Department: Sociology ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
36 matches in the database.
These are records: 1 - 30.
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1.
Adkins, Angela M.
Myspace, Facebook, and the Strength of Internet Ties: Online Social Networking and Bridging Social Capital.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2009, University of Akron
► Online social networking sites seem particularly well-suited to forming the loose connections…
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▼ Online social networking sites seem particularly well-suited to forming the loose connections between diverse social networks, or weak ties, associated with bridging social capital, but is using one site the same as using another? This study explores the user and usage characteristics of two popular social networking websites, Myspace and Facebook, and then investigates the relationship between online social networking and bridging social capital using survey data from 929 university students and faculty members. Myspace users tend to have less education and be more racially diverse, have lower incomes, and focus more on forming new social ties online. Conversely, Facebook users tend to be better educated, have higher income, and focus more on maintaining relationships with their existing offline ties. A positive association exists between the degree of online social networking and bridging capital, although there was no meaningful difference in bridging capital between those who used Myspace only and those who used Facebook only. However, the results indicate that the use of Myspace in conjunction with Facebook significantly increases bridging capital and moderates the effect of race, income, and degree of usage. Together, this evidence suggests that online social networking is a useful tool for enlarging and maintaining a diverse social network, but that the examination of online social networking in the aggregate may hide distinctions among sites. Different sites are used in different ways, and thus using more than one site might provide the greatest benefit in terms of increased bridging capital.
Advisors/Committee Members: Erickson, Rebecca J.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: online social networking; bridging social capital; Facebook; Myspace
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2.
Barr, Peter.
Taking the Role of the Other: Empathy in the Attribution of Responsibility for Wrongdoing in Organizations.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2012, University of Akron
► Limited research has been done on how individuals attribute responsibility in cases…
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▼ Limited research has been done on how individuals attribute responsibility in cases of organizational wrongdoing. Drawing on Gailey and Lee's (2005a) integrated model, the goal of this thesis is to test the role that empathy plays in attributing responsibility. Those who demonstrate greater levels of empathy are more likely to hold organizations responsible than individuals.
Advisors/Committee Members: Lee, Matthew.
Subjects: Social Psychology; Sociology
Keywords: Attribution of Responsibility; Empathy; Organizational Deviance
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3.
Bemiller, Michelle L.
Mothering on the Margins: The Experience of Noncustodial Mothers.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2005, University of Akron
► In patriarchal societies, there is a connection between being a woman and…
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▼ In patriarchal societies, there is a connection between being a woman and being a mother. It is assumed that not only will women want to be mothers, but that they will practice intensive mothering tactics (Hays 1996). In other words, mothers will spend massive amounts of time and energy on their children, they will buy their children anything they want and they will sacrifice their wants and needs for those of their children. If women participate in intensive mothering, they are evaluated as good mothers. These standards of behavior, however, have been found to be virtually impossible to maintain, especially for women who are in financial straits and who are not able to spend large quantities of time with their children. The noncustodial mother is one such woman. Using one-on-one semi-structured interviews, this dissertation examined sixteen noncustodial mothers’ experiences with motherhood as non-normative mothers. Findings indicated that the relinquishment of custody, whether voluntary or involuntary, is a difficult life event for mothers. The mothers in this study experienced drastic changes in their mothering lives as they transitioned from custodial to noncustodial caregivers, including changes in contact with and control over children, changes in the mothering role, and the experience of stigmatization due to their “deviant” mothering status. Despite the changes in their mothering role, the majority of the mothers still tried to maintain intensive mothering strategies. Some succeeded, others failed. As a result of attempting to maintain these standards, the mothers experienced depression and guilt. The findings of this dissertation have sociological and policy implications. Findings demonstrate the need to redefine what it means to be a family and more specifically, what it means to be a mother. Recommendations are made regarding how to make these changes happen, as well as for future research on this population.
Advisors/Committee Members: Feltey, Kathryn M.
Keywords: Noncustodial mothers; Mothering; Stigma
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4.
Blount, Stacye A.
Negative Spillover and Mental Health: An Exploration of the Moderating Effects of Sociodemographic Factors, Family Characteristics, Socioeconomic Resources, and Work Characteristics.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2009, University of Akron
► The major aim of this dissertation was to investigate how negative spillover…
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▼ The major aim of this dissertation was to investigate how negative spillover shapes mental health status. Following the stress process model, this study also explored whether and how sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., race, gender, and age), family characteristics (i.e., length of marriage/cohabitation, spousal/partner support, and presence of children), socioeconomic resources (i.e., education, income, mortgage-payer status, renter status), and work characteristics (i.e., total work hours, job tenure, skill discretion, decision authority, coworker support, and supervisor support) moderate the relationship between negative spillover and mental health. Data were analyzed from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States 2004-06 (N=1,430) and the key outcome measures were depressive symptoms and anxious mood. With respect to depressive symptoms, the major findings indicated that negative work-to-family spillover increased symptoms. Other findings indicated that the deleterious effects of negative work-to-family spillover were moderated by gender and spousal/partner support, wherein men and individuals with higher levels of spousal/partner support experiences lower levels of depressed mood. While negative family-to-work spillover did not have main effects on depressive symptoms, this type of spillover was moderated by spousal/partner support, which acted as a protectant against spillover even in the case of high levels of negative family-to-work spillover. Similar to depressive symptoms, negative work-to-family spillover increased anxious mood. Moreover, the effect of negative work-to-family spillover on symptoms of anxiety was moderated by length of marriage/cohabitation. Lengthy married or cohabitating relationships reduced the impact of negative work-to-family spillover on anxious mood. Negative family-to-work spillover was not related to anxious symptoms; however, despite the lack of main effects, age did moderate the relationship between this type of spillover and symptoms of anxiety. Age did not diminish respondents’ anxiety levels at high levels of negative family-to-work spillover, but younger respondents experienced more anxiety at low levels of negative family-to-work spillover.
