Key publications
Thomas EF, McGarty C, Stuart A, Smith LGE, Bourgeois L (2018). Reaching consensus promotes the internalization of commitment to social change.
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations,
22, 615-630.
Full text.
Stuart A, Thomas EF, Donaghue N (2018). “I don't really want to be associated with the self-righteous left extreme”: Disincentives to participation in collective action.
Journal of Social and Political Psychology,
6Abstract:
“I don't really want to be associated with the self-righteous left extreme”: Disincentives to participation in collective action
This paper considers collective action non-participation by people sympathetic but not committed to participating in actions for social change (‘sympathisers’). We conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended written accounts of the barriers to participating in sustained collective action (N = 112), finding that people can be reluctant to engage in some types of collective action. Participants wrote about the potential for detrimental consequences resulting from association with ‘protesters’, concern that they may be undermined by ‘extreme’ fringes of a movement, ambivalence about the visible performance of group normative behaviours (specifically, protesting), and trepidation about ‘loss of self’ within a group. We discuss the findings in relation to theory on social (dis)identification, social (dis)incentives, and identity performances, arguing that inaction does not necessarily stem from apathy. Rather, people may engage in motivated inaction – that is, active avoidance of some types of actions, or from affiliations with particular groups, as a response to negative inferences about the legitimacy or efficacy of some forms of collective action. Practical strategies are suggested for groups and individuals, including the potential for people to take actions for social change independently of a formally organised movement.
Abstract.
Stuart A, Levine M (2017). Beyond ‘nothing to hide’: When identity is key to privacy threat under surveillance.
European Journal of Social Psychology,
47(6), 694-707.
Abstract:
Beyond ‘nothing to hide’: When identity is key to privacy threat under surveillance
Copyright © 2017 John Wiley. &. Sons, Ltd. Privacy is psychologically important, vital for democracy, and in the era of ubiquitous and mobile surveillance technology, facing increasingly complex threats and challenges. Yet surveillance is often justified under a trope that one has ‘nothing to hide’. We conducted focus groups (N = 42) on topics of surveillance and privacy and using discursive analysis, identify the ideological assumptions and the positions that people adopt to make sense of their participation in a surveillance society. We find a premise that surveillance is increasingly inescapable, but this was only objected to when people reported feeling misrepresented, or where they had an inability to withhold aspects of their identities. The (in)visibility of the surveillance technology also complicated how surveillance is constructed. Those interested in engaging the public in debates about surveillance may be better served by highlighting the identity consequences of surveillance, rather than constructing surveillance as a generalised privacy threat.
Abstract.
Full text.
Price BA, Stuart A, Calikli G, McCormick C, Mehta V, Hutton L, Bandara AK, Nuseibeh B (2017). Logging you, logging me: a replicable study of privacy and sharing
behaviour in groups of visual lifeloggers. Proc. ACM Interact. Mob. Wearable Ubiquitous Technol, 1
Thomas EF, McGarty C, Lala G, Stuart A, Hall LJ, Goddard A (2015). Whatever happened to Kony2012? Understanding a global internet phenomenon as an emergent social identity.
European Journal of Social Psychology,
45(3), 356-367.
Abstract:
Whatever happened to Kony2012? Understanding a global internet phenomenon as an emergent social identity
Kony2012 was a viral Internet video that attracted unprecedented online interest in promoting a campaign to arrest the leader of an African militant group. The current research considers the social psychological bases of social media-based collective action. In three cross sectional surveys (N = 304) collected before, on, and after the key action date of April 20, 2012, we consider the nature (opinion-based or global) and function (emergent or transforming) of social identity in modern forms of social action. Multigroup structural equation modeling showed that Kony2012 action was best captured by an emergent opinion-based social identity. Moreover, the same factors that predicted Kony2012 action generally also predicted engagement in new repertoires of protest (involving the use of social media) and an observable traditional socio-political action (signing a letter to a government minister). The results suggest that there is no sharp dividing line between traditional and new forms of collective action and that both may be understood as valid expressions of collective selfhood.
Abstract.
Stuart A, Thomas EF, Donaghue N, Russell A (2013). “We may be pirates, but we are not protesters”: Identity in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Political Psychology,
34(5), 753-777.
