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Transpersonal Sociology: Origins, Development, And Theory, Ryan Rominger, Harris L. Friedman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Transpersonal theory formally developed within psychology through the initial definition of the field in the publishing of the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. However, transpersonal sociology also developed with the Transpersonal Sociology Newsletter, which operated through the middle 1990s. Both disciplines have long histories, while one continues to flourish and the other, comparatively, is languishing. In order to encourage renewed interest in this important area of transpersonal studies, we discuss the history, and further define the field of transpersonal sociology, discuss practical applications of transpersonal sociology, and introduce research approaches that might be of benefit for transpersonal sociological researchers and practitioners.

Odor Sensitivity And The Presence Of P-Cresol, Jessica Mi Mckinney

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Olfactory function declines throughout the different stages of kidney disease. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have experienced improved olfactory function after dialysis, leading some researchers to suspect uremic toxins as the cause of olfactory decline (Raff et al., 2008; Bomback & Raff, 2011). It is thought that p-cresol is the specific uremic toxin to cause a decline in olfactory function because it is not easily filtered out of the blood during dialysis (Meijers et al., 2010). The study sought to set up a control group for future studies by demonstrating p-cresol is not in the blood of healthy participants and …

The Relationship Between Alcoholism And Satisfaction With Life, Michael William Albert

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between alcoholism and satisfaction with life. The sample was selected from students and non-students at Montclair State University. The materials were two questionnaires, the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). The MAST had 25 questions and the SWLS had 5 questions. These questionnaires were given to subjects at a staged bake sale. The participants filled out the questionnaires and put the completed forms into marked boxes to preserve anonymity.

The data was analyzed by correlating MAST and SWLS scores. It was expected that there …

The Effect Of Endorser Physical Attractiveness And Endorser-Product Congruence On The Persuasiveness Of An Advertisement, Heather L. Warner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present research proposes that the attractiveness of an advertisement endorser can affect the viewer's overall rating of the advertisement as well as his or her ability to be persuaded by it. The present research also suggests that endorser-product congruence can impact persuasiveness ratings as well as overall ad ratings. In the experiment itself, participants were asked to read two types of advertisements and fill out two questionnaires. Consistent with previous research, results showed that the skin care advertisement was rated significantly more persuasive and had a higher overall rating when paired with an attractive endorser than an unattractive one. …

Investigating The Relationship Between Goal- Oriented Strivings And Motives For Engaging In Physical Activity, Minakshi Raj

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Chronic psychological stress has been shown to increase risk for conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Social Action Theory (SAT) says that an individual's patterns of goal-oriented strivings influence his or her ability to manage stress responses as well as his or her overall exposure to stress. According to SAT, self-regulatory skills, which involve the ability to plan and maintain behavior with the intent of achieving goals, and goal motives influence an individual’s exposure and vulnerability to certain stressors. Using SAT as a framework, the present study explores the negative consequences of implicit motives on health via the body’s …

The Role Of Mentoring On The Development Of Ethnic Identity As It Relates To Body Image Concerns In Ethnic Minority Women, Raven Cokley

HIM 1990-2015

Emerging literature emphasizes the importance of mentoring in the development of minority youth. In particular, mentoring influences the development of youths' sense of self and self-concept. By examining the conceptual frameworks of both mentoring and racial socialization, this study summarizes the theoretical processes associated with youth development and how such development relates to young women's ethnic/racial identity including their body image. The mentoring relationship is examined with a small pool of ethnic-minority, college-aged female participants to explore whether there is a relationship between having received positive mentoring and the participant's current body image perceptions.

Characteristics Of Subjects Who Avoid Activities And Participation Due To A Fear Of Falling In Parkinson’S Disease, Russell Gourlie, Spencer Sorensen, Rithea Vong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine and identify key characteristics of and differences between people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) who exhibit moderate/high fear of falling avoidance behaviors and those that exhibit low fear of falling avoidance behaviors.

Subjects: A total of 24 subjects (5 females, 19 males; mean age= 72.2, SD=9.1) participated in this study.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to identify descriptive characteristics of subjects with PD associated with moderate/high levels of fear avoidance behavior (MHA) or low levels of fear avoidance (LA) as measured by the Fear of Falling Avoidance-Behavior …

The Effects Of Physical Activity And Excerise On Well-Being, Jatha Miner

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

A growing amount of research suggests that regular physical activity can have both psychological and physiological benefits to the aging process. Well being, a global psychological state, has been found to be positively influenced by physical activity, even after short durations. The present study investigated the components of happiness, satisfaction with life, and social support, all of which are believed to be parts of overall well-being. Six older, community dwelling adults (M age • 64.5) who recently added physical activity to their lifestyles were surveyed and observed over a five-week period. Pre and post test scores were compared and attendance …

