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The Relationship Between Identity and Intimacy as Moderated by Culture
Title
The Relationship Between Identity and Intimacy as Moderated by Culture.
Creator
Jhingon, Garima, Berman, Steven, Dunn, Stacey, Upchurch, Rosaria, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Several important developmental processes occur in the young adulthood period. Young adults form their identities, determine trajectories regarding careers, and typically they form intimate relationships. Erikson (1963) stated that healthy identity development during adolescence is a necessary precursor to intimacy in romantic relationships during emerging adulthood. Although findings from cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal studies somewhat confirm the proposed link between identity...
Show moreSeveral important developmental processes occur in the young adulthood period. Young adults form their identities, determine trajectories regarding careers, and typically they form intimate relationships. Erikson (1963) stated that healthy identity development during adolescence is a necessary precursor to intimacy in romantic relationships during emerging adulthood. Although findings from cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal studies somewhat confirm the proposed link between identity and intimacy development, none of them addresses the role of culture in moderating Erikson's tenets of developmental ordering. The primary goal of the present investigation was to determine the role of cultural orientation in identity and intimacy development among emerging adults today.Participants included 422 university students (mean age = 20.80, sd = 3.63) were recruited from one urban university in Delhi, India (n = 96), two urban universities in Beijing, China (n = 180), and one urban university in Orlando, USA (n = 146). Among this sample, 36.7% were males, and 63.3% were females. All participants completed a battery of measures, including a Demographic Questionnaire, the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, and the Cultural Orientation Scale. Our first hypothesis that identity would predict intimacy in relationships was confirmed. Our second hypothesis that identity development will be a negative predictor for both relationship anxiety and relationship avoidance in romantic relationships was also confirmed. The third hypothesis that females would endorse more collectivistic cultural values compared with males, who will endorse more individualistic cultural values was also confirmed. Finally, our fourth hypothesis that the relationship between identity and intimacy would be moderated by cultural orientation, such that it will be stronger among those that endorse more individualistic cultural values compared to those who endorse more collectivistic cultural values was not supported. Results from the multiple regression analysis indicated that although identity and cultural orientation considered alone were significant predictors of intimacy in relationships, the relationship between identity and intimacy were moderated by cultural orientation only for relationship anxiety, such that a strong sense of identity along with a collectivistic cultural orientation predicted less relationship anxiety. Further analyses and implications for professional practice are discussed.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004388, ucf:49383
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004388
RELIGION AND IDENTITY FORMATION:A CROSS NATIONAL COMPARISON OF COLLEGE STUDENTS IN INDIA & THE USA
Title
RELIGION AND IDENTITY FORMATION:A CROSS NATIONAL COMPARISON OF COLLEGE STUDENTS IN INDIA & THE USA.
Creator
Sukumaran, Niyatee, Berman, Steven L., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
With the exception of a few studies (Leak, 2009; Fulton, 1997), psychological research on religion has not been studied from an Eriksonian identity status perspective (Erikson, 1959; Marcia, 1966). Further, EriksonÂÂ's (1963) concept of identity appears to be inherently individualistic and may be conceptualized differently in Eastern/Asian cultures (Cloninger, 2008; Paranjpe, 2010). This study aims to understand the relationship of religiosity and quest to identity...
Show moreWith the exception of a few studies (Leak, 2009; Fulton, 1997), psychological research on religion has not been studied from an Eriksonian identity status perspective (Erikson, 1959; Marcia, 1966). Further, EriksonÂÂ's (1963) concept of identity appears to be inherently individualistic and may be conceptualized differently in Eastern/Asian cultures (Cloninger, 2008; Paranjpe, 2010). This study aims to understand the relationship of religiosity and quest to identity development across two cultures: USA and India. A total of 326 undergraduate students (mean age= 19.47, sd= 1.58) participated from two urban colleges in Mumbai, India (n= 159) and one in Orlando, USA (n= 167). All participants completed a battery of measures, including the measure of Religiosity, Quest Scale, Identity Distress Survey, and Ego Identity Process Questionnaire. Our first hypothesis was confirmed that females would have greater religiosity as compared to males amongst the Indian and USA sample. The second hypothesis was also confirmed that the USA sample would be found more among the achieved and moratorium ego identity statuses as compared to the Indian sample, who would be found more frequently in the foreclosed or diffused ego identity statuses. Although the USA sample was found to be significantly higher in identity exploration, the Indian sample was found to experience greater identity distress. Finally, our third hypothesis was partially confirmed in regard to religiosity, as it was not differentially related to identity variables in both the Indian and USA groups. However, religious quest was differentially related to the identity variables, in that it was related to identity distress in the USA sample, but not in the Indian sample.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003499, ucf:48953
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003499
THE PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF ITALIAN MASCULINITY: NONVERBAL DISPLAY OF GENDER IDENTITY
Title
THE PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF ITALIAN MASCULINITY: NONVERBAL DISPLAY OF GENDER IDENTITY.