Advisors/Committee Members: Christie-Mizell, C. André.
Subjects: Mental health; Social psychology; Sociology
Keywords: work-family conflict; negative work-to-family spillover; negative family-to-work spillover; mental health; depressive symptoms; anxious symptoms; sociodemographic factors; family characteristics; socioeconomic resources; work characteristics
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5.
Bozin, Marie A.
Delinquency, Foster Care Placement, Attachment, and Race.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2008, University of Akron
► The number of children and families who require foster care services has…
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▼ The number of children and families who require foster care services has grown substantially over the past two decades in the United States. Every year approximately 300,000 children enter foster care as a result of abuse or neglect. With the expanding use of formal kinship care, there is a growing need to understand the impact of kinship care placement on children's outcomes. Utilizing Hirschi’s social control theory as a framework, this study utilizes the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to examine the relationships among caregiver-child attachment, type of foster care placement, and delinquency. Social control theory purports that individuals who are not attached to conventional others will be more likely to engage in delinquent behavior. This study found partial support for the theory depending on the type of foster care placement and the race of the child. Specifically, attachments did lower delinquency for White but not Black Children, and being in kinship care also lowered delinquency only for Whites. Future research needs to explore the differences for the protection attachment and type of placement offers against delinquency between Black and White children in foster care.
Advisors/Committee Members: Nofziger, Stacey.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: Juvenile Delinquencey; Foster Care; Kinship Care; Attachment
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6.
Brantley, Demario Jamar.
"Unraveled Pieces of Me: A Sociological Analysis of Former African American Slave Women's Experiences and Perceptions of Life in Antebellum Arkansas".
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2012, University of Akron
► This thesis examines former African American slave women's experience during American slavery.…
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▼ This thesis examines former African American slave women's experience during American slavery. Using archival qualitative interviews from the 8th volume of The American Slave (1941), I examine perceptions of life under slavery, perceptions of life since freedom, comparison of the slavery vs. freedom, and perceptions of types and sources of social support in the interviews of 35 African women who had lived as slaves in the 19th century U.S. Standpoint theory and black feminist thought provide the theoretical framework for the research. Findings suggest that various forms of physical and emotional violence characterized most of the women's perceptions of life under slavery. Some perceived slave life as privileged and easy going and found life since freedom problematic. Some of the women identified changes in gender norms and roles and a decline in work ethic as particularly troubling in the younger generation. They depicted life under slavery as more respectable in terms of community solidarity, work ethic, gender roles and family dynamics. Life since freedom was characterized as chaotic and on the roads to ruin. Participants identified social support in the form of financial assistance in weddings and other life events. Participants derived social support from other slaves, from their mothers or mother figures, but mostly from slaveholders and their families. Finally, I discuss sociological contributions of this study as well as directions for future research.
Advisors/Committee Members: Feltey, Kathryn.
Subjects: African Americans; African American Studies; Black Studies; Gender; Sociology
Keywords: slave women; 19th century Arkansas; African American; perceptions of freedom; perceptions of slavery; mothering; standpoint theory; black feminist thought
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7.
Chervenak, Lia.
Heavy Episodic Drinking among Victims of Violence: An Analysis of Sex Differences.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2010, University of Akron
► Violence has traditionally been researched as an outcome of alcohol use in…
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▼ Violence has traditionally been researched as an outcome of alcohol use in situations of intimate partner violence or interpersonal violence. The present thesis examines heavy episodic drinking as an outcome of being a victim of intimate partner violence or interpersonal violence. Using survey data collected from undergraduates attending a Midwest university (N=422), three measures of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual and verbal/emotional) and two measures of interpersonal violence (physical and sexual) and their relationship with heavy episodic drinking will be explored using a series of logistic regression models. I also analyze how this relationship is influenced by sex with interaction terms created between each type of victimization and sex and by using split-sex models. Forty-six percent of the sample engaged in frequent or occasional heavy episodic drinking, and thirty-sex percent of the sample reported being a victim of either intimate partner violence or interpersonal violence. Results indicate that heavy episodic drinking behaviors are associated with intimate partner violence victimization and interpersonal victimization. Further analysis suggests that the type of victimization experienced has a differential impact on drinking behavior depending on the sex of the victimized.
Advisors/Committee Members: Peralta, Robert L.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: heavy episodic drinking; intimate partner violence; interpersonal violence
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8.
Clough, Lynn.
Managing Diabetes Within the Context of Poverty.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2008, University of Akron
► Recent advances have been made in health care delivery services for patients…
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▼ Recent advances have been made in health care delivery services for patients with chronic illness through development and implementation of the Chronic Care Model. This new model of care focuses much needed attention on patient-centered issues and has been shown to be more effective for improving outcomes. Yet these improved outcomes have been less forthcoming with patients in more disadvantaged statuses. The purpose of this study is to test an extended sociological model that can provide insight into the experience of managing a chronic illness, such as diabetes, that takes into account the social context in which self-care and health care settings are embedded. Two conceptual tools from the fundamental cause perspective were used to explore the experience of self-care within the context of poverty: 1) contextualizing risk factors for poor self-care; and 2) scarcity of resources to deal with the risks. The data set from the Diabetes Team Trial (n=177) was analyzed. This data set provided a homogeneous sample of impoverished patients and a direct comparison of two different chronic care settings that varied in intensity of formal support. Findings from this study underscore the importance of a sociological model for understanding the experience of disadvantaged patients. The chronic care model was found to be effective for improving clinical outcomes for disadvantaged patients. However, barriers were identified that limit full participation in the more efficacious components of the care model. Chronic stressors and scarcity of resources were found to have direct effects on self-care behaviors regardless of the care model. Confidence in ability to self-care and perceptions of personal control were found to be important resources that mediated negative effects. Working poor status places individuals at higher risk for exposure to chronic stressors and poor health. African-Americans appeared to benefit more from the formal support from nurse practitioners. Four distinct mechanisms or pathways were identified through which self-care is disrupted and health is compromised within the context of poverty. This study provides information that can be used to design health service interventions to improve the quality of self-care and improve health in patients from lower socioeconomic status groups.
