Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bureaucratic Regulation And Emotional Labor: Implications For Social Services Case Management, Kelley M. Macon

Sociology Theses

Abstract

This paper examines Family and Independence Case Managers in the social services in Atlanta, GA, as they negotiate a highly bureaucratized benefit delivery system that undervalues the emotional costs inherent in its operation. I begin with an examination of Weber’s (1946) theories of bureaucracy, as typified by three components of authority and control in the office. I proceed to Ritzer’s (2004) theory of “McDonaldization,” which advances Weber’s explication of ideal types of bureaucracy by highlighting four institutionalized dimensions of the corporate business model. Then, by incorporating Hochschild’s (1983) discussion of emotional labor, I include an analysis of the …

Coming Out Narratives: Realities Of Intersectionality, Marni A. Brown

Sociology Dissertations

Coming out of the closet and sharing a disclosure narrative is considered an essential act to becoming gay (Jagose 1996; Meeks 2006). Although coming out experiences vary by time and place, sexuality scholars note the assumed difficulties when claiming a non-heteronormative identity, including stress, isolation, and rejection (Chauncey 1994; Faderman 1991; Herdt 1993; 1996; Savin-Williams and Ream 2003). In the late 1990s, a post-closet framework emerged arguing that coming out of the closet has become more common and less difficult; “American homosexuals have normalized and routinized their homosexuality to a degree where the closet plays a lesser role in their …

The Relationship Between Stress, Cortisol Reactivity And Memory Performance In Younger And Older Adults, Jessica L. Pruitt

Gerontology Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine age differences in cortisol reactivity and memory performance in younger and older adults exposed to cognitive stressors. The current study utilized data from the Anxiety, Memory, and Control study (ACME) conducted at Brandeis University. Stress was measured using a subjective assessment of anxiety and cortisol was measured using a saliva sample. Memory performance was measured using both declarative and working memory tasks. The final sample consisted of 28 younger adults (M = 19.8 years, SD = 1.5) and 29 older adults (M = 71.2 years, SD = 6.6). There were …

Paths To Peacebuilding: Amnesty And The Niger Delta Violence, Benjamin A. Okonofua

Sociology Dissertations

This mixed-method analysis of three Nigerian states explores the ways in which a major policy shift has produced short-term peace outcomes in a vastly contested terrain entailing conflicting interests. The central argument of "Paths to Peacebuilding," is that disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration can create peace in resource-conflicted societies when there is governmental will and community and citizen involvement in both the design and implementation of the program. The overriding concern was whether the DDR process was capable of contributing to tangible improvements in real and perceived safety on the ground as well as destroying the structures that both contributed to …

Men Feel It Too: An Examination Of Body Image And Disordered Eating Among Older Males, Amber S. Meadows

Gerontology Theses

This quantitative study examined body image and disordered eating in older males. Using a series of questionnaires and demographic questions, two research questions were explored: a) What are the characteristics of older males in terms of eating and body image? and b) Are disordered eating behaviors among older males related to dissatisfaction with body image, specifically physical appearance or physical functioning? Paired samples t-tests revealed that older males rated their ideal body figure as significantly smaller than their current figure, t(35) = -5.53, p < .01, which indicates the presence of body dissatisfaction. Twenty percent of participants were found to be at risk for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Furthermore, a correlation was found between disordered eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction particularly as it relates to physical appearance, (r(33) = -.486, p < .01).

Hov To The Md? A Multilevel Analysis Of Urban Sprawl And The Risk For Negative Health Outcomes, William Mark Sweatman Ph.D.

Sociology Dissertations

Urban sprawl often has a negative connotation, used as a derogatory label for certain forms and consequences of land development that are seen as environmentally and socially unpleasant. Although sprawl may be seen as offensive, there may be other, far greater and more harmful consequences of sprawl. The literature indicates that rates of negative health outcomes, such as obesity, tend to be higher in more developed areas. However, aside from a few studies, little empirical research looks specifically at the influence of sprawl when it comes to individual health. This research project focuses on sprawl and examines the relationships it …

Comparative Study Of The Effects Of Tai Chi And Strength Training On Osteoarthritis In Older Adults, Abhinandan Batra

Gerontology Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disorder and one of the leading causes of disability in elderly. Tai Chi is seen to be effective in relieving symptoms of OA knee joint. The main aim of this study is to design a Tai Chi program and a strength training program for the elderly with knee OA and to compare the effects of these programs on the range of motion, gait, pain and balance. 20 participants age 55 and over were divided into two groups (Tai Chi and Strength training) based on predetermined criteria. Both the groups showed improvement in WOMAC scores, …

Intergenerational Solidarity And Its Effects On Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Elders, Qi Wang

Gerontology Theses

This study explores the association between intergenerational relationships and life satisfaction among urban elders in China, with a focus on the emotional dimension of intergenerational solidarity. Individual factors, effects of associational, affectual, functional and structural solidarity were examined by analyzing data collected from the Zhenjiang City Intergenerational Relationship Survey (ZJIRS) in 2007, Jiangsu province, China.

