Furry Fandom: What leads to their negative stigmatization?
By Bryon McRae
University of Alaska Southeast Abstract
In this study I would be researching public perception of the subculture group known as the Furry Fandom. This will be measured by using three different scales. One being a feeling thermometer scale, then a scale to measure acceptability to discriminate and finally a sexual deviance scale. Participants will rate their feelings towards the Furry Fandom, Comic-Con goers, mascots, zoophiles and the LGBTQ community. These groups all share characteristics either with their connection with animals or as being labeled as sexual deviants. This study will help us breakdown what characteristics of the furry community has caused
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1987). Brewer’s (1991) theory of social identity known as optimal distinctiveness theory states that people have opposing needs. Individuals feel the need to feel included in a group. This is known as assimilation. Brewer (1991) also argues that people need to feel like a unique individual and this is known as differentiation. Individuals choose to belong to groups to fill their need to assimilate, but then choose to see their ingroups as different from outgroups which allows them to differentiate and feel unique. Because of their need to represent themselves, individuals choose ingroups that they feel connected to and thus subgroups and fandoms are …show more content…
To do so, I have broken down the characteristics found in the furry fandom and have found similar subgroups that share these characteristics. Comic-Con goers are well known for dressing up in elaborate costumes. Sport mascots are also known for dressing up in animal costumes, often very similar to the costumes worn by the furry fandom. I believe these groups would allow us to see if the act of dressing up adds to the negative public perception of the Furry
Beyond the basic need for a sense of control, people are driven by their sense of identity, of who they are. Each person lives in their own universes, which are centered upon their feelings of self-purpose. There are multiple types of identities, such as individual and group identities. Each person's identity is formed differently because of the unique experiences every individual encounters. The formation can be affected by many things such as their home environment, social interactions, and physiological health.
Each of us then interviewed one to two students at our school and then put the data into a Google form. Afterwards, we looked at the summary of the data in charts and got a better idea of who we interviewed, the things they were associated with, and where they felt the most affected by stereotype threats. Then we sorted the summary data chart by race and gender to see similarities or differences in each race or gender group. When my class then did some research about stereotypes by interviewing students at our school, we ended up interviewing 165 students. 79% of the people were in 9th grade, the rest made up evenly of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders....
Tajifel, H. a. (1986). The social identity theory of inter-group behavior. Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/258189
In response to the question set, I will go into detail of the study, consisting of the background, main hypotheses, as well the aims, procedure and results gathered from the study; explaining the four research methods chosen to investigate, furthering into the three methods actually tested.
There is many different ways which the concept of identity has been defined and studied by social scientists. Some of these scientists include, Coatsworth, Shwartz, Srivastava, and Furstenburg. The actual dictionary definition of “identity” is, the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. An individuals’ personality characterstics also relate to their sense of identity. These types of characterisitcs are known as, the “Big Five'”. This is a term used to describe the five broad traits of humans.
others in the same situation for support. Thus, they develop an exaggerated sense of belonging
Some of the strengths of the social identity theory are that; throughout the years it has supported many empirical studies, it has also demonstrated the social categorization in intergroup behaviors, allowed us to differentiate between social and personal identities and has provide explanations for other areas of psychology (conformity). A weaknesses of the Social identity theory is that its application is restricted in the sense that it has very low ecological validity. Another weakness is that SIT favors situational factors rather than dispositional is not supported by evidence. The social Identity theory can be used to how to explain how we form our social and personal identities in the terms of in and out groups. SIT can also be used to explain why there is conflict between humans and different societies.
Social identity theory can be applied to many different problems and real life situations. It demonstrates the role of categorization in behaviors, and explores how being part of a group affects social interaction in everyday life.
“Consisting of or resembling fur (wikifur.org, “Furry”).” These objects are the well-known focus of a caste of the geek sub-culture known as the furry fandom. The furry fandom’s members will typically call themselves “furries”. There are variations on this idea; the two primary variations are “scalies” and “avians” interested in scaled and feathered creatures respectively. “[The] furry fandom is a fandom for fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics (Wikipedia.org, “Furry Fandom”).”“Someone who says they are furry is generally expressing an interest in [anthros] and/or creatures. They may express that interest in a variety of ways… How deep or meaningful [their interest] is varies greatly from person to person (wikifur.com, “Furry”).”This is amongst the best of definitions for the furry fandom, but a different way of putting it may be that “furries” are people with an expressed interest in creatures that are furry, scaly, feathered, or whatever combination of the three they prefer. Furries are actively spreading their message, and with over 50,000 official members today, up from just 10,000 five years ago, it’s easy to say that the fandom is growing.
Identity is a person’s socially and historically constructed concept. We learn and determine our own identity through the interactions of family, peers, media and also other connections that we have encounter in our life. Gender, social class, age and experience of the world are the key concepts which plays a substantial role in shaping how we are by facing obstacles in our lives. According to Mead (1934) as cited in Thulin, Miller, Secher, and Colson (2009), identity theory determines
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C., (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behaviour. In S. Worchel, & W. G. Austin (Ed.). Psychology of Intergroup Relations (pp. 7-24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers.
Burke, P.J. & Stets, J.E. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly 63(3), 224-237
Social identity theory is based on four interrelated concepts: social categorization, social identification, social comparison and positive distinctiveness. Social categorization is tendency to divide and therefore categorise individuals into in-groups (individual belongs) and out-groups (individual does not belong); it groups different social circles based on the members’ stereotypical culture and behaviour. This often leads to category accentuation effect, which is exaggerating of intergroup differences and intragroup similarities; individual underestimate perceived variability within groups but overestimate variability between groups. Social identification is way of identifying individual with a particular social group based on their in-group norms and by doing so, may adopt some of the values and behaviours of that particular group. Social comparison and positive distinctiveness is when social identity contributes to our self-image so we seek positive social identities to maintain and enhance self-esteem. We compare in-group with out-group and also discriminate the out-group to establish the superiority of in-group, enhance their self-image...
One of the factors that influences identity is the culture a human being was raised in. There are many different types of cultures on Earth, and each culture has its own set of norms. These set of norms puts pressure of the human being to act in a certain way. This, as a result, influences
It is human nature for us to have a strong sense of belonging to a group. Humans get to experience a deeper commitment to a group when they make decisions and actions. This sense of ...