Andreas G. Philaretou

Reconstructing Masculinity and Sexuality

This paper attempts to synthesize general issues pertaining to masculinity and male sexuality using essentialist and postmodern theoretical ideologies. According to essentialist ideologies, the construction of male gender requires ones molding into a masculine role, which presupposes autonomy, competition, and aggressiveness, and the suppression of the innate human needs for connectedness, intimacy, and self-disclosure, which have been traditionally devalued as feminine traits. Alternatively, postmodern ideologies call for the deconstruction of essentialist notions of male sexuality and the reconstruction of a more balanced androgynous ideology drawing from the historical, social, and cultural determinants of sexuality and cherishing both masculine and feminine traits. The historical, social, and cultural perspective may be viewed as an overarching umbrella encompassing economic and power issues, an arena where the inequality wars are being waged, primarily those of gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, race, and social stratification. The reconstruction process is attained by helping one re-narrate his/her lifelong sexual narrative.

Researching Sensitive Topics through Autoethnographic Means

This study argues for the utility of autoethnographic self-reflective approaches for the study of sensitive topics such as cabaret sex work, Internet pornography, codependence, and sexual addiction. Self-reflective accounts, derived from personal documents such as diary entries, interviews with significant others, personal recollections, and correspondence, constitute the primary data resource for autoethnographic research. Themes and by-themes are derived from such accounts, and they are carefully recorded and analyzed to ensure validity and reliability. Self-reflective accounts also have considerable therapeutic utility, since they can be utilized in narrative techniques to enable clients to retell, relive, and reconstruct their subjugated stories, thereby empowering them for positive change.

Female Exotic Dancers: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Perspectives

The purpose of this research is to explore and understand the various intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics associated with the lives of female exotic dancers from an essentialist, social constructionist, and critical perspective. This study uses informal interviews and an autoethnographic field study approach as its primary methodological modes. The act of unearthing the intrapersonal experiences and motivations of female exotic dancers helps deconstruct their limiting and oppressive gender and sexual narratives, thereby exposing the negative influence on their self-concept, -esteem, and -efficacy. Throughout the process of collecting and analyzing data, a variety of recurrent interpersonal themes also emerged, such as: (a) the extent of anticipatory socialization experiences acquired by the dancers prior to their entering the profession, (b) their on-the-job socialization, (c) the typology of exotic dancers (career vs. transient) and reasons for entering the profession, (d) the management of their stigmatized identities through various neutralization and normalization techniques, (e) the various processes associated with becoming a good performer, and (f) the negative impact of their dancing careers on their relationships with their significant others.

Virtual social interactions: Evolutionary, social psychological and technological perspectives

This paper represents an exploratory and quantitative investigation into online dating from evolutionary, psychological, and technological points of view. In the past decade, the relatively inexpensive availability of user-friendly, fast, and reliable Internet technology has appealed to millions of consumers who suddenly found themselves engrossed by this sensational medium of communication, information, consumerism, and service. The majority of Internet users tend to be either recreational or utilitarian oriented, using such medium for a wide variety of tasks ranging from corresponding with friends and significant others, information gathering, purchasing goods and services, and, increasingly so, seeking and securing suitable dating and marital partners. The following research questions constitute the driving force for the current investigation: What are the evolutionary and social psychological intricacies of online dating? What are the technological variants or dimensions that render the consumption of online dating services appealing to users? An online survey was administered to 247 subjects to explore these questions and determine the technological dimensions of virtual social interaction. Exploratory factor analysis was then conducted to analyse the data. Eight technological dimensions emerged as a result of the analysis and served as the basis for the studys technological perspectives model of virtual social interactions.

The cabaret sex industry in the republic of cyprus: An exploratory investigation of Greek-Cypriot male cabaret patronage

Essentialist machismo practices, effectuated by masculine gender role socialization, help construct a mechanistic and limiting male sexual ethos that exploits female sexuality in sexualized work environments. A critical site for exploring the intercrossing of sexual and economic differentials is the cabaret—an intermediary of a strip club and a brothel—whereby males and females utilize their financial assets and sexual appeal, respectively, to benefit and exploit each other. In this investigation, we provide an understanding of the macro environmental contexts and micro intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that have contributed to the historical evolution of the cabaret industry in the Greek-Cypriot Republic of Cyprus. Such industry has evolved from a place of family entertainment to one of economic and sexual exploitation of Greek-Cypriot male cabaret patrons and Eastern-European sex workers respectively. Various themes are explored, such as the limiting effects of patriarchal socializing practices, male sexual anxiety, and sexual preoccupation.