Advisors/Committee Members: Tausig, Mark.
Subjects: Health care; Sociology
Keywords: Diabetes Self-Care; Poverty; Chronic Care Model; Fundamental Cause Perspective; Nurse Practitioners
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9.
Dykstra, Richelle.
Emotion Management and Well-Being: A Stress Process Approach.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2011, University of Akron
► The dissertation examines emotion as an occupational stressor and its effects on…
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▼ The dissertation examines emotion as an occupational stressor and its effects on health. Drawing from the stress process approach (Pearlin 1981), the work of Hochschild (1983), and Erickson and colleagues (1993, 1995, 2001, 2007), I use longitudinal survey data to investigate the influence of emotional experience and emotion management on both mental and physical health. The data (n = 795) were collected from a sample of registered nurses working within two acute care hospitals located in a mid-sized Midwestern city in the United States. In addition to the direct effects of emotion on health, the models that were tested also considered the potential mediating influence of three dimensions of self-concept (i.e., self-esteem, self-efficacy, and authenticity) and work-family conflict. I also examined the possibility that the importance of the work role might serve as a moderator of these relationships. Tests of regression models indicated support for most direct relationships. Self-concept was also found to mediate the relationship between emotion and health but these mediating effects differ depending on the particular variables examined. There was also some support for work-family spillover operating as a mediator of the relationship between emotion and health, though its influence was weaker than that reported for self-concept. Little support was found for work role importance as a moderator. Implications, future research directions, and limitations to be addressed in future research on stress, emotion and health are discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Erickson, Rebecca.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: emotion; nurse; self-concept
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10.
Grove, Wendy J. C.
The Experience of Grief Among Nurses: Measuring, Feeling, and Managing Emotion.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2005, University of Akron
► This dissertation explores the grief experiences of nurses. As health care professionals,…
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▼ This dissertation explores the grief experiences of nurses. As health care professionals, nurses experience patient death as part of their paid work. Although bereavement researchers have yet to explore the grief experiences of nurses, personal narratives from nurses themselves suggest that they grieve the deaths of individuals for whom they have cared. This dissertation contributes to the research on grief and bereavement through (1) the construction and testing of a new, theoretically consistent measure of grief, (2) an exploration of what nurses feel when a patient dies, and (3) an examination of the extent to which nurses’ experience and management of emotion influences their individual well-being. These issues are examined through descriptive and multivariate analyses of survey responses obtained from a random sample of 234 registered nurses licensed in the state of Ohio. Results indicate that nurses experience positive, negative, and agitated emotions, as well as more general feelings of grief, at varying levels of intensity following patient death. However, these emotional experiences were not consistently related to mental health outcomes. Consistent with the emotion norms of nursing, respondents reporting higher levels of negative and agitated emotions were more likely to suppress them and such suppression was related to increased levels of burnout, depressed mood, and anxiety.
Advisors/Committee Members: Erickson, Rebecca J.
Keywords: Grief and Bereavement; Sociology of Emotion; Nurses; Instrument Creation; Emotion Management
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11.
Harvell, Joy G.
Examining the Identity Verification Process Among Registered Nurses.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2012, University of Akron
► The extent to which there is congruence between one's reflected appraisals and…
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▼ The extent to which there is congruence between one's reflected appraisals and one's self-perception has been shown to have both positive and negative emotional consequences. However, less is known about the effect of this identify verification process for emotion-based outcomes and among adult workers for whom identity and emotion may be particularly important. In addition, few studies have examined how these relationships hold for particular types of interactional partners, or how they may be moderated by varying degrees of identity salience and commitment. To further address these issues, I investigate these relationships among full-time registered nurses (RNs) employed within an acute care hospital system in the Midwestern United States. More specifically, I examine the emotional experiences of RNs whose nursing identities are not verified by their patients'an important interactional group with whom RNs spend a significant amount of their time and who are a direct counter-role to their role as a nurse. I also explore the moderating effects of identity salience and commitment on the relationship between a non-verified identity and positive, agitated, and negative emotional outcomes. Consistent with previous literature, I find that individuals whose nurse identities are not verified experience more negative and agitated emotions, and fewer positive emotions, than nurses who do experience identity verification, but that emotional commitment to the job will reduce this relationship between this identity discrepancy and agitated emotions. In addition, intensive commitment tends to strengthen the effect between a non-verified nurse identity and agitated emotions. Implications of the results for future research on identity and emotion are discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Erickson, Rebecca.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: Identity; Emotions; Nurses
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12.
Huzyak, Teresa M.
Work and Domestic Violence: Examining Spillover Among Women.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2008, University of Akron
► In an effort to more clearly identify the relationship between occupational violence…
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▼ In an effort to more clearly identify the relationship between occupational violence and domestic violence among women, the present study is a replication and extension of Melzer's (2002) study on male occupational violence spillover. In addition to utilizing social learning theory and doing gender to predict women's odds of perpetrating domestic violence, the current study incorporates an alternative interpretation of gendered relative resource theory, as well as alternative forms of domestic violence. Women's use of spanking/slapping with children and shouting are examined as verbal and physical aggression. Results show support for the doing gender perspective.
Advisors/Committee Members: Feltey, Kathryn.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: work; domestic violence
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13.
Kimura, Aya.
