Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Design

This is a scholarly personal narrative about the author's three-year journey leading to the development of the Recycling Distraction, a website designed to raise awareness of the shortcomings of municipal recycling. Based on research by environmental historians, sociologists, and economists, the Recycling Distraction presents a critical perspective on America's reliance on municipal recycling for managing post-consumer waste. Through the website, the author challenges the longstanding corporate practice of individualizing environmental responsibility to avoid anti-litter regulations, and argues that companies should be held responsible for their proportionate share of environmental damage caused by single-use disposable products. This paper documents the author's experience learning the fundamentals of user-experience (UX) research as an MFA candidate in the Department of Design. During the journey, the author navigates the landscape of sustainability programs at The Ohio State University, and searchers for opportunities to conduct UX research to support the development of circular-economy initiatives at the institution. Following a series of exploratory design activities, including: (1) conducting user-experience inquiries into recycling-related problems; (2) designing digital solutions aimed at improving recycling participation; (3) reviewing recycling and circular-economy literature; and (4) reflecting upon on his experiences, the author redirects his efforts toward raising awareness of recycling's failure to reduce waste and prevent pollution, which culminates with the development of the Recycling Distraction project.

Committee: Yvette Shen (Advisor); Bartow J. Elmore (Committee Member); Paul J. Nini (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, 2021, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development

While much research has been devoted to investigating individual-level factors that trigger pro-social actions within a specific country or region, little scholarly attention has been paid to country-level factors that might be associated with pro-social actions. In this regard, this study investigated the extent to which country-level factors in the political, economic, and sociocultural domains correlate with the level of altruism presented by a country at large, based on cross-referencing data from the 2012 Gallup World Poll Global Preference Survey (GPS)'s global altruistic scoring survey with data for the political, economic, and sociocultural domains in 2012 or adjacent years from various institutions or research initiatives including World Bank, Center for Systemic Peace, World Value Survey, and Hofstede Insights. In a sample of 76 countries, this study provides evidence that 1) authoritarian countries are more likely to show elevated altruism scores compared to democratic countries, 2) fewer democratic countries show a higher level of altruism scores, 3) countries with a higher GDP are showing a higher level of altruism than countries with a lower GDP, and 4) countries with a higher level of trust attitudes show a higher level of altruism scores. However, income inequality is not significantly correlated with altruism scores. Further, collectivism is not significantly correlated with altruism scores. The study's findings suggest that altruism is likely to be linked with political factors related to a country's political system. Moreover, altruism is somewhat associated with economic and sociocultural factors, given the evidence that people living in countries with a higher GDP and a higher level of trust attitudes are more likely to show altruistic attitudes than their counterparts. However, income inequality and collectivism are less likely to be attributes of altruism. By identifying the country-level factors related to altruism across countries, th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ahlam Lee Ph.D. (Committee Chair); So Jung Park Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jong-Eun Lee Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Educational Leadership; Ethics; Organizational Behavior

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2019, Art

This writing and research shares an edited form of the dialogue presented in The Unknown and the Unnamed, a performance held at Urban Arts Space in Columbus, Ohio. The Unknown and the Unnamed is a hybrid performance drawing from a range of forms including the educational lecture, the artist talk, family slideshow evenings, the memoir and the scientific research paper. How do we live in the world knowing we could address climate breakdown? How are bodies—non-human and human—impacted by a culture of progress, human industry and capitalist expansion? Centering around a local Australian native orchid collection—created by self-described recluse and amateur botanist Philip John Branwhite—I investigate the natureculture narratives of Australian native orchids, and their ecological, scientific and political entanglements. Weaving local and academic forms of knowledge—through voice, images, video and sound The Unknown and the Unnamed speaks to the interconnectedness of experience, the way human and non-human bodies make and unmake each other and the memory of place in a time of post-colonial settlement. Please note, this writing relies heavily on images which are not depicted in this thesis.

