This is who I am: a phenomenological analysis of female purity pledgers' sense of identity and sexual agency

dc.contributor.authorHanna, Katrina N.
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-22T21:07:57Z
dc.date.available2016-04-22T21:07:57Z
dc.date.graduationmonthMay
dc.date.issued2016-05-01
dc.description.abstractAt the turn of the 21st century, an ideological movement defined by many as the modesty movement helped push sexual abstinence as a controversial yet significant public issue in the United States. Concerned with a "hyper-sexualized" culture, modesty advocates urged young women to make a pledge to remain pure until marriage. Following the the growth of the movement, feminist scholars have been critical of the movement and the potentially detrimental consequences of purity pledges on young women's identity, sexuality, and sexual agency. This study takes a step back from this critical view of purity pledges and listens to young women's lived experience of making a purity pledge and living a life of purity. Specifically, this study asks how purity pledgers understand and enact purity and how they perceive their sexuality and sexual agency. To answer these questions, qualitative interviews were conducted with nine young women who at some point in their life made a purity pledge. A thematic analysis revealed three major themes: 1) living a pure life is situated within multifaceted perspectives on purity, 2) living a life of purity consists of negotiating multiple "selves," and 3) living a life of purity grants and reinforces a sense of agency. A composite description illustrates that religious messages, parents, peers, and sex education classes continue to influence their understanding of purity and sexuality. This project concludes with a discussion of theoretical implications surrounding the idea of a "crystallized self" and practical implications of this study on an organizational, familial, and personal level.
dc.description.advisorSoo-Hye Han
dc.description.degreeMaster of Arts
dc.description.departmentDepartment of Communication Studies
dc.description.levelMasters
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2097/32659
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherKansas State University
dc.rights© the author. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
dc.subjectPurity
dc.subjectPurity pledge
dc.subjectSexuality
dc.subjectSexual agency
dc.subjectIdentity
dc.subjectCrystallized self
dc.titleThis is who I am: a phenomenological analysis of female purity pledgers' sense of identity and sexual agency
dc.typeThesis

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