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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Moral Judgments Of Differing Transgressions & The Influence Of Willingness To Seek Counseling & Religiosity, Marni Naleway Jan 2015

Moral Judgments Of Differing Transgressions & The Influence Of Willingness To Seek Counseling & Religiosity, Marni Naleway

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how moral judgments differ towards substance abusers and unfaithful spouses. Furthermore, the study compared judgments regarding the gender of the transgressor, the transgressor's willingness to go to counseling, and the participant's level of religiosity. Participants in the study were provided with a scenario describing a substance abuse transgression or an infidelity transgression followed by a survey of questions inquiring about their judgments towards the transgressor. Results indicated individuals judge a transgressor more harshly in an infidelity transgression compared to a substance abuse transgression. Results also indicated a gender bias between transgressions as …


Facebook Addiction And Impulsive Decision-Making, Daniel Delaney Jan 2015

Facebook Addiction And Impulsive Decision-Making, Daniel Delaney

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between Facebook "addiction" and impulsive decision-making. Impulsive decision-making as measured by the delay discounting task is associated with a number of addictions and other problem behaviors. We gave 152 students a paper-based packet including the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to measure problematic Facebook use and a delay discounting task to assess impulsivity. 16 Facebook "addicted" participants were matched to 16 control participants on demographic data to compare differences in impulsivity. Likewise, we explored whether a correlational relationship between Facebook addiction scores and impulsivity existed. We found that Facebook "addicts" discounted delayed rewards more quickly than …


Adolescent Perception Of Social Support And Peer, Parent, And Teacher Relationships And Its Impact On Depression, Raliat Q. Adeboyejo Jan 2015

Adolescent Perception Of Social Support And Peer, Parent, And Teacher Relationships And Its Impact On Depression, Raliat Q. Adeboyejo

Masters Theses

The current study set out to examine how adolescents perceive social support from their peers, parents, and teachers and how this relates to depression. This study used the critical incident technique to gather open ended descriptions of incidents that participants identified as being the most socially supportive and non-supportive behaviors. Participants identified encouragement, concern, teaching, economic support, non-economic support, attendance, listening compassionately, advice, consoling, advocating, and prayer as the socially supportive behaviors they received from others. They identified criticism, ignoring, neglect, deterrence/discouragement, favoritism, inappropriate discipline, and distrust as the socially non-supportive behaviors. Parents displayed more encouragement, consoling, economic support, non-economic …


Exploratory Factor Analysis Of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Clusters, Rachel A. Maxwell Jan 2014

Exploratory Factor Analysis Of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Clusters, Rachel A. Maxwell

Masters Theses

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a distressing condition that involves a preoccupation with a perceived defect(s) in appearance. Despite the importance of early identification, it is often misdiagnosed. The literature suggests that issues with diagnosis may be because BDD is typically defined by the single symptom of dysmorphic concern (i.e., over concern with an imagined or slight defect in physical appearance). Dysmorphic concern is insufficient to fully characterize the disturbance. This study used exploratory factor analysis to identify symptom clusters from four well-known BDD measures completed by 457 undergraduate students. The extracted content suggested the following symptoms: (a) Dysmorphic Concern, …


Emotional Intelligence, Coping Styles, And Psychopathology, Letizia Boin Jan 2014

Emotional Intelligence, Coping Styles, And Psychopathology, Letizia Boin

Masters Theses

Despite its relatively recent origins, Emotional Intelligence (EI), which is the ability to perceive, understand, and manage one's emotions, has been shown to contribute to a variety of outcomes, including academic achievement and relationship satisfaction. Considerable support has been gathered to implicate EI in the development of mental illness such as depression and social anxiety. It has been theorized that a potential pathway in which EI affects mental health is by contributing to the development of coping styles. Stress and coping literature reports enough empirical evidence to suggest that broadly speaking, problem-focused coping is 'adaptive' while avoidant coping is 'maladaptive.' …


Personality Traits And Character Strengths As Predictors Of Well-Being, Carissa Johnsen Jan 2014

Personality Traits And Character Strengths As Predictors Of Well-Being, Carissa Johnsen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how character strengths (i.e., positive characteristics about a person that can be developed) can predict subjective well-being above and beyond personality. Although the relationship between personality and well-being is well-understood, there is little research done comparing personality and character strengths and how character strengths may provide added value in predicting subjective well-being. Thus, the present study sought to examine whether character strengths will predict subjective well-being above and beyond personality. Two-hundred and thirty seven participants responded to scales measuring each person's personality traits, character strengths, satisfaction with life, …


