Group Identification Under Stress: A Comparative Study

本研究探讨一个本土化的部分，一个可持续发展的群体如何理解其在社会背景下的地位，在一个时代，该位置的一般看法可能会发生变化。 理论和过去的研究表明，人们的思想受到他们所经历的重大社会、政治和经济事件的影响，人们的意义形成往往因地区和地方而异。 在本研究中，目标群体的成员进行了采访，以调查他们的理解，他们的立场和相关的思维过程。 该项目的研究结果将有助于对所研究的区域集团形成更细致入微的看法，特别是将有助于那些制定做法的人减轻机会差异的不良影响。 荣誉本科生将协助数据收集，帮助建立下一代科学家的方法论技能。该项目的数据来自对150名研究小组成员的深入访谈，这些成员分布在两个地点：一个中等规模的城市和一个城镇。 抽样遵循有目的的设计，以最大限度地扩大受访者的背景和相关经验。 使用灵活的编码和标准软件分析数据，用于分析访谈和定性数据。 该项目由社会学计划和激励竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This study investigates how one localized segment of an advantaged group understands its position in the societal context in an era in which general views of that position may be changing. Theory and past research suggest that people’s ideas are influenced by the major social, political, and economic events through which they live, and that people’s sense-making tends to vary by region and locality. In this research, members of the target group are interviewed to investigate their understandings of their position and their associated thought processes. Findings from this project will help to develop a more nuanced view of the regional group studied, and in particular will aid those designing practices to mitigate undesirable effects of differences in opportunities. Honors undergraduate students will assist in data collection, helping to build the methodological skills of the next generation of scientists.Data for this project come from in-depth interviews of 150 members of the advantaged group, divided between two locations: one moderately sized city and one town. Sampling follows a purposive design to maximize the range of interviewees’ contexts and relevant experiences. Data are analyzed using flexible coding and standard software for analyzing interview and qualitative data. This project is jointly funded by the Sociology Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.