Creator
Perrotte, Gino, Hastings, Sally, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Italian masculine identity is examined by looking at the following influences: history and structure of Italian society, the public places used for the performance and the culture surrounding the display of masculinity. This research uses an approach similar to an ethnography of communication. Initial data and ideas were gathered through observational fieldwork and interviews that took take place in Italy during July 2006 and July 2007. A methods section describes interviews that later took...
Show moreItalian masculine identity is examined by looking at the following influences: history and structure of Italian society, the public places used for the performance and the culture surrounding the display of masculinity. This research uses an approach similar to an ethnography of communication. Initial data and ideas were gathered through observational fieldwork and interviews that took take place in Italy during July 2006 and July 2007. A methods section describes interviews that later took place with Americans in order to compare and contrast responses with ones previously collected from Italians. The data gathered from these interviews will be used to highlight and substantiate the components of cultural identity that are unique to Italian masculinity. In analyzing the research data, the social meaning model is applied to elaborate a culturally shared set of meanings for a particular nonverbal act in an Italian piazza. Finally, findings are organized using four aspects of cultural identity to understand an Italian definition of masculinity. Two contributions emerged from the research: cultural sense making and cultural change. Cultural sense making provides a context for Italian masculine behavior, and cultural change describes the transformation of Italian ideology between the generations in regards to gender roles.
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Date Issued
2007
Identifier
CFE0001988, ucf:47424
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001988
THE MAINTENANCE OF ETHNIC CULTURE AND MANIFESTATIONS OF ETHNIC IDENTITY IN THE LIFE STORIES OF FINNISH IMMIGRANTS
Title
THE MAINTENANCE OF ETHNIC CULTURE AND MANIFESTATIONS OF ETHNIC IDENTITY IN THE LIFE STORIES OF FINNISH IMMIGRANTS.
Creator
Grantham, Minna, Dietz, Tracy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examined whether Finnish immigrants show evidence of assimilation or if they have maintained their ethnic culture in the United States. More specifically, the purpose was to examine how the ethnic culture has been maintained and the ways that ethnic identity manifests itself in their life stories. Ten qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish immigrants and children of Finnish immigrants, and emerging themes were identified in the data. The results...
Show moreThis study examined whether Finnish immigrants show evidence of assimilation or if they have maintained their ethnic culture in the United States. More specifically, the purpose was to examine how the ethnic culture has been maintained and the ways that ethnic identity manifests itself in their life stories. Ten qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish immigrants and children of Finnish immigrants, and emerging themes were identified in the data. The results indicate a strong ethnic identity among Finnish immigrants, yet it appears to be a very much taken for granted experience for them. The immigrants' lives were influenced by their ethnicity in that they lived in predominantly Finnish areas, preferred Finnish as their daily language, participated in Finnish activities, especially the Lutheran church, followed customs, and kept regular contact with friends and family in Finland. One of the major differences between the immigrants and children of immigrants was their language use. The norms and policies have been that ethnic groups will assimilate; yet this cohort of Finnish immigrants demonstrates a high level of maintenance of their ancestral culture, thus providing support for Cultural Pluralism. Future studies should address the specific organizations, mainly the Lutheran church, and its influence on the maintenance of Finnish culture, and future studies should address the meaning of language in more detail.
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Date Issued
2005
Identifier
CFE0000767, ucf:46579
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000767
The Relationship Between Social Phobia, Peer Attachment, and Identity Within Different Cultural Contexts
Title
The Relationship Between Social Phobia, Peer Attachment, and Identity Within Different Cultural Contexts.
Creator
Li, Shengnan, Berman, Steven, Fouty, Homer, Compson, Jane, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study investigated the relationship between social phobia, peer attachment, and identity development, within three different countries: China, India, and the USA. It was hypothesized that social phobia interferes with peer attachment, and that poor peer attachment interferes with identity development among late adolescents and emerging adults, thus peer attachment mediates the relationship between social phobia and identity. It was further hypothesized that this relationship between...
