Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Social Anxiety On The Development Of Romantic Relationships In Adolescence, Karen R. Zeff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study sought to investigate the ways in which social anxiety impedes the development of romantic relationships across adolescence. Previous research has demonstrated a natural progression for romantic associations during adolescence in which teens transition from same- to mixed-sex peer groups, and finally to dyadic relationships with romantic partners (Connolly, Furman, Konarski, 2000; Dunphy, 1963). This model of development was the basis for the present investigation. Social anxiety was examined in terms of how it impacted affiliations at the same- and mixed sex peer group levels, and ultimately the formation of romantic relationships. This project involved administering a series …

The Importance Of Nonviolence In United Nations Peacekeeping, Jeffrey Lowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The previous two decades have brought to light many issues with the role of the United Nations in peacekeeping. The disasters in Rwanda, Kosovo, Somalia, and now the Sudan, give credence to the idea that something is a serious fundamental flaw in the United Nation's approach to making the world a more peaceful place. The use of violence, or the threat of violence, cannot be used to bring about lasting peace. Evidence of this fundamental flaw is seen throughout the UIV's history, but perhaps nowhere as glaring as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. That peace enforcement operation ran just as …

1-800-(Re)Colonize: A Feminist Postcolonial And Performance Analysis Of Call Center Agents In India Performing U.S. Cultural Identity, Kimberlee Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contemporary historical moment finds us in a web of globalization that spans the globe. While our interconnectedness brings us into unforeseen communications, we enter the conversation grounded in particular subject locations. Postcolonial subjectivities hold strategic memories of colonial violences as a means of survival and resistance while colonizing forces hold onto binary narratives of their own superiority. Globalization provides the context wherein decolonized and colonizing nations interact with unequal power resulting in multifaceted outcomes, one of which I argue is a re-colonial dynamic. The phenomenon of U.S. corporate outsourcing to India is one instance where a re-colonial dynamic occurs. …

Is All Open Space Created Equal? A Hedonic Application Within A Data-Rich Gis Environment, Bradley C, Neumann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Economic evidence reveals that preserved open space fosters services that are valued by members of society. However, when making the municipal decision to preserve land, communities must decide what type of open space to preserve, and must also deal with entities purchasing land and affecting tax revenues. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has made efforts in recent years to expand the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) system. This research seeks to determine if residential property owners value NWRs, and if they value NWRs differently than other types of open space, including conservation land, agricultural land, sports parks, golf …

Hierarchies For Event-Based Modeling Of Geographic Phenomena, Rui Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modeling the dynamic aspect, or change, of geographic phenomena is essential to explain the evolution of geographic entities and predict their future. Event-based modelling, describing the occurrences rather than states of geographic phenomena, gives an explicit treatment of such change, but currently does not have the support of the mechanisms to enable the shifts among different granularities of events. To account for different tasks, a hierarchical representation of the event space at different granularities is needed.

This thesis presents an event-based model; a general framework for representing events based on precondition and postcondition using Allen's temporal interval logic. It captures …

Differences Among Athletes And Non-Athletes In Sex Role Orientation And Attitudes Towards Women: Comparing Results From 1982 And 2005, Marcus D. Walton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was intended to examine perceptions of male athletes and non-athletes attending the University of Maine, to verify if differences exist between them in their attitudes and values in regard to the place of women in our society, their attitudes toward women's and men's premarital sexual permissiveness, and their degree of masculinity. In addition to comparilig male a,thletes and non-athletes, differences between the attitudes of team and individual athletes were examined. Finally, the results from this 2005 sample were compared to those found in an earlier study completed in 1982 to examine changes in attitudes over time. Results did …

Spiritual Development: An Exploratory Study Of Women's Views On The Connection Between Spirituality And Sexuality, Hannah C. Osborne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the spiritual dimension within human development by looking at the ways in which spirituality is defined, how growth may take place and how one aspect of its connection with other dimensions is experienced. In a survey designed to investigate connection between spirituality and sexuality, 33 women in mid-life and beyond reported experiencing such a connection. Information was obtained by means of a 25-question survey. Analysis of the surveys shows that for these respondents sexual experience does involve characteristics that are spiritual in nature. This study contributes to the foundation upon which further investigation may serve to expand …

Girls In The Woods: An Exploration Of The Impact Of A Wilderness Program On Adolescent Girls' Constructions Of Femininity, Anja Whittington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the wilderness and outdoor recreational activities have been portrayed as a masculine domain. In spite of this, women's participation in wilderness programs has increased, illustrating what research has proven-that women reap positive mental, physical, and spiritual outcomes from participating in outdoor experiences. Research on the benefits for female participants focuses primarily on women's experiences; however, little research investigates the outcomes of girls' participation. More specifically, the literature neglects the study of how participation in outdoor wilderness programs challenges conventional notions of femininity. The goal of this study was to 1) add girls' voices to the research on the outcomes …