Committee: Gina Osterloh (Advisor); Ann Hamilton (Committee Member); Michael Mercil (Committee Member); Juno Salazar Parreñas (Committee Member) Subjects: Botany; Ecology; Environmental Justice; Environmental Studies; Evolution and Development

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2019, College of Sciences and Health Professions

The current study measured levels of individualism and collectivism among Millennial and Generation X employees. With the Millennial generation being the most scrutinized in history, previous research suggests that Millennial and Generation X employees hold differing cultural values, causing the two generations to clash at work. This study revealed mixed findings in which there were certain instances where Millennial employees were more collectivistic than Generation X employees, and others in which they were more individualistic. In addition to the limitations and implications of the current study, a concluding remark on the current state of generational research is offered.

Committee: Chieh-Chen Bowen Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Michael Horvath Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kenneth Vail Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Organizational Behavior; Psychology

BA, Oberlin College, 2019, Politics

This thesis explores the guiding legal standard in child custody law, that custody should be decided 'in the best interests of the child.' I begin with the most common critique of the best interests standard: that it is too vague, allowing for the personal biases of judges to play too great a role in custody decision-making. I challenge this critique by examining the standard in a different context, shifting from divorce proceedings to the child welfare system, to ask how the vagueness of the standard is mobilized differently in child protective proceedings. I argue that it is not the individual biases of judges, but rather the historic, systemic biases, enabled by the vague standard, which predominantly harm families and children. I examine how bias, privacy, and poverty influence interpretations of the `best interests' standard in a child welfare context, through the lens of individualism as a dominant legal and political norm in the U.S.

Committee: H.N. Hirsch (Advisor); Daniel Schultz (Committee Member); Jennifer Rosa Garcia (Committee Member) Subjects: Law; Legal Studies

BS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Objective. The Human Papillomavirus or HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. When healthcare professionals campaign to get people to participate in a particular health behavior, like getting vaccinated for HPV, they use educational messages to explain the importance. Although the general information may be the same, the messages can be framed in two different ways, gain-frame and loss-frame. The present study seeks to examine the effect message frame has on intentions and attitudes to get vaccinated as well as the potential mediating factors of culture and motivational orientation. Design. Males and females (N=72) were recruited from two university campuses and randomly assigned to watch a video either describing the benefits of getting vaccinated (gain-frame) or the consequences of not getting vaccinated (loss-frame). After the video, participants indicated their intentions to get vaccinated and their attitudes towards the vaccination. Results. The type of message frame was not associated with an increase or decrease in attitudes or intentions. Furthermore, neither culture nor motivational orientation appeared to moderate the effect of message frame on attitudes or intentions. Conclusion. Although we were unable to support our hypothesis, the present study's aim to make HPV-vaccine-campaign messages more effective is essential to making preventative health behaviors a priority for all cultures.

Committee: John Updegraff Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Health Education; Psychology; Public Health

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2017, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

This research followed hermeneutic tradition by examining what is often unquestioned in clinical practice as it pertains to the moral, political, and philosophical foundations that underlie the American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002, 2010) and Standard 3.05, Multiple Relationships—it's meanings and controversies. It did so in order to better understand the cultural influences reflected in and the political consequences that emanate from the Ethics Code. Data for this study were collected via semi-structured qualitative interviews with two American psychologists who lived in Washington State, experienced living and working in rural communities, and had practiced with patients from cultures other than their own. This process generated ideas about the larger picture of the social landscape in which the participants and psychotherapy in general are embedded. The interpretive method of analysis proposed by hermeneutic researchers Leonard (1993), Plager (1994), and Stigliano (1989), was used to identify key themes that arose from the data. Three over-arching themes were derived: Participants' confused, anxious, and fearful reactions to Standard 3.05; Problems with the Ethics Code; and Defenses the Participants' enacted to protect against their conflicts and fears. By abstracting from the themes and case-studies, two broad conclusions emerged. First, the authors and interpreters of the APA Ethics Code seem to have understated the influences of other cultures, traditions, and various ethnic understandings that run counter to Western ideas about individualism and communalism and small town/rural life. Second, the interviews contained material that indicated the proceduralism present in mainstream psychology is an impediment to a better understanding of moral issues, relational processes, and thus ethical outcomes in the work of psychologists. Reflections about possible areas for further research and unanswere (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Philip Cushman Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mark Russell Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Member); MiNa Chung Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Ethics; Philosophy; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2017, Psychology-Counseling