Eastern-European Sex Workers in Greek-Cypriot Cabarets

Female sexuality has been exploited in sexualized work environments, such as cabarets, strip clubs, and brothels, for centuries. A critical site for exploring the intercrossing of sexual and economic differentials is the cabaret where the ultimate patriarchal gender dynamics are acted out; where males and females utilize their financial assets and sexual appeal, respectively, to benefit and exploit each other. This exploratory investigation provides an understanding of the macro environmental contexts and micro intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that have pushed and pulled a considerable number of young Eastern-European women to sex work. In particular, it attempts to shed some light into the various processual dynamics surrounding the personal and work lives of Eastern-European sex workers in Greek-Cypriot cabarets. The methodological mode involves both informal interview techniques and a reflexive case study approach. Informal interview and reflexive case study techniques constitute well-established variants of unobtrusive field research and involve the researcher actually joining in the events under study and examining the various phenomena from the inside.

Sexual harassment in the hospitality industry in the Republic of Cyprus: theory and prevention.

The purpose of this exploratory investigation is to identify the nature of the optimal interpersonal (relational) conditions under which sexual harassment in the hospitality industry is likely to occur, as well as the intrapersonal (psychological and emotional) and occupational ramifications of this phenomenon for both the harasser and the harassed. In addition, it attempts to develop specific strategies for minimizing the incidence of sexual harassment by offering both general awareness seminars and guest lectures to the public, as well as training sessions to both employees and employers. This research project relies mainly on the collection of data through the door-to-door administering of a questionnaire to a randomly selected sample of 650 employees as well as to the in-depth interviewing of 20 sexually harassed female employees in the hospitality industry.

Learning and Laughing about Gender and Sexuality through Humor: The Woody Allen Case

Humor is a social phenomenon that tends to relieve stress on an individual level and collectively constitutes a powerful mechanism for disseminating both abstract and real-life knowledge about the human condition. Woody Allen attempts to captivate his audience by bringing both intellectual concepts and real-life scenarios into a comedic crucible utilizing the human instinctual drives for lust, love, and happiness as his major catalysts. Allens films offer a dialectical approach to the study of human sexuality as good and bad, humorous and dramatic, lustful and emotional, fearful and fearless, fulfilling and frustrating. Although often accused of being an essentialist chauvinist male, Allen may be viewed as a moral social constructionist who deconstructs traditional gender arrangements and reconstructs a feminine and masculine sexual ethos utilizing sexual humor. Throughout the deconstruction and reconstruction process the audience is made aware of the historical, social, and cultural forces that influence human affairs as well as the vicissitudes, ambiguity, and melodramatic nature of human sexuality.

A Research Model for Online Social Behavior Based on an Evolutionary, Social Psychological, and Technological Approach

This study represents an exploratory and quantitative investigation into online dating from evolutionary, psychological, and technological points of view. In the past decade, the relatively inexpensive availability of user-friendly, fast, and reliable Internet technology has appealed to millions of consumers who suddenly found themselves engrossed by this sensational medium of communication, information, consumerism, and service. The majority of Internet users tend to be either recreational or utilitarian oriented, using such medium for a wide variety of tasks ranging from corresponding with friends and significant others, information gathering , purchasing goods and services, and, increasingly so, seeking and securing suitable dating and marital partners. The following research questions constitute the driving force for the current investigation: What are the evolutionary and social psychological intricacies of online dating? What are the technological variants or dimensions that render the consumption of online dating services appealing to users? An online survey was administered to 247 subjects to explore these questions and determine the technological dimensions of virtual social interaction . Exploratory factor analysis was then conducted to analyze the data. Eight technological dimensions emerged as a result of the analysis and served as the basis for the study’s technological perspective model of virtual social interactions.

The Social Construction of Female Sexuality in a Sexualized Work Environment (SWE): The Case of a Comedy Club

This qualitative investigation seeks to identify the sociocultural determinants and psychoemotional ramifications of essentialist gender scripting on female employees in a sexualized work environment (SWE), such as a comedy club. Sexualized work environments incorporate work and sexuality and exist on a continuum according to the frequency and intensity of the sexual economic exchange that takes place within them. In this study, interviews were conducted with 13 female employees at a comedy club in Southwest Michigan to explore the social construction of female sexuality in such an environment.