Nation anthropomorphism refers to the symbol and the symbolization process in which human-like characteristics are metaphorically attributed to a nation. In China, the Homeland-Mother ( zuguomuqin) is a widely accepted anthropomorphic image representing the nation. However, a brotherly national image named Azhong-Brother ( azhonggege) derived from subcultures was created and went viral on social media platforms with fierce controversy since 2019. Based on 23 in-depth interviews with China’s young netizens of wide variations, this study explored the differences between these two symbols, Chinese youths’ identification with the nation through the symbols, and their identity negotiation amid the controversy surrounding the image of Azhong-Brother. We discussed the symbolic contestation between traditional hegemonic and emergent soft masculinities within Azhong-Brother, the instrumental and sentimental national attachment associated with Homeland-Mother and Azhong-Brother, and the conflicts arising from the negotiation of multiple identities in relation to Azhong-Brother.
This paper presents an experiment exploring message strategies to reduce the stigma of gynecological diseases and promote women's sexual and reproductive health. Drawing on the cognitive‐affective‐behavioral model of stigma, we propose that social norms and message framing as two message strategies, respectively, address the cognitive and affective components of the stigma of gynecological diseases, which lead to desired changes in the help‐seeking intention as the behavioral component. We conducted a 3 (no norm vs. descriptive norm vs. descriptive plus injunctive norms) by 2 (gain‐framed vs. loss‐framed) between‐subject experiment (N = 202). The results reveal that messages with the combination of descriptive and injunctive norms reduce the greatest cognitive components of stigma. Gain‐framed messages induced fewer affective components than loss‐framed ones. The results suggest that changes in the cognitive and affective components of stigma may sequentially lead to favorable changes in the behavioral component. This study contributes to public understanding of the stigma of gynecological diseases by disentangling the various components and identifying the specific message strategies for stigma reduction.
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