Abstract:
“We may be pirates, but we are not protesters”: Identity in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Radical activist organizations face the complex task of managing their identity so as to draw political attention but also to appear legitimate and thus gain public support. In this article we develop a picture of the identities of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) members, a group mostly known for their direct action against whaling, via a thematic analysis of material from the SSCS website and interviews with SSCS members. In online commentary, founder Captain Paul Watson establishes several deliberately paradoxical notions of who the Sea Shepherds are. We relate these identity statements to interviews with core activists to examine how they manage the identity conflicts resulting from the group identity, such as being seen as “pirates” and “hard lined vegans.” We found that SSCS positions themselves as a diverse and unstructured organization, yet distinctively passionate and willing to take action where others will not. The implications of this research are discussed in relation to the importance of understanding the constraints and conflicts around political activist identities.
Abstract.
Publications by year
In Press
Stuart A, Bandara AK, Levine M (In Press). The psychology of privacy in the digital age.
Social and Personality Psychology Compass Full text.
2020
Morgenroth T, Stuart A (2020). Gender and psychology. In Naples N (Ed)
Companion to Gender Studies, Wiley Press.
Full text.
Gooch D, Vikram M, Price B, McCormick C, Bandara A, Bennaceur A, Bennasar M, Stuart A, Clare L, Levine M, et al (2020). How are you feeling? Using tangibles to log the emotions of older adults. Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction. 9th - 12th Feb 2020.
Abstract:
How are you feeling? Using tangibles to log the emotions of older adults
Abstract.
Full text.
2019
Bennasar M, McCormick C, Price B, Gooch D, Stuart A, Mehta V, Clare L, Bennaceur A, Cohen J, Bandara A, et al (2019). A Sensor Platform for Non-invasive Remote Monitoring of Older Adults in Real Time.
Abstract:
A Sensor Platform for Non-invasive Remote Monitoring of Older Adults in Real Time
Abstract.
Bennasar M, Price B, Stuart A, Gooch D, McCormick C, Mehta V (2019). Knowledge-Based Architecture for Recognising Activities of Older People. 23rd International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems. 4th - 6th Sep 2019.
Bennasar M, McCormick C, Price B, Gooch D, Stuart A, Mehta V, Clare L, Bennaceur A, Cohen J, Bandara AK, et al (2019). STRETCH: a Sensor Platform for Non-Invasive Remote Monitoring of Older People in Real Time. KES InMed 2019. 17th - 19th Jun 2019.
Full text.
Vergani M, Bliuc A-M, Stuart A, Badea C, Muntele D, McGarty C (2019). United in diversity, divided in adversity? Support for right-wing Eurosceptic parties in the face of threat differs across nations.
Frontiers in Psychology Full text.
Stuart AC, Levine M (2019). “Oh no, not a group!” a thematic analysis of people’s reasons for not joining social, activity, and health groups.
Abstract:
“Oh no, not a group!” a thematic analysis of people’s reasons for not joining social, activity, and health groups.
For many of us, the evidence suggests, groups are good for our health. They provide purpose, belonging, and the ability to 'give back'. However, in our research the message we heard from older people is that one size does not fit all. Some older people say they do not like socialising in groups, and do not want to join groups. Instead, some people rely on a few key relationships, which puts them at risk of social isolation; others prefer being in nature or engaging in other purposeful activities, but their ability to do so becomes limited when they develop multiple morbidities. As a result, a significant number of older people become isolated and experience poor wellbeing, but resist (or even experience further negative health outcomes from) group programmes. In this interview study we identify themes regarding why older people don’t want to join a group or are selective about which groups they join. We discuss these in sections regarding: early life experiences; past group experiences; current life events; and complicating factors and disabilities. We also discuss participant’s experiential descriptions of social connectedness and whether they feel a need to belong to people or places. The theoretical implications and practical outcomes are discussed at the end of the paper.
Abstract.
2018
Thomas EF, McGarty C, Stuart A, Smith LGE, Bourgeois L (2018). Reaching consensus promotes the internalization of commitment to social change.
Group Processes and Intergroup Relations,
22, 615-630.
Full text.
Stuart A, Thomas EF, Donaghue N (2018). “I don't really want to be associated with the self-righteous left extreme”: Disincentives to participation in collective action.
Journal of Social and Political Psychology,
6Abstract:
“I don't really want to be associated with the self-righteous left extreme”: Disincentives to participation in collective action
This paper considers collective action non-participation by people sympathetic but not committed to participating in actions for social change (‘sympathisers’). We conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended written accounts of the barriers to participating in sustained collective action (N = 112), finding that people can be reluctant to engage in some types of collective action. Participants wrote about the potential for detrimental consequences resulting from association with ‘protesters’, concern that they may be undermined by ‘extreme’ fringes of a movement, ambivalence about the visible performance of group normative behaviours (specifically, protesting), and trepidation about ‘loss of self’ within a group. We discuss the findings in relation to theory on social (dis)identification, social (dis)incentives, and identity performances, arguing that inaction does not necessarily stem from apathy. Rather, people may engage in motivated inaction – that is, active avoidance of some types of actions, or from affiliations with particular groups, as a response to negative inferences about the legitimacy or efficacy of some forms of collective action. Practical strategies are suggested for groups and individuals, including the potential for people to take actions for social change independently of a formally organised movement.
