LanguageTerm (authority = ISO 639-3:2007); (type = text)
English
Abstract
This qualitative study provides an in-depth exploration into the experiences of female service members who served in various branches of the United States military after 9/11/2001. Aiming to address the limited research on female service member experiences, this investigation sought to understand how lived experiences of being a female military service member may contribute to the development and shifts of multiple dimensions of role identities. Six female service members, ages 26-56, participated in semi-structured interviews that offered them the platform to openly discuss various facets of their life experiences prior to, during, and following (if applicable) their military service, and how those experiences may have influenced their identity and sense of self over time. Through a grounded theory analysis of the data (Corbin & Strauss, 1990), a number of major thematic areas emerged that highlighted the confusion around expectations of women and their roles both in civilian society as well as in the military. There are various tensions and binds that delineate each cultures perceptions and expectations of women. Similarly, the women received conflicting messages about femininity vs. warrior and leadership norms, and these messages subsequently impacted the women, their relationships with others, and how they viewed their sense of self. Findings suggest female service members experience significant shifts in their identities upon entering the military and throughout their service in response to events in their environment. Additionally, the women who experienced role conflict or had difficulty negotiating the intersectionality of their identities tended to experience feelings of isolation, alienation, guilt, and shame. The discussion section is largely driven by the data and includes the investigators ideas for directions for future research as well as recommendations for interventions that have broader implications for working with female service members.
Subject (authority = local)
Topic
Female service member
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Clinical Psychology
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
United States -- Armed Forces -- Women
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Women -- Identity
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_9571
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (x, 170 pages)
Note (type = degree)
Psy.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10001800001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
Rutgers University. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.