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Mindfulness, The Effects On Student Trauma And Stress Management, Kayla Clauson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This study aimed to determine the effects of mindfulness on student stress and anxiety. This study occurred in a small rural school approximately an hour southwest of Chicago, Illinois. The classroom was a self-contained general education classroom consisting of 15 kindergarteners. All 15 participants were between the ages of five and six. The action research took place over four weeks. Over these four weeks, the researcher taught students mindfulness strategies that included deep breathing exercises and meditation - an awareness of senses and emotions. All 15 students participated in mindfulness daily. Data was collected over the entirety of the study. …

Emotionally Unavailable: A Comparison On The Ability Of Children With Developmental Language Disorders To Interpret Emotions In Humans And Inanimate Objects, Savanna B. Gullett

Honors Theses

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a neuro-developmental condition that emerges in early childhood and can persist into adulthood, manifesting as a variety of symptoms that can be significantly different in each individual. It has an estimated prevalence of 7.58% and is nearly 7 times more common in children than autism spectrum disorder (McGregor, 2020). As a population, individuals with DLD are at risk of facing significant issues in associating areas of language, including reading comprehension, problem-solving abilities, and social skills. Professionals have noticed emotional disconnect amongst individuals with DLD, leading to the proposition that those with DLD may have a …

Compliance With Ostracism: How Excluding A Member Of A Despised Outgroup Affects Psychological Need Satisfaction, Emma Nettles

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Ostracism is a social process through which individuals are excluded or ignored (Williams, 1998). While recent research has slowly shifted toward the perpetrators of ostracism, relative to the targets, there is still little research on the effects of complying with ostracism. While previous research suggests engaging in ostracism leads to negative affect and thwarted need satisfaction, ostracism was directed toward an otherwise underserving target (Legate et al., 2013). The current research examined the effects of being instructed to ostracize a member of a despised outgroup on affect and need satisfaction. Seventy-one participants were recruited to play Cyberball, in which they …

The Effects Of Teaching Children To Tact Their Emotions On Problem Behavior, Haley Nicole Harber

Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle to understand and describe private events, such as emotions. When an individual cannot communicate appropriately, it can lead to various problem behaviors. Previous literature suggested that we teach children to tact their emotions (e.g., "I am sad," "I am angry") in an attempt to decrease their problem behavior. The primary purpose of the current study is to teach children with autism to tact their emotions. The secondary purpose is to evaluate the effects of empathy statements on problem behavior. Four children participated, three with problem behavior maintained by access to tangibles and …

Development Art Therapy Methods For Korean Immigrant Elders In An Independent Residential Community Setting, Wansu Kang

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper addresses how art therapy methods can improve life quality, empowerment, and well-being for immigrant elders in the US. Participants were first generation immigrants aged 71-86 years old (birth years ranging from 1935 to 1950) who moved to the USA 20-30 years ago. Art groups were held weekly in one-hour long sessions. Data included observation notes of the participants throughout the sessions, a review and discussion of the participants’ art responses, as well as closing interviews. This thesis found art therapy can a) allow immigrant elders to engage with peers and communities, relieving social isolation and loneliness, b) support …

Asian Immigrant Parents And Their Asian/Asian-American Children: Bridging The Emotional Gap, Natalie Vergara Realubit

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This manuscript explores and examines Asian/Asian-American identity and values. A brief discussion of Asian immigration history, intergenerational trauma, and the impacts of COVID-19 will be linked to Asian identity. Eastern values are explored in conjunction with Western values to highlight the differences and contradictions Asians/Asian-Americans navigate. Biculturalism is explained, as well as how the navigation of values results in individuals living in their ethnic and host cultures simultaneously. Acculturation and enculturation, the model minority myth, education and the American Dream, and bicultural stress experienced by Asian-Americans and Asian international students are explored to highlight the various ways in which biculturalism …

Tell Me How You Really Feel: A Qualitative Look At The Trepidation Felt By American Sign Language Interpreters When Voicing Taboo And Strong Language, Devon E. Wilson

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

Interpreters are humans and, despite historical assumptions and beliefs, do not remain completely neutral when performing interpreting duties. At times, interpreters will feel emotions that surface as a reaction to source messages. These emotions can arise quickly with little warning, causing interpreters to navigate them in a matter of seconds and make decisions regarding how to best interpret the source message. This is especially true if the source message contains any form of taboo / strong language. Such messages may cause trepidation when voicing - working from American Sign Language into English - and word choices may affect the hearing …