Abstract.
2017
Stuart A, Levine M (2017). Beyond ‘nothing to hide’: When identity is key to privacy threat under surveillance.
European Journal of Social Psychology,
47(6), 694-707.
Abstract:
Beyond ‘nothing to hide’: When identity is key to privacy threat under surveillance
Copyright © 2017 John Wiley. &. Sons, Ltd. Privacy is psychologically important, vital for democracy, and in the era of ubiquitous and mobile surveillance technology, facing increasingly complex threats and challenges. Yet surveillance is often justified under a trope that one has ‘nothing to hide’. We conducted focus groups (N = 42) on topics of surveillance and privacy and using discursive analysis, identify the ideological assumptions and the positions that people adopt to make sense of their participation in a surveillance society. We find a premise that surveillance is increasingly inescapable, but this was only objected to when people reported feeling misrepresented, or where they had an inability to withhold aspects of their identities. The (in)visibility of the surveillance technology also complicated how surveillance is constructed. Those interested in engaging the public in debates about surveillance may be better served by highlighting the identity consequences of surveillance, rather than constructing surveillance as a generalised privacy threat.
Abstract.
Full text.
Thomas EF, McGarty C, Stuart A, Lala G, Pedersen A (2017). Education and social participation: Civic identity and civic participation in formal and informal education contexts. In Mavor KI, Platow MJ, Bizumic B (Eds.)
Self and Social Identity in Educational Contexts, Routledge.
Full text.
Rafiq Y, Dickens L, Russo A, Bandara AK, Calikli G, Yang M, Stuart A, Levine M, Price BA, Nuseibeh B, et al (2017). Learning to Share: Engineering Adaptive Decision-Support for Online Social Networks. 2017 32nd IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering (ASE 2017). 30th Oct - 3rd Nov 2017.
Abstract:
Learning to Share: Engineering Adaptive Decision-Support for Online Social Networks
Abstract.
Full text.
Price BA, Stuart A, Calikli G, McCormick C, Mehta V, Hutton L, Bandara AK, Nuseibeh B (2017). Logging you, logging me: a replicable study of privacy and sharing
behaviour in groups of visual lifeloggers. Proc. ACM Interact. Mob. Wearable Ubiquitous Technol, 1
Stuart A, Levine M (2017). The co-regulation of privacy in public with wearable cameras. European Association of Social Psychology. 4th - 9th Jul 2017.
Full text.
2016
Calikli G, Law M, Bandara AK, Russo A, Dickens L, Price BA, Stuart A, Levine M, Nuseibeh B (2016). Privacy Dynamics: Learning Privacy Norms for Social
Software. 11th International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems. 16th - 17th May 2016.
Abstract:
Privacy Dynamics: Learning Privacy Norms for Social
Software
Abstract.
Full text.
Stuart A, Levine M (2016). The threat to identities posed by arbitrary surveillance. International Society of Justice Research. 20th - 23rd Jul 2016.
Abstract:
The threat to identities posed by arbitrary surveillance
Abstract.
Full text.
2015
Anderson JR, Stuart A, Rossen I (2015). Not all negative: Macro justice principles predict positive attitudes towards asylum seekers in Australia.
Australian Journal of Psychology,
67(4), 207-213.
Abstract:
Not all negative: Macro justice principles predict positive attitudes towards asylum seekers in Australia
Public opinion toward asylum seekers within Australia has become increasingly hostile over the past decade. In particular, such negative attitudes are associated with questioning the legitimacy of those who seek asylum, and the fairness of granting their refugee status. In a sample of 100 students (Mage=22.83 years, SDage=8.26 years) we tested the role of macro and micro principles of social justice in predicting attitudes toward asylum seekers, beyond the established role of social dominance orientation (SDO) and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). Using multiple hierarchical regression analyses, we show that macro justice social principles (i.e. the belief in equal distribution of resources across a society) predict positive attitudes toward asylum seekers beyond the variation accounted for by SDO and RWA in predicting negative attitudes. These results underscore the importance of taking into account individual orientations toward justice; we argue that these findings have important implications for the development of communication designed to reduce prejudice toward asylum seekers.
Abstract.
Full text.