The Effect Of Community Participation On Subjective Well-Being In Community Dwelling Elders, Elise English

Honors Projects

Relationships between health and life satisfaction, health and community participation, and community participation and life satisfaction are well documented in the literature. The current project investigates the confluence of these three variables, specifically whether community participation arbitrates the relationship between physical health challenges and life satisfaction. Using a sample of community dwelling elders from five counties in central Illinois, a mediation analysis assessed the interrelationships between each of the three variables; of particular interest was whether community participation arbitrated the relationship between physical health challenges and life satisfaction. A mediational model could not be tested because there is no statistical …

Functional Impairment, Illness Burden, And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults: Does Type Of Social Relationship Matter?, Joshua P. Hatfield, Jameson K. Hirsch, Jeffrey M. Lyness

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: The nature of interpersonal relationships, whether supportive or critical, may affect the association between health status and mental health outcomes. We examined the potential moderating effects of social support, as a buffer, and family criticism, as an exacerbating factor, on the association between illness burden, functional impairment and depressive symptoms.

Methods: Our sample of 735 older adults, 65 years and older, was recruited from internal and family medicine primary care offices. Trained interviewers administered the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Duke Social Support Inventory, and Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale. Physician-rated assessments of health, including the Karnofsky Performance …

Family Socioeconomic Status And Children's Reading Ability: The Buffering Effect Of Parental Social Support, Casey Dexter

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the protective effect that social support has on the development of reading in children from a range of SES backgrounds. Because other studies have suggested the importance of teacher quality on children's reading ability, this was also tested. This study utilized a sample taken from the public-use version of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a large-scale, nationally representative sample of children attending kindergarten in the United States in the fall of the 1998-1999 academic year and their families, teachers, and schools. As expected, family SES and the availability of …

Look Out – It’S Your Off-Peak Time Of Day! Time Of Day Matters More For Alerting Than For Orienting Or Executive Attention, Marisa Knight, M Mather

Psychology

Background—Older adults’ peak performance on memory and cognitive inhibition tasks tends to be in the morning while younger adults’ peak performance tends to be in the afternoon. Although these tasks require efficient attentional processes for optimal performance, previous research examining age differences in the effects of time of day has not measured the distinct aspects of attention quantified by the attentional network test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, & Posner, 2002).

Methods—We examined the relationship between time of testing and the efficiency of alerting, orienting and executive attention networks by randomly assigning younger (18–28 years; N = 27, M = 21.37 …

Positive Clinical Neuroscience: Explorations In Positive Neurology, N. Kapur, J. Cole, T. Manly, Indre Viskontas, A. Ninteman, L. Hasher, A. Pascual-Leone

Psychology

Disorders of the brain and its sensory organs have traditionally been associated with deficits in movement, perception, cognition, emotion, and behavior. It is increasingly evident, however, that positive phenomena may also occur in such conditions, with implications for the individual, science, medicine, and for society. This article provides a selective review of such positive phenomena – enhanced function after brain lesions, better-than-normal performance in people with sensory loss, creativity associated with neurological disease, and enhanced performance associated with aging. We propose that, akin to the well-established field of positive psychology and the emerging field of positive clinical psychology, the nascent …

Independent Living Oldest-Old And Their Primary Health Provider: A Mixed Method Examination Of The Influence Of Patient Personality Characteristics, Lee Stadtlander, Martha Giles, Amy Sickel, Emma Brooks, Cherri Brown, Melissa Cormell, Lara Ewing, Delores Hart, Dawn Koons, Christy Olson, Pamela Parker, Veronica Semenova, Shawna Stoneking

School of Psychology Publications

This convergent mixed methods study examined 35 healthy, independent living individuals' (over 85 years) perceptions of their relationship with their primary health provider (PHP) and health practices. The relationship between PHP relationship perceptions and locus of control (LOC), resilience, and self-efficacy was explored through surveys and interviews. The majority indicated they visited their PHP just for preventative care; the number of PHP visits per year was significantly lower than reported for individuals over 85 by the CDC, possible reasons for this finding are provided. A positive relationship between LOC, resiliency, and self-efficacy for the oldest-old was found. Few participants indicated …

Independent Living Oldest-Old And Their Primary Health Provider: A Mixed Method Examination Of The Influence Of Patient Personality Characteristics, Lee Stadtlander, Martha Giles, Amy Sickel, Emma Brooks, Cherri L. Brown, Melissa Cormell, Lara Ewing, Delores Hart, Dawn Koons, Christie Olson, Pamela Parker, Veronica Semenova, Shawna Stoneking