Show moreThis study investigated the relationship between social phobia, peer attachment, and identity development, within three different countries: China, India, and the USA. It was hypothesized that social phobia interferes with peer attachment, and that poor peer attachment interferes with identity development among late adolescents and emerging adults, thus peer attachment mediates the relationship between social phobia and identity. It was further hypothesized that this relationship between variables is moderated by culture such that in collectivistic cultures, where identity is more dependent upon group affiliation and identification, the interference of social phobia (through peer attachment) on identity would be much greater than in individualistic cultures where identity may be based more on unique characteristics. Participants were 422 undergraduate students from three locations: China (n = 180), India (n = 96), and the USA (n = 146). Results varied by country. For the combined sample collectivism, social phobia, and peer attachment each independently predicted identity. Collectivism also negatively predicted social phobia and positively predicted peer attachment. None of the variables served as a mediator or moderator between the other variables. In the USA sample, collectivism predicted identity but was mediated by peer attachment. Social phobia negatively predicted peer attachment and identity, but was not related to collectivism. In the Chinese sample, peer attachment predicted identity, but was mediated by social phobia. Collectivism predicted identity, but was not related to the other two variables. Among the Indian sample none of the variables predicted identity. A number of possible reasons for these complex results are explored.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004399, ucf:49389
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004399
For Alexander: An Exploration of Good Ole Boy Identity and Mortality.
Title
For Alexander: An Exploration of Good Ole Boy Identity and Mortality.
Creator
Johnson, Chad, Kim, Joo, Kovach, Keith, Isenhour, David, Price, Mark, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
(")For Alexander(") is an exhibition about masculinity as it is exhibited by Southern (")good ole boys("). I rely on original and appropriated imagery, as well as memories of loss and humor from my childhood in Alabama. Combining mixed media and sculptural elements has allowed me to investigate the subjects that interest me. I explore and artistically comment on these subjects through a mix of personal and culturally loaded imagery that records what I have either experienced or researched,...
Show more(")For Alexander(") is an exhibition about masculinity as it is exhibited by Southern (")good ole boys("). I rely on original and appropriated imagery, as well as memories of loss and humor from my childhood in Alabama. Combining mixed media and sculptural elements has allowed me to investigate the subjects that interest me. I explore and artistically comment on these subjects through a mix of personal and culturally loaded imagery that records what I have either experienced or researched, and which I realize through the ironic use of non-traditional materials, such as sequins and rhinestones.My work examines stereotypes and my own beliefs about Southern good ole boys. I also reflect on elements of Southern hypocrisy, and I question long standing social practices with the help of historical and contemporary media sources.My exhibition is dedicated to my great uncle, who was murdered by his father, a preacher, during the Great Depression.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004698, ucf:49856
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004698
UNIFICACION: THE THINGS THAT BIND US
Title
UNIFICACION: THE THINGS THAT BIND US.
Creator
Muriel, Kaylani E, Milanes, Cecilia Rodr�guez, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Unificacion: The Things That Bind Us is a collection of poetry and prose, using New York City's Spanish Harlem and Carolina, Puerto Rico as its backdrop. Each work in this collection revolves around a young man and his family, based on the real-life stories and experiences of the writer's grandfather, Luis. They are crafted with the intent of sharing aspects of Puerto Rican life both in and out of the continental United States with a diverse audience, including those who might not have...
Show moreUnificacion: The Things That Bind Us is a collection of poetry and prose, using New York City's Spanish Harlem and Carolina, Puerto Rico as its backdrop. Each work in this collection revolves around a young man and his family, based on the real-life stories and experiences of the writer's grandfather, Luis. They are crafted with the intent of sharing aspects of Puerto Rican life both in and out of the continental United States with a diverse audience, including those who might not have encountered any elements of the Hispanic culture. Using techniques inspired by writers like Jes�s Colon, Esmeralda Santiago, and Piri Thomas, each of the pieces focus on a different element of the Puerto Rican culture. The intent is to give audiences an idea of the cultural values, familial structures, and other norms typical of the Puerto Rican culture by providing glimpses into the everyday lives of the same family on the island and the mainland. The works capture their struggle to make the most of the life they've found themselves in, and emphasize one boy's growth as he attempts to find his role in the family. Overall, the goal of this work is to craft a story that can appeal to all audiences, bringing the Puerto Rican culture to life for all who encounter it.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFH2000430, ucf:45829
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000430
JOURNEY
Title
JOURNEY.
Creator
Martinsen, Suzann, Haxton, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In my drawings and animation, I create a representation of a culture that is instilled in me, yet foreign. The work is inspired from a childlike perspective to depict a personal primitive experience with the Korean culture. The subtleties of the animations are meant to reflect the quiet nature of Asian paintings and to allow the viewer to experience and interpret it as they choose. I want others to see without hearing words in an already noisy world.
Date Issued
2008
Identifier
CFE0002089, ucf:47528
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002089
Counter Clockwise Culture Shock
Title
Counter Clockwise Culture Shock.
Creator
Mercer, Matthew, Roney, Lisa, Thaxton, Terry, Uttich, Laurie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Counter Clockwise Culture Shock is a memoir focused the narrator's return to his hometown, a place he barely escaped: drug addiction, incarceration, bad relationships, alienation, an Oedipal mother, and suicidal threats. It is reflection on both culture and self, after I gained an outside perspective from Japan. The narrator is forced to relive nihilism and monotony, and face the troubles of his younger years. It describes the difficult journey of today's youth, in an evermore technologically...
