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Full-Text Articles in Mormon Studies

Sexual Encounters And Manhood Acts: Evangelicals, Latter-Day Saints, And Religious Masculinities, Kelsy Burke, Amy Moff Hudec Jan 2015

Sexual Encounters And Manhood Acts: Evangelicals, Latter-Day Saints, And Religious Masculinities, Kelsy Burke, Amy Moff Hudec

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The experiences of men in traditional religions are complex, at times inconsistent, and not necessarily the direct result of religious teachings. This article draws from two qualitative case studies to examine the ways in which evangelical and Latter-Day Saint men understand masculinity and their spiritual beliefs in the context of sexual activity. The authors present two masculine practices—acceptance of sexual rejection and sexual indifference— that allow religious men in this study to simultaneously challenge and uphold the system of hegemonic masculinity that their traditions promote. These findings point to the moments when creative, interpretative work helps religious men to reconcile …


Fathers' Religious And Family Involvement At Home; And Work And Family Outcomes, Roxane O. Whyte Jan 2005

Fathers' Religious And Family Involvement At Home; And Work And Family Outcomes, Roxane O. Whyte

Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes and confirms two new predictors of work and family outcomes, thus far unexplored in existing work-family literature: fathers' religious involvement at home and fathers' family involvement at home. It is the first study to date to document that these produce a crossover effect to positively influence work-related outcomes including work-family conflict, work-family fit and job satisfaction.
Data come from employed married fathers and their spouses participating in the 2001 BYU Marriott School of Management Alumni Work and Family Survey (n = 210), all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Findings are that …


The Longterm Effects Of Television Mediation On Lds Young Single Adults: An Exploratory Study, Jennia Parkin Jan 2004

The Longterm Effects Of Television Mediation On Lds Young Single Adults: An Exploratory Study, Jennia Parkin

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examines what Latter-day Saint young single adults remember about their parents mediating the television and its use, and how those recollections contribute to their current attitudes and values toward the media, as well as their media choices. A stratified random sample of 267 LDS young single adults across the United States and outside the state of Utah responded to a cross sectional mail or online survey. The three mediation styles established by Valkenburg, Krcmar, Peeters, and Marseille (1999)—Restrictive, Instructive, and Coviewing—were used as the independent variables while scales assessing television offensiveness levels, attitudes, orientation, and usage were …


Balance And Conflict: Variation In Attaining Work-Family Fit Among A Homogeneous Population, Laura C. Koch Jan 2002

Balance And Conflict: Variation In Attaining Work-Family Fit Among A Homogeneous Population, Laura C. Koch

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of work-family fit has recently emerged in the work and family literature, comparable to work-family balance in that it represents interactions between work and family, and yet distinct from balance in its sense of universal ownership and responsibility. Using Barnett's (1998) model of the work-social system interface as a framework, this study explores the relationship between and predictive factors of work-family fit and work-family balance. Data are from a survey of Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management (MSM) graduate school alumni (n = 273). Findings indicate that fit and balance are indeed two separate constructs, with fit …


Making Friends To Last A Lifetime: An Ethnographic Study Of Parasocial Relationships And Soap Opera Characters, Emmalee Elizabeth Haight Pryor Jan 2002

Making Friends To Last A Lifetime: An Ethnographic Study Of Parasocial Relationships And Soap Opera Characters, Emmalee Elizabeth Haight Pryor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to build theory about parasocial relationships and to examine what affect, if any, religion had on parasocial relationships. Using qualitative methods, the researcher watched the show three times with five women followed by an in-depth interview. The women chosen were LDS stay-at-home moms who had watched a soap opera for at least a year.
From this data came several surprising findings about religion and soap opera viewing. The women said they did not feel guilty about the content of the shows, rather the time required to watch. This guilt was alleviated by structuring their …


Dating Behavior Of Latter-Day Saint Male Returned Missionaries: A Process Of Managing Desires, Nancy C. Mclaughlin Jan 2000

Dating Behavior Of Latter-Day Saint Male Returned Missionaries: A Process Of Managing Desires, Nancy C. Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