Subjective Time And Mindfulness, Ian Lesueur Jan 2014

Subjective Time And Mindfulness, Ian Lesueur

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how time is subjectively experienced when one is being mindful or fully engaged in the present moment. Although attending to and being aware of the present moment is a defining feature of mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003), there has been little research done concerning how time is experienced when being mindful. Thus, the present study examined the relationship between mindfulness and four different conceptions of the subjective experience of time: Time Perspective, Balanced Time Perspective, Temporal Focus, and Temporal Depth. One hundred and forty-two university students responded to …


The Effects Of A Pro-Eating Disorder Website Across Different Races, Lucrecia Ann Lawer Jan 2014

The Effects Of A Pro-Eating Disorder Website Across Different Races, Lucrecia Ann Lawer

Masters Theses

This study sought to examine the effects of viewing a Pro-Eating disorder website and how the effects of this website vary across women of different races, what impact the website's racial content has, and what impact the ethnic identity of the participant has on the negative effects of viewing the website. In order to examine the effect of website content, two different Pro-Eating disorder websites were used - one containing images of Black women and one with images of Caucasian women. 93 Black and Caucasian female undergraduate students were recruited to participate in the research study, and the women viewed …


The Effects Of Existential Salience On State Anxiety, Joseph Morger Jan 2014

The Effects Of Existential Salience On State Anxiety, Joseph Morger

Masters Theses

Existential anxiety is theorized to result from one's knowledge of human existence. Four givens of life have been identified that result in existential anxiety: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness (Yalom, 1980). Terror management theory purposes the knowledge of one's own death to be a great source of distress. The theory posits that to cope with these distressing thoughts, one is motivated to adhere to a cultural worldview. Adhering to a cultural worldview allows one to view the world as a structured place, in addition to raising one's self-esteem. Terror management research has shown that making mortality salient results in harsher …


Does Parent Management Of Past Childhood Sibling Aggression Predict Young Adult Emotion Regulation? A Retrospective Study, Joseph P. Berry Jan 2014

Does Parent Management Of Past Childhood Sibling Aggression Predict Young Adult Emotion Regulation? A Retrospective Study, Joseph P. Berry

Masters Theses

Childhood sibling aggression and its influence on an individual's ability to regulate emotions later in life have not been extensively studied at this point in time. Prior research indicates that repeatedly being the victim of childhood aggression can lead to concurrent social, psychological, and emotional difficulties (Crick, Bigbee, & Howes, 1996). This study used a retrospective approach to explore whether 139 college students' experiences of overt and relational childhood sibling aggression are related to current difficulties with emotion regulation in young adulthood. Overt sibling aggression or relational sibling aggression in childhood predicted difficulties in current emotion regulation. Beliefs about the …


Help-Seeking Attitudes In India: The Role Of Religion, Intergroup Anxiety, Collective Self-Esteem, & Emotional Intelligence, Ashlee M. Beck Jan 2014

Help-Seeking Attitudes In India: The Role Of Religion, Intergroup Anxiety, Collective Self-Esteem, & Emotional Intelligence, Ashlee M. Beck

Masters Theses

The present study examined religious differences in help-seeking attitudes, intergroup anxiety, collective self-esteem, and emotional intelligence in Hindus and non-Hindus in India. Data were collected from 55 participants, who were predominantly students at either University of Mumbai or St. John's College Agra. Of these participants, 38 were Hindu and 17 were non-Hindu. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, the Intergroup Anxiety Scale, the Collective Self-Esteem Scale, and the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Statistical analyses were computed using t tests for independent means, correlational analyses, and descriptive statistics. The results of these …


Exploration Of The Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits And Well-Being, James Ciulla Jan 2014

Exploration Of The Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits And Well-Being, James Ciulla

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the construct of schizotypy and whether or not it may have benefits within different conceptions of psychological health, or well-being. Schizotypy is a construct that emerged around the turn of the 20th century. It had historically incorporated aspects later reclassified under other areas of dysfunction, or relegated to social value judgment, and is currently the cause of some debate in the field (Acar & Sen, 2013; Carson, 2011; Farias, Underwood & Claridge, 2013; Kendler, 1985; Tsakanikos & Claridge, 2005; Vollema & van den Bosch, 1995). There has been little research done on …


Differences In Mental Health Treatment Recommendations For Older And Younger Adults, Michelle M. Smith Jan 2014

