Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Juvenile Delinquency And Violence: Examining International Police And Societal Response, Gordon A. Crews, Angela West Crews

Angela Crews

This presentation comparatively examines relationships in the United States, Eastern and Central Europe, Scandinavia, and parts of the Middle East among juvenile violence, "heavy metal" music, substance abuse, and participation in occult and "alternative" youth groups (e.g., Wicca, Satanism, vampirism, Goth). We trace the movement of certain groups, behaviors, and preferences and make a correlation between some of these movements and an increase in youth violence and substance abuse. The authors use results from surveys and participant observations in the U.S., Copenhagen, Germany, the Netherlands, & the Middle East (Egypt & Turkey) that indicate, however, that mere participation in these …

Juvenile Delinquency And Violence: Examining International Police And Societal Response, Gordon A. Crews, Angela West Crews

Gordon A Crews

This presentation comparatively examines relationships in the United States, Eastern and Central Europe, Scandinavia, and parts of the Middle East among juvenile violence, "heavy metal" music, substance abuse, and participation in occult and "alternative" youth groups (e.g., Wicca, Satanism, vampirism, Goth). We trace the movement of certain groups, behaviors, and preferences and make a correlation between some of these movements and an increase in youth violence and substance abuse. The authors use results from surveys and participant observations in the U.S., Copenhagen, Germany, the Netherlands, & the Middle East (Egypt & Turkey) that indicate, however, that mere participation in these …

Car Trouble And Other Stories, Adam Charpentier

Adam R. Charpentier

A collection of four short stories which examine the connection between awareness and emotional, psychological, and geographical identity. "Car Trouble" is a first person narrative of a hit & run accident and the events that follow. "Ten More Minutes" follows the recollections of a narrator detailing his admittance into and release from a mental hospital. The protagonist of "Islander" recounts his investigations of his lodgings on Tinian, an island far removed from his past life. "Little Black Dress" chronicles the impact the protagonist's lifestyle choices make on his marriage.

Economic Outlook 2010: Innovation, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

This article discusses the importance of innovation to individuals and the overall economy.

Evaluation Of The Revised Effects Of University Study On Lifestyle Questionnaire (R-Euslq) Upon Students' Anxiety And Depression, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher F. Sharpley, Vicki Holmes

Vicki Bitsika

No abstract provided.

Beyond Dogma: The Role Of "Evolutionary" Science And The "Embodiment" Of Archetypal Energies, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

At individual and collective levels (locally, nationally, and globally), humanity is currently entertaining many challenges and opportunities for growth. In my view, these challenges and opportunities are connected to Energy shifts that are taking place on the planet, and the inability of some to move beyond dogma in relating to these Energy shifts. By its pre- and proscriptive nature, dogma fosters limiting beliefs that often interfere with how best to relate to these Energy shifts as vibrational beings in an evolving, vibrational world. Here, I want to briefly identify some of the limiting effects of dogma, and the role of …

Embodied Metaphors And Creative “Acts”, Angela K.-Y. Leung, Suntae Kim, Evan Polman, Lay See Ong, Lin Qiu, Jack A. Goncola, Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks

Ka Yee Angela LEUNG

Creativity is a highly sought after skill. To inspire people’s creativity, prescriptive advice in the form of metaphors abound: We are encouraged to think outside the box, to consider the problem on one hand, then on the other hand, and to put two and two together to achieve creative breakthroughs. These metaphors suggest a connection between concrete bodily experiences and creative cognition. Inspired by recent advances on body-mind linkages under the emerging vernacular of embodied cognition, we explored for the first time whether enacting metaphors for creativity enhances creative problem-solving. In five studies, findings revealed that both physically and psychologically …

Going Beyond The Multicultural Experience-Creativity Link: The Mediating Role Of Emotions, Chi-Ying Cheng, Angela K.-Y. Leung, Tsung-Yu Wu

Ka Yee Angela LEUNG

This research examines the mediating role of emotions implicated in the multicultural experience—creativity link. We propose that when individuals are dealing with apparent cultural contradictions upon encountering two cultures simultaneously, mentally juxtaposing dissonant cultural stimuli could lower positive affect or increase negative affect, which could in turn induce a deeper level of cognitive processing of cultural discrepancies and inspire creativity. Two studies compared dual cultural exposure versus single cultural exposure among bicultural Singaporeans (Study 1) and compared self-relevant (jointly presenting local and foreign cultures) versus self-irrelevant (jointly presenting foreign cultures only) dual cultural exposure among monocultural Taiwanese (Study 2). As …