Show moreCounter Clockwise Culture Shock is a memoir focused the narrator's return to his hometown, a place he barely escaped: drug addiction, incarceration, bad relationships, alienation, an Oedipal mother, and suicidal threats. It is reflection on both culture and self, after I gained an outside perspective from Japan. The narrator is forced to relive nihilism and monotony, and face the troubles of his younger years. It describes the difficult journey of today's youth, in an evermore technologically dynamic world(-)with few role models able to plot a course through. This is a meditation on past actions that ended in survival. Unlike most books dealing with cultural alienation, it focuses on a reinterpretation of my own culture. The main theme of the memoir is identity. The remnants of adventure, ingrained in the narrator's mind, contrast with a return to the d(&)#233;j(&)#224; vu of a distorted hometown. Many of the stories cut across time and space to mimic the disorientation of the narrator. The clarity of these cultural distortions emerges when viewed through an outside lens. Not only does Counter Clockwise Culture Shock distill these distortions, it uses an Eastern perspective(-)and language(-)to better understand the flaws and strengths of indoctrinated cultures. An outside perspective of a different culture expands the narrator's former view of the world. Suicide and depression are destroying Western society, and this is an attempt to catalog stresses of Western culture and help people in similar circumstances.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFE0007345, ucf:52142
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007345
Stereotypes, Perceptions of Similarity, and Cultural Identity: Factors That May Influence the Academic Achievement of Immigrant Students.
Title
Stereotypes, Perceptions of Similarity, and Cultural Identity: Factors That May Influence the Academic Achievement of Immigrant Students.
Creator
Fagan, Tamara, Szente, Judit, Eriksson, Gillian, Englehart, Deirdre, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
For decades, the United States has been known as the nation of immigrants due to the increasing number of immigrant students in the public school system. Although the population of immigrant students steadily increases annually, American society still pressures immigrants into acculturation to fulfill the United States ideals of academic achievement despite the United States claim of multiculturalism (Malcolm (&) Lowery, 2011). This research focuses on 1st- and 2nd generation immigrant...
Show moreFor decades, the United States has been known as the nation of immigrants due to the increasing number of immigrant students in the public school system. Although the population of immigrant students steadily increases annually, American society still pressures immigrants into acculturation to fulfill the United States ideals of academic achievement despite the United States claim of multiculturalism (Malcolm (&) Lowery, 2011). This research focuses on 1st- and 2nd generation immigrant students' strife of acceptance in U.S. culture, while sill preserving their own native culture, and the influence it has on academic achievement.The researcher interviewed eight (8) adult participants who are either 1st- or 2nd generation immigrant college students. This qualitative case study research aims to determine if forced acculturation or assimilation using stereotypes and perceptions of similarity effects how immigrant students develop their cultural identity, and the influence it has on academic achievement. Four major themes emerged from the participants' responses: parental approval, peer pressure, environmental influence, and feelings about their ethnic group. Basic findings supported that immigrant students' cultural identity is threatened by stereotypes and perceptions of similarity.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004996, ucf:49554
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004996
Sharing Aloha on the mainland: Cultural Identity and Connecting to Heritage through Commercial Luau Shows in Central Florida
Title
Sharing Aloha on the mainland: Cultural Identity and Connecting to Heritage through Commercial Luau Shows in Central Florida.
Creator
Hoback, Brittany, Howard, Rosalyn, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The Polynesian luau is one of the most well-known examples of cultural tourism. As such, it has accrued plenty of criticism, from issues of authenticity to primitivizing stereotypes and bodily framing. Lost in these critiques, however, are the voices of Polynesian performers who have chosen to participate in this form of cultural presentation. Based on ethnographic research with Polynesian performers employed in tourist luau shows in Orlando, Florida, from 2012 to 2014, I argue that not only...
Show moreThe Polynesian luau is one of the most well-known examples of cultural tourism. As such, it has accrued plenty of criticism, from issues of authenticity to primitivizing stereotypes and bodily framing. Lost in these critiques, however, are the voices of Polynesian performers who have chosen to participate in this form of cultural presentation. Based on ethnographic research with Polynesian performers employed in tourist luau shows in Orlando, Florida, from 2012 to 2014, I argue that not only are performers presenting their culture in a way that is meaningful for them and their audience, but that they are also using their employment as a way of connecting to their cultural heritage and reifying their cultural identity. By looking at performers' perspectives within cultural tourism, scholars can perceive the agency those performers use to assert their cultural identity and connection to their heritage.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005505, ucf:50359
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005505
VIRTUAL HOOD: EXPLORING THE HIP-HOP CULTURE EXPERIENCE IN A BRITISH ONLINE COMMUNITY.