Discrimination, Group Identity, and Mental Health: A Comparative Study of African Americans, Caribbean Americans, and European Americans.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2008, University of Akron
► The major aim of this dissertation was to investigate the mechanisms through…
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▼ The major aim of this dissertation was to investigate the mechanisms through which psychosocial factors (i.e., group identity, self-esteem, mastery, and social support) reduce the deleterious impact of discrimination on the mental health outcomes of racial and ethnic minorities. Based on the stress process model and risk/protective and protective/protective paradigms, this work explored whether and how racial and ethnic group identity (conceptualized as a psychosocial resource) helps minority group members combat the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination on mental health. For this project, data were analyzed from the National Survey of American Life (N=3,006 African Americans; 1,190 Afro-Caribbean Americans; and 491 non-Hispanic European Americans). Consistent with prior studies, the findings showed a positive relationship between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms. Additionally, results indicated that despite higher levels of discrimination and other types of disadvantages reported, racial minorities were able to maintain unexpectedly favorable mental health status, compared to their European American counterparts. With respect to race- and ethnicity-specific findings, the mental health of Caribbean Americans was protected by self-esteem, mastery, and social support in the face of day-to-day discrimination. The pattern differed for European Americans, whose mental health was more protected by self-esteem, and African Americans, whose mental health was protected by mastery. In terms of the role of racial and ethnic group identity, reported closeness to other blacks helped Caribbean Americans to deal with day-to-day discrimination and African Americans to cope with major lifetime discrimination. Alternatively, the evaluative aspect (i.e. positive evaluation of other blacks) of group identity minimized the effect of day-to-day discrimination on depressive symptoms for both Caribbean and African Americans, while the evaluative aspect only helped Caribbean Americans in dealing with major lifetime discrimination. These racial and ethnic variations in the processes through which psychosocial resources protected mental health highlights the importance of paying closer attention to the diversity both across and within racial and ethnic groups.
Advisors/Committee Members: Christie-Mizell, C. Andre.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: Discrimination, Racial and Ethnic Group Identity, Mental Health, Caribbean, African American, European American, Stress Process Model, Protective Factor
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14.
Lansberry, Kasey.
Welfare Participation Rates Among the Eligible Poor: A County-Level Analysis of the North Carolina Work First Program.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2012, University of Akron
► Welfare participation has been a long-standing issue of public debate for over…
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▼ Welfare participation has been a long-standing issue of public debate for over the past 50 years. Various public policies have come to shape and/or attempted to deal with declining public support for welfare participation. Racial discrimination, the war on poverty, fictitious political depictions of the “welfare queen”, and a call for more stringent eligibility requirements all led up to the passage of welfare reform in the 1990s and the creation of the new Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) program. Under the new welfare program, work requirements and time limits narrowed the field of eligibility. The purpose of this research was to examine the factors that influence welfare participation rates among the eligible poor. By analyzing demographic data and semi-structured interviews with program managers in all 100 counties in North Carolina, I examined a number of factors that influence TANF participation rates among those financially eligible. Utilizing OLS regression models I found that in addition to basic gender and racial factors, counties with a more conservative political leaning had lower participation rates among their eligible poor. Perhaps, most interestingly, I found that the negative perceptions and opinions of program managers regarding TANF recipients also led to lower welfare participation among those eligible. These findings have implications not only for federal, state, and county level welfare policies, but also policies that can be implemented in the welfare office to create an atmosphere more conducive to providing aid to those in need.
Advisors/Committee Members: Taylor, Tiffany.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: Welfare, Poverty, Welfare Queen, Public Policy
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16.
Lawrence, Daysha Rai M.A.
Childhood Victimization and Adolescent Delinquency: An Application of Differential Association Theory.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2009, University of Akron
► The primary focus of this study is the evaluation of the victimization-delinquency…
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▼ The primary focus of this study is the evaluation of the victimization-delinquency relationship by exploring the impact of childhood physical and sexual abuse by parents on several delinquent activities. This study specifically evaluates whether child abuse acts as a strain on the parent-child association that increases delinquent peer associations. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescents (Kilpatrick and Saunders 1995), this project examines the direct relationship between specific types of childhood victimization (i.e. physical and sexual abuse) by parents and specific types of delinquency occurring during adolescence;the impact of specific types of childhood victimization on delinquent peer associations during adolescence; the impact of delinquent peer associations on the specific types of delinquency; and examines the impact of delinquent peer associations on the victimization-delinquency relationship. The findings of this study indicate that physical and sexual abuse have a substantial indirect effect on each of the delinquency measures via delinquent peer associations.
Advisors/Committee Members: Nofziger, Stacey.
Subjects: Criminology; Sociology
Keywords: child abuse; victimization; sexual abuse; physical abuse; differential association; delinquency; juvenile delinquency; peers; substance use
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17.
McElroy, Nicole Kathleen.
"'The Holy Spirit is Moving and we're not Paying Attention': Social Change, Organizational Dilemmas, and the Future Sustainability of Women Religious".
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2012, University of Akron
► This paper examines general shifts in cultural and economic ideologies in the…
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▼ This paper examines general shifts in cultural and economic ideologies in the United States from 1960 to the present. I explore how these cultural and economic changes influence the life choices available to women, as well as how these changes influence women religious and the vocation of being a nun. Less permanency, an increased demand for flexibility, and shifting cultural norms influence the current “vocation crisis” within the Catholic Church. I study this topic using a qualitative approach and focus on incorporating feminist methodology into my project. This project focuses on interviews with several nuns within one local “progressive” religious order, as well as extensive field notes and observations with this religious community during the last eight years. Changes in the structure of religious life since Vatican II are explored, as well as broader themes such as resistance to patriarchy, organizational and institutional level changes within groups of women religious and the larger Catholic Church, changes in ministry, changes in membership requirements and recruitment techniques, and conflict with the Institutional Church and Church hierarchy. The broader societal shifts and changes in culture and the economy influenced many of the themes explored in this project, which ultimately brings the future sustainability of this order of women religious and many others across the country into question. This project relies on the concepts of applied/clinical sociology to try and address the current vocation crisis and explores different strategies that groups of women religious can adopt to maintain their livelihood in the future.