Virtue And Virility: Governing With Honor And The Association Or Dissociation Between Martial Honor And Moral Character Of U.S. Presidents, Legislators, And Justices, Dov Cohen, Angela K.-Y. Leung

Ka Yee Angela LEUNG

In many honor cultures, honor as martial honor and honor as character/integrity are often both subsumed under the banner of honor. In nonhonor cultures, these qualities are often separable. The present study examines political elites, revealing that Presidents, Congresspeople, and Supreme Court Justices from the Southern United States with a greater commitment to martial honor (as indexed by their military service) also show more integrity, character, and moral leadership. This relationship, however, does not hold for nonsoutherners. The present studies illustrate the need to examine both between culture differences in cultural logics (as these logics connect various behaviors under a …

Ambivalence And The Decision Tree, Kirby Farrell

kirby farrell

We are insolubly ambivalent creatures. Traditionally cultures have managed ambivalence by focusing on character and morality in motives. Freudian psychology recognized that cognitive conflict is insoluble and stressed equilibrium and grace in adaptation. Today technology's binary structure is complicating and sometimes superseding the traditional trope of character by organizing cognition around the trope of the decision tree.

That Mild-Mannered Bruce Lee, Michael E. Trulson, Chong W. Kim, Vernon R. Padgett

Chong W. Kim

The article focuses on various studies related to the link between martial arts training and its various outcomes like aggressiveness. An inverse relationship between aggressiveness and length of martial arts training, was found by T. A. Nosanchuk of Carleton University. Another study found that problem teenagers changed after some months of practice in Tae Kwon Do. It is stated that the ability to defend one's self and physical fitness are two other benefits of martial arts.

Prospective Investigation Of A Ptsd Personality Typology Among Individuals With Personality Disorders, Meghan E. Mcdevitt-Murphy, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, John C. Markowitz, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study investigated the replicability of a previously proposed personality typology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, and explored stability of cluster membership over a 6-month period. Participants with current PTSD (n = 156) were drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS). The CLPS project tracked a large sample of individuals who met criteria for 1 of 4 target diagnoses (borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive) and a contrast group of individuals who met criteria for depression but no personality disorder. A cluster analysis using scales from the Schedule of Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality yielded 3 clusters: “internalizing,” “externalizing,” and …

Help-Negation For Suicidal Thoughts In Sub-Clinical Samples Of Young People, Coralie Joy Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Across the popular and academic literature, it is widely recognised that young people with persistent suicidal thoughts are at high risk for suicide completion. It is also accepted that seeking and receiving appropriate help offers protection against the development of acute forms of suicidality, along with suicide completion. Yet, as promising as appropriate help-seeking appears for suicide prevention, a growing number of studies suggest that suicidal ideation itself may impede the help-seeking process. There is evidence that acutely suicidal samples will negate or avoid available help, and there are indications that the help-negation process may occur in samples before levels …

Public Support For Military Interventions Across Levels Of Political Information And Stages Of Intervention: The Case Of The Iraq War, Cigdem V. Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

This study examines the effect of political information levels and intervention stages on the formation and continuity of public support for military interventions by analyzing survey data pertaining to the 2003 military intervention in Iraq. The results show that before and immediately after the launch of the intervention, politically uninformed individuals expressed higher support for the war compared to politically informed ones. However, as the intervention proceeded and casualties were incurred, higher rates of decrease in support were observed among the politically uninformed. Politically informed individuals, on the other hand, demonstrated more stable levels of support throughout the course of …

Avoidant Personality Disorder, Traits, And Type, Charles A. Sanislow, Katelin Da Cruz, May O. Gianoli, Elizabeth M. Reagan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

In this chapter, the evolution of the avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) diagnosis, its current status, and future possibilities are reviewed. AVPD is a chronic and enduring condition involving a poor sense of self and anxiety in social situations, and it is marked by fears of rejection and a distant interpersonal stance. AVPD may be conceptualized at the severe end of a continuum of social anxiety. In the extreme, traits, mechanisms, and symptoms become integral to chronic dysfunction in personality and interpersonal style. While AVPD is a valid diagnostic construct, the optimal organization of AVPD criteria for the diagnosis, and the …

Elementary School Students' Foreign Language Learning Demotivation: A Mixed Methods Study Of Korean Efl Context, Tae-Young Kim Dr., Hyo--Sun Seo

Dr. Tae-Young Kim (김태영, 金兌英)

