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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Articles 1 - 16 of 16

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Painted Nails: The Gender(Ed) Performance Of Queer Sexuality, Justin Rudnick Apr 2020

Painted Nails: The Gender(Ed) Performance Of Queer Sexuality, Justin Rudnick

Communication Studies Department Publications

In this essay, I interrogate my own experiences performing my queer identity through my painted nails. I attest to the ways queer bodies might performatively challenge and/or reinforce rigid norms of sexuality through mundane performances of (gendered) identity. To accomplish this, I engage in an autoethnographic exploration of queer performativity. I recount and analyze a series of anecdotes that illustrate how performances of queer identity in everyday life are accomplished—and policed—in mundane situations. In turn, I reflexively investigate the ways in which these performances situate me within a nexus of aesthetic, embodied, and ethical social interaction and performative resistance. I …


Dreaming Of Eden: A Sociological Inquiry Into Sacred Selves And Public Places, Donald J. Ebel Jan 2018

Dreaming Of Eden: A Sociological Inquiry Into Sacred Selves And Public Places, Donald J. Ebel

Sociology Department Publications

A diverse literature from several different disciplines addresses the issues of identity, settings and spirituality. This paper focuses upon drawing these traditions together in order to understand the relationship from a more holistic perspective, and to discern to what degree the three domains interact in a sociological sense. Several hypotheses are tested to discover if setting influences the salience of people’s spiritual identity or the levels of their spiritual transcendence, as well as whether or not age, controlling for other factors, explains or influences these two aspects of spiritual expression. Findings indicate that neither setting nor age significantly influence identity …


African-Centered Pedagogy: Exploring Black Male Identity And Achievement Through An African-Centered Lens, Kenneth Turner Jr. Jan 2018

African-Centered Pedagogy: Exploring Black Male Identity And Achievement Through An African-Centered Lens, Kenneth Turner Jr.

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This mixed method study researched African-centered pedagogy and examined if it made a difference for Black males in middle school. The study examined what it meant to be Black for the participants through administering the Multidimensional Model of Black Identity (MMBI) which measures Black males' connections to their own cultural group. Students were asked three semi-structured questions about their experiences in school. In addition, MCA test scores and GPA were compared. Twenty-four middle school students participated for two different middle school types in Minnesota: one traditional school and one African-Centered school. Findings revealed that there were substantially different scores on …


A Labor Of Love: Women's Perspectives On Gender And Identity In Informal Caregiving, Kirby O'Hara Hurd Jan 2017

A Labor Of Love: Women's Perspectives On Gender And Identity In Informal Caregiving, Kirby O'Hara Hurd

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The elderly population (adults 65 and over) is larger than at any time in history, thanks to improved access to healthcare, advances in medical technology, and health services focused on addressing the needs of aging adults. However, support for this growing population remains insufficient; the costs of in-home and residential care are high, and consequently, family members often become providers of informal, unpaid care. Presently, there is inadequate literature regarding the academic study of family members providing informal caregiving, especially from a perspective that emphasizes sociological principles and theories. Existing studies of the family caregiver phenomenon show that middle-aged adult …


Finding Parenthood- Parental Identity Through Assisted Reproductive Methods And The Implications For Efficacy Based And Worth Based Self-Esteem, Ashley Rae Steckler Jan 2016

Finding Parenthood- Parental Identity Through Assisted Reproductive Methods And The Implications For Efficacy Based And Worth Based Self-Esteem, Ashley Rae Steckler

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research examined the implications for efficacy based and worth based self-esteem among 266 infertile women who had utilized reproductive technologies within heterosexual partnerships in order to have genetic children and become parents. Drawing on a theory of self-esteem, within an identity theory framework, this research compared self-esteem between women who were currently utilizing assisted reproductive technologies to have children and women who had successfully used assisted reproductive technologies to have children and become parents. Self-esteem was measured by utilizing Cast and Burke’s (2002) Worth-Based and Efficacy-Based Self-esteem Scale in order to test the following three hypotheses: 1) self-verification (successfully …


The Muscular Female Athlete: Negotiating Conflicting Identities And Bodies, Kelsey J. Mischke Sep 2015

The Muscular Female Athlete: Negotiating Conflicting Identities And Bodies, Kelsey J. Mischke

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Competing assumptions, expectations, and discourses surrounding the institution of sports, femininity, and the feminine body create a conflicting paradox for female athletes. Existing research was investigated to examine the ways in which female athletes negotiate their conflicting roles in society and how they feel about their muscular bodies. Feminist theory, gender-role conflict theory, and identity work are used. Results show athletes employ apologetic behaviors, defensive othering, and create fluid identities in response to experiencing gender-role conflict. In terms of their bodies, female athletes feel differing sentiments dependent on environment, reject conflicting messages about their body, and/or reject their musculature. Due …


What Happens Now?: Identity And Commitment Among Lesbian Women With The Passing Of Same-Sex Marriage Laws In Minnesota, Kendra Michaela Klump Jan 2015

What Happens Now?: Identity And Commitment Among Lesbian Women With The Passing Of Same-Sex Marriage Laws In Minnesota, Kendra Michaela Klump

