Papers by Kathleen Gerbasi
In the present research we test the veracity of 36 stereotypes of otaku that have appeared in def... more In the present research we test the veracity of 36 stereotypes of otaku that have appeared in definitions and descriptions of otaku in various academic publications. We surveyed anime fans and examined differences between otaku and non-otaku fans, as well as gauge where fans fell on measures regarding each stereotype. Self-identified otaku tended to be young, male, single, and heterosexual. However, these were not necessarily distinguishing features of otaku. Otaku identified as nerds/geeks, spread information about their favorite anime by word-of-mouth, showed obsessive tendencies, rated high on immersion when consuming anime, and identified strongly with their favorite character. Contrary to the stereotypes, otaku had a comparable friendship network with non-otaku anime fans, perceived themselves as mature, and did not feel they were socially awkward around non-fans. Taken together, the result tended to paint a portrait of otaku as well-adjusted individuals who happen to have an i...
In the present research, we examine what it means for fans to take their interests “too far” in a... more In the present research, we examine what it means for fans to take their interests “too far” in a multi-fandom, qualitative study. Specifically, we asked self-identified anime fans, furries, and Star Wars fans to describe what, to them, marked the point where a fan could be said to be taking their interest too far. From these responses we extracted five common themes across fandoms: (1) when one’s fan interest negatively impacts their life, (2) when one’s fan interest becomes the sole or defining feature of their personality, (3) when one’s fan-related opinions are pushed on others, (4) when a fan loses touch with reality, and (5) when there is a connection between one’s fan interest and their sexual desire. We also note that anime fans cited a unique, sixth theme, when fans excessively worship Japanese culture. The responses suggest that excessive fan behavior may be ubiquitous across fandoms, although there may be idiosyncratic excesses characteristic of specific fandoms. We discu...
The Journal of Sex Research
Identity, 2019
Furries are fans of anthropomorphic art and media. A unique component of the fandom is the creati... more Furries are fans of anthropomorphic art and media. A unique component of the fandom is the creation of individualized fursonasanthropomorphic animal-themed identities to represent oneself. In the present research, we examined the effects of experiencing a threat to one's fandom-themed fantasy identity (fursona) or to oneself. Furries read about another person copying (vs. not copying) one's fursona (vs. public identity) prior to completing measures related to copycatting. In line with past research, when copied (vs. not), furries expressed anger, rated the situation as harmful and illegitimate, and viewed the other person unfavorably. Additionally, when copied, furries experienced more anger, perceived illegitimacy, and felt a greater threat to their freedom to display a unique identity when their fursona was copied than when their non-fan identity characteristics were copied. Together, the results point to the importance of furries' fursonas to their sense of self.
Anthrozoös, 2017
This book is an interdisciplinary collection shedding light on human-animal relationships and int... more This book is an interdisciplinary collection shedding light on human-animal relationships and interactions around the world. The book offers a predominantly empirical look at social and cultural practices related to companion animals in Mexico, Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, China and Taiwan, Vietnam, USA, and Turkey among others. It focuses on how dogs, cats, rabbits and members of other species are perceived and treated in various cultures, highlighting commonalities and differences between them. * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword – Robert W. Mitchell Introduction – Michał Piotr Pręgowski Part I: Conceptualizing our Relationships with Animals 1. Companion Animals and Nuisance Species: Adventures in the Exotic, the Wild, the Illegal and Cross-Cultural Comfort Zones – Sara Waller 2. Anthrozoology in the Netherlands: Connecting Science and Practice – Jannes Eshuis, Marie-José Enders-Slegers, Theo Verheggen 3. Bringing the Beast Back In: The Rehabilitation of Pet Keeping in Soviet Russia – Amy Nelson Part 2: Taking the Plunge: Adopting a Companion Animal, Traditional and Otherwise 4. Perceptions of Personality: How What We See Influences Our Perceptions about and Behavior toward Companion Animals – Miranda K. Workman 5. “A Cat-sized Hole in my Heart”: Public Perceptions of Companion Animal Adoption in the United States of America – Jennifer Sinski 6. Rabbits Multiplying Like Rabbits: The Rise in the Worldwide Popularity of Rabbits as Pets – Margo DeMello Part 3: To Eat or to Love? 7. An Appetite for Dogs: Consuming and Loving Them in Vietnam – Anthony L. Podberscek 8. Human-Canine Relationships in China – Scott Hurley 9. Attitudes to Dogs in Taiwan: A Case Study – James Serpell, Yuying Hsu Part 4: Companion Animals as Political Fallout 10. Semi-Stray Dogs and Graduated Humanness: The Political Encounters of Dogs and