The relationship of black racial identity and aggressive humor

Humor is a form of intra-personal and inter-personal communication. Previous scholarship identified the expression of affiliative and self-enhancing humor as beneficial for one’s mental health, whereas aggressive and self-defeating humor can have harmful effects. However, in the African American community, culture specific humor, which often includes aggressive elements, has historically aided in coping with racism, oppression, and social inequality. Similarly, strong racial identification can mediate the detrimental outcomes of negative social experiences. This study evaluates the relationship between black racial identity and the aforementioned humor styles, with a focus on aggressive humor. For this correlational study, 63 African American participants from Brooklyn were recruited and classified into two racial identity groups (Pre-Encounter and Advanced Stage), using the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS). Their general humor expression were measured with the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), as well as their enjoyment and perception of African American comedy video clips. MANOVA analysis revealed that Pre-Encounter individuals use all four humor domains significantly less than Advanced Stage persons, with the strongest discrepancy for aggressive humor. In addition, Pre-Encounter individuals also enjoy aggressive comedy video clips significantly less than the Advanced Stage group, and rate this comedy as less affiliative and self-enhancing, but more aggressive and self-defeating. These findings suggest that racial identity characteristics are reflected in one’s humor expression and that aggressive humor can have more beneficial psychological outcomes for blacks than generally assumed

Contemplative Vision: Visual Language in the Sermons of Johannes Tauler

Reifsteck, Joshua P. “Contemplative Vision: Visual Language in the Sermons of Johannes Tauler.” STM Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2022. 91 pp. Johannes Tauler conceives of thought, contemplation, and mystical experience in visual ways, and this conception manifests in visual language and metaphor throughout Tauler’s preaching corpus. This visual language is influenced heavily by Neoplatonic conceptions of contemplation and the One, and by an interior-exterior tension within Tauler’s anthropology which is especially significant for his portrayal of the senses. This thesis focuses especially upon a group of Middle High German words related to the verb schoͮwen. These words are technical terms, describing a contemplative vision which is for Tauler an integral part of the life of faith. Through this contemplative vision, the individual turns within, gazes into the ground of the soul, and attempts to see God himself. In the practice of this inward gaze, the individual finds and clears away that which is not God, in the hopes of not only seeing God, but uniting with him in the abyss, where all sense and self is lost

Grappling With Gender, Religion, and Higher Education in the South: Mary Sharp College from Its Founding Through the Civil War

This article offers a case study of how regional, gender, and religious ideals collided at one Tennessee women’s college during the antebellum and Civil War eras. Mary Sharp College, founded by Baptists in 185, strongly advocated for women’s education that equaled the contemporary men’s institutions. Local factors relating to religion and education contributed to the creation of Mary Sharp College. Tennessee Baptists founded the college as a replacement for more informal education of women and made the school the first women’s college in the U.S. to require Latin and Greek. Two key early figures tied to college, the Vermont-born Graves brothers. James Robinson Graves, a Baptist pastor and editor of The Tennessee Baptist, provided advertising for the college; Zuinglius Calvin Graves, a Baptist educator, gave it direction. J. R. and Z. C. Graves combined southern identity, gender ideology, and Baptist piety to produce a unique form of higher education for women. Although the Graves brothers saw the home and family as the proper place for southern white women, they still believed in the necessity of a rigorous education. Mary Sharp built up faith and southern character in women and prepared them for their chief service to society: motherhood. When the Civil War came, despite their own northern connections and divided loyalties in Tennessee, the Graves brothers and their college fully supported the Confederacy. Despite the college’s supposedly secure location, an occupation by the Union army led the school to close in 1863 and remain closed until 1866, when it reopened as a much weaker school but as one firmly committed both to educated female piety and to the “Lost Cause.

Congestion control schemes and their effect on a hypothetical network

The purpose of this thesis is to allow data communication students to experiment with various congestion control schemes to see how they will affect a simulated network. Using various parameters, the user can design a full duplex, packet switched, point-topoint virtual circuit network. Then, using this network the student can choose a congestion control scheme and run the simulation. After each run the parameter(s), the control scheme, or both, can be changed and the simulation rerun to see what the changes will do to network performance

Moving into an Active Future: Supporting Lifetime Physical Activity for Student-Athletes

-Recognize that student-athletes face unique challenges in transitioning to lifetime physical activity beyond college athletics. -Collaborate with university athletics departments to facilitate transition programs for student athletes in their final year to provide an opportunity for open discussion and goal setting for the future. -Connect student-athletes with community resources during their transition out of college. -Provide former student-athletes with opportunities to experience new forms of physical activity within supportive group settings

Athletic Identity: Complexity of the “Iceberg”

