Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Participation In The Johnson City, Tn Citizen's Police Academy., Angela Elkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Citizen's Police Academy allows citizens to attend the police academy to learn more about police departments and police work. While increasing in popularity, very little research has focused on participant impact. This study examines the impact of the Johnson City CPA on participants' attitudes and beliefs about police work. Surveys were analyzed to discover differences in age, education levels, gender and prior interest in police work concerning satisfaction, importance of training, and behavior change. Older respondents reported the most benefit from participation, while younger respondents were more likely to change their behaviors. Those with mid level educations gained the …

How Coming To Terms With Difficulties In The Family Of Origin Positively Influences Adult Children's Relationship/Marital Quality, Vjollca Kadi Martinson

Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have shown that family-of-origin experiences are generally important predictors of individuals' later relationship/marital quality. On average, the healthier these experiences are, the healthier adult children's relationships and marriages tend to be. The focus of this study was to investigate how coming to terms with difficulties experienced in the family of origin may enhance adult children's ability to create high quality relationships and marriages. The study employed a sample of 6423 U.S. couples, 18-45 years old, who were dating, cohabitating, engaged or married. This study showed that individuals in couple relationships who reported healthier family-of-origin experiences and those …

Variation In Life History And Behavioral Traits In The Colonial Spider Parawixia Bistriata (Araneidae): Some Adaptive Responses To Different Environments, María Florencia Fernández Campón

Doctoral Dissertations

Widely distributed species are exposed to different environmental forces throughout their range. As a response to differences in local environmental conditions, these species are expected to present geographic variation in phenotypic traits (e.g., behavioral, physiological, anatomical) in order to better adapt to these conditions. Parawixia bistriata (Araneidae) is a colonial spider distributed in a variety of habitats in South America. This species is unusual in two respects: contrary to most social species found in tropical wet forests, P. bistriata’s distribution extends from tropical to temperate latitudes; and it exhibits facultative group foraging, a behavioral pattern absent in territorial colonial …

Elder Abuse: More Is Expected Unless Society And Newspapers Intervene, Betty Lou Guckian

Theses & Dissertations

Elder abuse is a social illness of epidemic proportions in the United States and older Americans constitute one of the largest age groups in the nation. Ironically, there exists no comprehensive scientific study on the national incidence or prevalence of elder abuse in both institutional and domestic settings. However, state-based studies conducted over more than two decades show rampant elder abuse is a fact. Many factors contribute to the lack of research on a national scale including victims' underreporting of abuse for fear of retaliation. Lack of strong federal oversight of inconsistent, state-based laws and investigative procedures as well as …

Perspectives On Self-Immolation Experiences Among Uzbek Women, Elizabeth Ann Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of Uzbek women who committed acts of self-immolation and survived. The study examined the role of the religion and culture of Islam, whether the act of self-immolation was a suicide attempt or an act of protest, and whether the use of fire had some symbolic significance. Self-immolation, or deliberate self-burning, is increasingly becoming a cause of death and disability among young Muslim women in the Middle East andCentral Asia. However, little is known about this phenomenon.

This was a qualitative, bounded case study, which used a blended model of case …

The Journey Of A Social Movement: A Glimpse Into Hizb 'Allah And Its Integration Into The Lebanese Landscape, Lisa L. Peters

Masters Theses

Historically, research in Social Movement Theories has been limited to only certain aspects of a social movement, whether it was the impetus of the movement, explaining the reasons for its mobilization, how they recruit members and money, how social movements are able to function as an organization, or why groups suffer demise after flourishing for a period of time. This research attempts to build a framework of a particular social movement, Hizb'allah, a Shi'a Islamic movement based in Lebanon. This framework is built by extracting various elements from several social movement theories to explain and illustrate this movement's life course …

Autism And Parental Marital Satisfaction: The Role Of Adequacy Of Resources, Geneeta Kaliah Chambers

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The goal of the present study was to expand on the existing literature exploring families with children who have developmental disabilities, particularly autism. Previous studies have been constrained by univariate approaches that have failed to adequately capture the nuances of family functioning. Using an ecological/context approach, stemming from an ongoing research program conducted within a university-based treatment center, the present study attempted to improve on the conceptualization of interrelationships among family members and the role that contextual factors play within that dynamic. Specifically, the present study explored the influence of children’s level of autism on parents’ reports of their marital …

A Sociological History Of Prison Privatization In The Contemporary United States, Donna Selman-Killingbeck

