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Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology
By conceptualising Jews as an ethnic minority, this study attempts to assess the subjective importance of being Jewish for a sample of Jewish South Africans residing in Cape Town (n = 51 ). The psychological processes by means of which group identity may be understood are examined using Tajfel's Soc...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Psychology
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613286946570240 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kaplan, Steven |
| author2 | Finchilescu, G |
| author_browse | Finchilescu, G Kaplan, Steven |
| author_facet | Finchilescu, G Kaplan, Steven |
| author_sort | Kaplan, Steven |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | By conceptualising Jews as an ethnic minority, this study attempts to assess the subjective importance of being Jewish for a sample of Jewish South Africans residing in Cape Town (n = 51 ). The psychological processes by means of which group identity may be understood are examined using Tajfel's Social Identity Theory. Three different perspectives about being Jewish are identified by means of Stephenson's Q Methodology. (0 statements are based on open-ended interviews with additional subjects who were not included in the final study (n = 14)). The three perspectives assert: (a) the importance of belonging to a Jewish group; (b) the need for individual Jews to define themselves on their own terms and; (c) the importance of literal separateness between Jews and non-Jews. It is suggested that all three perspectives may be representative of attempts at securing positive group identity and the mediating role of group affiliation is discussed in this regard. It is further argued that data may be explained in terms of : (a) the extent of group affiliation; (b) the subjective importance of the Jewish group as a social group; and (c) the possibility that subjective and individualised meanings of group identity may exist which affect the validity of the former two explanations. Considerations for future research are examined and it is argued that whichever direction such research takes (in terms of socially constructed theories and methodologies or towards a more cognitive redefinition of group and personal identity) it will have to take cognisance of the subjective importance of Jewish identity rather than assessing who is Jewish in terms of observable cultural, religious or behavioural practices. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40615 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:43.673Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Psychology |
| publisherStr | Psychology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40615 Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology Kaplan, Steven Finchilescu, G Research Psychology By conceptualising Jews as an ethnic minority, this study attempts to assess the subjective importance of being Jewish for a sample of Jewish South Africans residing in Cape Town (n = 51 ). The psychological processes by means of which group identity may be understood are examined using Tajfel's Social Identity Theory. Three different perspectives about being Jewish are identified by means of Stephenson's Q Methodology. (0 statements are based on open-ended interviews with additional subjects who were not included in the final study (n = 14)). The three perspectives assert: (a) the importance of belonging to a Jewish group; (b) the need for individual Jews to define themselves on their own terms and; (c) the importance of literal separateness between Jews and non-Jews. It is suggested that all three perspectives may be representative of attempts at securing positive group identity and the mediating role of group affiliation is discussed in this regard. It is further argued that data may be explained in terms of : (a) the extent of group affiliation; (b) the subjective importance of the Jewish group as a social group; and (c) the possibility that subjective and individualised meanings of group identity may exist which affect the validity of the former two explanations. Considerations for future research are examined and it is argued that whichever direction such research takes (in terms of socially constructed theories and methodologies or towards a more cognitive redefinition of group and personal identity) it will have to take cognisance of the subjective importance of Jewish identity rather than assessing who is Jewish in terms of observable cultural, religious or behavioural practices. 2024-10-25T06:31:14Z 2024-10-25T06:31:14Z 1995 2024-07-12T06:23:41Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40615 eng application/pdf Psychology Faculty of Humanities |
| spellingShingle | Research Psychology Kaplan, Steven Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology |
| title_full | Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology |
| title_fullStr | Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology |
| title_short | Jewish identity and positive distinctiveness: an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being Jewish using Q methodology |
| title_sort | jewish identity and positive distinctiveness an exploratory study of the subjective importance of being jewish using q methodology |
| topic | Research Psychology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40615 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kaplansteven jewishidentityandpositivedistinctivenessanexploratorystudyofthesubjectiveimportanceofbeingjewishusingqmethodology |