Impact of Anonymity and Social Modeling: Online Aggression in Emerging Adults and Their Religious and Political Ideologies

This dissertation investigated online aggression in emerging adults to understand the contextual power of anonymity and social modeling. Emerging adults are characterized as undergoing a period of identity exploration, instability, self-focus, transition, and possibility (Arnett, 2004). Given the importance of identity development at this stage of the lifespan, this research explored religiosity/spirituality and political ideology; two pivotal belief systems that are introspectively evaluated and molded in emerging adults as they separate their identities from their world views (Barry & Nelson, 2004). Furthermore, this dissertation sought to apply religiosity/spirituality and political ideology to the previously established link of anonymity and social modeling and their joined impact on online aggression (Zimmerman & Ybarra, 2016). Behavioral temptation to aggress and participant responses following interaction on a mock blog was recorded and analyzed in situations of anonymity and positive or neutral social models. Aggressive social modeling influenced blog posts and behavioral temptation to aggress. Religiosity/spirituality and political attitudes moderated aggression in blog posts

A Mixed Methods Exploration of Eating Behaviours, Body Image and Mindfulness-Based Constructs Among Gay and Bisexual Men

The prevalence of eating and body-related disturbances among gay and bisexual men exceeds those experienced by straight men; with the majority of literature denoting higher rates of eating disorder prevalence and disordered eating. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and mindful eating have been associated negatively with problematic eating behaviours and body-related issues, informing interventions reported as effective at attenuating such issues in the general and more specific populations. The paucity of research exploring problematic eating behaviours and the potential associations of mindfulness-based constructs among gay and bisexual men provides an opportunity to investigate the potential utility of mindfulness-based constructs to attenuate problematic eating and body-related issues. The current thesis aimed to attain insight into the relationships of mindfulness-based constructs to body-related issues and problematic eating, and further gain an understanding as to how these elements are experienced among gay and bisexual men. The thesis comprises of three initial cross-sectional research chapters, followed by three research chapters which adopted a qualitative approach, consisting of an IMR study and two semi-structured interview studies. Overall, the cross-sectional chapters provided insight into the relationships of mindfulness, self-compassion and mindful eating to body image and problematic eating behaviours among queer men. The nuanced role of body acceptance was observed in explaining relationships between mindfulness-based constructs to problematic eating and body-image. Weight- and body- related shame and guilt also explained relationships of mindfulness-based constructs to problematic eating. The proceeding qualitative chapters highlighted the lived experience of participants in relation to their identity, queer culture and self-acceptance, and further, how these elements related to perceptions of body image and engagement in problematic eating. The findings provide an understanding of the potential utility of mindfulness and related elements in attenuating eating and body-related issues among gay and bisexual men, with consideration for future interventions