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

This convergent mixed methods study examined 35 healthy, independent living individuals' (over 85 years) perceptions of their relationship with their primary health provider (PHP) and health practices. The relationship between PHP relationship perceptions and locus of control (LOC), resilience, and self-efficacy was explored through surveys and interviews. The majority indicated they visited their PHP just for preventative care; the number of PHP visits per year was significantly lower than reported for individuals over 85 by the CDC, possible reasons for this finding are provided. A positive relationship between LOC, resiliency, and self-efficacy for the oldest-old was found. Few participants indicated …

Task Switching In English-Chinese Bilinguals: A Life Span Approach, Li Qu, Joel J. W. Low, Pei Shan Chong, F. F. E. Keren-Happuch

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The current study investigated the developmental trajectory of 124 English-Chinese Singaporean bilinguals (41 6-9-year-olds, 44 18-26-year-olds, and 39 55-79-year-olds) with the Standard (SD), Total Change (TC), Positive Priming (PP), and Negative Priming (NP) versions of the Computerized Dimensional Change Card Sort task. Tasks were administrated in either English or Chinese. Additionally, participants were tested with both English and Chinese versions of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Separate curve fitting indicated that significant quadratic trends appeared in the local switch costs for accuracy only in the SD and the PP versions. Children had significantly larger local switch costs in all the …

Vascular Depression: An Early Indicator Of Decline, Daniel Lee Paulson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Women over the age of 80 represent a rapidly growing demographic group. While older women live longer than men, they do so with more years of disability and frailty. The emergence of geriatric disorders such as vascular disease, depression, frailty and cognitive decline in the aging US population place additional strain and expense on the already over-burdened public health care system. Meanwhile, integrated models of care are associated with preserved functional independence, reduced medical costs, and greater satisfaction for both health care providers and patients. Implementation of integrated care demands process-models of disease that contextualize symptoms within broader patterns of …

The Influence Of Widowed Status And Task Complexity On Decision Making, Courtney L. Ortz

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Widowhood is a stressful life event that can impact an individual’s everyday life, including her decision making abilities. The complexity of the decision is also likely to influence the decision making abilities of these widows. The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand widows’ decision making processes, their preferences for collaboration when making decisions, and their satisfaction with the decision outcomes. Data analysis consisted of a series of 3 (widowed status) x 2 (task complexity) ANOVAS and ANCOVAS which found that both complexity and widowed status influence decision making processes. Higher complexity led to less overall satisfaction, but none …

Memory, Cognition, And The Effect Of A Music Intervention On Healthy Older Adults, Shannon L. Bowles

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Music is a powerful modality that can bring about changes in individuals of all ages. This research employed both an experimental and quasi-experimental design to identify the effects of music as it influenced psychological well-being, memory, and cognition among older adults. Specifically, it addressed three aims: (a) To determine to what extent learning to play a music instrument later in life influenced psychological well-being and cognitive function of non-institutionalized healthy seniors, (b) To determine the effects of the amount of music involvement on psychological well-being and cognitive function (c) To determine the benefit of music for those with limited/no music …

Vascular Depression: An Early Warning Sign Of Frailty, Daniel Paulson, Peter A. Lichtenberg

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Objectives: Frailty is a common geriatric disorder associated with ADL impairment, hospitalization, and death. Phenomenological evidence suggests that late-life depression (Katz, 2004), particularly vascular depression, may be a risk factor for frailty. This study tests that hypothesis.

Methods: We identified a sample of stroke-free women over the age of 80 from the Health and Retirement Survey. The sample included 984 respondents in 2000 (incidence sample). Of these, 459 were non-frail at baseline and still alive in 2004 (prevalence sample). Frail respondents experienced at least three of the following: wasting, exhaustion, weakness, slowness, and falls. Vascular depression was represented using two …

A Dialogical Approach Of Group Identity Salience And The Academic Competence Of Nontraditional College Students, Robert Thally

HIM 1990-2015

As of 2007, approximately 73% of the 18 million college students in this country could be identified as nontraditional (Ross-Gordon, 2011). A key characteristic distinguishing this group from the traditional college student is the influence of multiple roles of the adult learner on the learning and engagement process (Keith, Byerly, Floerchinger, Pence, & Thornberg, 2006). Ross-Gordon remarks on some roles that may provide life experience, an asset to understanding theoretical constructs otherwise immaterial to younger, traditional learners. However, it is important to recognize the complex dynamic of conflicting roles as challenges to the academic competence of nontraditional college students. This …

Life Longing In Older Adults, Tyler A. Gerdin

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Exploring Wellbeing In Older Male Farmers In Western Australia, Jessica L. Mckee

Theses : Honours

In the context of an ageing population it has become increasingly important to identify the determinants of wellbeing in older adulthood. A review of the literature relevant to wellbeing and strengths relevant to older male farmers in Australia was conducted. This body of knowledge was identified to be sparse. Existing literature on farming primarily had a deficits focus, and only a small number of qualitative studies were specific to older male farmers. Four broad, overlapping areas representing the meaning of wellbeing were identified as potentially important: farming work; connectedness; the land; health and wellbeing. The inter-connected nature of farming life …