Athletic identity is a common topic in research on athlete experiences and development. Many researchers rely on the understanding of athletic identity as conceptualized by Brewer, Van Raalte, and Linder (1993). This seminal work provided a foundational understanding for conducting survey research on athletic identity. However, the emphasis on survey approaches has resulted in an incomplete understanding of athletic identity as deeper meanings of the construct are taken for granted (Ronkainen, Kavoura, & Ryba, 2016a). To develop a more nuanced conceptualization of athletic identity, the current study used a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the meaning of athletic identity from the view of current collegiate student-athletes. Participants included nine Division I student-athletes (M_age= 19.8; 6 females and 3 males) across several sports. Participants completed individual semi-structured interviews (M_time= 47 minutes). Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three themes: Athletic Identity as “Part of Me”; Commitment to Identity through Athletic Journey; and Self-Recognition of Social Reinforcement. The construct of athletic identity is likened to an iceberg; the reflexive thematic analysis helps describe the complexity of the construct by going beyond the surface view to explore deeper understandings. Such findings are relevant for professionals aiming to more effectively connect with and support this population

The relationship between athletic identity and physical activity levels after retirement from collegiate sports

Self-identity is important in the transition into retirement from collegiate sports, and athletic identity is a major source of self-identity for athletes. Given that research reveals a positive relationship between athletic identity and physical activity, but other research argues that dissolving athletic identity is necessary for a smooth transition from college sports, it seems there is a paradox when it comes to athletic identity and continued engagement in physical activity after retirement. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of athletic identity to physical activity levels after college sport participation. Former Division I athletes from a southeastern university (n=59) completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), the Athletic Identity Questionnaire (AIQ), the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire, and several additional measures. Correlations and multiple regressions were used to analyze relationships between athletic identity and physical activity measures, and MANOVA was used to investigate gender differences. Both the AIMS (r = .360, p The results indicate that athletic identity is positively related to engagement in physical activity. However, the two most widely-used measures of athletic identity seem to be conceptually different and show differing relationships to physical activity and retirement difficulties. The AIMS, a sport-specific measure of athletic identity that emphasizes competitive athletics, was related to difficulties with transition, whereas the broader-based AIQ was a stronger predictor of physical activity. Participant responses to open-ended items about their athletic identity and physical activity engagement are also discussed

A modeling approach to identity, motivation, and physical activity participation in former college athletes

Research indicates that many athletes fail to maintain regular physical activity participation after transitioning out of competitive sports. Despite the important health consequences for athletes who drop from high activity to inactivity after completing their athletic careers, long-term physical activity maintenance among former college athletes is understudied. The present study examined physical activity behavior in former college athletes. Previous research suggests that self-identity influences physical activity participation, and individuals who are motivated by self-determined and volitional reasons are more likely to maintain their exercise behavior over time. Therefore, this research examined a theoretical model that incorporates tenets of identity theory and self-determination theory to investigate the relationships among identity, motivation, and physical activity participation in former college athletes. A total of 282 former Division I college athletes completed an online survey consisting of the Exercise Identity Scale, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Behavioral Regulation for Exercise Questionnaire, the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire, and demographic items. Results suggest that exercise identity and athletic identity are both positively related to physical activity in former college athletes, and the identity - physical activity relationship was only partially mediated by self-determined forms of motivation. Exercise identity was a stronger predictor of self-determined motivation and physical activity compared to athletic identity. There was a significant interaction effect between exercise identity and athletic identity such that having a higher exercise identity strengthened the athletic identity - physical activity relationship. Path analyses are presented that model the direct and indirect effects among the identity, motivation, and physical activity variables. The relevant implications of these models for former college athletes and their participation in physical activity are discussed. The findings of this study add to our understanding of former college athletes' physical activity behavior within an identity and self-determination theory framework, and provide an evidence base to guide the development of appropriate interventions that can promote healthy, active lifestyles among current and future student-athletes

The Effects of a Web-Based Alcohol Prevention Program on Social Norms, Expectancies, and Intentions to Prevent Harm among College Student-Athletes

College athletes are at risk for heavy alcohol use, which jeopardizes their general health, academic standing, and athletic performance. Effective prevention programming reduces these risks by targeting theory-based intermediate factors that predict alcohol use while tailoring content to student-athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the myPlaybook online prevention program on student-athletes’ social norms, negative alcohol expectancies, and intentions to use alcohol-related harm prevention strategies. NCAA Division II student-athletes were recruited from 60 institutions across the United States to complete myPlaybook and pretest/posttest surveys measuring demographics and targeted outcome variables. Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group (pretest-program-posttest; final n=647) or the delayed treatment “control” group (pretest-posttest-program; final n=709). Results revealed significant program effects on social norms (pp=.14). Implications for future research and practice are discussed

Investigating Risk Factors Predictive of Problem Outcomes Experienced by First Year Drinking and Non-Drinking Collegiate Student-Athletes

This study examined risk factors for problem outcomes experienced by drinking and non-drinking first year collegiate student-athletes. Freshman and transfer student-athletes (N=2956) reported their alcohol use, problems experienced and demographic/sport-related data via an online survey. We hypothesized extreme drinking, male, out-of-season, team sport and Division III would significantly predict experiencing more alcohol, sport and other-related problem outcomes. Results suggest that out-of-season, team sport and light, heavy or extreme drinking (versus non-drinking) student-athletes were more likely to report alcohol-related problems. Female and in-season student-athletes were more likely to experience sport-related problems. Other problem outcomes were more likely to be experienced by heavy and extreme drinkers but not light drinkers. Findings should guide prevention programming that targets high-risk student-athlete groups