This mixed methods study investigates Korean elementary school students’ foreign language learning demotivation and their teachers’ perception of student demotivation. A questionnaire was conducted with 6,301 elementary school students from Grades 3 to 6 to examine their motivational changes. This revealed a decrease in all motivational constructs – instrumental, intrinsic, integrative, parental/academic extrinsic motivations – as the students advanced throughout the school grades. The findings were further analyzed by using interviews and open-ended questionnaires with 17 English teachers. They attributed the students’ demotivation to three elements: 1) the negative impact of the English teacher such as incongruence with students’ needs, …

The L2 Motivational Self System Of Korean Efl Students: Cross-Grade Survey Analysis, Tae-Young Kim

Dr. Tae-Young Kim (김태영, 金兌英)

Due to the increase in international trade, mass transportation, and information technology, the role of English as a global language has changed, and conventional EFL/ESL motivation needs paradigmatic reconstruction. This study compares Dörnyei’s (2009) recent proposal of a second language (L2) motivational self-system with Gardner’s (1985) socio-educational model by investigating 2,783 Korean students’ English learning motivation from Grades 3 through 12 in 14 different schools. The cross-grade survey results indicated that Korean EFL learners’ motivational intensity showed a curvilinear pattern, which means their motivation consistently decreased until Grade 9 but increased from Grades 10 to 12. A series of regression …

Korean Secondary School Students' L2 Learning Motivation: Comparing L2 Motivational Self-System With Socio-Educational Model, Yoon-Kyoung Kim, Tae-Young Kim

Dr. Tae-Young Kim (김태영, 金兌英)

In order to confirm ecological validity of Dörnyei’s second language motivational self, the present study investigated 495 South Korean secondary school students’ L2 learning motivation and motivated behavior by using a questionnaire survey. The participants’ ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, integrativeness, and instrumentality were examined and compared to identify which motivational factor had the most effect on their motivated L2 learning behavior. Among Korean secondary school students, the concept of integrativeness was replaced with the ideal L2 self as a more appropriate concept for understanding Korean secondary school students’ L2 learning motivation. As for instrumentality, promotional aspects demonstrated a …

Korean Efl Students' Amotivation To Learn English: An Activity Theory Analysis, Tae-Young Kim

Dr. Tae-Young Kim (김태영, 金兌英)

By using Dörnyei’s (2009) L2 motivational self-system, this qualitative study investigates 39 Korean EFL students’ amotivation of English learning, or the lack of motivation. Theoretically, the study was guided by Leont’ev’s (1978) activity theory, which emphasizes the unique mediation between the individual (as an active agent representing ontogenetic human development) and the social domain. I argue that an AT perspective can coherently explain students’ amotivation by paying attention to the students’ socioeducational contexts. Particularly, hakbul, or degreeocracy widespread among students and parents in Korea, is attributed to be the major reason for student amotivated but sustained English learning.

The research …

Explaining Individual Differences In Physical Aggression Among A Community Sample, Erica Begelhole, Nicole Guse, Bruce Watt

Bruce Watt

Violence poses an ongoing concern for society. Numerous risk factors have been implicated as contributors to individual differences in levels of physical aggression. The current study examined variations in physical aggression using a community sample in South East Queensland (N = 151). Selfreport measures of alcohol misuse, retrospective conduct disorder, emotional control, violent fantasies and attitudes to violence were examined in the prediction of involvement in physical aggression. Over half of the variance was accounted for by the combination of the independent variables. Attitudes to violence emerged as the greatest contributor in explaining individual differences in physical aggression. The findings …

Predicting Individual Differences In Future Violence Among Juvenile Offenders, Bruce Watt, Michelle Perrin

Bruce Watt

Screening tools in forensic and mental health settings are utilised to assess individual differences in risk for future violence. The Child and Youth Forensic Outreach Service Violence Screening Tool (CYFOS VST) was developed for use with juveniles referred to mental health and juvenile justice settings. The reliability and validity of the VST was evaluated based on 222 consecutive referrals to a Youth Justice Service in South East Queensland. Data on future violence was obtained from official Youth Justice Service records as well as case workers recorded observations of youth violence. The VST was found to have adequate inter-rater and test-retest …

The Virus Of Violence: The Relationship Between Victimisation And Aggression, Bruce Watt, Mattias Allard