Each year thousands of Latter-day Saint males return to their homes after serving a two year religious mission. According to Latter-day Saint doctrine and cultural beliefs, these young men are expected to resume a normal life including dating and involvement in romantic relationships. Research and Latter-day Saint doctrine related to the dating behavior of returned missionaries (RMs) is reviewed. Most previous research has emphasized the quantitative analysis of single aspects of RMs dating behavior such as dating frequency and social status. In an attempt to add to this field of research, this qualitative analysis explored the attitudes and experiences of …


The Meaning Of Religious Belief, Practice, And Community For Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs, Loren Dean Marks Jan 1999

The Meaning Of Religious Belief, Practice, And Community For Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs, Loren Dean Marks

Theses and Dissertations

While the tragedy of American fatherlessness has evoked a growing body of research, religious beliefs, practices, and communities have not been a significant part of the scholarly discussion. This article discusses possible reasons for this and reviews the religion and family literature with a focus on fathers. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 Latter-day Saint (LDS) fathers of children with special needs and analyzed to examine the meaning of religious experience for these fathers and their families. Analysis indicated three dimensions of religious experience: spiritual belief, religious practice, and faith community. The spiritual belief in an eternal perspective, including the …


Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs: A Phenomenological Study, Michael M. Olson Jan 1999

Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs: A Phenomenological Study, Michael M. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

This research, presents a qualitative study of six Latter-day Saint fathers of children with special needs. In-depth interviews were used to examine the demands and resources fathers draw upon in meeting the needs of their child(ren), the application of the conceptual ethic of fathering as generative work and crisis/stress theory, as well as an analysis of how fathers incorporated their religious beliefs, faith, and practices into fathering their special needs children. Narrative accounts are used to illustrate the results. These results are then applied to an integrated conceptual framework and clinical applications are made.


Creating High-Quality Marriages: A Qualitative Study Of Religious Couples, Jerry Lyman Redd Jan 1999

Creating High-Quality Marriages: A Qualitative Study Of Religious Couples, Jerry Lyman Redd

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with thirty-two couples who have been married for eight years. Although the couples in this sample have similar religious, economic, and cultural backgrounds, the quality of each marriage is quite different. Ten couples have exceptionally high-quality marriages, eighteen have average-quality marriages, three are struggling, and one couple has been divorced. The purpose of this study was to better understand what the ten couples with high-quality marriages are doing to create successful relationships. I conclude that high-quality marriages are created by a couple's participation in a particular process with a specific paradigm …


Religious Couples' Reported Effects Of Prayer In Conflict Situations, Julie Ann Stout Jan 1999

Religious Couples' Reported Effects Of Prayer In Conflict Situations, Julie Ann Stout

Theses and Dissertations

For religious couples, the spiritual domain stands alongside the biological, psychological, and systemic domains as an influence upon interaction and mechanism for change. This study is a quantitative expansion of Butler, Gardner, and Bird's (1998) qualitative study, of the change dynamics of prayer. This study attempted to improve the generalizability of the Butler et al. (1998) study through its use of a larger, and religiously and geographically more diverse sample. This study investigated the effects of prayer during times of marital conflict through a quantitative methodology with a survey design. The researchers developed a survey based on the findings of …


Oral Performances As Ritual: Animating The Invisible In Mormon Women's Miscarriage Stories, Kristin Leifson Ballif Jan 1998

Oral Performances As Ritual: Animating The Invisible In Mormon Women's Miscarriage Stories, Kristin Leifson Ballif

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is comprised of ten Mormon women's miscarriage stories and it is their stories that are used as the text for my analysis. The purpose of the study is to provide a space for these women to share their experiences and to reveal their cultural values and beliefs. Because the women are all Mormon, there are some distinctive cultural and religious values that are shared within their stories and it is these aspects that are analyzed and discussed within the text.

Women need to be able to share their miscarriage stories so as to alleviate feelings of isolation and …


Mormon Women's Sense Of Empowerment, Stace Hucks Christianson Jan 1997

Mormon Women's Sense Of Empowerment, Stace Hucks Christianson

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the empowering experiences of LDS women within the patriarchal structure as organized by the LDS church. Women in the LDS church empower themselves by drawing both external and internal resources. The degree of flexibility that leaders and member of the LDS church adopt externally influences the degree of empowerment that LDS women. The more internal factors an LDS woman adopts the greater her internal sense of empowerment.