Study results revealed that elders’ marital status, educational background, pension, and self-rated health were closely related to the degree of intergenerational solidarity. A higher level of education, possession of a medical insurance, and better heath condition had a positive relationship with elders’ life satisfaction. Through …

Patients, Partners, And Practitioners: Interactions And Meaning- Making Following Spinal Cord Injury, Alexis A. Bender

Sociology Dissertations

Sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury at any point in time is life altering – physically, emotionally, and financially – for all persons affected by the injury, but it can place unique challenges on younger married couples. This study examines the transition to injury for 18 couples (ages 21-55). Data were collected using individual interviews with each partner at three time points following injury, as well as observation in the rehabilitation setting (Creekview). This resulted in 96 individual interviews and 300 hours of observation. Using a combination of the life course perspective and cognitive sociology as guiding theoretical frameworks and grounded …

Power Disparities And The Structure Of Childrearing: A Content Analysis Of Bestselling Children's Books, Angela M. Anderson

Sociology Theses

The lack of sociological research on adult/child stratification in children’s books and the impacts books make in the lives of children and adults, especially in regards to socialization, are important reasons to investigate this medium. Through a conflict and feminist perspective, as well as utilizing a cultural diamond framework, this research examines the representations of power disparities between adults and children, and the structures of childrearing within the cultural object of 64 bestselling children’s picture books from 1993 to 2008. I employed content analysis to evaluate appearances of gender, age, race, parental behaviors, and childrearing structures. My findings demonstrate that …

"Yeah, I Drive An Suv, But I Recycle":The Cultural Foundations Of Environmentally Significant Behavior, Gail L. Markle

Sociology Dissertations

 The majority of Americans profess to hold pro-environmental attitudes and intend to engage in environmentally friendly behavior. Yet their actions tell a different story. The goal of this study was to explain the gap between widely held pro-environmental attitudes and the lack of corresponding individual and collective behavior. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods and applying the principles of grid-group cultural theory, cognitive sociology, and identity theory I examined the meanings people ascribe to the environment, how they think about behavior relative to the environment, and justifications for the performance of environmentally significant behavior.

I administered an …

The Development Of Ethnic Identity Among African-American, African Immigrant And Diasporic African Immigrant University Students, Victor A. Ogundipe Jr.

Sociology Theses

The goal of this project is to investigate the development of ethnic identity among different Black ethnic groups in the United States. The three different Black ethnic groups that will be investigated are: 1) African immigrants, 2) African-Americans, and 3) Diasporic African immigrants (Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, etc.). These groups were selected because they broadly encompass the bulk of the range of people of African ancestry in the United States amalgamated under the term “Black.” Through thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, this project explores the impacts of immigration status, discrimination and inter-group relations (between different Black ethnic groups) on the ways that …

The Timely Use Of Prenatal Care And Its Effects On Birth Outcomes In Black Women Of Low Socioeconomic Status In The South, Pamela V. Daniels

Sociology Dissertations

Despite substantial evidence linking improved pregnancy outcomes with receipt of prenatal care and recent improvements in prenatal care utilization, specific subpopulations continue to receive late prenatal care and experience adverse birth outcomes. This study will use the Health Belief Model and the Intersectionality Framework to examine the timing of prenatal care utilization, prenatal care compliance, and adverse birth outcomes within a group of low-income, black women in the South. Black women have worst rates of late prenatal care utilization and compliance than any other racial group. This late prenatal care utilization and compliance leads to adverse birth outcomes. A secondary …

Knowledge And Perceptions: Chinese Older Adults' Willingness To Use Institutional Elder Care, Zhiyu Chen

Gerontology Theses

This study explores explanations for Chinese elders’ willingness or lack of willingness to use institutional care. The data is drawn from a survey over intergenerational relationships and age models conducted in Zhenjiang, China, in 2007. Only the responses of interviewees aged 55 and above (310 males and 318 females) were used in this study. Using zero-order correlation and multi-nominal regression analyses, this study examined the factors associated with Chinese elders’ willingness to use institutional care. Study results reveal that Chinese elders’ confidence in availability of familial care was negatively related to their willingness to use institutional care; elders’ knowledge about …

Regulating Healthy Gender: Surgical Body Modification Among Transgender And Cisgender Consumers, Elroi J. Windsor

