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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Psychological Reactance As A Personality Characteristic: Relationships To Attachment And Autonomy, Maurine Traville Hargrove Ladner Apr 2003

Psychological Reactance As A Personality Characteristic: Relationships To Attachment And Autonomy, Maurine Traville Hargrove Ladner

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological reactance is a construct that motivates people to restore lost or threatened freedoms (Brehm, 1966). Research is beginning to show that psychological reactance may be related to family of origin dynamics. Autonomy is developed through a secure attachment. Dowd (1993) stated that autonomy is fostered by an optimal level of reactance, and one's personal identity is dependent on the development of a flexible autonomy. This study explored the relationship between psychological reactance and attachment. Additionally, research has suggested that level of reactance may be related to level of autonomy. This relationship was empirically explored. Participants were assessed using the …


An Investigation Of The Relationship Among Life-Skills, Self-Esteem, And Well-Being In Adults, Scott David Meche Apr 2003

An Investigation Of The Relationship Among Life-Skills, Self-Esteem, And Well-Being In Adults, Scott David Meche

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among life-skills, self-esteem, and well-being in 278 adults. Adults were classified into three age groups. Of the 278 participants, 96 were young adults, 92 were middle-aged, and 90 were older adults. Life-skills, global organizations of general coping skills that are learned behaviors which enable effective functioning, were assessed with the Life-Skills Inventory - Adult Form (Gazda, Illovsky, & Taylor, 1991). Analyses were performed to understand the influence of four generic life-skills areas, interpersonal communication/human relations, problem-solving/decision making, identity development/purpose in life, and physical fitness/health maintenance, on self-esteem. Self-esteem was measured with the Self-Esteem Inventory-Adult Form …


Representations Of Therapists By Patients With Personality Disorders, Donna S. Bender, Barry A. Farber, Charles A. Sanislow, Ingrid R. Dyck, Jesse D. Geller, Andrew E. Skodol Jan 2003

Representations Of Therapists By Patients With Personality Disorders, Donna S. Bender, Barry A. Farber, Charles A. Sanislow, Ingrid R. Dyck, Jesse D. Geller, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate attributes of mental representations of therapists by patients with specific personality disorders (PDs), schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), and obsessive-compulsive (OCPD), and a comparison group with Major Depressive Disorder and no PD (MDD). The Therapist Representation Inventory-II (TRI) measured characteristics of participants' extra-session thoughts about their therapists. Results showed that patients with STPD had the highest level of mental involvement with therapy outside the session, missing their therapists and wishing for friendship, while also feeling aggressive or negative. Patients with BPD exhibited the most difficulty in creating a benign image of …


Management Of Agitation In Individuals With Dementia: An Animal-Assisted Therapy Approach, Karen L. Tanner Jan 2003

Management Of Agitation In Individuals With Dementia: An Animal-Assisted Therapy Approach, Karen L. Tanner

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Dementia is not a natural and normal part of aging, but rather a symptom of a disease process. Most individuals with dementia experience emotional distress or behavioral problems best summed up by the term agitation. Approximately 90% of individuals with dementing illnesses demonstrate problem behaviors ranging from repetitive verbalizations and wandering to verbal and physical aggression toward self or others. Each evening thousands of older adults in the community and in institutions become agitated, restless, and confused and begin to wander about or scream. This phenomenon is referred to as sundown syndrome, since it occurs in the evening hours after …


Spiritual Directors And Clinical Psychologists: A Comparison Of Mental Health And Spiritual Values (Taken From Chapter 3 Of Spiritual Formation, Counseling, And Psychotherapy), Mark R. Mcminn, Nicholas C. Howard, Leslie D. Bissell, Sally R. Faries, Jeffrey B. Van Meter Jan 2003

Spiritual Directors And Clinical Psychologists: A Comparison Of Mental Health And Spiritual Values (Taken From Chapter 3 Of Spiritual Formation, Counseling, And Psychotherapy), Mark R. Mcminn, Nicholas C. Howard, Leslie D. Bissell, Sally R. Faries, Jeffrey B. Van Meter

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

We surveyed a total of 315 spiritual directors, psychologist members of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), and psychologist members of the American Psychological Association (APA) to determine their respective values on ten mental health themes derives from Jensen and Bergin (1988), and three spirituality scales drawn from the writings of John of the Cross. All three groups endorsed the value of expressing feelings, personal autonomy and maturity, and integrating work and leisure. CAPS psychologists and spiritual directors endorsed more than APA psychologists the values of spirituality, forgiveness, and the three John of the Cross scales. Spiritual directors reported …


A Descriptive Study: Selection And Use Of Art Mediums By Sexually Abused Adults: Implications In Counseling And Art Psychotherapy, Frances Harlow Clukey Jan 2003

A Descriptive Study: Selection And Use Of Art Mediums By Sexually Abused Adults: Implications In Counseling And Art Psychotherapy, Frances Harlow Clukey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was designed to explore what happens in the process of therapy when clients, having persisting symptoms of sexual abuse and having disclosed that abuse, have access to a wide variety of art materials to select and use in treatment. A blend of qualitative and quantitative research in design, the study is an initial step towards a greater understanding of the potentially transformative experience of art making and the role of art mediums in the practice of therapy. Treatment for abuse is a long, complex and arduous process. Persistent aspects of abusive experience remain deeply buried within the body …