Advisors/Committee Members: Lee, Matthew.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: women religious; nuns; gender; social change; religion; Catholicism; patriarchy
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18.
Noh, Marianne S.
Contextualizing Ethnic/Racial Identity: Nationalized and Gendered Experiences of Segmented Assimilation Among Second Generation Korean Immigrants in Canada and the United States.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2008, University of Akron
► The purpose of this research is to contribute to the social constructionist…
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▼ The purpose of this research is to contribute to the social constructionist study of relationships between assimilation experiences, gendered ethnicity and ethnic identity formation among second generation Korean Americans and Korean Canadians. As the presence of Korean immigrants in the U.S. and Canada is currently increasing at record high rates, the integration and adaptation of this new Asian immigrant group is an important concern for empirical assessment. For second generations, experiences of integration and adaptation influence ethnic identity formation, the socially constructed sense of self and belonging to ethnic groups and cultures. This study develops an understanding of segmented assimilation experiences, the internalization and resolution of racialized gender stereotypes and associated identity formations through content analysis of interview data. Thirty-one second generation Korean Americans and Korean Canadians participated in in-depth face-to-face interviews.The respondents were asked about their lived experiences of assimilation, gendered ethnicity and ethnic identity. The results are a presentation of emergent themes. The interpretation of data employs a contextualization of the results in national and gendered settings. Presented are three major results. First, American and Canadian second generation Koreans encounter similar assimilative experiences of adaptation struggles, social exclusion and confrontations with the model minority stereotype. Second, the respondents expressed distinct models of Americanness and Canadianness: the ethnic American model (Kibria 2002) and the multicultural Canadian model. Neither, however, was perceived to permit full integration of Asians into the mainstream. Third, racialized gender stereotypes were prominent sources of conflict for the respondents. In conclusion, a model of dissonant identity formation is suggested and discussed. Conversations with second generation Koreans have shown that the formation of ethnic identity is a challenging experience that requires ongoing resolutions of conflicting messages coming from mainstream and co-ethnic social settings.
Advisors/Committee Members: Lee, Matthew.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: Ethnic Identity; Segmented Assimilation; Social Construction; Gender; Asian; Second Generation Immigrants; Model Minority; Stereotypes; United States; Canada
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19.
Oliva, Monica.
The Effect That The Method Of Compliance Has on the Decision of a Victim to Informally Disclose a Sexual Assault.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2011, University of Akron
► The method of compliance used in sexual assaults has been shown to…
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▼ The method of compliance used in sexual assaults has been shown to affect the decision to formally report the victimization to authorities. This study uses a sample of undergraduate students to determine if the method of compliance used in a sexual assault affects the decision to informally disclose the victimization to sources of social support. The findings show that only two specific methods of compliance are significant factors in determining if the assault will be disclosed to informal sources of social support contrary to the literature regarding formal reporting of sexual assaults. This discrepancy highlights the difference between formal reporting and informal disclosing. Future research should focus on additional factors affecting the decision to disclose victimization, as disclosure benefits the victim who is provided with emotional support as well as increases the likelihood of the victim formally reporting sexual assault to the authorities.
Advisors/Committee Members: Asencio, Emily.
Subjects: Criminology; Sociology
Keywords: sexual assault, victim, rape, disclosure
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20.
Pokimica, Jelena.
Socioeconomic Disparities Linked to Health-Risk Behaviors: A Trend Analysis-based Test of Fundamental Causality (1977-2005).
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2009, University of Akron
► In this thesis I sought to examine socioeconomic differences (high SES group…
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▼ In this thesis I sought to examine socioeconomic differences (high SES group versus low SES group) in five health-risk behaviors (smoking, obesity, overweight, alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise) by way of testing the theory of fundamental causes (Link and Phelan 1995). This theory predicts that those of high SES are better positioned (thanks to their resources) than those of low SES to shield themselves from health risks. I conducted trend analyses of data gathered over two decades. I used National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) collected during the period from 1977 to 2005 (N=178,695) for descriptive analyses, and from 1977 to 2000 (N=147,267) for convergence/divergence analyses (trend estimations). I expected that all health-risk behavior differentials would widen over time between high and low SES groups (divergence), except for alcohol consumption (convergence). Alcohol consumption is known to be higher among those of high SES; nevertheless, in line with the theory, it was predicted that the high SES group would be moving in the direction of diminishing the gap with the low SES group over time. Support for the theory of fundamental causes was mixed but portions of the theory were supported. Three hypotheses regarding obesity (divergence), overweight (divergence), and alcohol consumption (convergence) were supported. Predicted probabilities of obesity and overweight increased over time for each group, while they decreased for alcohol consumption for each group. Two hypotheses for smoking and lack of exercise were not supported. One estimated regression model did not capture any significant smoking trend differences (neither convergence nor divergence); another estimated regression model captured significant converging lack of exercise trends, with decreasing probabilities of lacking exercise over time for each group. Taken together, the findings are implicative of the persistent SES-health association, and more specifically, one of the many channels through which that association can be maintained – health-risk behaviors. The findings are also suggestive of the importance of addressing social and economic factors that affect diseases (distal factors), besides individually-based factors that are closer to disease in the causal chain (Link and Phelan 1995). If view of that issue, the effects of fundamental causes would otherwise continue to persist in spite of attempts to control more proximal factor effects.
Advisors/Committee Members: Tausig, Mark.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: socioeconomic status and health, health-risk behavior trends, fundamental causes, convergence models
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21.
Prohaska, Ariane.
