Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Degree Of Acculturation And Success Patterns In Three Generations Of The Japanese Americans In The Portland Area, Toshimasa Fujii

Dissertations and Theses

Past research shows that Japanese Americans have been successful occupationally, financially and educationally. This thesis examines factors leading to this success. It is generally argued that the greater the congruence between minority and majority value systems, the less likely conflict would be generated in the minority group's acculturation. There appear to be two opposed aspects in the acculturation of the Japanese Americans, relinquishment or retention of traditional Japanese values. Also important is the degree to which Japanese Americans identify themselves as American, or Japanese, or some mixture. This thesis focuses on the following questions: What types of values have been …

Salem Teen Mother Program : A Follow-Up Study, Frances L. Barton, Florence C. Berman, Sharon M. Bertoli-Nordlof, Marilyn L. Cooper, Claire K. Murray, Rosanne Peratrovich, Arlene M. Showell, Julio C. Velazquez

Dissertations and Theses

Society has, historically, reacted to teenage pregnancies with a mixture of embarrassment, apathy and neglect. It wasn't until the 1960's that an attempt was made to design and implement programs to meet the needs of pregnant adolescents. An example of such a program is the Salem Teen Mother Program. This program was begun in 1966 and is affiliated with the local YWCA. If offers a comprehensive program to approximately 150 students each year. The services it offers include day care, social services and counseling, education, health services, parenting skills and employment counseling.

The following chapters include a literature review which …

Social Resources Of The Elderly As Correlates Of Life Satisfaction, Silvana Rigo Hale

Dissertations and Theses

This project has addressed the need for a new and effective theoretical framework in the field of social gerontology by proposing and applying exchange theory as a valid approach to the study of aging. This study specifically analyzed the relationships between life satisfaction and social resources, social contexts and change in order to measure and clarify the significance of the individual factors.

Alienation Under The Rainbow: A Survey Of Oregon Graduate Students, Robert Michael Travis

Dissertations and Theses

Nisbet's theory of alienation entails three propositions: 1) alienation is a unidimensional phenomenon; 2) alienation is a generalized phenomenon; and 3) power relations foster loss of community which engenders alienation. All three propositions were tested on a population of graduate students at a university in the Pacific Northwest.

Population Dynamics Of Nonmetropolitan Cities In Five Western States, Peter Carlton Munroe

Dissertations and Theses

Contrary to popular belief, small cities, located outside Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA's) and generally referred to as nonmetropolitan cities, have not been declining in population and withering away; rather, they have been growing and prospering in all regions of the country, albeit their growth varies considerably.

It is this variation in growth rates of nonmetropolitan places in the northwest (and the factors associated with this variation) which is the focus of this thesis. Research literature in this area indicates a reciprocal relationship between the nature of economic activities in nonmetropolitan cities and their growth patterns. In an attempt to …

Toward A Test For Ethnocentrism And Ethnorelativism Based Upon Reference Group Orientation, James C. Mayer

Dissertations and Theses

The object of this investigation is to determine whether two aspects of reference group orientation, 1) multiplicity and 2) structural variation, are possible indicators of ethnocentrism. Most of the thesis is devoted to a theoretical formulation in which reference group orientation and ethnocentrism are placed in a peroeptual framework. Reference group orientation is defined as a person's use of a frame of reference that is formed through adoption of a reference group's perspective. Ethnocentrism is defined as a person's use of a frame of reference that keeps him from accepting the viability of other cultural frames of reference. The acceptance …

A Study Of The Crisis Nature Of The Preparenthood Period And Implications For Preventative Social Work Practice, Julie Jean Colton

Dissertations and Theses

This study addresses the preparenthood period of family life, that period from conception to six weeks after the infant is born. This period was of great interest because in nine years of social work practice I have recognized that families resist change after their particular family system process, even destructive process, is established. I also believe that the order, or disorder, of society depends upon the order of the institution of the family. Other institutions of society depend upon the family for their existence.

Adaptation To Dominant Society : A Self Study Of A Woman Of Mixed Race, Black/Indian, Helen Marie Camel

Dissertations and Theses

This research effort is based on the life and development process which the author has experienced and is currently experiencing. This effort for all intents and purposes, is an individual self-study. "Critical Incidents" have been utilized to develop a sense of understanding for the reader. In reading this paper, one can see that at times negative social and cultural situations would cause the author an unusually high level of inner stress, which was not always apparent to the outside world.