Title
VIRTUAL HOOD: EXPLORING THE HIP-HOP CULTURE EXPERIENCE IN A BRITISH ONLINE COMMUNITY.
Creator
Cherjovsky, Natalia, Grajeda, Anthony, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In this fast-paced, globalized world, certain online sites represent a hybrid personal-public sphere–where like-minded people commune regardless of physical distance, time difference, or lack of synchronicity. Sites that feature chat rooms and forums can offer a deep-rooted sense of community and facilitate the forging of relationships and cultivation of ideologies. This dissertation investigates whether this trend is relevant to web sites concerning hip-hop. This...
Show moreIn this fast-paced, globalized world, certain online sites represent a hybrid personal-public sphere–where like-minded people commune regardless of physical distance, time difference, or lack of synchronicity. Sites that feature chat rooms and forums can offer a deep-rooted sense of community and facilitate the forging of relationships and cultivation of ideologies. This dissertation investigates whether this trend is relevant to web sites concerning hip-hop. This genre is arguably one of the most pervasive and influential global cultural forms, yet it is markedly different from most other forms of globalized culture because it emerged within and is still embedded in a distinct subculture. The notion that the Internet could become a bastion for hip-hop fans is quite paradoxical: hip hop is a cultural form so deeply rooted in the sense of place and so invested in its relationship to spatiality that it could potentially pose a particular challenge to the notion of virtual communities. This research examines the virtual hip-hop experience in the UK in order to assess whether this music and the culture that surrounds it have been adopted in their original American form or whether they have been adapted to make them more relevant to their new locale. In particular, the study probes how the ideology, values, behaviors and attitudes that bestride American hip-hop are represented, consumed, and reproduced on the mediated world of web sites.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003029, ucf:52843
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003029
THE TYLER PERRY EFFECT: EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF BLACK MEDIA IMAGES ON THE BLACK IDENTITY
Title
THE TYLER PERRY EFFECT: EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF BLACK MEDIA IMAGES ON THE BLACK IDENTITY.
Creator
Jackson, Nicole, Musambira, George, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study investigated the influence of Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns on black viewers' racial identity, based on a survey of 145 members of four predominantly African American churches in the Central Florida area. Mirroring Allen, Dawson, and Brown's (1989) model of an African American racial belief system, this study proposed that both shows would positively influence three dimensions of the black identity including closeness to blacks, black separatism, and the belief...
Show moreThis study investigated the influence of Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns on black viewers' racial identity, based on a survey of 145 members of four predominantly African American churches in the Central Florida area. Mirroring Allen, Dawson, and Brown's (1989) model of an African American racial belief system, this study proposed that both shows would positively influence three dimensions of the black identity including closeness to blacks, black separatism, and the belief in positive stereotypes about blacks, while negatively influencing the dimension that emphasizes negative stereotypes about blacks. Socioeconomic status and religiosity were also hypothesized to predict exposure to both shows. The results show that while House of Payne positively influenced two dimensions of the black identity including closeness to blacks and the belief in positive stereotypes about blacks, Meet the Browns did not have a statistically significant relationship with any of the dimensions of the black identity. Additionally, results showed mixed support for the relationship between socioeconomic status, religiosity, and show exposure. While education had a negative relationship with exposure to both House of Payne and Meet the Browns, the income variable revealed no significant results with either show. Lastly, religiosity was shown to be a significant predictor of exposure to House of Payne, but not Meet the Browns. The findings suggest that Perry's shows may be considered by viewers as more beneficial than harmful to viewers to their racial identity and experience, which contradicts the critiques of his images as reverberating with negative stereotypical images of the past. Findings also suggest the importance of education and religion to black socialization patterns.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0003957, ucf:48708
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003957
Captain John Smith and American Identity: Evolutions of Constructed Narratives and Myths in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Title
Captain John Smith and American Identity: Evolutions of Constructed Narratives and Myths in the 20th and 21st Centuries.
Creator
Corbett, Joseph, Murphree, Daniel, Sacher, John, Larson, Peter, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Historical narratives and anecdotes concerning Captain John Smith have been told and retold throughout the entire history the United States of America, and they have proved to be sacred, influential, and contested elements in the construction of the individual, sectional, regional, and national identity of many. In this thesis, I first outline some of the history of how narratives and discourses surrounding Captain John Smith were directly connected with the identity of many Americans during...