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Marriage equality has become a hotly debated topic within public and political discourse within recent years. The personal choices we make based on our sexuality and intimate relationship have been taken out of the private arena and spotlighted as issues of institutional ideology, morality, and equality. Throughout this, the impact felt within LGBTQ communities based on this discourse has been largely overlooked. This study explores the immediate impact newfound marriage equality may have on individuals and couples identifying as members of a diverse sexuality group. Using semi-structured interviews, sixteen respondents self-identifying as lesbians provided narratives exploring the possible impact legalization …


You've Got Mail: Identity Perceptions Based On Email Usernames, Laura Pelletier Aug 2014

You've Got Mail: Identity Perceptions Based On Email Usernames, Laura Pelletier

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study explores the idea that email recipients use the email username of the sender as a mediated cue to make basic assumptions of the identity of the sender. For this study 215 participants completed self-report surveys asking their perceptions of a fictional work group member including sex, age, race, and work productivity. Most participants were able to create a basic identity of their fictitious group member based solely on their email username.


Becoming Mom: Understanding Challenges And Presentations Of Self Among Mothers, Annakeiko Frink Reichel Aug 2014

Becoming Mom: Understanding Challenges And Presentations Of Self Among Mothers, Annakeiko Frink Reichel

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

When a woman becomes a mother it is arguably one of the most life changing and defining moments of their lives. Becoming a mom and the emotions that are involved in the process are often a neglected topic in the United States. It is clear that the social world assumes mothers will automatically adjust to the role of being a mom without asking questions such as, what are the challenges moms face after having children? Or more importantly, how is a mother’s identity shaped after having children and while adjusting to the role as mom? The first author (AR) became …


The Secret Life Of Your Personal Information: Government Resources On Identity Theft, Washington State University Jun 2014

The Secret Life Of Your Personal Information: Government Resources On Identity Theft, Washington State University

Consumer Fraud

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Washington State University.


"My Baby Is A Dog": Exploration Of Pet Parent Identity, Lacey Y. Boston Jan 2014

"My Baby Is A Dog": Exploration Of Pet Parent Identity, Lacey Y. Boston

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This quantitative research examined dog owners (n = 100) regarding their relationship with their pets. After beginning to treat her own dog as a child she questioned what happens when a human child enters a family and what impact that has on the pet owners' identity. The researcher hypothesized that having children under the age of 18 in the home would impact dog owners' identity and salience based on their relationship with their pet. She created 13 questions for the survey which operationalized the concepts of identity salience and prominence. By surveying 100 dog owners and asking them about certain …


Defining Traditional American Indian Identity Through Anishinaabe Cultural Perspective, Joshua Edward Maudrie Jan 2014

Defining Traditional American Indian Identity Through Anishinaabe Cultural Perspective, Joshua Edward Maudrie

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study addresses the question of American Indian Identity, specifically, what makes an Indian an Indian from a traditional Anishinaabe Indian cultural perspective? Perspectives were gained through life experiences as an active member of Anishinaabe Indian communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, as well as traditional cultural ceremonies. There are two primary reasons for this study: first to provide insight into the traditional cultural perspective of American Indian identity for non-Indians and its relevancy in present day; and second, to start a discussion within tribal nations about utilizing their traditional culture in governance and membership issues. For this Qualitative study, …


The Co-Occurrence Of Multiple And Overlapping Demands Among Women Leaving Prison, Jennifer Jo Schweitzer Jan 2014

The Co-Occurrence Of Multiple And Overlapping Demands Among Women Leaving Prison, Jennifer Jo Schweitzer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The findings presented in this thesis result from an analysis of the experiences over a three-year period of thirteen women recently released from prison, all of whom simultaneously struggled with severe physical and mental health problems, drug and alcohol addiction(s), and histories of trauma. The purpose of this study was to better understand the strategies women with these multiple and overlapping vulnerabilities utilized as they attempted to reintegrate into the community. This group of thirteen women is a subsample of a population of 41 women whose reentry experiences were the focus of a larger, longitudinal research project. The data consist …


Manning Up: A Look At Women In The Military And Their Sense Of Self, Kari Elizabeth Davis Jan 2012

Manning Up: A Look At Women In The Military And Their Sense Of Self, Kari Elizabeth Davis

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to uncover identity shaping in women of the military. I interviewed eleven women from various branches of the military to uncover changes in their sense of self, emotion management, and role person merge. Six of these my respondents were deployed to combat zones. The women of this study went to basic training and learned how to be a soldier. They go through a process of "manning up" where they leave behind prior behaviors and beliefs and display a masculine front in order to be successful in their military careers. They also demonstrate a role …


Identity Theft - Don't Get Hooked!, Poplar Creek Public Library Jan 2007

Identity Theft - Don't Get Hooked!, Poplar Creek Public Library

Consumer Fraud

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Poplar Creek Public Library, Illinois.


Identity Theft: Are You Vulnerable?, Minnesota State University, Mankato Jan 2007

Identity Theft: Are You Vulnerable?, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Consumer Fraud

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Minnesota State University, Mankato.