The Gendered Division of Leave Taking.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2006, University of Akron
► A large body of research exists on how gender shapes social life.…
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▼ A large body of research exists on how gender shapes social life. Gender inequality exists in politics, the workplace, and in the home. Research on the divisions of housework and childcare pervade sociological research. One area that has been largely ignored is the gendered division of leave taking after the birth or adoption of a child. In this dissertation, I improve on the research on leave taking for the birth or adoption of a child methodologically and theoretically. Methodologically, I improve on the research on leave taking by analyzing only those individuals who responded that they took time off because of the birth or adoption of a child. Theoretically, I analyze leave taking at different levels of analysis. First, I use gender theories of the state and the welfare state to analyze the development of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Using content analysis, I find that women’s issues are largely ignored in committee meetings of the House and Senate during the development of the FMLA. The bill is seen as contributing to worker’s rights or even men’s rights more so than as a way of achieving gender equality. Second, I use past research on leave taking and research on the gendered division of housework to develop a model to study leave taking quantitatively. Most importantly, I identify how spouse’s resources play a role in the decision of whether or not to take a leave. As expected, women are much more likely to take a leave. Women who have spouse’s who make significantly more money and work significantly more hours are more likely to take leave after the birth or adoption of a child. This study reveals that even though gender is the most important predictor of leave taking, resources play an important role. I conclude that paid parental leave may be a step towards more men taking time off to take care of children, which, in turn, could lead the United States closer to gender equality in the workplace and in the home.
Advisors/Committee Members: Zipp, John F.
Keywords: LEAVE TAKING; women; FMLA; LEAVE; gender; men
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22.
Pryor, Erin M.
Interracial Romantic Coupling and the Color Line: Color-Blind Ideology Among Black-White Couples.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2010, University of Akron
► The goal of this dissertation is to explore the operation of color-blind…
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▼ The goal of this dissertation is to explore the operation of color-blind ideology among interracial couples. Research confirms that instead of the blatant racism of the past, covert race issues persist because people tend to use color-blind racial ideology (Bonilla-Silva 2003; Carr 1997) and that interracial relationships are becoming more prevalent and even accepted in the U.S. (Domokos-Cheng 1995; U.S. Census Bureau (see e.g., Bonilla-Silva 2001, 2003; Bonilla-Silva & Lewis 1999; Lewis 2006). Therefore, my research considers how color-blind ideology, a typically macro and/or group-level concept, shapes heterosexual Black-white intimate relationships. The ways in which these couples build and maintain their relationships in a color-blind racist world are examined. As well, the influence of romantic interracial contact on the racial views and operation of racial ideology among these couples is explored in order to better understand the impact of color-blindism. To do so, feminist qualitative methodology is used. This methodology was chosen because of feminism's commitment to represent, understand and give a voice to marginalized groups (Collins 1991, 2000; DeVault 1996; Harding 1987). Feminists advocate employing a consciousness-raising method, breaking away from traditional research and dismantling the power dynamic between researcher and research participants (Collins 1991,2000; DeVault 1996; Farganis 1986; Reinharz 1992; Sprague and Zimmerman 2004). Specifically, semi-structured interviews with Black-white couples are conducted in an effort to emphasize subjective knowledge, to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of these couples in their own words, and to make visible their experiences as an interracial couple in a color-blind social world. The findings confirm that color-blind ideology pervades the thoughts and interactions of both whites and Blacks involved in interracial relationships. Across the life course, color-blind ideology is prevalent in their upbringing, their interaction as a couple, and their familial and social interactions. This operation of color-blindism reinforces the mutual interplay of structure and ideology. Specifically, the relationship between the racialized social system (structure of society) and color-blind racism (the predominant ideology) is reified and works cooperatively to stimulate and reproduce inequality (Bonilla-Silva 2001, 2003; Bonilla-Silva & Lewis 1999; Carr 1997; Lewis 2006; Oliver and Shapiro 1995).
Advisors/Committee Members: Christie-Mizell, André.
Subjects: African Americans; Black history; Social psychology; Sociology
Keywords: COLOR-BLIND; INTERRACIAL; COLOR-BLIND IDEOLOGY; racial; race; interracial relationships; IDEOLOGY
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23.
Rosenberger, Jared Scott.
The Influence of Crime-Related Media on Perceived Goals of Criminal Sentencing.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2010, University of Akron
► This study examines the influence of crime-related media consumption on an individual's…
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▼ This study examines the influence of crime-related media consumption on an individual's perceptions of the most important goal of criminal sentencing should be, using a statewide survey of 4245 California residents. Consumption of various forms of crime-related media were regressed on four perceived goals of criminal sentencing (punishment, incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation) using multinomial logistic regression. The results suggest that consumption of crime-based reality shows and television news programs significantly influence respondents to select punishment as the most important goal of criminal sentencing, in comparison to rehabilitation. In addition, the more hours of television watched, irrespective of genre, the more likely respondents were to support punishment, deterrence, or incapacitation rather than rehabilitation. These results hold even after controlling for various socio-demographic characteristics, and experiences with crime such as fear, past victimization, and previous personal or household arrests. This study suggests that watching television in general and consumption of “realistic” crime-related media significantly reduce the likelihood that individuals would support rehabilitation as the most important goal of criminal sentencing.
Advisors/Committee Members: Callanan, Valerie.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: Media; Punitiveness; Crime; Goals of Sentencing
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24.
Russell, Virgil E.
