Research Highlights

Alone Between Worlds: Experiences of Existential Isolation Among First- and Second-Generation American Immigrants

(Roger Young, M.A., Jeongin Hong, M.A., & Jennifer Bosson, PhD); December 2023

Processes of assimilation and acculturation often lead to a feeling of being alone “between worlds” for first- and second-generation immigrants (Freeman et al., 2001; Lorick-Wilmot, 2014; Vesely et al., 2019). On one hand, immigrants often maintain a deep sense of devotion to and appreciation for their native cultures. On the other hand, they long for a sense of belonging within the cultures of their host countries (Nelson & Hiemstra, 2008). Immigrants usually characterize the feeling of being caught between worlds as a dissonant and alienating experience that is more deeply isolating than typical bouts of loneliness (Freeman et al., 2001; Lorick-Wilmot, 2014; Vesely et al., 2019). Our research explored the role of existential isolation in this experience. When people feel existentially isolated, they sense that their conscious experience is distinct from the experiences of others (intersubjective opacity; ISO) and the world itself (extrasubjective opacity; ESO). In an initial study, 274 first- and second-generation American immigrants from 69 countries completed an online survey that asked them to describe a time they felt alone between the worlds of their native and host country’s cultures before responding to measures of ISO (e.g., “people around me tend to share my take on things”) and ESO (e.g., “I feel like I live in my own bubble”). As predicted, we found that immigrants who experienced more ISO felt less dual-identity harmony, and thereby more ESO. Though the data are correlational, this finding supports the hypothesis that intersubjective disagreement leads immigrants to feel caught between their native and host country’s cultures, resulting in a general sense of alienation from the world (or, as one participant put it, “feeling like a fish out of water”). This research sheds light on a largely unexplored dimension of the immigrant experience that may inform our understanding of assimilation processes, mental health, and socioeconomic outcomes for immigrants and their children.

Aiyana Webster (Clinical Psychology PhD Student)

Aiyana Webster is a third year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She conducts research in the Alliance & Suicide Prevention lab under the mentorship of Marc Karver, PhD. Aiyana is currently working on her master’s thesis, which investigates the role of identity conflict in contributing to negative psychological outcomes, including a decreased sense of belonging and psychological pain among multicultural students. She aims to use these findings to help identify culture-specific risk factors for suicide among multiracial young adults at high risk for suicide. Aiyana is also planning to present data at the annual meeting of the Suicide Research Symposium. Her presentation will focus on the prevalence of and risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among ethnically and/or racially diverse students using an intersectional approach. The findings from this research will contribute to the very small body of literature on NSSI in minority groups. Previously, Aiyana has been instrumental to the development of a culturally adapted family guide on suicidality for parents in the Latinx community. This guide was adapted using a community based participatory research approach, which ensured direct contributions from the Latinx community in Florida. Additionally, Aiyana has contributed to several publications highlighting the contributions of gendered racism on suicide outcomes. Her dedication to advancing mental health understanding and support within diverse communities is commendable!

The Dehumanization and Harassment of Women on Social Media

(Kaitlyn Ligman, M.A., Roxanne Felig, M.A, Jamie Goldenberg, PhD); October 2023

Social media has cultivated an environment online where women are routinely sexualized and frequently harassed. Building on evidence that when women are sexualized, they are seen as less than human, and that dehumanization can play a role in the willingness to harm others, we explored whether dehumanization is a critical mechanism underlying women’s risk of harassment on social media. Across two studies (N = 369, N = 524), participants viewed an Instagram profile of the same woman depicted as sexualized or not and then completed a measure of dehumanization. We examined participants’ tolerance for online sexual harassment by assessing their reactions to an unsolicited nude photo purportedly sent from a male social media user and measured behavioral engagement in online harassment by asking participants to compose a direct message to the woman. In both studies, dehumanization mediated harassment behavior. Tolerance for sexual harassment was mediated by dehumanization in Study 1; in Study 2 there was only a direct effect of sexualization on dehumanization and tolerance. Overall, this work illuminates the role of dehumanization in the perception and treatment of women in online spaces, suggesting that it may sometimes underlie an acceptance of sexual harassment, and engagement in actual harassment, of sexualized women online.

Reading Differences Between Deaf and Hearing Individuals

Casey Strigner; April 2023

Casey is a Lab Manager at USF interested in the field of Cognitive Psychology. Working on her honor's thesis Casey studies the reading differences between Deaf and Hearing individuals.

Although many hearing people may think of American Sign Language (ASL) as a system of gestures, it is a rich language with its own grammar, sentence structure, and linguistic rules. My research examines how deafness and sign language experience may lead to advantages in reading. Skilled deaf readers who are experienced in ASL read more efficiently than hearing readers, and according to the results of my honors thesis, are able to make use of a greater amount of information to both the left and the right of the position of the eye in text during reading.

Self-Determined Self-Objectification 

(Roxanne Felig, M.A., Jamie Goldenberg, PhD); March 2023

Theoretical and empirical investigations position sexual and self-objectification as patriarchy maintaining processes which encourage women to engage in behaviors that are otherwise against their best interests, and which contribute to negative mental and physical health consequences. However, third wave feminism emphasized the role of self-determination and choice in women deciding what behaviors they engage in, even if those behaviors appear contradictory to feminist goals. Across seven studies, we synthesized objectification theory and self-determination theory to test if the relationship between self-objectification and negative consequences can be explained by a sense of personal autonomy. Our findings suggest that women report a sense of internal motivation over self-objectifying behaviors, and we find that the relationships between self-objectification and body shame, as well as self-objectification and a clear self-concept, are mediated by a sense of personal autonomy.