Differences In Mental Health Treatment Recommendations For Older And Younger Adults, Michelle M. Smith

Masters Theses

Failure to meet geriatric mental health needs is increasingly problematic. Research indicates that the problem is not simply a matter of insufficient numbers of mental health practitioners (MHPs), but also ageist attitudes and lack of knowledge about and training with older adults. The current study reviews the literature regarding knowledge about older people, education and training that mental health professionals receive, and the attitudes that are held by mental health professionals. The study also assessed for differences in treatment recommendations that MHP made for older versus younger clients, investigated whether MHP knowledge about the mental health of older adults, attitudes …


A Retrospective Study Of The Link Between Maternal Social Anxiety And College-Student Social Anxiety: Mediating The Role Of Maternal Cognitions & Behaviors, Kyung Won Kim Jan 2014

A Retrospective Study Of The Link Between Maternal Social Anxiety And College-Student Social Anxiety: Mediating The Role Of Maternal Cognitions & Behaviors, Kyung Won Kim

Masters Theses

Parental social anxiety is a well-established risk factor for child social anxiety. In addition to being passed along genetically, parental anxiety seems to be transmitted partially via environmental factors, such as parental cognitions and behaviors that convey negative expectations toward the child. This paper reviews the current literature linking maternal social anxiety, maternal cognitions, and offspring social anxiety. Using a retrospective design, a mediated model, examining the association between maternal social anxiety and later offspring social anxiety, with maternal cognitions and behaviors during childhood as a mediator was tested. Consistent with the hypothesis, maternal fear of negative evaluation served as …


Fear Of Negative And Positive Evaluation Across Social Evaluative Situations, Jarvis Howe Jan 2014

Fear Of Negative And Positive Evaluation Across Social Evaluative Situations, Jarvis Howe

Masters Theses

Fear of negative and fear of positive evaluation are both important in understanding social evaluative anxiety. Fear of negative evaluation has been linked with social anxiety, public speaking anxiety, and test anxiety; whereas fear of positive evaluation has only been linked with social anxiety. This paper reviews the literature on fear of negative and positive evaluation in relation to each of the social evaluative situations and then presents the findings of a study that will attempt to differentiate the three types of social evaluative situations. Fear of negative evaluation was correlated with each of the three social evaluative situations; whereas …


Conditional Goal-Setting As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Well-Being, Adam De Fina Jan 2014

Conditional Goal-Setting As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Well-Being, Adam De Fina

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is defined as the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Current research on mindfulness has begun to focus on how mindfulness works by identifying the various mechanisms through which it facilitates well-being (e.g., Carmody, Baer, Lykins, & Olendzki, 2009; Coffey & Hartman, 2008; Hölzel et al., 2011). The present study examined if engaging less in conditional goal-getting (CGS) is one of the mechanisms of action of mindfulness. Conditional goal-setting (GCS) occurs when individuals have become highly committed to accomplishing certain concrete …


Suicide Promotion Online: Frequency Of Access By High Risk Individuals, Daniel Stabin Jan 2013

Suicide Promotion Online: Frequency Of Access By High Risk Individuals, Daniel Stabin

Masters Theses

Online suicide promotion is a recent and potentially problematic phenomenon in which individuals provide detailed instructions for or encouragement to enact self-harm to other internet users. These types of resources are freely available to anyone willing to look for them, and there is no legal hindrance to prevent their continued operations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency with which people in the general, nonclinical population access these sites with a particular interested in individuals experiencing depressive symptoms and in young adults. Both populations are likely to be influenced by suicide promotion. I predicted that individuals with …


Narcissistic Self-Enhancement And Willingness To Seek Feedback On Weaknesses, Jessica J. Dhom Jan 2004

Narcissistic Self-Enhancement And Willingness To Seek Feedback On Weaknesses, Jessica J. Dhom

Masters Theses

In the current study, I investigated the relationship between narcissism level and feedback-seeking behavior. Using a dimensional approach to personality classification, I considered narcissism to be a component of normal personality and measured this construct with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. I also investigated the willingness of narcissistic individuals to view feedback regarding their weaknesses, as well as the relationships between narcissism and different cognitive reactions to favorable and unfavorable feedback. Results indicated that, when given the opportunity, narcissistic people seek favorable feedback that pertains to their strengths, while passing on opportunities to receive feedback regarding their weaknesses. They also react …