Grassroots of the Men’s Movement: An Ethnographic Case Study of an Independent Men's Group.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2009, University of Akron
► This thesis is an ethnographic case study of an independent men’s group…
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▼ This thesis is an ethnographic case study of an independent men’s group in a small mid-western city which claims no affiliation with any organized faction of the men’s movement. It is groups such as this that I contend make up the grass-roots of the men’s movement. The intent of my research was to understand why White, middle-aged, middle-class, heterosexual men (or middlers) seek the homosocial support of a men’s group. I approach this question in two ways. First, I describe what benefits the men hope to gain through their participation in the group. Secondly, I explain how the setting of the men’s group provides these benefits. I also examine whether, and in what ways these men are resisting or reinforcing the patriarchal structure that affords them the privileged status they enjoy as a result of their ascribed status characteristics. Data for this study includes field notes from fifteen months of participant observation in conjunction with face-to-face interviews with the eight men who comprise the “core” group members. Analysis of the data reveals that these men seek a time and place in which to periodically relieve themselves of the burdens of the self-presentation that accompanies hegemonic masculinity. The men’s group provides a place where the men feel emotionally safe in presenting what they consider to be their “true selves” by normalizing activities such as self-disclosure iv and emotional expression, and through strict adherence to mutual promises of confidentiality. The increased intimacy that results from these practices creates a sense of gendered community that minimizes gender role conflict and dissonance in gendered social identity while increasing social self esteem through mutual support of men’s personal masculinity. In short, group participation helps men feel good about being men and perhaps remedies (in part) the isolation men feel in the larger world. However, the men’s apparent inability to feel safe engaging in these practices outside of the group constitutes a non-challenge to either the patriarchal structure or to hegemonic masculinity on a personal level.
Advisors/Committee Members: Feltey, Kathy.
Subjects: Social psychology; Sociology
Keywords: men's groups; masculinities; gender; social identity; intimacy; men's movement
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25.
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer.
Battered Women and Violent Crime: An Exploration of Imprisoned Women Before and After the Clemency Movement.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2006, University of Akron
► When battered women kill their abusive partners they generally do so in…
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▼ When battered women kill their abusive partners they generally do so in self-defense. However, self-defense law never took women’s experiences with domestic violence into account. It was not until 1990 that certain states began to allow expert testimony on Battered Woman Syndrome in self-defense trials. Because of this change in law, several states granted clemency to small numbers of incarcerated battered women (Gagnè 1998). While the research on battered women who received clemency is minimal (Gagnè 1998; Beattie and Shaunessy 2000), there has been no research on the women who applied for clemency and were denied. Using one-on-one semi-structured interviews, this dissertation examined 18 battered women who applied for clemency in 1990 in a mid-western state. Findings indicated that the women’s lives prior to prison were filled with multiple types of abuse (often starting in childhood). The turning point to kill came when they felt it was kill or be killed and/or they feared for their children’s lives. During their time in prison they became active in domestic violence support groups which enabled them to apply for clemency. The twelve women denied clemency still remain in prison (except one woman who was paroled) serving life sentences and have become extremely active within the prison by starting different groups (i.e. yoga, choir, fund-raising for charities, and quilting groups). These women shifted their sense of self from victims to survivors and saw prison as a place of safety and freedom. However, this newfound sense of self clashed with the structure of the prison and because of this the women felt they were repeatedly victimized. The six women granted clemency struggled with having a felony conviction and found it affected employment and housing options, as well as their own sense of self-worth. Those without family support were more susceptible to criminal activity after prison and were more likely to report problems with substance abuse. The women struggled to reconnect with their children; however those relationships improved over time. Lastly, they viewed themselves as survivors and talked about teaching others (as well as themselves) how to live violence free.
Advisors/Committee Members: Feltey, Kathryn.
Subjects: Sociology, Criminology and Penology
Keywords: Battered Women; Domestic Violence; Women Criminals; Clemency Movement
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26.
Sharp-Grier, Martina L.
“SUGAR AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE?”: THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION IN IDENTITY FORMULATION AND INSTANCES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2007, University of Akron
► The current study investigated the effects of religious instruction on women’s development…
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▼ The current study investigated the effects of religious instruction on women’s development of self and gender ideology, and how religious philosophy and affiliation, and gender role ideology affect instances of Domestic Violence (DV) victimization among women. Social Learning Theory grounded the analysis, and shed light on how, through observation and modeling, individuals develop core belief systems. Logistic regression was utilized to study the effect of religion and gender ideology on DV victimization. Results indicate that more individuals who identified as fundamentalist reported instances of having been victimized than did those who were more moderate in their religious beliefs. Fewer respondents who reported a high level of religious affiliation describe having been victims of DV, as did those who professed a belief in the Bible as the literal or inspired word of God. An inverse relationship was noted between traditional beliefs about gender roles and interpersonal violence.
Advisors/Committee Members: Takyi, Baffour.
Subjects: Sociology, General
Keywords: Religion; Domestic Violence
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27.
Skubby, David.
A History of Medical Practices in the Case of Autism: A Foucauldian Analysis Using Archaeology and Genealogy.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2012, University of Akron
► Psychiatric medicine constructs mental disorders from bodily conditions. Being able to medicalize…
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▼ Psychiatric medicine constructs mental disorders from bodily conditions. Being able to medicalize disorders in this way, psychiatric medicine operates as an institution of social control through its power to label individuals as deviant and to establish particular bodily states as medical problems. In this dissertation, I apply Foucauldian concepts, theory, and methods to examine how the history of medical discourse on a particular bodily condition has produced truth about what distinguishes the normal from the pathological. Focusing on the case of autism – a modern-day disorder that now permeates the socio-medical landscape – I show how the relationship between psychiatric medicine and autism might be re-envisioned to provide an alternative perspective on how medical knowledge expands to construct a medical problem. Tracing the history of medical practices used on autistic children, I examine medical documents from the time that autism was constructed as a disorder in 1943 to 1987, when a treatment for autism was produced by behavioral psychology. Using Foucault’s concepts of the clinical gaze, discipline, and power/knowledge, I show how two quite different discourses about autism within medicine emerged at different points in time. Moreover, through the application of Foucault’s methods of archaeology and genealogy, I demonstrate how these disciplines determined what could and could not be stated about autism and how power influenced the production of these statements. Key among my findings are how similar disciplinary techniques gain and lose truth value depending on the context of their deployment and how disciplinary methods and outcomes privilege power/knowledge over individual and social bodies rather than seeking to understand and benefit the lived, bodily experiences of particular human beings. I conclude by suggesting that the history of medical discourse on autism has led to the development of practices that misrecognize, if not ignore, the actual bodily experiences of autistic individuals, and that a new discourse of acceptance and admiration needs to replace the discourse of normalization.
