GPSS Feature Friday: Jacob Erickson

Today's GPSS Feature Friday focuses on Jacob Erickson, a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology who is interested in deviant identity and decision-making processes. This feature was written by fellow graduate student Lindsay Bell.

Jacob Erickson can recall the moment clearly. He had just finished his thesis at Wichita State University when a well-respected, yet often hard-to-please professor complimented Jacob on his work. That vote of confidence was enough to convince him to pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology, focusing his research on deviant identity and decision-making processes.

He has always been interested in ideas about morality, and research on deviance seemed to be a natural fit with that interest. While his original research interests were to better understand who gets to define “crime,” he has recently been focusing on how social structure informs identity construction and decision making among drug users and dealers. Jacob believes his work can help explain the ways in which deviants construct an identity around their behaviors, which encourages persistence in those criminal behaviors.

Jacob believes that people make decisions and behave in a certain way because of how they see themselves. He points to broader social constructions as forces that inform people’s identity. He thinks that his research can provide a more effective means to help those who are the most susceptible to a life of drug abuse. He wants to build a better society through the creation of stronger social support mechanisms that can keep people from becoming criminalized.

After he earns his doctorate, Jacob hopes to become a professor at an R1 institution, where he can teach and continue to conduct research and publish his work. But the aspiring scholar graduated high school with a far different future in mind. He spent time playing football as a defensive end at a small liberal arts college and studying to become a high school history teacher, until an ongoing passion for sociology redirected Jacob onto his current path.

Jacob has enjoyed his time at Iowa State University, where he believes it has a small town feel with the resources of a large university. He spends a great deal of time at his favorite hangout spots, Café B., the Mucky Duck, or Torrent Brewing. If you want to learn more about Jacob’s research, invite him to Fuji, where he will gladly enjoy a sushi roll and discuss the merits of his work.

On Fridays, the Graduate College posts new features from the Graduate and Professional Student Senate. These features will focus on the lives of different Iowa State graduate students. Every post is written by another graduate student and edited lightly by Graduate College Communications Specialist Sarah Igram.