Date of Award
6-1-2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Organizational Unit
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
First Advisor
Erin K. Willer, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Charles Reichardt
Third Advisor
Elizabeth Suter
Fourth Advisor
Mary Clair Morr Serewicz
Keywords
College sororities, Social aggression, Social identity theory, Social learning theory
Abstract
Using social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) as theoretical guides, the main objective of the present study was to determine if individual and group identity factors--unstable self-esteem, narcissism, sorority member intragroup status, collective narcissism, sorority intergroup status, sorority intergroup social aggressiveness, and sorority intragroup social aggressiveness--were predictive of young adult females' intergroup and intragroup social aggressiveness in college sororities. Participants for the present study included (N= 222) young adult females who are current members of college sororities in the United States. Path analysis revealed that many individual identity and group identity factors predict young adult females' intergroup and intragroup social aggressiveness in college sororities. Although higher levels of unstable self-esteem did not predict higher levels of young adult females' intergroup social aggressiveness, higher levels of unstable self-esteem were predictive of higher levels of young adult females' intragroup social aggressiveness. Similarly, higher levels of narcissism did not predict higher levels of young adult females' intergroup social aggressiveness but were predictive of higher levels of young adult females' intragroup social aggressiveness. Higher levels of collective narcissism and higher levels of sorority intergroup status were predictive of higher levels of young adult females' intergroup social aggressiveness. However, higher levels of sorority member intragroup status did not predict higher levels of young adult females' intragroup social aggressiveness. Additionally, higher levels of sorority intergroup social aggressiveness were predictive of higher levels of young adult females' intergroup social aggressiveness, whereas higher levels of sorority intragroup social aggressiveness were predictive of higher levels of young adult females' intragroup social aggressiveness. However, the mediation in the present study was not supported. Specifically, higher levels of sorority intergroup status did not predict higher levels of sorority intergroup social aggressiveness, which did not predict higher levels of young adult females' intergroup social aggressiveness. Implications for these findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research are offered.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Bethany L. Doran
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
134 p.
Recommended Citation
Doran, Bethany L., "Social Identity and Social Learning Factors as Predictors of Intergroup and Intragroup Social Aggressiveness in College Sororities" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 169.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/169
Copyright date
2014
Discipline
Social research, Social psychology