Dissertations

This dissertation is framed by the radical criminological-theoretical perspective and utilizes the social constructionist method of analysis to examine the development of prison privatization in the United States. Central to this analysis is the question: How is it that, given the disastrous history of blatant attempts to blend capitalism and punishment, contemporary privatization of prisons not only emerged but continues to expand becoming a multinational incarceration industry? Three phases of privatization: emergence, maintenance and perpetuation, are illuminated in their political, economic and cultural contexts. Thestrategies and techniques, access to power, claims-making and managing counterclaims for example, of various stakeholders in …

Narrating Single Motherhood: What Does It Mean To Be A Single Mother?, Brandee Rutherford Mathews

Masters Theses

Status transitions such as divorce challenge those who undergo them to revise or reformulate identities lined to statuses no longer held. This study focuses on the identity work of recently divorced mothers of dependent children. Participants were solicited from those attending a “singles’ group” designed for adults with children sponsored by a large evangelical church located in the southeast. The women’s identity work occurred within a religious context that emphasized the desirability and sanctity of marriage. The researcher both participated in the group and conducted phone interviews with eleven of the mothers in the group. Identity ambiguity and identity limbo …

At-Risk Individuals' Awareness, Motivation, Roadblocks To Participation In Premarital Interventions, And Behaviors Following Completion Of The Relationship Evaluation (Relate), Melissa Lee Kigin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to gain more knowledge about single individuals with specific premarital risk factors for later marital problems (e.g. neuroticism or low emotional readiness, family-of-origin dysfunction, poor communication skills, and hostile conflict resolution style). The sample (N=39) completed the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) and were selected for the study based on the presence of one or more risk factors. Participants were contacted via email and asked to complete an online version of the Relationship Follow-up Questionnaire (RFQ) to determine their knowledge or awareness of their risk factor(s) after taking RELATE, their motivation for premarital interventions after …

Ready Or Not? Perceptions Of Marriage Readiness Among Emerging Adults, Sarah Badger

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the current culture of marriage preparation among emerging adults and the primary factors that influence their attitudes about marriage and family life. A total of 254 students from five universities in the United States completed questionnaires on criteria for marriage readiness and criteria for adulthood. The results indicate that we are witnessing the formation of a unique culture of marriage preparation in the rising generation of educated young adults in comparison to the one experienced by their parents and grandparents. This study supports the notion that marriage still matters for the …

Boys Will Be Boys: A Social Control Approach To Assessment Of Gender-Based Sentencing Disparity In Norfolk Circuit Court Cases, Fay F. Spence

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship between gender and sentencing severity for defendants convicted of violent crimes, victimless crimes, and theft crimes in Norfolk Circuit Court during 2001 and 2002. Based upon social control theories, the author hypothesized that women receive harsher penalties than men for violent crimes and victimless crimes, but that men receive harsher penalties for theft crimes. To test these hypotheses, the author relied, in part, upon data collected by the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney's office on 3368 criminal cases filed in 2001 and concluded by May 22, 2002. After eliminating cases not pertinent to the study, the data …

Migrating Latinas And The Grief Process, Daiana Anahir Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the migratory experience of immigrant Latina married women. It looks at their experience from both an individual and a systemic perspective. It compares their experience to that of grief due to bereavement using Parkes' theory of the grief process. This research also presents findings as to the effects of migration on the marital system. Analysis of interview data provided by 12 Latin American women who resided in the United States ranging from 2 years to 10 years, allowed a comparison between the experience of these women and the grief process theory. The findings of the study …

Revisiting Invasion-Succession: Social Relations In A Gentrifying Neighborhood, Lynda Franks

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the social relationships of different residents in a gentrifying neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon. It examines theoretical tenants in the social identity tradition to understand social change in terms of the impact of neighborhood change on the day-to-day interactions of individuals in a gentrifying neighborhood by exploring the ways in which different members of that neighborhood define and describe the terms “neighborhood”, “neighbor”, and “neighborly behavior”.

Intergroup neighboring research posits two outcomes of neighborhood change on interactions between old and new neighbors, one of conflict, the other of cooperation. The conflict perspective proposes that, in situations where …

The First Full Tv Generation: A Grounded Theory Study Of Persons Born From 1960 To 1976 Regarding Their Experiences With Parental Mediation Of Television And Movies, Bradley W. Bull

Doctoral Dissertations

According to Gallup polls, the number of U.S. households owning televisions (TVs) went from 6% in 1949 to 90% in 1959 to 97% in 1966. Thus, persons born from 1960 to 1976 represent the first full TV generation in that they are the first members of society to grow up with television as a constant presence. The parents of this cohort vividly remember the advent of television and were themselves raised by parents who had no experience growing up with television. For the most part, the parents of those born since 1960 faced making decisions related to mediating television having …

