The impact of Self-Generated Images in online pornography

This investigation seeks to evaluate the impact on individuals, and society, of Self-Generated Images (SGI’s) in online pornography. It presents an inquiry into the extent, and modes, of SGI use among a large sample of adult internet users. This form the initial platform for a theoretical analysis of the rapidly emerging topic, alongside an empirical investigation into how SGI’s are used, and criminally abused. A mixed research method strategy was consequently adopted, employing a quantitative anonymous online survey (Stage 1), qualitative face-to-face interviews with serving Metropolitan Police Service officers in the SOECA unit (Stage 2), and qualitative Skype interviews with active SGI users (Stage 3). The thesis is divided into three main sections. Firstly, in chapters one-to-four, the context for this study into SGI’s is explained, including the specific UK statute laws regarding licit and illicit pornographic images. Commonly used pornographic terminologies are defined. Furthermore, existent research on the topic of SGI’s/online pornography is scrutinized, and several theoretical issues are given a discourse in relation to SGI’s. An analysis of the free speech/online pornography debate is included, together with an examination of the criminal abuse of SGI’s. The second part, chapter five, provides a rationale for the adoption of a mixed research methods strategy in pursuing the aims of this study. Many methodological issues regarding the three stages of the primary fieldwork are addressed; these include: ontology, epistemology, research paradigms and axiology, ethical underpinnings, practical considerations, and the strengths and limitations of methods chosen. In the third section, chapters six-to-eight, the study’s key findings include a taxonomy of the six main types of SGI. Passive SGI viewing is very pervasive, particularly among the key demographic groups of younger adults, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) and males, and may be becoming the norm. Free PornTube websites are predominately used; but also, increasingly, social network sites (SNS’s) and messaging/image sharing apps. Most adults use SGI’s safely for sexual stimulation; however, some use them for educational and humorous purposes. For a minority of active creators of SGI’s, disastrous personal consequences can result because of subsequent criminal abuse, including cyber-bullying/trolling, sextortion, etc. Gay and bisexual men have highly accelerated rates of SGI use on hooking-up sites, often leading to hazardous risk taking. Children face grave dangers from making and sharing sexualised SGI’s as online child sexual abuse (CSA), grooming and sextortion, etc. may transpire. In the UK’s schools, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), and Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), are in a parlous state regarding the issues and dangers of SGI’s. Finally, this inquiry provides some original insights into the areas of applying and generating theories, using mixed research methods, and the empirical findings uncovered

Cross cultural and gender differences in leadership:experiences of prominent Nigerian female leaders

Gender and culture are subsets of leadership influence that contain within them implications for modern organizations and society in general. There is much published literature exploring cultural differences in leadership as well as gender differences in leadership. In contrast, there are few literature contributions that explore the nexus of the two phenomena. This study addressed the gaps in existing literature concerning women in leadership within the Nigeria context. Research questions were raised to provide answers to the notion that culture rather than gender will be a better predictor of leadership styles among women. As a result, understanding unique cultural dimensions related to women leaders is germane for theoretical, empirical and practical implications on organizational studies in Nigeria. A qualitative research method was adopted for this study. Primary and secondary sources of data were used in this study. Content analysis was employed in the analysis of existing research on cultural and gender differences. Further, thematic elements that were consistent across literature were highlighted and applied to the current study. Also, qualitative semi-structured interviews of was used to collect data from ten notable Nigerian female leaders selected through non-probability random sampling technique. The results of the content analysis indicated that the majority of existing research works affirms that gender is not a strong predictor of leadership style among women. The results of the second portion of the study revealed that there are cultural elements that inherently make Nigerian female leaders different from their male counterparts. This implication of this finding is that rather than gender itself as a predictor of leadership styles, the self image and expectations of a society toward the female gender are strong predictors of female leadership styles. This study advances gender and leadership literature and also contributes in a cross curricular sense to African and organizational studies in Africa