The purpose of this study was to expand on the current literature on the use of racial and cultural matching to determine if allocentric-idiocentric match predict treatment improvement above and beyond racial matching. Participants consisted of 60 clients with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia attending a partial hospitalization program. Of the 100 participants that enrolled in the program only 60 were retained in the program until the 90 day follow up assessment. The participants were administered the INDCOL at intake. Additionally, at intake they completed a demographic survey, and the K10, while their primary therapist rated them on the FARS depression, interpersonal and thought process scales and on the mGAF. Participants and therapists were coded as being matched or mismatched on culture, based on INDCOL scores, and on race, based on self-reported race on the demographic survey. Hierarchical multiple regressions were completed to determine if cultural matching better predicted changes in outcome scores beyond the influence of racial matching. The results indicated that cultural matching was unrelated to treatment outcomes, but that racial matching was related to increased depression and interpersonal challenges at follow-up. The study was limited due to a small effect size of changes in outcomes from intake to follow-up. The implications for the use of racial and cultural matching as a means of improving treatment outcomes were discussed.

Committee: John Queener (Advisor); Suzette Speight (Committee Member); Ingrid Weigold (Committee Member); Robert Schwartz (Committee Member); Amber Hewitt (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology

MA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

This study examined how culturally-designed health messages, particularly individualism and collectivism, influence various perceptions of individuals from different culture in the context of smoking cessation. The overall findings indicate that people perceive the same message differently depending on their countries or cultural orientation. Specifically, American participants reported a greater level of threat and had more positive attitudes toward the messages than Korean participants, whereas Korean participants expressed greater intention of joining the suggested smoking cessation programs than American participants. Moreover, individualistic group of people perceived less threat, self-efficacy, and had more negative attitude toward the messages than the collectivistic group. Other additional findings addressed the importance of understanding the cultural influence on fear appeals.

Committee: Nichole Egbert Ph.D. (Advisor); Catherine Goodall Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jihyun Kim Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Health

Master of Arts, Marietta College, 2017, Psychology

This study aimed to investigate perceptions of academic dishonesty in the context of national origin and class year at Marietta College (MC). Students of the MC general student body from predominantly collectivist nations (Kuwait and People's Republic of China) and predominantly individualist nations (United States and Canada) were administered an online survey asking their nation of origin, class year, their beliefs related to individualism and collectivism, and then asked to rate academic cheating behaviors as well as their level of severity in the areas of plagiarism, collusion, and fabrication of data. It was hypothesized that significant differences would be found between culture groups as well as class year based on previous research and efforts at Marietta College to educate first year students on academic dishonesty. No significant differences were found. Exploratory analysis revealed correlations relating to participant individualism beliefs and various cheating behavior ratings, as well as ratings of behavior severity. Limitations included sampling challenges, the use of a novel scale, and the experimental model utilized. Future research should emphasize cheating domains besides plagiarism, explore the differences between specific cheating domains in cross-cultural studies, and consider utilizing individual beliefs of individualism and collectivism in understanding belief patterns as an alternative to groups defined by dominant national cultures.

Committee: Alicia Doerflinger PhD (Advisor); Mark Sibicky PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2017, English-Literature

This thesis attempts to synthesize the life and works of the Bronte sisters alongside the ethos of the punk band Crass. While seemingly absurd at first, connections between the two become more clear as the parameters are more defined. This thesis first explores the domestic home as a communal space, establishing the domicile as a place for artists to become fully engaged with their work. It is here that an exploration into the Brontes' Haworth and Crass' Dial House become essential. From there, the individual is what becomes studied, specifically the Bronte father, Patrick, and the fierce individualism as displayed by Crass. Finally, explorations into the poetry of Emily Bronte alongside the lyricism of Crass, and further comparisons are made from there.

Committee: Heather Braun Dr. (Advisor); Hillary Nunn Dr. (Committee Member); Joseph Ceccio Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts; Literature; Music

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1982, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: History

BA, Oberlin College, 2016, Sociology

In his 2007 book Shopping Our Way to Safety, sociologist Andrew Szasz coined the term inverted quarantine to describe a phenomenon in the way that Americans react to the changing natural environment. Inverted quarantine, or the impulse to remove one's self from perceived environmental dangers, often manifests in consumption behavior such as consuming only organic food, drinking filtered or bottled water, moving from a city to a suburb, or even being enclosed in a gated community. Although inverted quarantine may result in some form of protection, in the long run it is unsustainable in the face of the changing natural environment. Through investigations in literature and in-depth interviews with Ohio farmers, Oberlin College students, and parents in Fairfield County, Connecticut, this study examines the different way that environmental dangers are perceived and addressed across three different demographics.

