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The Good Life In Psychotherapy: Implicit And Influential, Emily Lonas Morris

Theses and Dissertations

The good life, or a flourishing life, is a vision of how people ought to best live their lives. Though this vision is vital to the conduct of psychotherapy, it is generally overlooked, and thus unexamined. The therapist's vision of the good life for the client guides his or her implicit and explicit interventions. Despite this, there is relatively little discussion about this vital topic, and relatively little training into the various approaches to the good life. In this thesis, I argue that this relative lack of examination and training is due to the lack of perceived options regarding conceptions …

The Relationship Of Acculturation And Acculturative Stress In Latina/O Youths’ Psychosocial Functioning, Marsha Tafoya

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to better understand how acculturation and acculturative stress are related to self-esteem, depression, substance use, and substance use problems in 206 Latina/o youth. Acculturation is the social and psychological process of change that occurs when an individual or group comes in contact with a different culture. The acculturation process can be positive, improving one’s life chances in the new culture, or it could be negative due to the challenging nature of change and adaptation to new cultural and social expectations. This difficulty creates a type of stress, called acculturative stress that has been found to be …

Social Engagement Behaviors Of Two Children With Asd In Intervention Sessions Using A Robot, Stacey Marie Richey

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the use of a humanoid robot to facilitate the initiation of social engagement behaviors in two children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Approximately 10 minutes of a 50-minute treatment session were devoted to interaction using a humanoid robot, Troy, to facilitate interactions with a graduate clinician or caretaker. These interactions were recorded, analyzed, and coded in 5 s intervals. This study focused specifically on the children's initiations of social engagement behaviors. Results suggested that the robot had potential to facilitate social engagement between the children and the adults.

Comparing The Efficacy Of Two Cognitive Dissonance Interventions For Eating Pathology: Are Online And Face-To-Face Interventions Equally Effective?, Kasey Serdar

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical and subclinical eating pathology are common, especially among female undergraduates. Such problems are often chronic and associated with a range of negative medical and psychological outcomes. Thus, it is important to develop effective prevention programs to reduce eating disorder risk. Numerous studies suggest that dissonance-based prevention programs are the most successful in reducing eating disorder risk factors, however, such programs might not be convenient for students limited by scheduling restraints or geographic proximity. Further, some students may be reluctant to attend such groups due to lack of anonymity. One way to address these potential barriers is to adapt dissonance-based …

Emotional Intensity And Persuasion, Laurencio Tamayo

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Disclosure And Health: Enhancing The Benefits Of Trauma Writing Through Response Training, Andrea Konig

Theses and Dissertations

Writing about a personal traumatic event has been found to have psychological and physical health benefits. Focusing on traumatic memories in writing may be a form of exposure. In imagery exposure and trauma writing, greater physiological reactivity was predictive of better outcomes. Given the importance of physiological output in emotional processing, response training was developed and found to be effective in increasing appropriate physiological reactivity in imagery exposure. If response training amplifies physiological reactivity and the benefits of writing, the hypothesis that writing is a form of exposure would be strengthened, and training may be a valuable tool to improve …

Sex Talk: Factors That Influence Parent-Child Communication About Sex, Tiffany Abrego

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Between 50 and 70% of young people are first sexually active between the ages of 15 and 17, and almost 90% by age 18. This early sexual debut puts adolescents at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy if they are uneducated about safe sex. For this reason, it is important to determine the variables that contribute to early sexual debut. One factor that researchers have explored is the communication between parents and their children concerning sex. Researchers have found that the communication about sex is influenced by parents’ own beliefs, experiences, and comfort level discussing sexual topics. …

The Effect Of Sexblindness And Sexawareness On Workplace Related Gender Bias, Katie Nichol

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was an adaptation of Richeson and Nussbaum's (2004) study of racism to gender bias. Two different gender ideologies were theoretically analyzed, then the influence of these ideologies on implicit and explicit forms of gender bias was examined. Psychology undergraduates were presented with a prompt promoting either a sexblind or sexaware approach to reducing gender bias. Participants then completed a measure of implicit (IAT Gender/Career) and explicit (MAWWWS) bias. Results suggested that, relative to the sexaware perspective, the sexblind perspective generated less implicit gender bias. There was no difference between ideological groups on the explicit measure. The findings …

Indecisiveness And Hoarding, Randy O. Frost, David F. Tolin, Gail Steketee, Milim Oh

