense of burden, depression, and caregiver perception of patient level of functioning for the past month. In addition, they completed a measure of their self-complexity at each session. Four hypotheses were examined, using the data from the test periods. Preliminary analyses of self-complexity scores were quite close to those of Linville, However, when regression analyses were used, the results did not confirm Linville's previous research. The hypotheses testing did not support self-complexity as a stress-related buffer for family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease victims. The precise reasons for this are unclear, but multicollinearity appears to have been a limitation.Item "Somewhere between repartee and discourse": students' experiences of a synchronous, computer-mediated discussion(2004) Beth, Alicia Dawn; Schallert, Diane L.Item The interaction between formal operational thought and ego identity development in late adolescence and early adulthood(Texas Tech University, 1983-08) Skinner, Peggy J RowlandThe purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between cognitive development and identity formation. Four other researchers have studied this interaction but have not been able to establish a definitive relationship due to small samples, age of the subjects, and measurement problems. This study examined 201 late adolescents and young adults with an objective measure of identity and a non-manipulative, objective measure of operational thought. Two-hundred-and-one college students completed the Longeot Scale of Logical Reasoning and the Objective Measure-Ego Identity Scale (OM-EIS). The Longeot Scale was used to determine if the subject was thinking at the concrete, early formal, or late formal level. The OM-EIS was utilized to categorize the subjects into identity statuses—diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, or identity achievement. Chi square analyses, analyses of variance, and correlations were performed. Chi square analyses supported the hypotheses that concrete thinkers would have greater percentages in the diffusion or foreclosure statuses whereas formal thinkers would be more frequent within moratorium and achievement statuses, £ <.01. Analyses of variance showed a significant relationship for diffusion by cognitive level, £ < .01; foreclosure by cognitive level, £ <.001; and moratorium by cognitive level, £<.01; but achievement by cognitive level was not significant. Mean comparisons also supported the relationship found in the analyses of variance with the differences between the mean identity scores occurring in the predicted direction for each cognitive level. Correlation coefficients gave additional support to the relationship with diffusion scores decreasing as the cognitive scores increased, r_ = -.17, £<.01; with foreclosure scores decreasing as the cognitive scores increased, r = -.33, £<.001; with moratorium scores decreasing as the cognitive scores increased, £ = -.20, £ <.01; and with achievement scores increasing as cognitive scores increased, r = .14, £ <.05.Item Understanding the complexity of intersecting identities among women of Mexican descent(2008-08) Rodarte-Luna, Bertah Elia, 1974-; Sherry, Alissa René; Gilbert, Lucia AlbinoSeveral social forces shape and influence one’s identity. The interaction of race, ethnicity, gender, and social class creates lenses through which a person experiences life and reality. These variables must be understood as they relate to each other to gain a better understanding of an individual’s life experiences. This study aimed to expand research on identity development and contribute to research on intersecting identities among American women of Mexican descent. The first goal of the proposed study was understanding feminism among American women of Mexican descent. Gathering data on the feminist perspectives of these women assisted in dispelling stereotypes that exist regarding this population. The second goal centered on examining the salience of an ethnic and feminist identity within this population. The study explored conflicts related to holding these identities simultaneously. The proposed study also examined the relationship between an achieved identity (such as ethnicity and feminism) to self-esteem. Consistent with past research, using the label feminist was related to feminist beliefs. Findings further demonstrated that those women that simultaneously identify as feminists and of Mexican descent scored higher on measures of feminist and ethnic identity. Analyses showed that participants identified more with an ethnic identity than a feminist identity. In this study, women with higher levels of feminist identity were likely to have higher levels of ethnic identity. Furthermore, women that simultaneously identified as feminists and of Mexican descent experienced some conflict in relation to family relationships, spiritual life, employment or school life, and personal relationships. Participants’ responses to open-ended questions regarding conflict provide context to empirical findings; responses suggest different ways of managing conflicts regarding feminist identification in the areas of family relationships, employment, spiritual life, and personal relationships. This study provides relevant information for professionals working with women of Mexican descent. Understanding the interaction of salient identities, such as ethnicity and feminism, may result in improved counseling treatment models for women of Mexican descent.