The studies in this dissertation examined 1) how different identities that are relevant to smoking affect smoking behavior; 2) how identity changes over time in smokers and ex-smokers, both... Show moreThe studies in this dissertation examined 1) how different identities that are relevant to smoking affect smoking behavior; 2) how identity changes over time in smokers and ex-smokers, both spontaneously and in response to an intervention, and what factors affect identity change; and 3) whether associations between identity and smoking-related outcomes - as well as identity change processes - differ between people with lower and higher socio-economic status. A multi-method approach was employed, including cross-sectional and longitudinal studies; observational and experimental studies, and using quantitative and qualitative methods. First, results showed that nonsmoker and quitter identities are more important than smoker identities for intentions to quit, quit attempts, (long-term) quit success and responses to the Dutch smoking ban in hospitality venues. In addition, self-identities seemed more important than group-identities. Second, identity changes in response to smoking behavior and social norms, and identity change is facilitated by permeable identity boundaries, a continuous sense of self, and a sense of mastery of quitting. Third, lower SES smokers and ex-smokers identify more strongly with smoking - and lower SES smokers identify less strongly with nonsmoking - than their higher SES counterparts, and in lower SES groups identity is more resistant to change. Show less
A mere day after his first footfall in the Americas, Columbus notes the broad foreheads of its inhabitants. These cranial shapes are deliberately created by applying pressure to the infant’s head... Show moreA mere day after his first footfall in the Americas, Columbus notes the broad foreheads of its inhabitants. These cranial shapes are deliberately created by applying pressure to the infant’s head after birth. Facing Society studies indigenous identities through head shaping practices against the backdrop of broader social developments in Caribbean communities before and after 1492 through a multi-disciplinary approach combining archaeology, (ethno)history, anthropology, and sociology. The first evidence of intentional cranial modification comes from the Early Ceramic Age, however by the Late Ceramic Age it was found across the Caribbean. Different regional patterns emerge in conjunction with diverging social developments. For example, the relatively homogeneous pattern of cranial modification seen in the Greater Antilles indicates a collective identity fostering social cohesion in expanding communities and connecting distant villages within the interaction sphere. The Early Colonial Period was transformative for indigenous communities and identities, and consequently caused a decline in head shaping practices. An unexpected revival was seen among the Black Carib, a community of free African descendants on St. Vincent. Traces of head shaping practices can still be found to this day demonstrating the lasting importance of indigenous social practices in the cultural mosaic of the current Caribbean. Show less