Show moreHistorical narratives and anecdotes concerning Captain John Smith have been told and retold throughout the entire history the United States of America, and they have proved to be sacred, influential, and contested elements in the construction of the individual, sectional, regional, and national identity of many. In this thesis, I first outline some of the history of how narratives and discourses surrounding Captain John Smith were directly connected with the identity of many Americans during the 18th and 19th century, especially Virginians and Southerners. Then I outline how these narratives and discourses from the 18th and 19th centuries have continued and evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries in American scholarship and popular culture. I demonstrate how Captain John Smith went from being used as a symbol for regional and sectional identity to a symbol for broader national American identity, and how he has anachronistically come to be considered an American. I then show how Captain John Smith has continued to be constructed, to a seemingly larger degree than previous centuries, as a hero of almost mythic proportions. Finally I demonstrate how this constructed American hero is used as a posterchild for various interest groups and ideologies in order to legitimize the places of certain discourses and behavior within constructed and contested American identities.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004666, ucf:49892
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004666
FROM PRE-ISLAM TO MANDATE STATES: EXAMINING CULTURAL IMPERIALISM AND CULTURAL BLEED IN THE LEVANT
Title
FROM PRE-ISLAM TO MANDATE STATES: EXAMINING CULTURAL IMPERIALISM AND CULTURAL BLEED IN THE LEVANT.
Creator
Willman, Gabriel, Özoğlu, Hakan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
To a large degree, historical analyses of the Levantine region tend to focus primarily upon martial interaction and state formation. However, perhaps of equitable impact is the chronology of those interactions which are cultural in nature. The long-term formative effect of cultural imperialism and cultural bleed can easily be as influential as the direct alterations imposed by martial invasion. While this study does not attempt to establish comparative causal weight or catalytic impact...
Show moreTo a large degree, historical analyses of the Levantine region tend to focus primarily upon martial interaction and state formation. However, perhaps of equitable impact is the chronology of those interactions which are cultural in nature. The long-term formative effect of cultural imperialism and cultural bleed can easily be as influential as the direct alterations imposed by martial invasion. While this study does not attempt to establish comparative causal weight or catalytic impact between these types of interactions, it does contend that the cultural evolution of the Levant has been significantly influenced by external interaction for a period of time extending beyond the Levantine Islamic Expansion. This study presents a chronological examination of the region from the pre-Expansion Period through the Mandate Period, focused upon relevant cultural structures. Specifically, emphasis is placed upon religious, ethnic, and nationalistic identity development, sociolinguistic shifts, and institutional changes within the societal structure. The primary conclusion of this study is that significant evidence exists to support a long-term historical narrative of externally influenced Levantine cultural evolution, inclusive of both adaptive and reactive interactions.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFH0004490, ucf:45075
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004490
Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories
Title
Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories.
Creator
Martin, Tamra, Neal, Mary, Hubbard, Susan, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Finding Sundays: A Collection of Stories is a collection that explores the lives of people in the fictional town of Hickory Springs, Virginia. The title story (")Finding Sundays(") follows the life of Deacon Taylor and connects him to the characters around him in the proceeding pieces. These stories explore the lives of Deacon, his family, and his childhood friend, Sandra. The focus of this collection is not meant to be about spirituality or religion in general, although these exist as themes...
Show moreFinding Sundays: A Collection of Stories is a collection that explores the lives of people in the fictional town of Hickory Springs, Virginia. The title story (")Finding Sundays(") follows the life of Deacon Taylor and connects him to the characters around him in the proceeding pieces. These stories explore the lives of Deacon, his family, and his childhood friend, Sandra. The focus of this collection is not meant to be about spirituality or religion in general, although these exist as themes in the background of the stories. Instead, it is meant to look at how the lives of people connected through a church and a small town setting can affect them and lead them on different paths through the choices they make. Their personal struggles and challenges help them to either discover who they are or lose a piece of themselves in the process, which is especially true for Deacon. He is the character who appears as a child, as an adolescent, and as an adult. Self-discovery is not always peaceful or satisfying for him or any of the characters around him, and their individual journeys show this process and the different events that come from the choices they make. This collection focuses on how religious roots, friendships, and familial connections, or the lack of such bonds, affect the characters' own personal views and decisions as well as how they relate to those around them.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004408, ucf:49386
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004408
Rhetoric of Imagery: Gendering Identity and Consumption Throughout Interwar American Advertisment
Title
Rhetoric of Imagery: Gendering Identity and Consumption Throughout Interwar American Advertisment.
Creator
Delgado, Natalie, Dandrow, Edward, Crepeau, Richard, French, Scot, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Interwar American advertising rose alongside new levels of hygiene, personal appearance, and technology in order to sell their products to target audiences. Despite the abundance of scholarship on media and gender, few studies have examined the gendered techniques through which interwar advertisers communicated with consumers in response to changing social norms and economic stability. The question this thesis explores is how these changes and communication shifted in response to consumer...
