My name is Joshua Corcoran. I am 22 years of age and I am a 4th year student currently finishing up my studies of applied psychology. I was born and raised in north county Dublin, where I developed an interest in the workings behind the human mind at a young age and decided to persue my passion by completing a level 8 psychology degree at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire. My interests outside of college include excercise and tattooing. It was on this basis that I decided the topic of my college Thesis as I wanted to ensure it was a topic I had a passion for.
This project description briefly details the contents and procedure of my final year thesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate if an individuals age and gender would significantly effect how they perceive tattooed individuals. This was done by collecting 25 participants from 3 age groups (Gen X, millennials, Gen Z). Each participant was then asked to complete a questionnaire which would ask for their opinions on how they perceive tattooed individuals in different situations. Tattoos are a very prominent part of today’s society with it becoming more and more common with each generation. This made for a interesting project with the results being unexpected.
The objective of this project was to better understand how people with tattoos are viewed in society. Looking at all aspects, of their social life, in the work place and relationships, as those with tattoos can often be looked down upon by others due to them being perceived as less active members of society. This project aimed at compiling enough data to view the relationship between age and gender and how they can affect someones way of thinking. Providing helpful research for future studies to be conducted on was also an objective of this project.
The results of the current study suggest that the greatest difference in attitude is between Generation X and Generation Z. This could be due to the ever growing tattoo culture gaining more followers throughout the years and on display tattoos becoming more acceptable in society.The study's second hypothesis stated that there would be a difference for the participants in their attitudes toward tattooed individuals, based on their gender, this hypothesis was not supported as gender did not had a significant effect. Hypothesis three aimed at researching if there is a significant interaction between the generational group and their attitudes toward tattooed individuals, the results found that there was no significant interaction.
The chosen topic for my thesis was built on a topic of a personal interest, Tattoos and how people with tattoos are perceived. The purpose of this Study was to investigate the relationship individuals have between tattoos and their attitude, based on their age and gender. There is a common outdated stigma surrounding tattooed individuals, which states that they are generally antisocial or have aggressive behaviours. This studies aim was to determine whether this stigma is real and if it still exists in Modern times. The results of this study will allow psychologists to gain a better understanding on which factors can influence an individuals way of thinking and if this can be altered. The data gathered for this study was done so using an online questionnaire, and used the random sampling methodology for participant collection. A total of 25 participants were collected for each age category, Gerneration X, Millenials and Generation Z. There were many challenges along the way including gathering sufficient willing participants and finding age appropriate participants for the large age range being used, as this age group had a smaller online presence. This research is considered to be important as it allows us as human being find and improve on the prevalence of bias and stereotypes in today’s society. It is my opinion that there is more research needed to be conducted in this area of society wishes to abolish these untrue negative stereotypes.