Evidence For The Bypass Of The Response-Selection Bottleneck In Tasks With Reflexive Responses In Younger And Older Adults, Brandi S. Seaman

Scripps Senior Theses

This study investigated dual-task processing in younger and older adults using a psychological refractory period procedure. The first task was to name the color framing a picture; the second task was to either press a button or tilt their body in the direction of the tilt of the picture. In the body-tilt condition, electromyography was used to determine the reaction time. The stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) between the onset of the color and tilting of the picture varied from 50 to 1000 ms. In contrast with the response selection bottleneck model, which claims that processing of a second task cannot be …

Untangling Cultural Differences In Behavioral, Physiological, And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia And Alzheimer’S Disease, John S. Avant

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR; 4^th ed. Revised; American Psychiatric Association) and (BPSD) there are many behavioral, physiological, and psychological issues that have been correlated with the progression of the Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Examples of these issues include; emotional regulation problems, variations in eating behavior, and an advancing decline in memory. Though certain symptoms of the disease seem to be widely universal, current literature shows that a number of disparities do exist. There are several differences between and within populations suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that are influenced by various …

Recruitment Discrimination Against Middle Eastern People In Western Australia : The Case Of Accountants, Tiny Pinkerton

Theses : Honours

The population of all Western countries are ageing and humanitarian efforts saw increasing numbers of people from Middle Eastern origin settle in Australia. Whilst older people are encouraged to remain in paid employment longer, it is not clear whether Middle Eastern people and the older population are as readily hired as are Anglo Australians and the younger population. Pairs of fictitious, unsolicited job applications were used to test for age and racial discrimination of Middle Eastern people in the Western Australian labour market. The study employed a 2 x 2 between subjects design with race (Anglo Australian and Middle Eastern) …

Health And Relationship Variables Impacting Psychological And Social Well-Being Among Predominantly White Middle Class Adults 65 And Older Who Receive Assistance With Their Care From Family Members, Alyssa C. Ford

Dissertations

The majority of care to persons 65 and older in the United States is provided by family members. Previous research among older adults who receive assistance with their care from family or friends, while sparse, has identified variables that appear to impact the well-being of such persons. These variables include reciprocity, dignity, self-perceived burden, mental health status, and physical health or disability status. However, these variables have not been studied together. The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine these variables individually and collectively as they relate to well-being.

A sample of 71 adults, ages 68 to 97, who …

The Role Of Loneliness And Life Events: Comparing Avoidant And Borderline Personality Features And Their Relation To Depression, Janine Galione

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Personality disorders are theoretically and empirically linked to experiencing high negative affect, such as depression, and individuals with features from some personality disorders, such as borderline: BDL) and avoidant: AVD), are hyper-responsive to rejection. Loneliness has also been established as a vulnerability to the onset of depressive episodes and as an outcome to rejection sensitivity, however the relationship between personality pathology and loneliness is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to compare whether AVD and BDL features might be differentially associated with depression scores by analyzing the interaction with life events and loneliness. We studied a representative, community-based …

Eating Behaviors Of Older Adults Participating In Government-Sponsored Programs With Different Demographic Backgrounds, Yeon Bai, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Joseph Brusca, Johnson-Austin Marti, Michelle O'Malley

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to determine the food behaviors of nutritionally high-risk seniors as a function of their racial background, gender, marital status, and education level. A total of 69 seniors were identified to be at high nutritional risk using the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist. A supplemental questionnaire (SQ) was created to examine the risk factors in relation to the participant’s demographic background. Key results indicated that Asians practiced healthy food behaviors and women were more likely to eat alone (p≤0.05). Married participants (90.9%) were most likely to consume 2 meals or more each day. College educated …

Health-Related Quality Of Life And Future Care Planning Among Older Adults: Exploring The Role Of Hope As A Moderator, Jodi L. Southerland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Older adults have an increased risk for illness and disease, factors that can lead to functional impairment and intensify the need for reliance on supportive services. Planning for long-term care needs is a vital component of healthy aging and continued autonomy. Yet, many older adults fail to make plans in advance, perhaps due to differences in personal characteristics.

The moderating effects of trait hope on the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and preparation for future care needs (PFCN) was studied in a sample of 65 older adult primary care patients (<65 years) in western New York. Participants completed a questionnaire on 5 dimensions of PFCN (awareness of risk, information gathering, decisions about care preferences, concrete planning, and active avoidance). In addition, data were collected on five HRQoL domains (physical function, physical role function, emotional role function, social function, and bodily pain) and trait hope. Moderated multiple regression was used to test the moderator hypothesis controlling for personal characteristics. Post-hoc probing was used to further examine significant interactions.

At the bivariate level, social functioning, physical …