Journey: Connections To A Pioneer Past, Judy Shell Busk Jan 1996

Journey: Connections To A Pioneer Past, Judy Shell Busk

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a record of a journey into the pioneer past both literally and metaphorically. The physical journey retracing the Oregon and Mormon trails was made in September of 1993, the year I was a National Endowment for the Humanities/Reader's Digest Teacher-Scholar; however, my intellectual and emotional journey into the lives of pioneer women covers several years of study. I compare my life experiences with those of pioneer women whom I studied, using geographical settings on the trail trip as memory triggers. My husband, as my traveling companion, plays an important role in this journey of discovery. Major themes …


Other-Centeredness And Depression In A Sample Of Mormon Women, Janice G. Nielson Jan 1994

Other-Centeredness And Depression In A Sample Of Mormon Women, Janice G. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Other-centeredness and depression were examined to see if a relationship existed between the two. One scale measuring other-centeredness and another measuring depression were given to a sample of married Mormon women who did not work outside the home. Other-centeredness and depression were significantly negatively correlated. The women scoring in the top one-third of the range of other-centeredness scores suffered no depression on the depression scale. The factor most predictive for depression was the relationship the women had with her husband, and other-centeredness was found to overlap with this variable to some extent. The factors of health, income, and education were …


Employment And Happiness Among Mormon And Non-Mormon Mothers In Utah, Kimberly Grace Andersen Jan 1993

Employment And Happiness Among Mormon And Non-Mormon Mothers In Utah, Kimberly Grace Andersen

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of maternal employment status on the happiness and/or unhappiness of married Utah women with children were studied. The independent variables were employment status, age, and denomination. Covariates were health, husbands income, and number of children. Denominational differences were not found to impact happiness, but age and employment status were related to happiness, with non-employed and younger mothers being happier.


Family Life Education In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In The 20th Century: A Historical Review, Ray W. Stringham Jan 1992

Family Life Education In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In The 20th Century: A Historical Review, Ray W. Stringham

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reviewed selected educational literature in almost 350 texts published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) from General Authorities and manuals which included content curriculum in adult family life education; for the adult women's organization (Relief Society); for the men's Melchizedek Priesthood; and for parents instructing their children at home (Family Home Evening).

Topics were ranked by century, according to frequencies of occurrence (FO) in the five major publications. Topics were also summarized by each decade. Tables were provided which summarized the top 40 of 78 topics identified. Recurring Themes suggest family is the basis …


Family Stress And The Role Of The Mormon Bishop's Wife, Marguerite Irene Adams Jan 1991

Family Stress And The Role Of The Mormon Bishop's Wife, Marguerite Irene Adams

Theses and Dissertations

A national survey of bishops' wives was conducted to determine whether Reuben Hill's "Roller Coaster" model of family stress following a stressor event should be modified to include a honeymoon period when the precipitating event is viewed positively by the family. The honeymoon period was expected to be within the first year, and too few respondents were in their first year to give statistically significant evidence of such a pattern. Several measures did give non-significant evidence of a honeymoon phase, though.

Other factors found to have an important effect on the stressfulness of the position of bishop's wife were: age …


The Level And Determinants Of Burnout Of Mormon Mothers In A Utah Suburban Town, Christina Mordock Jan 1990

The Level And Determinants Of Burnout Of Mormon Mothers In A Utah Suburban Town, Christina Mordock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine burnout in Mormon mothers in a suburban Utah town. Specifically the amount and some determinants of burnout among these Mormon women was studied. A random sample of 266 Mormon mothers completed a questionnaire and a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) which consisted of three subscales, (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment), and two categories in each subscale (Frequency and Intensity). The subjects scored in the moderately burned out category in each subscale. Significant relationships were found between the amount of burnout and the following: the age of the mother, …