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Hoarding behavior and the problems associated with it have been the subject of an increasing amount of research. Early theorizing has suggested that problems with decision-making constitute a core feature, yet relatively few studies have examined this in depth. In the present study, indecisiveness was examined in large samples of adults who self-identified as having significant hoarding problems (n = 887), adult children of such individuals (n = 295), and spouses of such individuals (n = 120). People with hoarding problems reported more decision-making problems than children or spouses, and considerably more than community controls from other studies. Adult children …

Portraits Of Empowerment Exhibited By One Million Signatures Campaign Activists, Manijeh Badiee

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Iranian women have shown themselves to be anything but victims (Afkhami, 2009; Price, 1996; Shiranipour, 2002). Although they live in an oppressive regime (Nafisi, 1999; ―Symbolic annihilation,‖ 1999), grassroots efforts of their One Million Signatures Campaign transformed gender politics in Iran (Khorasani, 2009). The Campaign has become international, and Iranian Americans have played a prominent role in furthering its message (Tohidi, 2010).

Iranian women‘s struggles reflect the global phenomenon of women‘s movements (Ferree, 2006). Empowerment is used to conceptualize such movements, but few studies have explored individuals from the Middle East (e.g. Dufour & Giraud, 2007).

The present study addressed …

Personal And Perceived Partner Commitment And Trust As Predictors Of Relationship Satisfaction In Long-Distance And Proximally Close Dating Relationships Of Graduate Students, Camille C. Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the current study was to examine Relationship Satisfaction, Personal Commitment and Trust, and Perceived Partner Commitment and Trust among long-distance and proximally close dating relationships of graduate students. The sample included graduate students in long-distance and proximally close dating relationships. The study found that Perceived Partner Commitment significantly predicted Personal Trust over and beyond Personal Commitment. Study results also indicate that Personal Commitment and Personal Trust significantly predicted Relationship Satisfaction, but that, Perceived Partner Commitment did not. Results also indicated that participants in short-term long-distance relationships reported higher levels of Personal Commitment than participants in long-term long-distance …

Mindfulness Predicts Less Texting While Driving Among Young Adults: Examining Attention- And Emotion-Regulation Motives As Potential Mediators., Greg Feldman, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Megan Renna, Kendra Robbins-Monteith

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Many young adult drivers read and send text messages while driving despite clear safety risks. Understanding predictors of texting-while-driving may help to indentify relevant targets for interventions to reduce this dangerous behavior. The present study examined whether individual differences in mindfulness is associated with texting-while-driving in a sample of young-adult drivers. Using path analysis, we tested whether this relationship would be mediated by the degree to which individuals use text-messaging as a means of reducing unpleasant emotions (emotion-regulation motives) and the degree to which individuals limit texting in order to focus on present-moment experiences (attention-regulation motives). Individuals lower in mindfulness …

The Creation Of Art Books With Adolescents Diagnosed With An Eating Disorder: Effectiveness, Self-Esteem, And Related Factors, Eileen Chaves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study undertook a mixed methods exploration of the interaction of art therapy and self-esteem in an adolescent eating disorder population. Using therapeutic art books in a group format, adolescents created art about their feelings, their eating disorder, or whatever else they deemed important. This art technique is relatively new and novel as an art therapy intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to look at the technique's effectiveness at decreasing participants' negative mood states and investigated the technique's ability to affect participants' perceptions of their self-esteem. Measures of global self-esteem and art therapy related self-esteem were measured using the Rosenberg …

Cognitive Bias Modification: Past Perspectives, Current Findings, And Future Applications, Paula T. Hertel, A. Mathews

Psychology Faculty Research

Research conducted within the general paradigm of Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) reveals that emotional biases in attention, interpretation, and memory are not merely associated with emotional disorders but contribute to them. After briefly describing research on both emotional biases and their modification, we examine similarities between CBM paradigms and older experimental paradigms used in research on learning and memory. We also compare the techniques and goals of CBM research to other approaches to understanding cognition/emotion interactions. From a functional perspective, the CBM tradition reminds us to use experimental tools to evaluate assumptions about clinical phenomena and more generally, about causal …

Levels Of Altruism, Martin Zwick, Jeffrey Alan Fletcher

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The phenomenon of altruism extends from the biological realm to the human sociocultural realm. This paper sketches a coherent outline of multiple types of altruism of progressively increasing scope that span these two realms and are grounded in an ever-expanding sense of "self." Discussion of this framework notes difficulties associated with altruisms at different levels. It links scientific ideas about the evolution of cooperation and about hierarchical order to perennial philosophical and religious concerns. It offers a conceptual background for inquiry into societal challenges that call for altruistic behavior, especially the challenge of environmental and social sustainability.