Teaching Empathy: A Precursor To Accepting Diversity, Karen Viers

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Robert Kennedy once said, “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” This statement inspired the author to question how prosocial behavior and the acceptance of diversity can be encouraged and is the driving force behind the following undergraduate thesis. Research tells us that Theory of Mind (ToM) and Affective Perspective Taking (APT) are essential components in a stepwise progression to learning empathy and can be taught to children ages five to seven. These elements are essential to developing an empathetic foundation that leads to healthier relationships, reduces bullying, and encourages the acceptance of …

It’S Not You, It’S Me: Relationship Conflict, Self-Criticism, And Emotion Regulation, Danielle Shaver

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Close relationships are of immense importance to personal well-being, and regulating emotions after interpersonal conflict is essential to promoting relationship stability and mental health. Across two studies, we examined if individual differences (self-criticism) would interact with situational context (relationship factors) to predict emotion regulation use following relationship conflict. In Study 1 (n = 177), we hypothesized self-criticism would predict maladaptive emotion regulation (etc., rumination, withdrawal) and that these associations would be greater in romantic relationships than friendships. Participants completed a self-criticism measure and were randomly assigned to describe a conflict in either a romantic relationship or friendship. They then …

Communicative Constitutions Of Identity And Emotions Within A Virtual Support Group For Disenfranchised Bereaved Individuals, Michael Cody Coker

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of U.S. families care for pets, a joyous yet emotional experience. Following a pet loss, caregivers embark on the oft lingering and disenfranchised grief processes. Online support groups are helpful to the disenfranchised bereaved population as technology allows users to access similar individuals, acquire support, and make sense of their experiences. Throughout disenfranchised animal companion loss, bereaved online support group members engage in sensemaking (Weick, 1995) to reconcile their past and becoming selves, construct a community identity, and grapple with their emotion displays within and outside of the support group. Identity work and emotions are salient sensemaking processes among …

Upward Cross-Class Interactions At Work: An Investigation Of Emotional And Behavioral Outcomes, Emily Sue Corwin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cross-class interactions—when an individual from a lower (higher) social class background interacts with an individual from a higher (lower) social class background (Truong et al., 2021)—are ubiquitous in the workplace and serve as a vehicle for the reproduction of inequality (Gray & Kish-Gephart, 2013). Substantial research has demonstrated that social class background matters, as individuals from working-class backgrounds face challenges in the job search process and may be less likely to be hired (DeOrtentiis et al., 2021; Fang & Saks, 2020), earn less money (Fang & Tilcsik, 2022), and are less likely to emerge as leaders compared to those from …

Framing The Portrait Of Life: Functions Of Embedded Texts In Vladimir Nabokov's The Gift, Caroline Sisk

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Dual Pathways To Burnout And Engagement: The Role Of Personal Goal Facilitation Through Work, Self-Discrepancy And Emotions, Bek Wuay Tang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

According to the job-person fit framework, workplace burnout is often exacerbated by mismatches between the characteristics of the employee and the organization. Consistent with this view, past research has found that employees who perceive low personal goal facilitation through work (PGFW) report higher levels of burnout. However, personal goals were often assessed nomothetically, based on the assumption that individuals across occupational groups share similar personal goals they would like to achieve through work. The current research took an idiographic approach by examining if PGFW assessed based on individuals’ uniquely defined personal goals would predict burnout and work engagement. In addition, …

Emotions In Work And War: Comparisons Of Emotional-Cultures Of New Deal Ccc Enrollees And Wwii U.S. Army Enlistees, 1933-1945, Maeve Losen

Master's Theses

Though the Great Depression and Second World War were consecutive eras and overlapped in numerous aspects, scholarship often overlooks the commonalities between these periods. To demonstrate these eras’ shared qualities, this thesis examines the relationship in emotional-cultures—the cultural norms that dictated how individuals felt and demonstrated their emotions—among Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees and U.S. Army enlistees during WWII.

The broad intent of this undertaking is to place the cultural history of the Great Depression and WWII in conversation and to show the advantage of inter- and multidisciplinary work by applying anthropological and historical theories of emotion. Though the historical …

Investigating The Role Of Stressful Life Events And Emotion Regulation As Potential Antecedents Of Gratitude In Early Adolescents, Olivia Schmitke

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTThe construct of gratitude has gained interest over the last decade along with the rise of positive psychology. Gratitude’s significant relations with psychological and psychosocial factors have been shown in prior research, although support for such relations in children and adolescents exists, to date the literature is more robust around adults. Additionally, presumed antecedents of individual differences in gratitude have been acknowledged. The present study included a sample of 1872 middle school students and aimed to build on previous work to explore the influence of emotion regulation (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) in the development of gratitude among youth …

Hope For The Heartbroken: A Sacred Space For Grace, Patricia Mayes

Doctor of Ministry

This project addresses pathways for hope rising from heartbreaking behaviors of unresolved grief due to a loss from any source that prevents one from a life of peace, love, and future happiness. The audience is those persons and groups experiencing any life event that threatens a sense of well-being and loss of hope for a better future. Some of those events are death of a loved one, job loss, disruption of family dynamics, civic and cultural discord, workplace discord and dysfunctional relationships.

The key insight emerging early was while a local regional need existed, little support existed given current free …

A New Age Of Film Music: Emotional Responses To Midi Mockups Versus Orchestral Recordings, Amberlee Woodhouse

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Music software is becoming advanced enough to make it difficult for the average person to tell the difference between a MIDI mockup and a recording of an orchestra. This study compares the emotional responses subjects have to electronically created recordings to the emotional responses subjects have to orchestral recordings. Little research has been done on this subject. I hypothesized that the two recordings would communicate the same emotions, but the live recordings would create more emotional intensity. 65 subjects between the ages of 18 and 24 from various musical backgrounds were tested. They listened to both types of recordings of …

Understanding How Higher Education Leaders Manage Their Personal Self In A Changing Environment, Brittany Kay Nielsen

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research looked at how higher education leaders identified and managed their emotions in times of institutional change. Interviews were conducted with higher education leaders who were above the level of director and were not chancellors or presidents. The researcher sought to (1) discover the emotions of higher education leaders in times of change, (2) gain an understanding of how leaders managed their emotions, and (3) discover how leaders can build an understanding of emotional awareness in the workplace. Data collected from this study provides opportunities to understand the impact of emotions in the workplace and can benefit current and …

The Longevity Of A Law Enforcement Career Post Critical Incident, Alyce E. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers experience traumatic events that can have an impact on their health and their career. Regardless of the continued research on police and mental health, challenges persist. The stigma is that law enforcement officers are tough and keep their emotions to themselves; however, they are human, like the community they serve. Due to possible consequences related to officers discussing having mental health problems after critical incidents, police officers may be reluctant to seek help due to backlash. Interviews were completed in a two-tier format that led to follow-up questions with surveys specifically related to alcohol and burnout found …

Bitter Sweet, Hanna M. Kesty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, Bitter Sweet. The exhibition featured traditional framed prints with sculptural accents that reveal brutally honest negative personal experiences, interactions, and emotions, paired with delicately cute aesthetics. My work embodies the necessity of personal artistic expression to process years of emotional repression. The prints and sculptures in the exhibition focus around a collection of insults and harsh comments coupled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. I allow personal vulnerability to show, to reinforce that these moments have molded and shaped who I am and will continue to …

Exploring The Association Between Female Infertility Stigma, Women’S Cognitions, And Coping Responses, Spencer Paige Brown

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Infertility is becoming a significant problem for many women around the globe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infertility impacts 186 million individuals worldwide. Women who experience infertility may be exposed to increased pressure from family and friends to get pregnant, feelings of isolation, and inadequacy. Both cultural and societal views that promote the connection between womanhood and motherhood may increase a woman’s negative view about herself due to her inability to conceive a child. The purpose of this study was to bring awareness about the impact that social stigma of infertility has on a woman’s cognitions and ability …

Repercussions: The Pressure To Be Thin, Shuhan Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

My MFA thesis and supporting exhibition will highlight ceramics work I have created with the intention of dissecting the relationship between a soul and reality to convey the story of tension and anxiety and show it in a way that would let viewers identify with my discomfort and anxiety. The inspiration for my work came from the severe body anxiety that I faced that broke out during the three years of psychological stress caused by the pandemic. Using personal narratives as a starting point, I created object-based artwork that addresses the external pressures I feel to be skinny. As an …

The Role Of Mindfulness And Compassion In Parochial Empathy And Prosocial Behavior Toward Out-Groups, Denise Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

As opposed to the tendency to empathize with and help one’s in-group members, there are often barriers to responding altruistically toward out-group members. Little is known about people’s capacity to cultivate intergroup prosocial responses through contemplative practices. This experiment examined the role of mindfulness instruction in parochial empathy and prosocial behavior toward an out-group, relative to compassion and relaxation instruction. A national sample of U.S. residents (N = 450) was recruited online through the on-line Prolific platform. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three brief, structurally equivalent instruction conditions: mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation. …