Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: CARLA DJAINE TEIXEIRA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : CARLA DJAINE TEIXEIRA
DATE: 27/03/2025
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Videoconferência (Google Meet)
TITLE:

Social and Psychological Factors in Flexitarian Adherence: Motivations, Challenges, Personality Trait Influences, and Masculinity

KEY WORDS:

flexitarianism; identity; challenges; masculinity; personality traits.

PAGES: 79
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Sociologia
SUMMARY:

Flexitarianism, an emerging dietary model based on reducing meat consumption, has gained prominence due to its benefits for planetary health. Despite its growing adoption, few studies have explored how social and psychological factors influence this dietary practice, as most of the literature focuses on these factors among vegans and vegetarians. The literature highlights four key aspects to understanding this relationship: (1) diet plays a fundamental role in identity, expressing both individual and collective values; (2) social environment and culture significantly shape meat consumption patterns; (3) meat consumption is linked to gender constructs, particularly masculinity—men who perceive themselves as “more masculine” tend to consume more meat, while those who identify as “less masculine” are more likely to reduce their intake; and (4) individuals who exclude meat from their diet exhibit higher levels of openness to experience and agreeableness, suggesting that personality traits influence dietary choices. Building on evidence from similar dietary models, this research aims to understand how sociopsychological factors related to motivation, gender, and personality traits affect adherence to flexitarianism. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions: (1) Is there a flexitarian dietary identity? (2) What are the main motivations and challenges for adopting flexitarianism? (3) How are masculinity levels and openness to experience associated with adherence to flexitarianism? (4) To what extent do gender, masculinity levels, and openness to experience influence adherence to flexitarianism? To address these questions, this dissertation follows a compilation format and employs a cross-sectional study, using online surveys conducted nationwide with mixed-methods analysis. In the first phase, qualitative analysis techniques with Natural Language Processing were applied to a sample of 778 participants to examine dietary identity and the challenges associated with reducing meat consumption in Brazil. Preliminary findings indicate that there is no homogeneous flexitarian identity among participants, who cluster into five distinct groups, each reflecting different motivations for identifying as flexitarian. Additionally, the primary challenge reported by participants is the difficulty in finding alternative protein sources, while secondary challenges include meat taste preference and established dietary habits. The second phase explores the associations between masculinity, openness to experience, and this dietary model, determining which factor best predicts meat reduction. To this end, we will test the following hypotheses: (H1) masculinity levels are negatively associated with meat reduction and exclusion; (H2) openness to experience is positively associated with meat reduction and exclusion; and (H3) openness to experience, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, masculinity levels, and motivation type, is the strongest predictor of meat reduction and exclusion.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 3859825 - MICHELLE CRISTINE MEDEIROS JACOB
Interna - 1144946 - ANNA BARBARA ARAUJO TALONE
Interno - ***.988.284-** - SAVIO MARCELINO GOMES - IE
Externo à Instituição - MAURO DIAS SILVA JÚNIOR