Sociology Dissertations

Few bodies consistently portray natural or unaltered forms. Instead, humans inhabit bodies imbued with sociocultural meanings about what is attractive, appropriate, functional, and presentable. As such, embodiment is always gendered. The social, extra-corporeal body is a central locus for expressing gender. Surgical body modifications represent inherently gendered technologies of the body. But psychomedical institutions subject people who seek gender-crossing surgeries to increased surveillance, managing and regulating cross-gender embodiment as disorderly. Using mixed research methods, this research systematically compared transgender and cisgender (non-transgender) people’s experiences before, during, and after surgical body modification. I conducted a content analysis of 445 threads on …

"I Miss My Country, But My World Is With My Children": Examining The Family And Social Lives Of Older Indian Immigrants In The United States, Karuna Sharma

Gerontology Theses

Within the context of ongoing social and demographic transformation, including the trend towards globalization, changing patterns of longevity and increasing ethnic diversity, this thesis examines the lives older Asian-Indian immigrants in the United States. To date, much of what little research exists on this group of elders focuses on acculturation and related stress, but there is limited research on the daily life experiences of these older adults, particularly as they pertain to family life, the practice of filial piety, and informal support exchange within their households, as well as their social lives more generally. Informed by two theoretical approaches, Life …

Culture, Cognition, And Parenthood In Japanese And American Homes, Saori Yasumoto

Sociology Dissertations

Previous family researchers have found that parents who share different demographic backgrounds construct unique parenting styles and beliefs. Although such studies contribute to understanding how parenthood is socially constructed, the information about how parents internalize cultural information and everyday experiences to raise children is missing in the extant literature. To fully comprehend the social construction of parenthood, the linkage between the mind and the behavior of parents within specific social structures needed to be studied. I thus conducted conjoint interviews with 24 Japanese couples and 24 American couples who were raising four-to-six year old daughters and sons to examine how …

Living Together: Conservative Protestants And Cohabitation, Anthony E. Healy

Sociology Theses

Recent research finds that conservative Protestants are cohabiting in no small numbers. Given the strict moral orientation of conservative Protestants, that outcome appears paradoxical. This thesis explains that paradox through the culture in action models of Swidler (1986), given the social and economic location of conservative Protestants. The thesis employs pooled General Social Survey data from 1993 to 2008 in which a question is asked that indicates cohabitation. The thesis finds that the social and economic location of conservative Protestants is related to their cohabiting. Though conservative Protestant cohabitors have lessened religiosity, much of the decline in religiosity compared to …

Scrapworthy Lives: A Cognitive Sociological Analysis Of A Modern Narrative Form, Stephanie R. Medley-Rath

Sociology Dissertations

Over the past 20 years, scrapbooking has become immensely popular in America. This dissertation is the study of scrapworthy lives, that is, how lives become structured by scrapbooking and how people show others that their own life and the lives of their loves ones are value—or scrapworthy. I conducted in-depth interviews with 38 scrapbookers, 11 scrapbook industry workers, and 10 family and friends of scrapbookers. I also used photo-elicitation interviewing techniques with both the scrapbookers and the family members and friends of 10 scrapbookers to examine a selection of scrapbook pages the respondents had completed. I used grounded theory methods …

The Effect Of Gender On Perpetration Characteristics And Empathy For Juvenile Sex Offenders, Katherine Schweigert

Sociology Theses

This research examines the effect of gender on perpetration characteristics and empathy in a sample of juvenile sex offenders in Massachusetts using feminist criminological and gendered theory perspectives. Through the use of ordered logistic regression, I evaluate whether or not a perpetrator’s gender has an impact on the characteristics of the offense (such as the use of penetration, fellatio, genital touching, or masturbation) or the levels of empathy and remorse experienced by the offender. The results show that gender only has a significant effect on penetrative acts and remains non-significant for the remaining variables. I have concluded that the non-significance …

Age Differences In Word Recall Predictions, Amanda Kathryn Trujillo

Gerontology Theses

This study examined factors related to word list performance predictions made by younger and older adults. A performance prediction is an estimate made prior to being exposed to the material that is studied for a specific task. The current study examined the age differences in a sample of 59 older adults (M = 76.83 years old, SD = 8.28) and 51 younger adults (M = 21.19 years old, SD = 3.22) on performance predictions for both an immediate and delayed word recall task. Memory self-efficacy and other self-rating measures were not found to influence immediate or delayed predictions. A repeated …

The Ties That Bind: The Role Of Place In Racial Identity Formation, Social Cohesion, Accord, And Discord In Two Historic, Black Gentrifying Atlanta Neighborhoods, Barbara Harris Combs

Sociology Dissertations

Recent research has uncovered a new phenomenon in some distressed areas, black gentrification. Black gentrification follows the same pattern as mainstream gentrification with one notable exception: In black gentrifying neighborhoods both the poor and working class residents who resided in the neighborhood prior to its “gentrification” and the new residents of greater economic means are black. An additional hallmark of black gentrification that distinguishes it from traditional gentrification is that black gentrifiers in black gentrifying neighborhoods often feel a responsibility or obligation to their lower income black neighbors. Prior to the economic downturn in the United States, some in-town Atlanta …