Humans in Mexico - Iván Sandoval-Cervantes 11. Polarized Opinions and Shared Goals: Feral Cat Management in an Academic Community in Kentucky – Rosanne Lorden 12. Strong Bonds: Companion Animals in Post-Tsunami Japan – Ross Mouer, Hazuki Kajiwara Part 5: The Difference Language Makes 13. “I am a dog”: Orhan Pamuk and the Mongrelization of Fiction – Jeanne Dubino 14. Human Names as Companion Animal Names in Poland – Michał Piotr Pręgowski 15. Awareness Can Change a Society: The Link between Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence in the Netherlands – Marie-José Enders-Slegers, Theo Verheggen, Jannes Eshuis Part 6: Companion Animals and Leisure 16. Chats, Cats and a Cup of Tea. A Sociological Analysis of the Neko Café Phenomenon in Japan - Noriko Niijima 17. Canine Disc: America’s Best Export Product to Poland – Justyna Włodarczyk
TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology, Apr 26, 2010
In the present study, we examined the associations between sources of influence (anime content, a... more In the present study, we examined the associations between sources of influence (anime content, anime creators, voice actors, other fans) within the anime fandom on a model of the antecedents and outcomes of global citizenship identification. Anime fans completed measures assessing sources of influence within the anime fandom and antecedents and outcomes of global citizenship identification. The results showed that perceiving the content of anime as encouraging global citizenship and believing that other fans prescribe a global citizen identity are both related to antecedents and outcomes of global citizenship identification. Moreover, the perception that voice actors prescribe a global citizen identity predicted global citizenship through fans' perception that valued others view global citizenship as a desirable identity. Finally, the perception that anime creators prescribe the identity did not significantly predict the antecedents, or show indirect effects on identification or prosocial values. Together, the results point to multiple sources of influence within a fandom to encourage global citizenship identification with indirect effects on fans' endorsement of prosocial values.
We examined cosplaying and non-cosplaying anime fans' involvement in anime fandom drama, ... more We examined cosplaying and non-cosplaying anime fans' involvement in anime fandom drama, along with potential mediators underlying these differences. Anime fans completed a survey that included measures of cosplay participation, engaging with others within the context of the anime fandom, need to belong, and involvement in fandom drama. The results showed that cosplayers reported greater engagement, higher need to belong, and more involvement in fandom drama than non-cosplayers. The association between cosplaying and drama involvement was significantly mediated by both frequency of engagement with other fans and need to belong.
In the present study, we explored the associations between dimensions of parasocial connection an... more In the present study, we explored the associations between dimensions of parasocial connection and sex differences in connection of anime fans' favorite character. Anime fans listed their favorite anime character and rated dimensions of parasocial connection. Male and female fans did not differ in their choice of either male or female favorite characters. A factor analysis of the dimensions of parasocial connection showed three factors representing identification (identification, wishful identification, self-expansion), romance (romance, sexual attraction), and similarity (background, attitude, identification). In general, fans tended to feel more similar to same-sex (vs. opposite sex) characters. Male fans were more identified with a same-sex (vs. opposite sex) character. Both male and female fans felt greater sexual attraction toward opposite (vs. same-sex) characters. Additionally, female (vs. male) anime fans reported identification and similarity with their favorite character. The results are largely consistent with prior research examining parasocial connections with non-anime media figures. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings, as well as the limitations of the present study, are discussed.
Journal of Fandom Studies, 2020
In the present article we discuss three studies aimed at better understanding elitism in the cont... more In the present article we discuss three studies aimed at better understanding elitism in the context of fan groups. The studies assess different facets of elitism, predictors of elitism and the potential outcomes associated with holding elitist beliefs. The survey studies were conducted on members of three distinct fan groups: furries (fans of media featuring anthropomorphized animal characters), bronies (adult fans of the television series My Little Pony) and anime fans (fans of Japanese animation). Elitism was found to include both self-inflation and other-derogation and is predicted by two components of fan identity (fanship and fandom). Elitism was also significantly associated with pro-gatekeeping attitudes and behaviours. Practical and theoretical implications for fan culture are discussed. We also discuss the limitations of the studies and their ability to contribute to a discussion about creating inclusive fan spaces.