Advisors/Committee Members: Erickson, Rebecca.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: autism; archaeology; genealogy; Foucault
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28.
Slusser, Suzanne R.
Gender Empowerment and Gender Inequality, the Global Economy and the State: Exploring the Relationship Between Economic Dependency, the Political Order, and Women’s Status.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2009, University of Akron
► There are large inequalities between men and women throughout the world. Past…
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▼ There are large inequalities between men and women throughout the world. Past research has attempted to explain differences of income between countries via certain well-established theories. However, early theories tended to ignore gendered differences and only focused upon a narrow view of inequality. This dissertation advances recent attempts to incorporate women into research on global inequality by broadening the focus of influential factors to the political order. Theories of global inequality include modernization, dependency, and world system. The latter theories critiqued modernization theory, but neglected to consider the gendered nature of development and inequality. The women in development, and gender and development theories responded to this theoretical need by incorporating women into analysis on global inequality. Still, research to date has tended to neglect the political realm in favor of economic explanations, and to define inequality by a single, narrow indicator. In this dissertation, I utilize country-level data drawn from 127 countries, including measures of economic dependency and development, culture, and politics. These variables are analyzed via multivariate regression analysis with full information maximum likelihood. This method allows researchers to include cases that have missing data that would otherwise be excluded. I estimate the effect of these factors upon women’s status cross-nationally by the gender empowerment measure and gender inequality, both derived from the United Nations. The analysis includes descriptives, correlations, and multivariate regression. The results indicate that dependency factors do not predict women’s status in accordance with the dependency/world system framework. The political order variables are significant predictors of women’s status, even when controlling for economic and cultural factors. Specifically, government size and women’s rights are significant predictors of gender empowerment, and democracy is a significant predictor of gender inequality. These findings contribute to the research literature on global gender inequality in two principle ways. First, the dissertation considers well-established factors as well as under-considered variables like political characteristics of states. Second, the statistical method employed for multivariate regression allows for the incorporation of more countries that are often excluded from research due to missing data.
Advisors/Committee Members: Feltey, Kathryn.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: gender inequality; gender empowerment; globalization; development; world system theory; political; culture
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29.
Stachel, Suzanne M.
International Nongovernmental Organizations and Development.
Degree: MA, Sociology, 2010, University of Akron
► The impact of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) on developmental progress is complex…
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▼ The impact of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) on developmental progress is complex and much research has been devoted to examining the role of INGOs in society. The world polity theory explains the effect of INGOs on society and establishes the theoretical framework for the world polity network which is an amalgamation of INGOs, IGOs, states, and societies. This research utilizes the conflict model of the world polity perspective which emphasizes the inequality within the world polity network to explain the relationship between INGOs and development in a sample of developing and developed countries. After accounting for the inequality among countries within the world polity network, the positive effect of INGOs on development does not remain. The results from this research indicate the necessity of more research that analyzes the effect of the inequality within the world polity network on the ability of INGOs to encourage development.
Advisors/Committee Members: Xi, Juan.
Keywords: INGOs; World Polity Network; INGO Membership; COUNTRIES
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30.
Steele, Jennifer L.
Adolescent Substance Use and General Social Strain Theory: The Influence of Race/Ethnic-Related Strains and Protective Factors.
Degree: PhD, Sociology, 2011, University of Akron
► The major aim of this dissertation was to assess the utility of…
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▼ The major aim of this dissertation was to assess the utility of general social strain theory (Agnew 1992) in explaining substance use among Black, Hispanic, and White adolescents. In terms of my outcome variable, I examined a cumulative measure of substance use, marijuana use, and alcohol use separately. Data were analyzed from wave three of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (2000-2002). This study explored how under-researched race/ethnic-related social strains such as racial discrimination and general forms of strain such as witnessing violence, physical and verbal victimization affected adolescent substance use. In addition, I examined two important mediating negative affective states, depression and fear. Finally, and in accordance with social strain theory, the moderating effects of parental social support and religion were also included in my statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was primarily composed of path analysis using full information parameter estimates. With respect to fear as a negative affective state, results indicated that reporting fear decreased substance use among adolescents while depression had no significant effect. Other findings indicate that racial discrimination, witnessing violence, and being the victim of verbal bullying indirectly affected alcohol and marijuana use as separate constructs through fear. Physical victimization was the only social strain that had a direct positive effect on marijuana and alcohol use. Social support and religion had a direct negative effect on alcohol and marijuana use. As respondents report higher rates of social support and religious participation, respondents reported less substance use. However, social support and religion did not moderate the relationship between social strains and substance use as theoretically expected. Finally, the sample was separated into three race/ethnic categories: African American, Hispanic, and White. The results revealed that social strains may be operating differently for Hispanics and African Americans compared to Whites. In the Hispanic model fear mediated the relationship between discrimination and verbal bullying but not in the African American and White models. Hispanic respondents reported more depression, engaged in more marijuana use but not more alcohol use. These findings reveal that under-researched ethnic/race based social strains and processes should be considered in future studies.
Advisors/Committee Members: Peralta, Robert.
Subjects: Criminology; Sociology
Keywords: general social strain theory; substance use; alcohol; marijuana; path analysis; adolescents; racial discrimination; bullying; witnessing violence; fear; depression; Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods
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