Cross-Cultural Studies Of Implicit Theories Of Creativity: A Comparative Analysis Between The United States And The Main Ethnic Groups In Singapore, Suzanna J. Ramos

Creative Studies Graduate Student Master's Theses

This thesis explored the extent of influence of culture on implicit theories of creativity among laypeople from the United States and Singapore, as well as the ethnic groups in Singapore - the Chinese, the Malays, and the Indians, in regard to adaptive and innovative styles of creativity as well as their own conceptions of creativity. A total of 523 participants were involved in this study. They comprised 139 participants from the United States and 199 participants from Singapore, 84 Chinese, 54 Malays, and 47 Indians. The participants completed the first part of a questionnaire that consisted of a ten-point scale …

“See Your Healthcare Provider For A Prescription Today!” The Influence Of Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising On Nurse Practitioners And Their Patients, Kelly A. Getman-Dissette

Masters Theses

In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relaxed the guidelines regarding the advertising of prescription drugs directly to consumers (i.e., direct-to-consumer advertising, DTCA). The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of DTCA on the relationships of healthcare providers with their patients. In order to accomplish this task, in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with ten nurse practitioners (NPs). The interviews sought out provider perceptions on four topics as they relate to DTCA: diagnosis and treatment decisions, prescribing practices, additional burden on the provider, and patient trust in the provider. The findings reveal that DTCA has had both …

The Collaborative Creation Of Alternate Realities And The Use Of Torture: An Analysis Of Abu Ghraib, Denise Margarett Knight

Masters Theses

The abuses at Abu Ghraib, an American-run prison in Iraq, raise the question, how does torture happen in a society whose members for the most part believe that doing harm to others is wrong? Ronald Crelinsten (2003) offers the explanation that people create an alternate reality in which torture is justified. Three types of people, perpetrators, victims, and bystanders, participate in the maintenance of this alternate reality. My study is an instantiation of Crelinsten's framework. It focuses on the perpetrators at Abu Ghraib. I propose that two types of perpetrators participated in the abuses: the soldiers and personnel in the …

From An Issue-Based To A Globalized Frame For Addressing Women's Grievances: Possibilities For Social Change?, Kristen Lea Vanhooreweghe

Masters Theses

Women throughout the world disproportionately absorb the social and environmental costs of globalization. Globalization, therefore, works more often to inhibit, than to promote, women’s needs necessary for survival. Using a materialist feminist perspective, I examine the harmful effects of globalization on women’s production, reproduction, and engagement with the environment and offer a comprehensive frame for addressing women’s associated grievances. I then offer brief vignettes of two contemporary feminist organizations to evaluate the possibility of a cross-cultural and widespread movement of women for social change.

Food Security In The 21St Century: Lessons From Cuban Agriculture For Materializing Realities, Evan L. Weissman

Masters Theses

Worldwide, hunger continues to pose great problems for humanity. Despite popular belief, hunger is a problem of inequality, not agricultural production. The fast-approaching global peak in oil production, the point at which half of all existing oil has been used, means that hunger, now a problem of inequality, will soon become a problem of production unless contemporary agricultural production is transformed. This project examines the promise of urban agriculture in providing food security following the collapse of petroagriculture.

The case of Cuba, albeit fostered by political economic conditions and not emerging geophysical limitations, provides a model of agricultural development for …

Third Wave Feminist Identity, Sarah Brightman

Masters Theses

The research I am proposing is to gain a better understanding of current, individual feminist identity and the impact of that identity, more broadly, on current feminism. There is controversy in the current literature about the existence of a third wave of feminism and I believe this research will contribute to this discussion by exploring various individual experiences with feminism and how feminist identity fits into individuals lives. Gaining an understanding of young feminist identity and the individual meaning of feminism might help define the characteristics of this whole new generation of feminists in their own terms. Much progress and …

Intergenerational Power Exchange Model: Meta-Analysis Of Male Batterers’ Intervention Programs, Suzanne Van Weelde

Dissertations

Domestic violence is an ongoing social problem. Many women have suffered from the abuse of spouses and boyfriends. A number of children have been victims, or witnesses of, this particular form of violence. The consequences of abuse are: preventable crimes, victims and witnesses becoming abusers themselves, escalating health and mental costs. Domestic violence has touched every community within the United States. It is not a social problem that sociological researchers can afford to minimize.