Show moreInterwar American advertising rose alongside new levels of hygiene, personal appearance, and technology in order to sell their products to target audiences. Despite the abundance of scholarship on media and gender, few studies have examined the gendered techniques through which interwar advertisers communicated with consumers in response to changing social norms and economic stability. The question this thesis explores is how these changes and communication shifted in response to consumer culture and how advertisers utilized early market research and persuasion techniques to target their audiences. Building on the studies of gender, consumption, and identity, this thesis examines the relationship between American advertisers and their targeted male and female consumers between 1920 and 1940. By exploring how admen and women within Madison Avenue's top advertising agencies utilized psychology and consumer feedback to develop a two-way communication with middle-classed consumers, this thesis draws from social, cultural, and gendered studies to understand how advertisers communicated with and tried to appeal to their target audiences. Utilizing both copy and imagery as sources of communication, this study examines every issue of the top circulating American magazines between 1920 and 1940 to explain how advertisers rose with early consumer behavioral psychology and new standards of sanitation and hygiene, how a growing consumer culture and American notion of identity and gender affected the selling of selfhood and personal beauty products, and how gendered media representations and persuasion techniques helped advertisers sell modernity and individuality to readers. This analysis surveys specific advertising campaigns before, during, and after the Stock Market Crash to follow shifts in appeals to masculinity and femininity in response to changing social norms. By delving into this intersection of gender, media, and identity, this study finds various nuances through which advertisers and their audiences communicated in and alongside a growing consumer culture.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFE0006870, ucf:51740
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006870
"This Stuff Is Finished": Amiri Baraka's Renunciation of the Ghosts of White Women and Homosexuals Past
Title
"This Stuff Is Finished": Amiri Baraka's Renunciation of the Ghosts of White Women and Homosexuals Past.
Creator
Stone-Lawrence, Susan, Rusnock, Joseph, Harris, Lani, Listengarten, Julia, Boyd, Belinda, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examines auto/biographical, theoretical, critical, literary, and dramatic works by and about LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, primarily focusing on the eruption of (")Hate Whitey(") sentiment and rhetoric that characterized a decadelong cultural nationalist phase of the henceforth self-declaredly Black poet-playwright's career. As a black militant, LeRoi Jones left his white wife and other white associates in Greenwich Village, moved to Harlem, changed his name to Amiri Baraka, converted...
Show moreThis study examines auto/biographical, theoretical, critical, literary, and dramatic works by and about LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, primarily focusing on the eruption of (")Hate Whitey(") sentiment and rhetoric that characterized a decadelong cultural nationalist phase of the henceforth self-declaredly Black poet-playwright's career. As a black militant, LeRoi Jones left his white wife and other white associates in Greenwich Village, moved to Harlem, changed his name to Amiri Baraka, converted to Islam, and started the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School. This thesis contends that Baraka's Black Arts Movement era plays emphasize negation of the value of white women and gay men, who had formed his most intimate prior cohorts, and use extreme imagery to malign, belittle, and abjure representatives of both groups as evil, ridiculous, and disgusting archetypes in an attempt to affirm the political stance of the author and preempt doubt about his level of commitment to his chosen cause during that period. Through these plays written from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s, Baraka denies his own personal history and appears to protest too much the virtues of corrective Afrocentric relationships which his works fail to affirm as much as he condemns their alternatives. However, after the purgative effect of these revolutionary works, Baraka's evolution arrived at a place where he could once again acknowledge and promote a diverse equality that included respect for the partners and peers he had abnegated. Conclusions of this research suggest connections between the personal implications of Baraka's individual journey and prominent themes stressed in the broader field of identity politics. ?
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0005062, ucf:49948
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005062
Bullying Victimization, Feared Second Language Self, and Second Language Identity: Reconceptualizing The Second Language Motivational Self System
Title
Bullying Victimization, Feared Second Language Self, and Second Language Identity: Reconceptualizing The Second Language Motivational Self System.
Creator
Peker, Hilal, Hoffman, Bobby, Regalla, Michele, Nutta, Joyce, Witta, Eleanor, Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Factors affecting English learners' (ELs) motivation and identity have been explored in second language (L2) learning contexts; however, research examining L2 motivation and identity under the effect of bullying victimization is rare although ELs are one of the populations that are physically and psychologically affected from bullying. Using a unique perspective by merging L2 motivation, L2 identity, and bullying concepts under social ecological framework, this dissertation study is the first...