Committee: Christie Parris (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Justice; Environmental Studies; Gender Studies; Social Psychology; Social Research; Sociology

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

Close friendship is a crucial and unique interpersonal tie that can survive a lifetime. Maintaining such friendships at a satisfactory level, even with the aid of social networking websites (SNS) such as Facebook, can be a challenging process. Research on face-to-face communication has shown that relationship satisfaction depends both upon relationship maintenance strategies (e.g., positivity, openness, supportiveness) and the management of dialectical contradictions (e.g., openness-closedness and autonomy-connection). This dissertation asked how relationship maintenance strategies used on Facebook and perceived dialectical tensions influence relationship satisfaction in close friendships. A key objective was to determine whether the role of Facebook in friendship maintenance differs across two cultures: the U.S. and Malaysia. Effects of the gender makeup of the friendship dyads, age, intensity of Facebook use, and cultural value orientation were also investigated. All participants completed an online survey in which they were asked to think of a close friend with whom they communicated both face-to-face and on Facebook. Findings showed that Malaysian respondents used certain Facebook maintenance behaviors (i.e., supportiveness, openness, social information seeking, and avoidance) significantly more often than did Americans. Cross-sex dyads used more positivity on Facebook than male-male dyads and more openness than female-female dyads. Intensity of Facebook use was positively correlated with frequency of use of all seven Facebook maintenance behaviors. Age of the respondent did not influence the frequency of Facebook maintenance behaviors, when intensity of Facebook use was controlled for. Perceived use of positivity and supportiveness by the friend on Facebook were positively related to relationship satisfaction. In contrast, more frequent use of avoidance and social information seeking by the friend on Facebook negatively impacted relationship satisfactio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Janet Meyer PHD (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Mass Communications

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2014, Journalism (Communication)

This study examines cross-culture differences in media framing, particularly regarding the degree of Individualism-Collectivism. Based on the first two weeks of coverage of the Newtown mass shooting, similar framing patterns were found between U.S. and Hong Kong newspapers. Both newspapers chosen for this study, regardless of their communities' IC degrees, highlight the collective actors in primary topic and attribution of responsibility, and rely on individuals and collective informants equally. The results of this study indicate that cultural differences among journalists appear to be fading, especially in the globalized era. The globalization process which promotes unification of cultures possibly erases the IC difference in journalistic practice.

Committee: Michael Sweeney (Committee Chair); Hans Meyer (Committee Member); Robert Stewart (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism

Master of Arts in English, Cleveland State University, 2013, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

This essay examines the way in which Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest challenges Victorian conventionalist definition of sexuality in terms of gender. Wilde leads the charge against the structure of the heterosexual matrix by examining the extent to which gender regulates a person's identity, perception and future. It is imperative to apply alternate analysis on gay/queer theory to Wilde's work to show how the artist was one of the first to introduce audiences to the notion that gender is in actuality a construct. Several aspects of Wilde's literary career are ignored and critics do not recognize nor understand that the artist's works are the culmination of him addressing the crisis involving the conflict between gender and sexuality. Concepts that once explicitly defined male and female gender roles can no longer distinctly separate both binaries. Wilde contends that gender is a performance of socially inscribed ideas of male and female behaviors and actions however, these distinct citations can and will overlap. What is important to note is that Wilde understands and illustrates that when overlapping occurs, opportunities for variance allows those that fell limited by the matrix the chance to define an identity of their own outside of categorization. Wilde defiantly questions the adherence to strict gender roles using parody to explore serious subject matter. As a revolutionary, the artist extends his defiance further by doing what no other artist of the time does and that is to align the new woman and the dandy making both allies of the same cause. Wilde predicts that women would aid in the disintegration of restrictive regulations. By using the emerging strength, power, and influence of the new woman Wilde reveals the importance of allowing men and women equal opportunities within both the public and private spheres of life. This thesis demonstrates that even though everyone participates as active players in upholding contradictory const (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jennifer Jeffers PhD (Committee Chair); Gary Dyer PhD (Committee Member); James Marino PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Literature; Womens Studies