British Journal of Social Psychology, 2014
We investigated how group distinctiveness threats affect essentialist beliefs about group members... more We investigated how group distinctiveness threats affect essentialist beliefs about group membership in a stigmatized fan community. An experiment conducted on 817 members of the fan community revealed that highly identified fans who perceived significant stigmatization were the most likely to endorse essentialist beliefs about group membership when exposed to a distinctiveness threat via comparison to a highly similar (vs. dissimilar) outgroup. These results bridge essentialism research and research on distinctiveness threat by demonstrating the mutability of group essentialism beliefs as a defensive response to distinctiveness threats. Implications for future research are discussed.
Society & Animals, 2003
Journal of Research in Personality, 1977
... OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 11, 306317 (1977) Belief in a Just World and Trust MIRON ZUCKERMAN... more ... OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 11, 306317 (1977) Belief in a Just World and Trust MIRON ZUCKERMAN AND KATHLEEN C. GERBASI ... the JW Scale and attitudes toward victims was also examined in two recent studies by Zuckerman, Gerbasi, Kravitz, and Wheeler (1975). ...
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1972
ABSTRACT No abstract is available for this article.
Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1977
The 46 alternatives in the original 23-item forced-choice format of the I-E scale were administer... more The 46 alternatives in the original 23-item forced-choice format of the I-E scale were administered in a Likert agree-disagree format. The intercorrelations of the 46 alternatives were subjected to a principal components analysis. A varimax rotation of four factors yielded four subscales comparable to those reported by Collins (1974): Belief in a difficult world, a just world, a politically responsive world, and a predictable world. Subjects' responses were factor scored and correlated with five measures: Skill-chance task preference, an achievement test, a political efficacy test, the Mach V scale, and a Just World scale. The pattern of correlations suggested that the difficult world factor, and to a lesser extent the predictable world factor, are relatively general in that they related to most of the five scales. The political world factor related only to (a) political efficacy and (b) Mach V (among males only), and appeared to be more specific in nature. The correlation with ...
Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1977
ABSTRACT The 23 forced-choice items of Rotter's I-E Scale were converted into 46 Likert a... more ABSTRACT The 23 forced-choice items of Rotter's I-E Scale were converted into 46 Likert agree-disagree items. Intercorrelations of the 46 I-E items were subjected to a principal factor analysis. A varimax rotation yielded four subscales: Belief in a difficult world, a just world, a politically responsive world, and a predictable world. Most items with high loadings on the just world factor had low loadings on the first principal factor. Further, a correlational study showed that the just world factor scores were negatively related to authoritarianism, dogmatism, intolerance of ambiguity, and attribution of blame to women for their inferior state (internals scored higher on all four measures). Except for one positive correlation between the difficult world factor scores and dogmatism, (internals scored lower on dogmatism), the three other I-E factors were not related to any of the four measures. Contrary to predictions, just world factor scores were not related to a low level of political activity. The correlational study suggests that the I-E just world items are unrelated to, and perhaps inconsistent with the remaining I-E items and should be omitted from the I-E scale.
Current Psychology, 2013
The present research investigated the relationship between socio-structural characteristics of in... more The present research investigated the relationship between socio-structural characteristics of intergroup differences, identity concealment, and self-esteem in members of a stigmatized minority group. Structural equation modeling of survey responses collected at a convention showed that socio-structural characteristics interact to predict concealment strategies as a way of managing perceived stigma. Perceived permeability of intergroup boundaries predicted increased endorsement of concealment, moderated by the legitimacy and stability of intergroup status differences. Interacting socio-structural characteristics also predicted self-esteem, an effect mediated by identity concealment. The results illustrate that socio-structural characteristics can help predict stigmatized minority group members' endorsement of identity concealment despite its potentially maladaptive effects. Keywords Furry. Fandom. Social identity. Socio-structural characteristics. Identity concealment. Self-esteem. Stigma Stigmatized groups are those whose members have had negative stereotypes applied to them (Goffman 1963). Research on stigmatized minority groups spans several decades and has focused on the detrimental effects of stigmatized group membership in ethnic minorities (e.g., African Americans in Steele and Aronson 1995), sexual minorities (e.g.,
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Papers by Kathleen Gerbasi