The Relationship Between Subjective Memory And Objective Cognition, Depression, And Anxiety By Dementia Status, Nia Malika Reed

Gerontology Theses

This secondary data analysis of the Health and Retirement Study – Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS) examines the relationship between subjective cognition and objective performance, depression, and anxiety in cognitive impairment with no dementia (CIND) and dementia. With a cross-sectional design, this study consists of 480 older adults between ages 72-105. Participants completed the Mini-Mental State Examination. The Wechsler Memory Scale- Revised Logical Memory I/II measured memory. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Subjective memory was measured by the HRS Self-report Memory and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. Independent t-tests and Pearson correlation …

Mass Media's Relationship With Adolescents' Values And Behaviors: A Theory Of Mediated Valueflection, Melanie Burleson Richards

Sociology Dissertations

Mass media has long been thought to have a detrimental effect on an adolescent’s values and behaviors. Many social ills including violence, misogyny and negative health behaviors, as well as egoistic cultural values have been attributed to mass media’s influence. Yet the media is not all powerful, nor are its powers unable to be combated. In this manuscript, I analyze the Educational Longitudinal Study data from 2002 to 2006 to determine the real effects mass media has on adolescents in comparison to other influences. I find that not all media is equal in influence. Television and video games have different …

Lonliness Of Older Adults In Rural China, Zhen Guo

Gerontology Theses

This study examined factors that influenced loneliness among rural elders in China. Data were collected from the latest wave of Living and Employment of Population Survey in 2005 (provided by Renmin University, China). The sample of this survey consisted of 284 rural elders in China. T‐tests was used to examine the influence of gender, marital status, health, financial support, and living arrangements differences in loneliness perception among Chinese rural elders. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to understand the influences of age and socio‐economic status on loneliness among the rural elders. This study provided insights for a better understanding of individual, …

Death And Dying In Assisted Living, Amanda M. White

Gerontology Theses

This study examined death and dying in assisted living (AL) and the various factors that influence these processes. The study is set in a 60-bed assisted living facility outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Data collection methods included participant observation and in-depth interviews with 28 residents and 6 staff. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach and focused on the 18 residents who were dying and/or died during the study period. Findings show that AL residents experience a variety of dying trajectories that vary in duration and shape; for the majority of residents, hospice is an important element in their death …

Not Trying: Reconceiving The Motherhood Mandate, Kristin J. Wilson

Sociology Dissertations

Infertile and childless women think about, live with, and defend their status as mothers and as nonmothers, arguably more so than other women for whom motherhood comes about accidentally or relatively easily in accordance with a plan. Within this group of infertile and childless women are those who are otherwise socially marginalized by factors like class, race, age, marital status, and sexual identity. This dissertation asks about the ways in which marginalized infertile and childless women in America make sense of their situations given the climate of “stratified reproduction” in which the motherhood mandate excludes them or applies to them …

Who Is My Neighbor?: Framing Atlanta's Movement To End Homelessness, 1900-2005, William Wyatt Holland

Sociology Dissertations

This study examines framing strategies employed by the social movement responding to homelessness in Atlanta, Georgia over the course of the 20th century. Drawing on archival records, media accounts and interviews with religious, business and government leaders, this longitudinal case study documents the varied casts of individuals and groups responding to the visible poor on the streets of the city. At the forefront of this project were religious groups serving variously as agents of social control or prophets calling for justice. Social movement framing theory, supplemented by resource mobilization and political opportunity theories, are applied to analyze movement processes. Framing …

Invisible At Every Turn An Examination Of Lesbian Intimate Partner Violence, Mikel L. Walters

Sociology Dissertations

Although scholars have been studying domestic violence for four decades now, it is only recently that domestic violence occurring in non-heterosexual relationships has received attention. The purpose of this study is to explore the interconnections between the experiences of survivors of lesbian intimate partner violence (IPV), the lesbian communities' beliefs regarding IPV, and available shelter services. The ultimate goal of this project is to describe how the experiences and practices of all three ultimately affect survivors of lesbian IPV. To accomplish this, members of the lesbian community were asked to complete an on-line survey, and qualitative interviews were conducted with …

Working It "Out": Employee Negotiations Of Sexual Identity In Sport Organizations, Elizabeth S. Cavalier

Sociology Dissertations

This project examines the experiences of 37 gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees of professional, collegiate, and club sport. Using intensive, non-directive interviews and Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM), I explore how employees negotiate the near-total sport institution, perceive the environment for sexual minorities in sport, manage their sexual identities, and identify potential allies at work. Participants informed their beliefs about the sport workplace by the totality of their direct and indirect experiences, their observation of others, and their accumulated experiences in sport as athletes and employees. While employees’ perceptions of the sport environment were slightly negative, their actual experiences were predominantly …