Bruce Watt

Experiments for the relationship between victimisation and violence often do not include any mediation variables to account for the difference between victimised individuals that become violent in adulthood and those that do not. A model was proposed, using a Gold Coast community sample of 250 individuals (79 males, 138 females, 33 unspecified) with a median age range 41-45 years, that violent thoughts (measured as violent fantasies and permissive attitudes towards violence) mediate the relationship between victimisation (measured retrospectively) and aggression. The study consisted of distal factors (victimisation and gender), proximal factors (permissive attitudes towards violence and violent fantasies) and an …

The Validation Of A Screening Tool For The Assessment Of Violence Risk Among Juvenile Offenders, Michelle Perrin, Bruce Watt, Tasneem Hasan

Bruce Watt

Screening tools in forensic mental health settings are utilised to assess individual differences in risk for future violence. The Child and Youth Forensic Outreach Service Violence Screening Tool (CVST) was developed for use with juveniles referred to mental health and juvenile justice settings. The reliability and validity of the CVST evaluated based on 156 consecutive referrals to a Youth Justice Service in South East Queensland. Data on future violence was obtained from official Youth Justice Service records as well as caseworker observations of youth violence. The CVST was found to have adequate inter-rater and test-retest reliability. Importantly, the CVST significantly …

The Virus Of Violence, Mattias Allard, Bruce Watt

Bruce Watt

Models explaining the relationship between victimisation and violence typically fail to include any mediation variables to account for the difference between victimised individuals that become violent in adulthood and those that don’t. A model was proposed, using a Gold Coast community sample of 250 individuals (79 males, 138 females, 33 no answer) with a median age 41-45, that violent thoughts (measured as violent fantasies and permissive attitudes towards violence) mediate the relationship between victimisation (measured retrospectively) and aggression. The study controlled for gender and social desirability bias. The model consisted of a distal stage (victimisation and gender), proximal stage (permissive …

Confident Parenting - A Book Proposal, Lisa Sansom

Lisa Sansom

Parental self-efficacy is a driver of positive parenting, especially as couples welcome a new baby into their lives, becoming parents for the first time. Confident Parenting is the title of an upcoming book that will aid the transition from couplehood to parenthood, allowing couples to parent effectively and with love, while maintaining their own self-care and relationship-care.

Other books may follow in the series, adapting to different stages of family life.

A Closer Look At The Relationship Between Superstitious Behaviors And Trait Anxiety, Brandy Futrell

Brandy Futrell

This study examines the relationship between superstitious behaviors and trait anxiety. Researchers randomly selected participants from college campuses for a 28-question survey measuring superstitiousness and the 20-question State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory (STAI) to measure symptoms of anxiety. Results show a positive correlation between superstitious behaviors and an increase in anxiety symptoms. Significant gender differences were found; women scored higher on superstitiousness survey and the STAI-X2 test. Superstitious behaviors were a significant indicator for developing trait anxiety.

Looking At China’S Great Leap Forward From A Systems Perspective, Brandy Futrell

Brandy Futrell

China’s Great Leap Forward (GLF) campaign of 1958-1961 led by Mao Tse-Tung resulted in a horrendous famine that cost millions of lives. This paper examines the campaign from a systems perspective across the individual, group/societal, and regulatory levels. Looking at each level illustrates errors that explain how the GLF failed.

Factors Associated With Participation And Retention In A Group Treatment For Child Sexual Abuse, Mollie Dittmer, Grace Hubel, David J. Hansen

David J. Hansen

The current study examines factors associated with participation and retention in a child sexual abuse (CSA) outpatient program. Participation and retention are vital if children are to receive the intended benefits of treatment designed to promote healthy coping following CSA. However, little is known about factors that impede or encourage families to consistently attend sessions. Several factors possibly related to child participation and retention were examined, including demographic variables such as income level and education, characteristics of the abuse, and parent and family pretreatment functioning. Participants in the sample included 175 children and adolescents and their non-offending primary caregivers seeking …

Agenda Setting From The Oval Office: An Experimental Examination Of Presidential Influence Over The Public Agenda, José D. Villalobos, Cigdem V. Sirin

Cigdem V. Sirin

This study employs an experimental approach to isolate and directly test the extent to which presidents can affect public perceptions of issue importance and support for policy action, taking into consideration key factors that condition such effects. Our findings provide new empirical evidence that presidents can, in fact, positively influence public opinion through agenda setting, particularly by increasing the perceptual importance of low salience foreign policy issues. However, the results also indicate that such positive effects do not translate into public support for policy action; instead, presidential appeals actually decrease support. Last, our study offers new evidence that employing bipartisan …

Avoidant Personality Disorder, Charles A. Sanislow, Ellen E. Bartolini, Emma C. Zoloth

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.