Divergent femininities in British film, 1945-59

British cinema of the post-war period has often been characterised as anodyne in terms of gender relations, with the exciting 'wicked ladies' of the war years erased in favour of more conservative versions of femininity. Recent writing (Geraghty, 2000, Harper and Porter, 2003) has brought challenges to bear on this paradigm and opened up a critical space for a more nuanced analysis of gender. This thesis considers representations of divergent femininities in post-WWII British films, that is, female characters who function as liminal figures and who queer boundaries between normative and divergent femininity. I explore how divergent femininities are constructed and the extent to which gender conservatism can be challenged in films from the period. A number of well-known (cross-genre) films, such as Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957) and Mandy (1952), are analysed, augmented by other films that have received little critical attention, for example, The Perfect Woman (1949), Dear Murderer (1947) and Young Wives' Tale (1951). This study employs detailed textual and semiotic analyses (film, reviews, publicity material, critical writings) to produce a historicised feminist reading of 1950s films and femininity and, by combining attention to visual style with an analysis of contextual material, complements existing scholarship which emphasises film production and reception.This thesis explores the extent to which female desire for autonomy, excitement and social mobility could be expressed in 1950s films, and how women questioned their 'proper place' in the gendered social economy. Women's function as housewives is problematised in ways that enter into contemporaneous debates about modernity and consumerism. The heterosexual nuclear family survives as the preferred familial model but the difficulty of mothering is dramatised in ways that challenge hegemonic maternity. Heteroromance and marriage remain the central goal for all women and censorship largely curtails the depiction of female sexuality outside this paradigm. A space however is opened up for women to voice desire for something in addition to the role of wife and mother and in this respect these liminal figures represent a cultural contestation of normative femininity. They shore up - whilst simultaneously challenging - certain ideals of femininity and in doing so speak of the consolidation and transformation of gender relations in post-war British society, suggesting a more dynamic model than has been acknowledged

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Consequences and Perceived Self-Efficacy in Women and Men Witnesses and Non-Witnesses

Despite the numerous advances made in Italy over the years in the study of sexual harassment in the workplace (SHW), research has focused exclusively on victims, perpetrators, and their relationships, and not on the consequences that the experience of sexual harassment can produce in witnesses. The present study aims to address this gap by examining how the indirect experience of SHW, in conjunction with variables such as gender, age, self-efficacy, and coping strategies, affects the mental health status of witnesses of SHW. A sample of 724 employees completed a questionnaire that included a modified version of the Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEQ), the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (RESE). Of the group, 321 participants reported witnessing sexual harassment in the workplace (28.2% of women and 16.2% of men). Results show that witnesses were younger than participants who described themselves as non-witnesses. Results also show that women and men who were witnesses were more likely to suffer the emotional and psychological consequences of the experience than non-witnesses. In addition, female witnesses expressed more positive emotions than men, which enabled them to manage their anxiety and emotional states when triggered in response to sexual harassment in the workplace. Finally, a significant association was found between perceptions of mental health and age, gender, experience with SHW, and self-efficacy strategies. The findings underscore the importance of sexual harassment intervention in the workplace, women and men who witness sexual harassment suffer vicarious experiences, psychological impact, exhaustion, disengagement, and negative feelings

Producers of indecent images of children : a qualitative analysis of the aetiology and development of their offending patterns