Effects Of A Parent/Teen Workshop, Roberta Magarrell Jan 1989

Effects Of A Parent/Teen Workshop, Roberta Magarrell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effect of a parent-teen structured family facilitation program (PAT). The study compared pre and post workshop scores on a number of dependent variables in a workshop, a replication of the workshop, and a comparison group.
Analysis of the data revealed no significant differences from pretest to post test in either of the groups. However when the groups were combined there were some statistically significant differences from pretest to post test. The fathers increased in their ability to transfer control while the mothers decreased in kindness. A few post hoc analyses …


Cohesion In A Utah Sample Of Latter-Day Saint Couples, Joe Edgar Glenn Jan 1988

Cohesion In A Utah Sample Of Latter-Day Saint Couples, Joe Edgar Glenn

Theses and Dissertations

It was hypothesized by Olson and his colleagues (Olson, et al., 1983) that "Mormons" were more likely to be enmeshed than many other cultural/religious groups. The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) scored significantly more often in the enmeshed category of the cohesion dimension of the Circumplex Model, using FACES III data, than the norming sample for the FACES III instrument. The study also examined the level of satisfaction that the Mormon sample expressed for their level of cohesion. Data from 61 L.D.S. married couples living …


Couple Cohesion: Differences Between Clinical And Non-Clinical Mormon Couples, Colleen Margaret Peterson Jan 1988

Couple Cohesion: Differences Between Clinical And Non-Clinical Mormon Couples, Colleen Margaret Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the differences between 30 clinical and 30 non-clinical Mormon married couples on the perceived and ideal cohesion scores on the FACES III family typology instrument. Two three-way analyses of variance were done to examine these differences. the results provided evidence that there were significant differences between cohesion scores in clinical and non-clinical couples Both the clinical and non-clinical ideal scores fell close to the enmeshed end of the cohesion dimension of the Circumplex Model. The mean perceived cohesion scores, however, showed a difference between the clinical and non-clinical couples. The clinical couple mean scores fell in the …


Strengthening The Family: A Guide For Lds Single Parent Mothers, Jane C. Beuhring Jan 1984

Strengthening The Family: A Guide For Lds Single Parent Mothers, Jane C. Beuhring

Theses and Dissertations

Raising a family as a single parent is difficult at best. As an LDS single parent, these difficulties take on a unique challenge. The purpose of this project is to offer specific, LDS related guidelines to assist the LDS single parent mother in strengthening her family and thus acquiring the skills needed in handling the unique challenge of raising a family in a gospel oriented society. A variety of resources were used to include theorists, practicioners, scriptures, and personal experiences. Examples and case studies demonstrate the integration of gospel principles and family practices as they relate to LDS single parent …


Selected Aspects Of Family Change In Provo, Utah: A Replication Of Canning's 1955 Survey, Richard B. Miller Jan 1984

Selected Aspects Of Family Change In Provo, Utah: A Replication Of Canning's 1955 Survey, Richard B. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a replication of Canning's 1955 survey of family life in Provo, Utah. The original sample consisted of 239 couples who were married and currently living there. The replication was a 1983 mail survey that used many of Canning's original questions and included a sample of 255 Provo families.

This study measured changes in several courtship and family variables using the companionship family as an ideal type. Findings included increases in the emphasis on the role of romantic love in mate selection, handsomeness as an attractive quality that women seek in a spouse, family members seeking recreation outside …


Perceived Similarity And Value Agreement Identification With Parents Among Lds Adolescent Males, Thomas Lee Partridge Jan 1983

Perceived Similarity And Value Agreement Identification With Parents Among Lds Adolescent Males, Thomas Lee Partridge

Theses and Dissertations

Four models of parental identification (perceived similarity with father, perceived similarity with mother, agreement with important parental values and agreement with more trivial parental values) were constructed. The effects of several parenting behaviors (i.e., support, undifferentiated control, guilt and love withdrawl) as well as various structural variables upon the parental identification of a sample of LDS adolescent males were tested. Data were obtained from 565 adolescents and their parents and the data for each boy was linked with that of his parents.