Sociological literature has documented the growth of the social problem of domestic violence. As a result of the awareness of domestic violence as a serious social …

Importation And Prisonization Of Corrections Worker’S Attitudes And Behaviors: An Empirical Examination Of Social Distance, Correctional Orientation, And Punitive Behavior Within The Correctional Setting, William J. Hartley

Dissertations

Past research has relied on two theoretical models---importation and prisonization---to explain staff member's attitudes, behaviors, and social distance from offenders in the correctional work environment. Tests of these models have shown partial support for both models. However, missing in the literature has been a clear understanding and examination of how these attitudes and behaviors vary across custody levels within a given correctional facility. The purpose of this study is: (1) to include a more comprehensive test of the prisonization and importation models by including more of the variables utilized in past research; (2) to develop and test a causal model …

Career Experiences And Career Development Among Chinese American Professional Women: A Qualitative Study, Yi-Ling Linda Kuo-Rice

Dissertations

Only a few research studies have addressed the cultural transitions and career-related issues experienced by Chinese American women. These individuals represent a silent group whose career values, career choices, and vocational needs remain largely unexplored (Yang, 1991).

This qualitative study, using grounded theory methods, explored the career experiences, career development, and career decision-making of nine foreign-bornChinese American professional women from various career fields. The findings from the study are divided into two parts. The first part presents summaries of each study participant's career development, providing a context-rich description of each case. The second part of the findings offers the results …

Secularization As A Decline In Religious Authority Over Gender, Catherine E. Meyers

Theses and Dissertations

Recent secularization debates have helped to interpret the changing influence of religion over time and over social life. I argue that Chaves' (1994) conception of secularization, that secularization occurs as a decline in religious authority, is an effective theoretical tool for describing religious change over time. Using GSS data and the example of gender ideology, I attempt to illustrate this concept and argue that this view of secularization, combined with a multidimensional approach to gender, is necessary to more fully explain the changing relationship among religion and gender over time.

Is The Party Over? Unmarried Fatherhood And Drug And Alcohol Use, Jonathan A. Jarvis

Theses and Dissertations

Using waves two and three of the National Survey of Adolescent Males (1990 and 1995) I examine the effects of marriage, paternity and father involvement on the use of drugs and alcohol by young men. Despite the importance of fatherhood as an adult role, I argue that commitment to the role of fatherhood and not paternity itself is what alters behavior. I hypothesize that young men who assume responsibility for fathering their children are more likely to reduce their drug and alcohol use over time than young men who father children but do not assume the role of parent. Results …

The Creation And Formative Evaluation Of An Attachment-Based Parenting Education Website, April Steed

Theses and Dissertations

While there are numerous websites discussing attachment parenting in infancy, there are currently no interactive research-based websites devoted to attachment parenting throughout early childhood. To fill this need the author developed the Foundations of Parenting website (http://www.foundationsofparenting.org). Evaluation, a tool so far under-utilized by parenting education websites, is necessary for both quality control and improving websites. Thus, in addition to development of the website, the author also formatively evaluated the Foundations of Parenting program by using website-utilization tools and visitor feedback through an online survey to analyze utilization and visitor satisfaction. The website was well-used (674 unique visitors and 189 …

Sibling Influence On Adolescent Cigarette, Alcohol, And Marijuana Use, Benjamin G. Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to estimate the association between sibling drug use and adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Research is conducted using survey data from a probability sample of 4,987 adolescents in grades 9–12 in Utah. To account for the limited frequency of drug use among respondents, Poisson regression is used to estimate models for each type of drug. In support of current literature, findings indicate that having a sibling who uses drugs increases the frequency of drug use substantially, even when peer influences are taken into account. Significant sibling associations with adolescent drug use found in …

Materialism, Perceived Financial Problems, And Marital Satisfaction, Lukas R. Dean

Theses and Dissertations

While there has been a relatively large number of studies conducted to investigate associations between financial problems and marital outcomes, little research has been done to examine possible relationships between materialistic attitudes, perceived financial problems, and marital outcomes. This study has been designed to examine a conceptual model linking materialism, perceived financial problems, and relationship satisfaction among married couples. Data obtained from 600 married heterosexual couples who took the RELATE test fit the model well. Findings indicate that wives' materialism is negatively related to husbands' marital satisfaction. Husbands' and wives' materialism is positively related with increased perception of financial problems …

How Virtues And Values Affect Marital Intimacy, Natalie Jan Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand how virtues and values affect marital intimacy. Ten married couples were given a marital satisfaction assessment and participated as individuals in 1-1/2 hour interviews which were audiotaped and then transcribed. Using grounded theory and also the constant comparative method, researchers were able to generate a theory involving a core theme of showing love for self and other, which strongly contributes to increased intimacy. This process is connected to living virtues and to becoming other-oriented. Two different ways of "being" were found to be connected both with showing love, living virtues, increasing …