Presenting Issues, Severity Of Problems And Treatment Outcomes Of Asian College Students, Earl Anthony Evangelista Jan 2004

Presenting Issues, Severity Of Problems And Treatment Outcomes Of Asian College Students, Earl Anthony Evangelista

Masters Theses

The current study attempts to add to the limited body of literature on Asian American and Asian international students in counseling. Presenting issues, severity of problems, treatment outcome, and gender interactions of Asian American and Asian international college students were examined and compared to non-Asian college students. Data for this study were obtained from an existing database from an East Coast university counseling center. The overall sample consisted of 209 males and 297 females, all of whom were seeking treatment for the first time at the counseling center. The primary groups of interest were Asian American students (n = …


The Effects Of Family Functioning And Parent Structure On The Prevalence And Intensity Of Childhood Fears, Rebecca Leis Pederson Jan 2004

The Effects Of Family Functioning And Parent Structure On The Prevalence And Intensity Of Childhood Fears, Rebecca Leis Pederson

Masters Theses

The current study was designed to examine the relation between family factors, such as family functioning and parent structure, and the prevalence and intensity of childhood fears. One hundred and sixteen children in grades 3-12 were surveyed using the Fear Survey Schedule-II. Of the 116 children surveyed, 75 had parents who returned the Self Report Family Inventory and demographic survey. Results indicated that younger, female participants reported fears of greater prevalence and intensity than male participants. Contrary to predictions, neither family functioning or any of its associated factors were found to be related to the prevalence and intensity of childhood …


The Relationship Between College Year And Depressive Symptoms For University Students, Erik Michael Levinson Jan 2004

The Relationship Between College Year And Depressive Symptoms For University Students, Erik Michael Levinson

Masters Theses

The goal of the present study was to examine how gender and grade level relate to depressive symptoms in a sample of university students. Based on previous research, it was expected that students in their first year of college would report more depressive symptoms than nonfreshmen, women would report more depression than men, and that female students in their first year of college would have the highest scores on a depression inventory. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, 1979) was completed by 131 freshmen and 114 nonfreshmen at a Midwestern university. The final sample included 188 women and 57 men, …


Gender And Ethnic Biases In Personality Disorder Diagnostic Criteria, Danna Frantz Jan 2004

Gender And Ethnic Biases In Personality Disorder Diagnostic Criteria, Danna Frantz

Masters Theses

The present study examined gender biases, ethnic biases, and interaction effects within the DSM-IV-TR Clusters A and B Personality Disorder (PD) criteria. One of the principal controversies of the DSM-IV-TR involves the diagnosis of PDs. The diagnostic criteria have been considered to be subjective, making PDs hard to diagnose, yet easy to misdiagnose. In Phase I, examination of Cluster B PDs, there were 89 female and 31 male participants and in Phase II, examination of Cluster A PDs, there were 60 females and 60 males from introductory psychology courses. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and viewed a PowerPoint presentation depicting …


The Role Of Mood As A Mediator In Trait-Congruent Cognitive Processing: Does Mood State Mediate The Relationship Between Personality Traits And Judgment?, Janice E. Harewood Jan 2004

The Role Of Mood As A Mediator In Trait-Congruent Cognitive Processing: Does Mood State Mediate The Relationship Between Personality Traits And Judgment?, Janice E. Harewood

Masters Theses

The relationship between affective traits and predictive judgment was investigated using a mediation framework approach to examine whether the current mood state of participants acted as a mediator between traits and judgment. This relationship was examined for anxious trait, anxious mood, and judgment for negative events and for subjective well-being, happy mood, and judgment for positive events. A written scenario and an imaginal procedure were used to create anxious, happy, or neutral moods in participants, and a fourth group received a simple cognitive task. Results showed that the mood inductions were invalid. Given that the correlations necessary to test for …


An Examination Of Explanatory Models, Coping Methods, And Help-Seeking Methods Among Individuals With Social Phobia, Brooke Jasmine Dibello Jan 2004

An Examination Of Explanatory Models, Coping Methods, And Help-Seeking Methods Among Individuals With Social Phobia, Brooke Jasmine Dibello

Masters Theses

In this pilot study, explanatory models, coping methods, and help seeking behaviors among individuals with social phobia were explored using in-depth interviews. Participants were ten female college students with probable social phobia. Researchers created a coding manual to investigate the qualitative data by organizing it into categories. Coders were trained to utilize the coding manual, which explored several factors such as name for social anxiety, explanatory models, perceived level of severity, coping methods, and appraisals of coping methods. Contributions of this study are a semi-structured help-seeking interview, coding manual, and rich data. Although the results were inconclusive, this study provides …