The term ‘producers of IIOC’ refers to individuals who create or are involved in the creation of indecent images of children. This thesis is a qualitative analysis of 22 interviews undertaken with individuals who produced IIOC. The production of IIOC is not a new phenomenon. However, producers of IIOC are a group about which little is known, even though they supply a large market. With the advancement of modern technology and the development of the internet, IIOC has become more readily available and easier to produce. Accordingly, it is important to gain a greater understanding of those who create such material in the interests of prevention, child safeguarding and detection. Law enforcement and the legal system worldwide are chasing the ever-advancing means of sexually abusing and exploiting children. Research and safeguarding organisations regularly highlight the exponential number of new IIOC available and the apparent increasing demand for such material. The low-age range of victims of IIOC and extreme abuse being perpetrated have been noted in seized material, and live streaming of child sexual abuse is a concerning development. The participants in this study emerged as a heterogeneous group in terms of social demographics. Their early life experiences were marked by prevalent issues such as neglect, abuse and exposure to violence. A large proportion of them had never had a long-term adult relationship and many others were either separated or divorced. Their grooming techniques were many and varied, and they presented as being able to adapt their grooming process depending upon the environment and victim. IIOC of both known and stranger victims were produced, demonstrating a variation in the relationships between perpetrators and the children who were exploited. The methodology employed to produce IIOC was examined, covering both remote and adjacent producers, as well as those who were covert about their behaviour. The cognitive distortions that supported the behaviour suggest minimising of harm and distancing techniques. The function of the production behaviour was not found to be exclusively sexual and included a variety of other motivating factors, ranging from commercial gain to social status. However, all participants acknowledged a sexual arousal to children. This research has found that the process of producing IIOC appears to be evolving. The advancement of technology, in particular the internet, makes it easier to produce IIOC and share such material with others. As sex offenders seem to be capitalising on new equipment and the increasingly mainstream culture of photographing and recording almost unreservedly, so too must law enforcement and front-line professionals keep pace. Recognising that production of IIOC may be an aspect of an individual’s sexually exploitative behaviour, even when there is initially no apparent evidence, is essential. It appears that it may be an overlooked or undetected area of offending and in turn, not dealt with in assessment, intervention and safeguarding. Future research is advisable to obtain a greater understanding of individuals who produce IIOC, in order to prevent, deter, and deal with the behaviour, as well as to help their victims

THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCAL ROAD SAFETY ISSUES: WHEN LAY AND PROFESSIONAL DISCOURSES COLLIDE

Highway Authorities in the United Kingdom have jurisdiction to control, maintain and improve the local highway network, and the Road Traffic Act 1988 places a duty on such authorities to take preventative measures to reduce road casualties. As such, engineers working for the Highway Authority are on the ‘front-line,’ and are required to deal directly with lay concerns relating to road safety. This study investigates the nature and characteristics of how local road safety issues are raised and how engineers respond to such issues in a local authority setting. A grounded theory methodology was applied in the collection and analysis of this data, and in the generation of subsequent emergent themes. Datasets were established containing textual data from correspondence between the lay public and the authority, and from local press reporting. This was augmented by 47 semi-structured interviews with engineers. The analysis demonstrates that road safety issues and their construction, form a distinct genre. There are certain characteristic structural elements and argumentative approaches, which are oft repeated, in lay formulations of road safety. Road safety issues are played out in a contested field, although engineers may have, in theory, the ‘expertise’ that grants them authority to assess, diagnose and implement mitigation measures; in practice they have little autonomy or control. Regulatory restrictions, political interference, resource impoverishment and a volatile public, severely limit engineers’ independence and discretion. In dealing with the exigencies and pressures of day-to-day front-line public service, engineers deploy certain strategies for ‘managing’ the public. These pragmatic strategies are examined in order to establish how engineers can best effect practical action, in the face of competing and often conflicting demands. In examining the rhetorical organisation of lay argumentative strategies, a ‘popular epidemiology’ of road safety is recreated. This term, borrowed from Brown (1992), encapsulates a folk philosophy with respect to accident causation and the measures that are considered necessary or appropriate to ameliorate/eliminate identified issues. It is suggested that in vivo formulations of road safety issues, such as the ‘accident waiting to happen’ are founded on vague premises, and constitute a category mistake. Projections from phenomenally troubling, yet largely unsubstantiable events, to those with profound material consequences, are neither necessary nor certain. In making decisions on substantial capital investments, engineers, by necessity, are required to assess competing sites on a more epistemically secure metric, namely the police road casualty record