Show moreFactors affecting English learners' (ELs) motivation and identity have been explored in second language (L2) learning contexts; however, research examining L2 motivation and identity under the effect of bullying victimization is rare although ELs are one of the populations that are physically and psychologically affected from bullying. Using a unique perspective by merging L2 motivation, L2 identity, and bullying concepts under social ecological framework, this dissertation study is the first study investigating the relationship between bullying victimization, L2 Motivational Self System, and L2 identity.The data were derived from 1022 ELs through a self-report survey that was adapted and tested for measurement model validity and reliability. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) results indicated that there was a strong relationship between bullying victimization, including traditional bullying and cyberbullying, L2 Motivational Self System, and L2 identity. Traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization affect ELs' feared L2 selves. This suggests that the feared L2 self may be added as a component to D(&)#246;rnyei's L2 Motivational Self System, especially when bullying victimization becomes a factor in language learning process. In addition, cyberbullying victimization positively correlated with ELs' oriented identity, which may indicate that ELs as agents were more motivated to learn English to overcome the negative effects of bullying victimization and to orient to the target culture. Based on the results, potential implications were provided for teachers and curriculum developers to help ELs cope with bullying in class and outside the classroom environment.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006373, ucf:51537
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006373
EXPLORING TRANSIENT IDENTITIES: DECONSTRUCTING DEPICTIONS OF GENDER AND IMPERIAL IDEOLOGY IN THE ORIENTAL TRAVEL NARRATIVES OF ENGLISHWOMEN, 1831-1915.
Title
EXPLORING TRANSIENT IDENTITIES: DECONSTRUCTING DEPICTIONS OF GENDER AND IMPERIAL IDEOLOGY IN THE ORIENTAL TRAVEL NARRATIVES OF ENGLISHWOMEN, 1831-1915.
Creator
DeLoach, CarrieAnne, Stockdale, Nancy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Englishwomen who traveled to the "Orient" in the Victorian era constructed an identity that was British in its bravery, middle-class in its refinement, feminine in appearance and speech and Christian in its intolerance of Oriental heathenism. Studying Victorian female travel narratives that described journeys to the Orient provides an excellent opportunity to reexamine the diaphanous nature of the boundaries of the public/private sphere dichotomy; the relationship between travel, overt...
Show moreEnglishwomen who traveled to the "Orient" in the Victorian era constructed an identity that was British in its bravery, middle-class in its refinement, feminine in appearance and speech and Christian in its intolerance of Oriental heathenism. Studying Victorian female travel narratives that described journeys to the Orient provides an excellent opportunity to reexamine the diaphanous nature of the boundaries of the public/private sphere dichotomy; the relationship between travel, overt nationalism, and gendered constructions of identity, the link between geographic location and self-definition; the power dynamics inherent in information gathering, organization and production. Englishwomen projected gendered identities in their writings, which were both "imperially" masculine and "domestically" feminine, depending on the needs of a particular location and space. The travel narrative itself was also a gendered product that served as both a medium of cultural expression for Victorian women and a tool of restraint, encouraging them to conform to societal expectations to gain limited authority and recognition for their travels even while they embraced the freedom of movement. The terms "imperial masculinity" and "domestic femininity" are employed throughout this analysis to categorize the transient manipulation of character traits associated in Victorian society with middle- and upper-class men abroad in the empire and middle- and upper-class women who remained within their homes in Great Britain. Also stressed is the decision by female travelers to co-assert feminine identities that legitimated their imperial freedom by alluding to equally important components of their transported domestic constructions of self. Contrary to scholarship solely viewing Victorian projections of the feminine ideal as negative, the powers underlining social determinants of gender norms will be treated as "both regulatory and productive." Englishwomen chose to amplify elements of their domestic femininity or newly obtained imperial masculinity depending on the situation encountered during their travels or the message they wished to communicate in their travel narratives. The travel narrative is a valuable tool not only for deconstructing transient constructions of gender, but also for discovering the foundations of race and class ideologies in which the Oriental and the Orient are subjugated to enhance Englishwomen's Orientalist imperial status and position. This thesis is modeled on the structure of the traveling experience. In reviewing first the intellectual expectations preceding travel, the events of travel and finally the emotional reaction to the first two, a metaphoric attempt to better understand meaning through mimicry has been made. Over twenty travel narratives published by Englishwomen of varying social backgrounds, economic classes and motivations for travel between 1830 and World War I were analyzed in conjunction with letters, diaries, fictional works, newspaper articles, advice manuals, travel guides and religious texts in an effort to study the uniquely gendered nature of the Preface in female travel narratives; definitions of "travelers" and "traveling;" the manner in which "new" forms of metaphysical identification formulated what Victorian lady travelers "pre-knew" the "East" to be; the gendered nature in which female travelers portrayed their encounters with the "realities" of travel; and the concept of "disconnect," or the "distance" between a female traveler's expectation and the portrayed "reality" of what she experienced in the Orient.
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Date Issued
2006
Identifier
CFE0001487, ucf:47101
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001487