Prediction Of Mental Health Treatment Outcome In Asian American College Students, Jamie Michelle Pitzman Jan 2003

Prediction Of Mental Health Treatment Outcome In Asian American College Students, Jamie Michelle Pitzman

Masters Theses

The current study aimed to examine the relationship between presenting problems and treatment outcome among Asian American college students compared to non-Asian students. The present study also provides information about the relationship between treatment outcome and the following types of demographic and treatment related variables: age, gender, ethnic status, year in school, religion, marital status, parents' marital status, referral source, previous counseling, medical problems, and family history of medical, emotional, or substance abuse problems. Data for this study were obtained from an existing database from an East Coast university counseling center. The entire sample consisted of 173 males and 271 …


The Accounts That Defendants Give For Crime: Relationship Between Accounts Given And The Perceived Seriousness Of The Crime, Danielle Bree Trammell Jan 2003

The Accounts That Defendants Give For Crime: Relationship Between Accounts Given And The Perceived Seriousness Of The Crime, Danielle Bree Trammell

Masters Theses

The present study examined whether the accounts that defendants give (i.e., apology, excuse, or justification) would have an effect on the perceived seriousness of the crime and assigned penalty. The study focused specifically on burglary, a non-violent crime. It also examined how participant characteristics, such as age, gender, political ideology, and history of victimization, affected the perceived seriousness and assigned penalty. This is a growing area of interest, given the societal impact of crime. There is significant disparity in sentencing that exists for perpetrators who are convicted of similar crimes. It is important to examine the possible explanations for this …


A Trial Of The Effects Of Intercessory Prayer On Student Performance, Christopher Clark Jan 2003

A Trial Of The Effects Of Intercessory Prayer On Student Performance, Christopher Clark

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study is to test the efficacy of intercessory prayer on academic performance. One hundred and four students enrolled in a college business class and 63 regular church attendees volunteered to participate in the study. Design for the study was a matched groups reversal design. The students were paired according to their GPA's and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first test of the semester constituted a baseline measure. For the first four-week period of the class and the first test, neither of the groups received prayer. Next, the church goers each received the …


Factors Influencing Substance Abuse/Dependence And Treatment Outcome Of Adolescents In A Residential Substance Abuse Program: An Exploratory Study, Melissa L. Moody Jan 2003

Factors Influencing Substance Abuse/Dependence And Treatment Outcome Of Adolescents In A Residential Substance Abuse Program: An Exploratory Study, Melissa L. Moody

Masters Theses

Previous research examining the risk factors associated with alcohol and other drug use has primarily focused on the adult population. Few studies have investigated the factors which influence adolescent substance abuse and the respective effects on treatment outcome. This in spite of the considerable decline in the age-of-onset for problematic substance use that could, if gone untreated, escalate into dependence and a variety of other interpersonal problems which extend across the lifespan. Effective interventions targeting the adolescent population would therefore seem to be of utmost importance to both researchers and clinicians. It has been suggested that individualized treatment programs focusing …


Predictors Of Recurrent Child Maltreatment, Bridget Kielty Jan 2003

Predictors Of Recurrent Child Maltreatment, Bridget Kielty

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between child maltreatment recurrence and several predictor variables in 7 rural counties in central Illinois, an under-studied population in the child maltreatment literature. Additionally, factors that contributed to the decision by Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to provide post-investigative services were also examined. Data were obtained from an integrated database maintained by Illinois DCFS. All indicated cases of maltreatment occurring between January 1, 2000 and March 31 of 2001 were examined for a 12-month period following the initial indicated report for child revictimization or perpetrator recidivism. The …


Non-Directive Play Therapy: Past, Present And Future, Jeslina Jayanti Raj Jan 2002

Non-Directive Play Therapy: Past, Present And Future, Jeslina Jayanti Raj

Masters Theses

The paper focuses on the history, research and future directions of non-directive play therapy. According to the history of play therapy, the first person to advocate studying the play of children in order to understand and educate them was Henry Rousseau. The history of play therapy is discussed with further details. Few studies have been done that empirically support the effectiveness of non-directive play therapy and there have been no investigations of therapeutic processes. From a behavioral perspective, it is understood that non-contingent attention in the form of attention, the absence of demands and the environmental richness of the playroom …