Patriachy and resistance : a feminist symbolic interactionist perspective of highly educated married black women

The struggles with patriarchy in the marriages of highly educated married black women are not clearly defined by research, leading to generalisations that all women experience, interpret and resist patriarchy in a uniform way. Written from an African feminist and symbolic interactionist perspective this qualitative study sought to investigate the cognitive processes of highly educated married black women that develop from their lived experiences, interpretations and resistance with regard to patriarchy in their marriages. Data were collected through (auto)biographical narrative essays, semi-structured interviews and observations and analysed using thematic data analysis. The findings indicate that highly educated married black women experience, interpret and resist patriarchy in diverse ways, highlighting three clusters of these women – the liberal, the conformist and the secretive. Their self-concept and identity are more likely to be shaped by their social experiences and interactions with their husbands and the extended family than interactions in their professions.SociologyM.A. (Sociology

Designing a Patient-Centered Clinical Workflow to Assess Cyberbully Experiences of Youths in the U.S. Healthcare System

Cyberbullying or online harassment is often defined as when someone repeatedly and intentionally harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of others aiming to scare, anger or shame them using electronic devices [296]. Youths experiencing cyberbullying report higher levels of anxiety and depression, mental distress, suicide thoughts, and substance abuse than their non-bullied peers [360, 605, 261, 354]. Even though bullying is associated with significant health problems, to date, very little youth anti-bullying efforts are initiated and directed in clinical settings. There is presently no standardized procedure or workflow across health systems for systematically assessing cyberbullying or other equally dangerous online activities among vulnerable groups like children or adolescents [599]. Therefore, I developed a series of research projects to link digital indicators of cyberbullying or online harassment to clinical practices by advocating design considerations for a patient-centered clinical assessment and workflow that addresses patients’ needs and expectations to ensure quality care. Through this dissertation, I aim to answer these high-level research questions:RQ1. How does the presence of severe online harassment on online platforms contribute to negative experiences and risky behaviors within vulnerable populations? RQ2. How efficient is the current mechanism of screening these risky online negative experiences and behaviors, specifically related to cyberbully, within at-risk populations like adolescent in clinical settings? RQ3. How might evidence of activities and negative harassing experiences on online platforms best be integrated into electronic health records during clinical treatment? I first explore how harassment is presented within different social media platforms from diverse contexts and cultural norms (study 1,2, and 3); next, by analyzing actual patient data, I address current limitations in the screening process in clinical settings that fail to efficiently address core aspect of cyberbullying and their consequences within adolescent patients (study 4 and 5); finally, connecting all my findings, I recommend specific design guidelines for a refined screening tool and structured processes for implementation and integration of the screened data into patients’ electronic health records (EHRs) for better patient assessment and treatment outcomes around cyberbully within adolescent patients (study 6)

The normalcy of hate : a critical exploration of micro-crimes targeting transgender people

This thesis explores the ‘lived reality’ for transgender people who experience a range of hate crimes targeting their gender identity. More specifically, it focuses on exposing ‘everyday’ and ‘mundane’ incidents of abuse which manifest in the form of verbal abuse, harassment and threats of violence. The study adopts a mixed method approach and draws on data from 396 online surveys and 32 semi structured interviews with transgender and gender non-conforming people. It also addresses the changing landscape in which hate speech is facilitated through an exploration of the construction of transgender people online. A discourse analysis of YouTube comments on ‘genderneutral toilets’ was conducted. The findings of this study highlight the pervasive and ‘everyday’ nature of both offline and online hate crime in which victimisation is normalised and intrinsically embedded into ‘everyday’ routines. It emphasises the importance of ‘space’ and ‘belonging’ and argues that particular sex-segregated spaces are conceptualised as significant spaces of risk for transgender people. The thesis embraces a Queer theoretical framework throughout and challenges dominant hate crime hierarchies, introducing ‘micro-crimes’ as a concept that seeks to legitimise the criminality of many incidents of transphobic abuse