Strategies For Reducing Inequalities And Improving Developmental Outcomes For Young Children In Low-Income And Middle-Income Countries, Patrice L. Engle, Lia C.H. Fernald, Harold Alderman, Jere Behrman, Chloe O'Gara, Aisha Yousafzai, Meena Cabral De Mello, Melissa Hidrobo, Nurper Ulkuer, Ilgi Ertem, Selim Iltus

Psychology and Child Development

This report is the second in a Series on early child development in low-income and middle-income countries and assesses the effectiveness of early child development interventions, such as parenting support and preschool enrollment. The evidence reviewed suggests that early child development can be improved through these interventions, with effects greater for programmes of higher quality and for the most vulnerable children. Other promising interventions for the promotion of early child development include children’s educational media, interventions with children at high risk, and combining the promotion of early child development with conditional cash transfer programmes. Effective investments in early child development …

Assessing Mental Health Care For Iraqi Refugees In Jordan Looking To New Solutions For The Future, Hannah B. Egan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Across the globe citizens flee their native countries in search of newfound safety and stability. These people are known as refugees. Since 2003 refugees from Iraq have entered Jordan in search of a better life. Unfortunately, the terrors that Iraqi refugees escape do not disappear after crossing country lines. These memories cause serious mental health conditions for Iraqi refugees. Such conditions are intensified by the living environment in Jordan where Iraqis are not granted legal status. While some refugees are wealthy and others are resettled to the United States or Europe, the majority remain “stuck” in Jordan.

This study seeks …

A Student's Guide To Overcoming The Pressure To Succeed In Higher Education [Brochure And Video], Amber R. Sellers, Tori Holmes

Counseling Concepts and Applications for Student Affairs Professionals (CNS 577)

All college students experience some sort of internal and/or external pressure to reach their definition of success. Family members, friends, professors, future employers, coaches, student organizations, and most importantly, students themselves expect certain behaviors to lead to a successful collegiate career (Newton, 2000). This video highlights the experiences and viewpoints of one student’s struggle with residual stress and offers support resources found on most campuses across the country. With the prevalence of stress and anxiety related disorders found within today’s collegiate population (Levine, 2005), this video hopes to raise awareness and assist struggling students who are seeking relief by providing …

The Effectiveness Of A Substance Abuse Treatment Group For At Risk College Students, Melissa D. Simundson

Doctoral Dissertations

There has been limited research in the area of treatment effectiveness for college students who abuse substances (e.g., alcohol, marijuana). There is no published research to date that addresses the effectiveness of college students' substance abuse counseling groups utilizing therapeutic reactance as a covariate. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of motivational interviewing and cognitive therapy techniques with a university counseling center substance abuse group and the extent to which group members' levels of reactance influence the treatment outcome. There were 35 college students approximately 18-25 years of age in six groups with an average of …

Parents' Influence On Child Social Self-Efficacy And Social Cognition, Denise Marie Gardner

Master's Theses (2009 -)

No abstract provided.

Acculturation, Cultural Values, And Latino Parental Beliefs About The Etiology Of Adhd, Kathryn E. Lawton

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders of childhood, but despite the availability of several evidence-based interventions, Latino children are more likely than non-minority children to have an unmet need for services related to ADHD. Because parental beliefs about the etiology of ADHD likely influence which services are sought, more research is needed to examine this aspect of help-seeking behavior in order to address the unmet need among Latino families. Specifically, research needs to focus on cultural factors that likely influence parental beliefs about the etiology of child behavior problems. Thus, the goal of the …

Examining The Roles Of Attachment Theory And Sensitivity To Reward And Punishment In Predicting Driving Behavior Among Young Adults, Elaine M. Murphy

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Drivers under the age of 25 years old have the highest per capita fatal-crash rate. They are also over represented in particular risky driving behaviors, such as speeding, safety belt non-use, and impaired driving. Although researchers have used many different theories to explain driving behaviors of young adults, two theories which have received less attention, attachment theory and reinforcement sensitivity theory, were used as a theoretical framework in the present research. Reckless driving has been found to serve as an anxiety buffering function that can reduce stress among insecurely attached individuals (Taubman - Ben-Ari et al., 1999). Having a secure …

Mate-Selection And The Dark Triad: Facilitating A Short-Term Mating Strategy And Creating A Volatile Environment, Peter K. Jonason, Katherine A. Valentine, Norman P. Li, Carmelita L. Harbeson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The current study (N = 242) seeks to establish the relationship between traits known collectively as the Dark Triad – narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism – and mating standards and preferences. Using a budget-allocation task, we correlated scores on the Dark Triad traits with mate preferences for a long-term and short-term mate. Men scoring high on the Dark Triad may be more indiscriminate than most when selecting for short-term mates in order to widen their prospects. Furthermore, those high on the Dark Triad – psychopathy in particular – tend to select for mates based on self-interest, assortative mating, or a predilection for …

