Deepa Oommen

The Influence of Religiosity and Ethnic Identification on Media Use Among Muslims and Non-Muslims in France and Britain

This is an examination of the ethnic media use of French and British Muslims. A total of 677 Muslims participated in the study. Analysis reveals being an immigrant or a native of a nation does not significantly influence ethnic media use in France but does in Britain. Ethnic identification was also revealed as an influential predictor of ethnic media use among Muslims in France but not in Britain. Religiosity significantly predicted ethnic media use among British Muslims. The article argues religiosity and ethnic identification should be included in studies examining media use among ethnic groups.

An Examination of Media Usage among French-Muslims

Media help in the formation of identity. For ethnic communities, ethnic media can play a dual role, aiding in the acculturation process and assisting in holding onto ethnic identities. This study examines media and identity negotiation. Specifically, this study analyzes differences in media usage among French-Muslims. The principal researcher interviewed 42 first and second generation French-Muslims to explore their media usage and the relationships between their media usage and ethnic identification. Analysis uncovered two key findings. First, second-generation French-Muslims prefer to use ethnic media more than French produced media as a form of protest against French assimilationist policies. Second, abandoning ethnic media is equated with becoming French, which is something first and second generation French-Muslims resist.

Factors Predicting Organizational Identification with Intercollegiate Forensics Teams

This study examines the relationship between intercollegiate forensics competitors’ organizational identification and organizational culture. Through a survey analysis of 314 intercollegiate forensics students, this study reports three major findings. First, this study found male competitors identify with forensics programs more than female competitors do. Second, this study found African-American competitors identify with their programs more than other ethnicities do. Third, the correlation between organizational identification and organizational cultural understanding is multidimensional with positive and negative correlations between organizational identification and different factors of organizational culture. The nature of forensics and team social support are discussed as reasons for student identification.

Demographic and Religious Differences in the Dimensions of Self-Disclosure Among Hindus and Muslims in India

This paper discusses a survey, carried out by the authors, of Hindu and Muslim men and women in six Indian states to determine if social/cultural identities influenced self-disclosure. Specifically, an individuals sex, religious, and state identity were investigated. Results indicated that across religions, women disclosed more than men. Comparisons based on religious identification and state of birth revealed significant differences between Hindus and Muslims and between states of birth on self-disclosure. Results also suggest the predictive power of religious identification and state of birth vary dependent upon the dimensions of self-disclosure. Implications for future research include further examination of aspects of identity related to self-disclosure.

The Relationships among Perceptions of Social Support, Intercultural Communication Apprehension (ICA), and Conflict Management Preferences in the Context of Cultural Adaptation

This study explores the relationships among perceptions of social support from family and friends, Intercultural Communication Apprehension (ICA) and intercultural conflict management preferences. Two hundred and ninety students, comprising primarily of international students, participated in the study. The results of the study revealed that, in regards to handling conflict with members of the host culture, increased perceptions of social support from family and friends lowered the level of ICA, and the decrease in the level of ICA led to increased preferences for the integrating and the compromising styles and decreased preferences for the avoiding and the dominating styles. Hence, the results of the study suggest that the influence of the perceptions of social support may extend beyond the mere alleviation of acculturative stress and psychological well-being and may have implications for the integration of immigrants and sojourners into the host culture.

The Relationship between Mental Distress, Assessed in Terms of Anxiety and Depression, and Conflict Management in the Context of Cultural Adaptation

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between mental distress, measured in terms of the levels of anxiety and depression, and the preferences for various face concerns and conflict management styles. Two hundred and ninety respondents, comprising primarily of international students, participated in the study. The results revealed that the level of anxiety positively predicted the preferences for self-face concern and the avoiding conflict style and negatively predicted the preferences for mutual-face concern and the integrating conflict style. Similarly, the level of depression positively predicted the preference for the avoiding conflict style, approached significance in the positive direction in predicting the preference for self-face concern, and negatively predicted the preferences for mutual-face concern and the integrating conflict style. The results raise questions about the likelihood of individuals, under conditions of mental distress, actively engaging in the management of conflict and displaying behaviors that integrate concerns of self and the other.

A Test of the Relationships between Host and Home National Involvements and the Preferences for Intercultural Conflict Management Styles

Abstract This study focused on the relationships between host national (host interpersonal communication) and home national (ethnic interpersonal communication) involvements and preferences for conflict management styles in the context of a conflict with a member of the host culture. Two hypotheses that examined the relationships between these variables and the preferences for the integrating, the compromising, the avoiding, the obliging and the dominating styles were proposed. Survey data from two hundred and sixty-nine, international and exchange, students were analyzed. The results revealed that the level of host national involvement positively predicted the preferences for the integrating and the obliging styles, and the level of home national involvement positively predicted the preference for the avoiding style. These findings suggest the need to consider contextual influences in understanding the complexities that underlie intercultural communication and adaptation.

Religion and the Relationship Between Verbal Aggressiveness and Argumentativeness

This study analyzes the influence of sex, education, religion, and religiosity on the relationship between argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. Verbal aggressiveness is a less acceptable way to approach disagreement than argumentativeness. Argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness were not significantly related. Further analysis revealed that male participants were significantly more verbally aggressive, individuals with higher education were less verbally aggressive, and religiosity decreased verbal aggressiveness. Moreover, Mainline Protestants were generally more verbally aggressive than other religious groups.