Browsing by Subject "Instrumentality"

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Colonization of the normative realm in the age of instrumentality
(2017-08) Casagranda, Roy Edward; Arens, Katherine, 1953-; Urlaub, Per; Hoberman, John; Higgins, Kathleen; Jensen, Robert
This dissertation aims to establish a contemporary model of why apolitical actors engage in the political realm. The project will intersperse practical cases with theoretical concerns. I look at two cases: the role of Soccer Hooligans in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and the Occupy Austin Movement (2015). The goal of these juxtapositions is to provide insights into the realities behind political theories, as I accommodate additional strands of theory that have received little attention to date in studies of political motivation. I begin by showing how inadequate Rational Choice Theory (RCT) has proven in explaining political action and then move onto employing central concepts from Heidegger, Arendt, Marcuse, Foucault, Habermas, and Wendy Brown to create a richer picture of what choice means for subjects. With the aid of the categories these thinkers provide, I then build an analytical heuristic device called the Three Realms of Action Model. My claim is that this model, which explains the relationship between the normative, political and economic realms can better explain political choice. The actions of nonpolitical actors might seem non-rational when viewed from within a purely economic realm, but switching between the three realms and the rationalites they inhabit, provides the three-pronged lens needed to make a more nuanced study of the power relations between political actors. To better illustrate how subjects negotiate the realms, I use familiar historical sites. Each historical event allows us to inhabit an epistemology that describes how the realms bargain for dominance with each other. The insight I come away with here is that the economic realm has colonized the normative and political realms in the United States. But despite the dominance of the economic realm, political action or choice is not driven “only” by market rationality but also by a shifting play of the power in the three realms where we see new and competing rationalities. This allows us not only to see “choice” as a more dynamic and nuanced category but also better clues us into how it is manipulated and even subverted.
The personality traits of instrumentality and expressiveness in relation to microcomputer playfulness
(2009-08) Coleman, Herbert Leon; Resta, Paul E.
Differences between females and males in computer use have long been a concern. Over the past twenty years, the accessibility gap has closed and women’s use of the technology has equaled and in some cases surpassed men’s computer use. However, differences in patterns of use still remain. This study looked at underlying factors that may be involved in maintaining differences in use. Specifically, this study focused on differences in gender and gender role personality traits as they relate to microcomputer playfulness. Gender role personality traits are defined as the acceptance of stereotypic gender descriptors as applying to oneself according to the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ). The PAQ provides participants with ratings on the expressive (feminine) and instrumental (masculine) scales. The relationship between the scales yields the gender role personality traits expressive (high expressive, low instrumental), instrumental (low expressive, high instrumental), androgynous (high on both), or undifferentiated (low on both). Microcomputer playfulness or computer playfulness is defined as the tendency to be “spontaneous, inventive and imaginative when interacting with a personal computer.” It is measured by responses on the Computer Playfulness Scale. This study found that computer playfulness varied depending upon setting with participants being most playful when using a computer at home and least playful when using a computer at work. Those who score in the androgynous range of the PAQ also scored higher on the CPS than those who scored in the undifferentiated range. Finally, this study found that males tended to score higher in computer playfulness than females. Participants were also interviewed about their experiences of gender role personality traits and computer playfulness. Discussion of these results and suggestions for further research are included.