The Loss Of Neighborhood Secondary Schools: How The Distance A Student Lives From Their School Can Affect Their Academic Achievement, Gillian Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the distance a student lives from their school influences their academic achievement. In detail, this study has correlated the distance in miles a student lives from his or her school with their grade point average at the end of their freshman and junior years. Data has been collected from 100 participants at two private high schools in southern New Jersey, Our Lady of Mercy Academy and Saint Augustine College Prepatory School. Both schools are grades ninth through twelfth. Both schools are Catholic schools but you do not have to be Catholic …

Identity And Psychological Needs Among National Guard Service Members And Undergraduates, Bradley Antonides

Theses and Dissertations

This study measured identity style and identity status within military and academic populations (N = 286) to investigate whether low levels of identity commitment predict dissatisfaction in meeting basic psychological needs. Analysis of identity style and identity status subscales examined the reliability of traditional measures of identity in an atypical emerging adult population. Group comparisons based on participant characteristics (identity commitment, work experience, age, combat experience) explored differences between and within institutions. Results supported the reliability of traditional identity measures in a non-traditional population. A diffuse identity status and diffuse identity style both significantly predicted lower reported levels of psychological …

Increasing Students Self-Esteem Through The Implementation Of The Bucket Filler Lesson Plans, Jenna Norton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which positive psychology can impact the educational system. Twenty-three second grade students enrolled in Berlin Community School, located in Berlin New Jersey participated in this study. All students were enrolled in a regular education classroom and assumed to be learning at the appropriate age group level. The Piers-Harris 2 Self-Concept Scale was used to measure student's self-esteem as a pre-test and a post-test assessment. The experimental group received the implementation of the Bucket Filler Lesson plans in hopes that their self-esteem would improve upon completion of the lessons. The …

Examining The Effects Of Political Information And Intervention Stages On Public Support For Military Interventions: A Panel Experiment, Cigdem Sirin

Departmental Papers (PS)

This study examines the formation and continuity of public support for military interventions as a function of political information levels and intervention stages using a panel experiment. The results demonstrate that politically informed individuals express less support for a military intervention at the beginning of that intervention compared to uninformed ones. However, as the intervention proceeds and casualties are incurred, the support of politically uninformed people decreases at a higher rate than does the support of the politically informed. As such, politically informed individuals demonstrate more stable levels of support across intervention stages. In addition, success or failure of an …

Expanded Behavioral Model For Online Support Services, Laura Boxley

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The rapid expansion of online technologies and health resources has created opportunities to develop broadly available interventions to address the needs of the modern patient. This study proposes a theoretical structure based on Andersen's Individual Determinants of Health Service Utilization Model to describe who is using online support and how it is being used. Also unique to this analysis was the use of objective behavioral data to describe and predict website utilization, and linguistic analysis to evaluate the content of what is shared in online groups. Eighty-four men and women completed baseline evaluations and were randomized into either online support …

Exploring Gender Differences In Online Cancer Support Groups, Natalie Christine Kaiser

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Gender differences in depression and other psychiatric conditions have been widely

documented in the general population (Nolen‐Hoeksema, 2006). Therefore, several studies have

analyzed the differential gender‐based adaptation of a cancer diagnosis. However, there seem to be contradictory results. While some studies have found there to be no gender differences in terms of cancer‐related distress (Beresford et al., 2006; Deimling et al., 2006; Zabora et al., 2001; & Carlson et al., 2004; Matthews, 2003), other studies have found that females tend to display more anxiety and depressive symptoms (Mystakidou et al., 2005; Deimling et al., 2006). Interestingly, limited studies have reported …

Death, Etxtraversion, Commitment, And Sex: A Study On Terror Management, Jalaal Madyun, Wind Goodfriend

Modern Psychological Studies

Several studies have found that when confronted with mortality (i.e., mortality salience), the desire for intimate relationships and the desire for sex increase (Ben-Ari, 2004; Hirschberger, Florian, & Mikulincer, 2002). The current study examined desire for commitment to a romantic partner and the desire to engage in risky sexual behaviors when mortality is salient and added an examination of how these constructs overlap with the personality trait of extraversion. Results showed that, as expected, extraversion was correlated with the desire to engage in risky sexual behavior. Surprisingly, however, individuals under mortality salience were less likely to desire risky sexual encounters, …