Parental support and family religious and recreational activities were found to be the most reliable predictors of parental …


A Study Of Divorced Mormon Women In Salt Lake County: The Extent To Which They Use The Agencies And Institutions Available To Help Meet Personal, Financial, And Employment Needs, Melinda G. Stapley Jan 1981

A Study Of Divorced Mormon Women In Salt Lake County: The Extent To Which They Use The Agencies And Institutions Available To Help Meet Personal, Financial, And Employment Needs, Melinda G. Stapley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to (a) describe the characteristics of divorced Mormon women residing in Salt Lake County, (b) determine the extent to which these women were aware of and used government, private, and Mormon church agencies after divorce in helping them solve their problems, and (c) determine the extent these women felt each agency was effective.

Responses from the questionnaire indicated that more than half of these women could be categorized as displaced homemakers. Results showed significant decreases in income before and after divorce. The women in this study had higher than national average occupational levels and …


Utah's Anti-Polygamy Society, 1878-1884, Barbara Hayward Jan 1980

Utah's Anti-Polygamy Society, 1878-1884, Barbara Hayward

Theses and Dissertations

The Anti-Polygamy Society was established in 1878 to try to encourage Congress to abolish the practice of plural marriage tn Utah Territory. In the brief time that it existed, the women of this Utah-based group sent petitions, circulars, and letters to Congress and many leaders of the country urging that laws be passed to end polygamy. Much of their work was also carried out in the society's newspaper, the Anti-polygamy Standard.

By the time that laws were passed that restricted polygamy, the Anti-polygamy Society no longer existed. Nonetheless, the society was important in the anti-polygamy crusade because it was …


The Child's Sex And Birth Ordinal Position: Its Effects Upon Fathers' Interaction With Their Natural Five-Year-Old Children In A Selected Provo Utah Mormon Sample, D. Wayne Brown Jr. Jan 1979

The Child's Sex And Birth Ordinal Position: Its Effects Upon Fathers' Interaction With Their Natural Five-Year-Old Children In A Selected Provo Utah Mormon Sample, D. Wayne Brown Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Thirty-nine fathers were observed to determine if they interact differently with their child as a result of the child's sex or birth ordinal position.

Results indicated that fathers expected more of their sons, had a higher readiness of explanation for them, and criticized them more often. Fathers gave more praise, physical contact and supportive behavior to their daughters. Birth ordinal effects paralleled and interacted wiith the child's sex.

Stepwise regression yielded a mean value of 44.16 in explaining the overall variance in dependent variables. It emphasized the number of hours the father spent with his child and family, the father's …


Parental Control Of Children's Television: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Control And Family Home Evening, Marion Wixom Mccardell Jan 1978

Parental Control Of Children's Television: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Control And Family Home Evening, Marion Wixom Mccardell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the relationship between a secular behavior—television control—and a religious one—Family Home Evening. The findings show that there is a relationship, with those having favorable attitudes toward Family Home Evening and those who hold casual FHE's being most inclined to exercise positive control over their children's television viewing.


The Relation Of Mormon Parental Religiosity And Family Size On Children's Educational, Occupational And Income Success, Marvyn William Hogenson Jan 1977

The Relation Of Mormon Parental Religiosity And Family Size On Children's Educational, Occupational And Income Success, Marvyn William Hogenson

Theses and Dissertations

There have been several significant studies during recent years concerning the relationship between parental socioeconomic background and achievement. This research examines religious influence, parental control, family size, support, and educational encouragement which in turn influence educational and occupational attainment.

Data were obtained from questionnaires completed by 843 married Mormon men from Canada.

Only respondent's religious activity, parental support, and educational encouragement were significant in determining the occupational and educational attainment of the respondent. Family size and parental control were not significant.


A Documentary History Of The Lord's Way Of Watching Over The Church By The Priesthood Through The Ages, Rex A. Anderson Jan 1974

A Documentary History Of The Lord's Way Of Watching Over The Church By The Priesthood Through The Ages, Rex A. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the days of Adam the Lord has called upon the priesthood to watch over the families: To see that fathers are doing their duty as patriarchs over their families, and to assist and encourage the fathers in this responsibility. Thus thwarting the efforts of Satan to lead the children of men astray. The principle has always been for the priesthood to watch over the families. But the process of how this is done has changed from time to time according to the needs of the people. This treatise covers the history of these changes in documentary form.

In the …