Thomas EF, McGarty C, Lala G, Stuart A, Hall LJ, Goddard A (2015). Whatever happened to Kony2012? Understanding a global internet phenomenon as an emergent social identity.
European Journal of Social Psychology,
45(3), 356-367.
Abstract:
Whatever happened to Kony2012? Understanding a global internet phenomenon as an emergent social identity
Kony2012 was a viral Internet video that attracted unprecedented online interest in promoting a campaign to arrest the leader of an African militant group. The current research considers the social psychological bases of social media-based collective action. In three cross sectional surveys (N = 304) collected before, on, and after the key action date of April 20, 2012, we consider the nature (opinion-based or global) and function (emergent or transforming) of social identity in modern forms of social action. Multigroup structural equation modeling showed that Kony2012 action was best captured by an emergent opinion-based social identity. Moreover, the same factors that predicted Kony2012 action generally also predicted engagement in new repertoires of protest (involving the use of social media) and an observable traditional socio-political action (signing a letter to a government minister). The results suggest that there is no sharp dividing line between traditional and new forms of collective action and that both may be understood as valid expressions of collective selfhood.
Abstract.
Stuart A, Levine M (2015). When will people resist surveillance: First they need to notice it, then identify the source. International Society for Political Psychology. 21st - 26th Jun 2015.
Abstract:
When will people resist surveillance: First they need to notice it, then identify the source.
Abstract.
Full text.
2013
Stuart A, Thomas EF, Donaghue N, Russell A (2013). “We may be pirates, but we are not protesters”: Identity in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Political Psychology,
34(5), 753-777.
Abstract:
“We may be pirates, but we are not protesters”: Identity in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Radical activist organizations face the complex task of managing their identity so as to draw political attention but also to appear legitimate and thus gain public support. In this article we develop a picture of the identities of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) members, a group mostly known for their direct action against whaling, via a thematic analysis of material from the SSCS website and interviews with SSCS members. In online commentary, founder Captain Paul Watson establishes several deliberately paradoxical notions of who the Sea Shepherds are. We relate these identity statements to interviews with core activists to examine how they manage the identity conflicts resulting from the group identity, such as being seen as “pirates” and “hard lined vegans.” We found that SSCS positions themselves as a diverse and unstructured organization, yet distinctively passionate and willing to take action where others will not. The implications of this research are discussed in relation to the importance of understanding the constraints and conflicts around political activist identities.
Abstract.
2012
Stuart A, Donaghue N (2012). Choosing to conform: the discursive complexities of choice in relation to feminine beauty practices.
Feminism and Psychology,
22(1), 98-121.
Abstract:
Choosing to conform: the discursive complexities of choice in relation to feminine beauty practices
There exists the idea that western societies are now postfeminist, implying that remaining
differences between men and women should be understood as a result of the free
exercise of individual choice. Yet this postfeminist promise of liberation is overwhelmingly
packaged within the crushingly cruel beauty images that western women are
judged against and incited to emulate. Theorizing female agency in light of choice and
liberation discourses has been the topic of much recent feminist literature, to which this
article seeks to contribute. We utilized a feminist post-structuralist framework to
examine how young Australian women position themselves as freely choosing and
able to throw off oppression. We discuss these findings in relation to the conception
of the neoliberal feminine subject; described as someone who playfully expresses herself
by freely choosing her level of participation in socially promoted beauty practices; in
turn resulting in a resistance to being seen as inflexible, or critical of wider social
influences.
Abstract.
Stuart A, Kurz T, Ashby K (2012). Damned if you do and damned if you don't: the (Re)production of larger breasts as ideal in criticisms of breast surgery.
Australian Feminist Studies,
74(27), 405-420.
Abstract:
Damned if you do and damned if you don't: the (Re)production of larger breasts as ideal in criticisms of breast surgery
In contemporary Western societies women are often thought to have overcome inequality, become autonomous and resistant to social pressures, and in so doing gained the freedoms to make their own choices. However, this ‘post-feminist sensibility’ can arguably be seen as a double-bind as some types of ‘choices’ cannot always be recognised as freely chosen if they are taken as an indication of failing to resist social (appearance) pressures. We argue that one such example is the ‘choice’ to have cosmetic breast surgery, a practice that has received both criticism and celebration from different feminist angles. In this paper we analyse how women who have had breast augmentation are constructed by readers of an internet blog in which they are largely vilified and pathologised for not valuing their ‘natural’ (yet ‘deficient’) breasts. We demonstrate how the same discursive constructions that appear to value women’s ‘natural’ bodies simultaneously (re)produce the conditions in which women may feel the need to have breast augmentation.
Abstract.
Full text.