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Arts and Sciences : Political Science

This dissertation attempts to find a new explanation for political and community disengagement that complements the existing research on the topic. The American tradition of individualism, which has been significant in recognizing and protecting individual rights, is singled out and critically examined for ways in which it could be leading citizens to disengage from their communities and the political process. This is a departure from previous research that has focused logistical concerns and external conflicts as the leading causes of disengagement. The primary causes discussed herein are ideological in nature, thereby suggesting internal factors. The United States Constitution is strongly rooted in classical liberalism. It has a commitment to liberal ideals of limited government, consent and individualism, and these ideals have been applied to all areas of American life—political, economic and social—with varying degrees of success. The liberal ideal that has come into the most conflict with the principles of democracy and self-government, however, is individualism. The American political system requires the involvement of the people, and the liberal need for a limited government requires a neighborly concern for others in society. Unfortunately, individualism leads people away from both of these requirements by providing the justification and rationale for non-participation. Factor analyses of national datasets from the years 1960-2004 demonstrate a consistent relationship between individualistic attitudes and participation. The resulting factor scores consistently explain significant portions of the variance in other individualistic and communalistic attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, content analyses of elite discourse uncover consistent differences between the major parties' use of individualist rhetoric in platforms and State of the Union addresses over the same period. Despite these successes, neither the factor analyses nor the content analyses provide (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Margolis (Advisor) Subjects: Political Science, General

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, Communication

The aim of this study was to test a model predicting parental mediation strategies from cultural dimensions and family communication patterns (FCP). Parents from India (n=57) and the United States (n=56) completed a survey for this study. It was proposed that cultural dimensions of individualism-collectivism, power distance and self-construal are related to family communication patterns. Also it was hypothesized that the effect of family communication patterns on various parental mediation strategies would be moderated by perceived risk of media exposure (PRME). The broad goal of the study was to establish FCPs as the mediators between cultural dimensions and parental mediation strategies. Results supported the association between cultural dimensions and family communication patterns. Also it was found that socio oriented parents with high PRME tend to use restrictive mediation. Concept orientation mediated the effect of individualism on active mediation and the effect of independent self-construal on active mediation.  

Committee: Amy Nathanson PhD (Advisor); David Ewoldsen PhD. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Educational Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, Sociology

The rise of individualism, historians and social commentators have argued, has been one of the master trends in the development of western society over the past few centuries. In the past several decades, gender roles and norms have arguably undergone more transformation than in several preceding centuries. This seismic gender upheaval, coupled with the increasing pervasiveness of individualism in the familial realm, has set the context for a fragmentation of family forms and meanings.This dynamic has several repercussions, such as the blurring of once clearly demarcated and linear stages in the life course, the need to exercise agency in realms that were until recently firm cultural mandates, and the profusion of familial ideologies which are no longer necessarily complimentary, and may even be contradictory. Thus, the modern experience of marriage and family has become an exercise in selecting among an array of family ideologies with the ultimate purpose of crafting a coherent personal narrative and sense of self. Drawing on the symbolic-interactionist perspective, and analyzing qualitative data from a diverse population of divorced mothers, I explore how women make sense over the life course of the multiple identities of mother, wife, worker and “ideal self,” and investigate whether and how the divorce transition engenders a reordering of the prominence hierarchy of identities. I find that most mothers find the identity of mother far more salient than that of wife, due primarily to a sense of both greater control and permanence. Participants stated that they were reluctant to embrace the identity of wife and unwilling to compromise in this role; yet, for them, “mother” was gladly all-consuming and the work involved a “labor of love.” The resolution to this dissonance, for the vast majority of mothers, was divorce. Divorce, however, calls into question one's “good mother” credibility. Resolution is achieved in framing the divorce as entirely compatible with the i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Liana Sayer PhD (Committee Chair); Dana Haynie PhD (Committee Member); Steve Lopez PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology