Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effective Psychotherapy, Neurolinguistic Programming, And The Grief Process, John F. Shrode

Student Dissertations & Theses

No abstract is provided.

Adolescent Runaways: The Significance Between Non-Runaways And Runaways And Their Perceptions Of Self, Their Parents And Their World, Mary E. Burrichter

Student Dissertations & Theses

Adolescents who run away from home cause major problems for themselves, for their parents, and for society. In this study runaways (n = 112) are compared to non-runaways (n = 211) in their perceptions- of self, their parents and the world in which they live by use of a self-reporting survey. It was hypothesized that runaways would have perceptions of self, parents, and the world that would be skewed to society's unacceptable end of the scale. T-tests were performed on the difference of the means of each variable for the runaways and non-runaways. Out of 13 variables for each, a …

Attitudes Of Elementary Principals Toward Parent Involvement In Schools In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Linda V. Brittle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the attitudes of principals toward parent involvement in schools. The population for the study consisted of all public school elementary principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. A random sample procedure was employed and an instrument was developed specifically for the study. An initial and second mailing resulted in an overall response rate of 53%. Factor analysis identified 5 groupings in parent involvement. Factors were labeled: Decision-Making, Policy-Making, Home Tutor/Co-Learner, Socio-Economic Status, and Parent Desire and Expertise. Seven null hypotheses were formulated and tested for the study. It was found that …

Gender Differences In Higher Education: A Comparison Of Males And Females Applying To Graduate School, Lynda Bennett

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine in what ways male and female applicants to graduate school are similar or different. Secondary analysis was conducted on survey data which described attitudes and behavior of students admitted to graduate programs at Western Michigan University. The purpose was to assess the relationship between gender and curricula selected, likelihood of applying for and receiving financial aid, and the influence of marital status. Gender did have a statistically significant relationship with curricula selection and influence of marital status. Furthermore, it appeared that women graduate students find marriage to be a more limiting factor …

Trauma In Adult Incest Survivors, Jane Kay Hedberg

Masters Theses

This study explored the traumatic effect of childhood incestuous abuse on the adult survivor. Eleven subjects were interviewed for this study. Hindman's (1989) trauma scale was revised, exploring issues of relationships, mental health, and living skills dysfunctions. In addition to the global score, the scale was disaggregated. Relationships between trauma and age at onset, physical and emotional violence, frequency, identification of self as victim, current relationship with offender, and response to disclosure were explored.

Several dimensions of feeling responsible were reported by victims, including feeling that there was something about them that made others victimize them, feeling responsible for protecting …

Job Satisfaction Among Foreign Employees In The Private Sector In Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Al-Suwaid

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among job satisfaction and demographic variables for foreign employees in the private sector in Saudi Arabia.

The population for this study was foreign employees in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. A sample of 206 employees participated in the study from four private organizations in Riyadh. Each organization was visited to obtain permission to collect data from foreign employees. All subjects were given a packet of forms that included the Job Description Index, Job in General Scale, and Demographic Data Sheet. The subjects' responses were entered into the SPSS …

Evolving Sisterhood: An Organizational Analysis Of Three Sororities, Bonnie J. Galloway

Dissertations

From 1851 through June, 1993, more than 2,800,000 women have been initiated into the twenty-six National Panhellenic Conference sororities. Not only are members active during collegiate years, but many continue participation through alumnae groups. Upholding the principles of community service and moral development, sorority women volunteer time and talent in a myriad of ways that benefit local communities and the greater society as a whole. Sororities also provide women important leadership training and experience.

The research design of this project takes a sociohistorical perspective. The study utilizes the population ecology model for organizations to examine three representative sororities: Chi Omega, …

Criminalizing Pregnancy: An Analysis Of The War On Drugs And The Fetal Rights Movement, Sheryl R. Fett

Masters Theses

The focus of study was the war on drugs and the fetal rights movement as they relate to the criminalization of pregnancy. There was a movement in the 1980s and early 1990s to prosecute pregnant women for prenatal drug use under child abuse statutes and/or drug delivery statutes.

A social constructionist framework was used to analyze this movement. This thesis utilized a qualitative case study relying on documentary analysis. Literature on the war of drugs and the fetal rights movement was analyzed as it related to the prosecutions of pregnant drug users and the subsequent criminalization of pregnancy.

It was …

The Michigan Juvenile Waiver Package: An Analysis Of Its Use In Wayne County, Michigan, Kenneth C. Jackson

Masters Theses

On October 1, 1988, the Michigan Juvenile Waiver Package took effect in Michigan. One of the results of this was the implementation of prosecutorial waiver method in Michigan. Whereas previously juveniles could only be waived and tried in the adult court via a judicial waiver, now it was possible for the prosecutor to waive juveniles aged 15 or 16 if charged with one or more of seven specified Class 1A felonies. Data were collected for all youth subject to prosecutorial waiver in Wayne County over a five year period, from October 1, 1988 through October 1, 1993. Data included: date …

The Impact Of Social Support On Long Term Adult Psychological Functioning: Study Of The Role Of A Confidant In Adult Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Danny Ray Russell

Student Dissertations & Theses

This project examined the effects a confidant had on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The subjects were volunteer adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse solicited from undergraduate and graduate psychology classes at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Volunteers completed a childhood sexual abuse questionnaire, a confidant questionnaire, the Jaloweic Coping Scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory in a structured interview. The Jaloweic Coping Scale determined the coping styles and the Brief Symptom Inventory determined the symptom level. Those subjects that had a confidant were expected to have more successful coping styles and fewer symptoms as adults. …

The Al-Murrah Tribe In Qatar: Political Impact, Ali A. Hadi Alshawi

Masters Theses

Tribes and tribalism play significant roles in the Arabian Gulf. The focus of this study is on the Al-Murrah tribe, one of the largest tribes in East Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This study will provide an analysis of the Al-Murrah political structure and their relationship with the Gulf states.

This study gathered information using three methods. This researcher visited about 30 majlis (sitting rooms for men) and listening to over 900 tribesmen respond to issues provided by the researcher. Historical and official documents were investigated and personal observation and experience were also used.

Al-Murrah have strong kinship ties which leads …

An Approach For Representation Of Organizational Mental Models Using System Dynamics, Jörg-Peter Theissen

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of mental models has received much attention within recent years, especially within the context of organizational learning. This research is based on and departs from the Organizational Learning Process as developed by Keating, Robinson, and Clemson (1994). That process, which is based on a verbal representation of mental models, does not call forth the kind of change that is desired in Organizational Learning. This research investigates if mental models can be represented in the form of system dynamics models and inquires if this representation is beneficial to the process of Organizational Learning.

The research was designed as a …

A Comparative Study Of Activities Of Daily Living Levels Of Catholic Nuns In A Motherhouse Nursing Home And Mainstream Women In A Community Nursing Home, Betty Ann Ray Duke

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Betty Ann Ray Duke on August 31, 1994

An Empirical Assessment Of The Gentrification Process In Northwest Portland, Oregon, Sabrina Oesterle

Dissertations and Theses

Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, many American cities experienced the process of gentrification, and there are many studies based on data from this time period. A first purpose of this study was to follow up on the development of gentrification in the 1980s. Northwest Portland, Oregon, is culturally clearly defined as a gentrifying neighborhood and was, therefore, chosen as to empirically assess this process by comparing the 1980 with the 1990 census data.

There is some theoretical confusion about the concept of gentrification. There is, however, general consensus on two aspects. The first is a physical renovation of …

A Cross-National Study Of Attitudes And Group Labeling: Multinational Corporation (Mnc) Workers In Canada, Brazil, And West Germany, Tobias Albert Ten Eyck

Dissertations and Theses

Many studies concerning multinational corporations (MNCs) are replete with theoretical models and case studies that treat MNCs as stand-alone entities. Very little time and effort is given to understanding the context in which MNCs operate. This context includes not only the fact that MNCs transcend national boundaries (political as well as geographical), but also the meaning of work and being part of a multinational work force for those employed within MNCs. This thesis is an effort to elucidate how the political/societal/cultural contexts of different host countries affect the attitudes of those workers most directly involved with foreign-owned MNCs. By shifting …

Analysis Of Levels Of Self-Esteem Among Male And Female High Achievers, Ladonna Weaver

Student Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated the hypothesis that female high-achievers possess lower self-esteem than their male counterparts at the high school level. This hypothesis was derived from an analysis of the self-esteem theory in relation to sex related roles and cultural norms. The hypothesis was tested using high school juniors and seniors, 37 male and 48 female students who were enrolled in Advanced Placement Honor classes at Odessa High School. Results showed that the females’ mean scores were considerably lower in each category of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The results supported the hypothesis that in high school, high-achieving females have lower self-esteem …

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (Nlp): An Alternative Technique To Help "At-Risk" Students Increase Cognitive Learning Abilities, Mary J. Urquidez

Student Dissertations & Theses

A study was performed on at-risk students in the Midland Independent School District, Midland, Texas utilizing Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as an alternative counseling technique for improving the cognitive abilities of students. Students were divided into control and experimental groups and pre and post-tested with the Developing Cognitive Abilities Test, (Second Edition) (DCAT) 1990. The experimental group was given twelve sessions of treatment utilizing Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Results of the study showed a trend toward improved strategizing for learning.

A Descriptive Study Of Michigan Auto Workers' (Uaw) Physical And Psychological Responses To 1987 Plant Closures, Lorraine Marie Oginsky

Dissertations

A descriptive study ( 1991-1992) examined 166 closing and nonclosing UAW auto workers in two General Motors settings, as to how they cope mentally and physically with unemployment and displacement 5 years after plant closure and mass layoffs. Workers were asked the question, "Is job loss a threat, a loss, or a challenge?"

Lazarus and Folkman' s ( 1984) Stress, Appraisal and Coping and the Stress Coping Model (Lazarus, 1980) provided the theoretical basis for this study. Measures included the investigator designed Plant Closing Questionnaire, Revised Ways of Coping (Folkman & Lazarus, undated), Hassles and Uplifts Scale (Lazarus & Folkman, …

The Borders Of A Canvas Tent: An Analysis Of Feminist Utopian Novels, Catherine R. Caldwell

Masters Theses

This thesis is a critical examination of three feminist utopian novels: Woman on the Edge of Time, by Marge Piercy; Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, and Les Guerilleres, by Monique Wittig. The study, derived from the sociology of knowledge and deconstruction theory, focuses on similarities and differences involving: (a) sexuality; (b) community building; (c) religion; (d) decision making processes, political systems, and modes of production; (e) crime, deviance and political conflict resolution; and (f) child rearing. The analysis demonstrates that utopia may serve to critique dominant ideology. It also shows how utopian novels treat, and suggest possibilities …

The Ethnic Aspects Of Population Change In Latvia After Independence, Ilmars Mezs

Masters Theses

This study examines current and historic ethnic and demographic trends and their spatial and cultural contexts within Latvia. Comparisons with the other two Baltic states are also presented and discussed. The Latvian population underwent fifty years of Soviet rule, with deliberate policies to dilute the homogeneity of Latvians through Russification, in-migration, and political dominance. The period from 1940 to 1991 greatly impacted Latvians and immigrants, who were mainly Russians, by placing stresses on the spatial structure of the ethnic groups and their cultural relationship.

Latvians in particular feared ethnic and cultural extinction. The process of ethnic dilution and mixing under …

The Particular Nature Of Long-Term Lesbian Relationships, Karen Marie Freeman

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the characteristics of long-term lesbian relationships (operationally defined as five or more years) and to compare these characteristics with prior findings on short-term or term non-specific lesbian relationships. Several studies that have been done made assumptions about the nature of lesbian relationships based on data gathered from women in brief relationships (Caldwell and Peplau 1984; Elise 1986; Gordon 1980; Krestan and Bepko 1980). This study was designed to examine whether or not lesbians in long-term relationships might have different interpersonal relational dynamics, just as married heterosexual couples have been shown to have …

A Comparative Study Of Victimization Experiences And Family Dynamics Of Adolescent Sexual Offenders And Nonsexual Offending Delinquents, Alicia Ann Chavis

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research has directed little attention toward understanding and dealing with the adolescent sexual offender. In an effort to understand what makes adolescent sexual offenders different from other delinquents. I will examine the victimization experiences (sexual abuse and physical abuse) and the family dynamics (family violence, family incarceration and family structure) of both adolescent sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders. The research question is: what factors contribute to each group of delinquency the most? Although all of the factors influence delinquency, victimization is expected to be the most influential. This study utilized data from The Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987; a …

A Comparative Study Of Black And White Girls' Delinquency, Kenya Larae Covington

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In this research, I examined the similarities and differences between black and white female delinquents. A secondary analysis of the Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987 data was utilized to answer the following research questions: (1) What factors contribute to each group's delinquency the most? (2) Are the factors that contribute to black girls' delinquency significantly different from those factors that contribute to white girls' delinquency? The study was guided by previous research on race and female delinquency, girls' victimization, the role of the family and school performance. The independent variables victimization, family structure, family function and school performance were …

Human Rights As An Element Of U. S. Policy Towards Egypt, Moira Eileen Mcdaid

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gold-Encrusted Chaos: An Analysis Of Auschwitz Memoirs, Mary D. Lagerwey

Dissertations

One way to better understand the Holocaust is to look closely at several survivors' stories. In my dissertation I closely examine six published memoirs of women and men from one time and place: Auschwitz, 1942-1945. Specifically, I ask three questions:

1. How do Holocaust memoirs relate a universal human story?

2. How are Auschwitz memoirs informed by gender?

3. How do Auschwitz memoirs exemplify a polyphony of voices which engulfs and transcends gender differences?

In exploring the first question, I develop a thesis, that there is a universal story which captures the experiences of Auschwitz survivors' experiences. Next, I develop …

Nuclear Threats By The United States In The Korean And Vietnam Wars: Toward A Grounded Theory Of International Governmental Crime, David Kauzlarich

Dissertations

Criminologists have generally ignored the crimes of governmental actors and agencies. This study delves into this neglected area of sociological inquiry by addressing definitional, legal, empirical, and theoretical dimensions of the phenomenon of governmental crime. The four research objectives are to:

1. Demonstrate that socially deleterious governmental actions can be studied criminologically through the epistemological framework of international law.

2. Document the existence of such governmental crimes in the area of nuclear weapons.

3. Describe and compare the patterns of the United States' violations of international laws during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

4. Inductively generate hypotheses and theoretical propositions …

Attitudes Toward Euthanasia And Suicide For The Terminally Ill: An Updated Analysis, Thomas Melvin Stankewicz

Masters Theses

Replication of Monte's (1991) analysis of euthanasia and suicide correlates was the focus of this study. In addition, a right to die index was created and results were compared to the replication findings. The data used in the analyses were from the 1985 and 1991 General Social Surveys.

Cross-tabulation and multiple regression analysis were conducted to determine: (a) whether euthanasia and suicide approval increased significantly between 1985 and 1991, (b) which variables were significant predictors of euthanasia and suicide attitudes, (c) whether changes had occurred between 1985 and 1991, and (d) whether results obtained using the right to die index …

Lesbian's Perception Of Parental Support And The Disclosure Of Sexual Orientation, Janet Trudee Snyder Tarkowski

Dissertations

The relationship between lesbian perception of parental support and disclosure of sexual orientation was examined in the study. From the 200 questionnaires prepared for distribution, a purposive sample of 180 (90%) lesbian-identified adults returned data for analysis. The participants completed a questionnaire addressing demographics and lesbian life-experiences. Three self-report inventories, the Perceived Social Support-Family Scale (PSS-Fa) (Procidano & Heller, 1983), the Silencing the Self Scale (STSS) (Jack, 1991), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961), were also administered.

Data gathering procedures used in the study resulted in a sample which was largely white, well …

The Problem Of Viable States, Lawrence Simaro Fraser

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Prepregnancy Weight And Maternal Weight Gain : On Birth Weight Among Black Wic Participants In San Bernardino County, Marta Lukas Sovyanhadi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Birth records show that San Bernardino County has the highest black infant mortality rate of the 16 counties in California with the largest proportion of African-Americans births. Although total infant deaths in San Bernardino County had fallen to 8.6 per 1,000 live births by 1992, the infant mortality rate among the black population of the county was close to two times higher at 16.8 per 1,000. This is the first study to address the high infant mortality rate among blacks in San Bernardino County. Factors which may affect the black infant mortality rate were examined.

Subjects were drawn from a …