Psychology Commons^™

Predicting Estrangement From God Among Christians: Preliminary Findings And Practice Implications, Rodger K. Bufford, Kathryn Wurtz

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Persons who come to counseling, especially Christians, often present with concerns about their relationships with God. Many clinicians have noted that alienation or estrangement from God is a common concern even among persons with conservative theological beliefs. They may say things like “I know God loves me, but I don’t feel like it.” Little is currently known about factors which may cause or predict such feelings. The present study explored factors which predict estrangement from God. Results indicated that estrangement from God is more likely among clients than among students. Estrangement from God can be strongly predicted by the absence …

Self-Concept Of Eating-Restrained Women: A Study Of Personal Constructs, Adelia Atkinson Furr

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A modified version of Kelly's Repertory Test was administered to 15 women identified as eating-restrained, 21 women identified as non-eating-restrained and matched on neuroticism, and 15 women identified as non-eating restrained and low on neuroticism in order to elicit personal constructs related to being overweight, average weight, and underweight. The personal constructs were used in measures of components of self-concept: real self, ideal self, social self, and ideal social self. It was hypothesized that in comparison to the other two groups, the eating-restrained women would exhibit a distinct pattern among the components of self-concept: Real and ideal selves would be …

The Influence Of Parental Attitudes On Childhood Perceptions Of Control Over Chronic Illnesses: Comparison Of Urban And Rural Populations, Lesley A. Epperly

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The influence of parental attitudes on a child’s extent of control over chronic illness was studied across both urban and rural populations. It was hypothesized that a child would perceive an internal locus of control if the parental attitude promoted self-efficacy and independence. Secondly, it was hypothesized that a child would utilize an external locus of control if the parental attitude promoted dependence on the environment. Finally, it was hypothesized that a comparison between rural and urban population perceptions of treatment and care for chronic illnesses would yield a greater internal locus of control for both parent and child within …

An Investigation Of Mmpi-2 Profiles And Apdq Relationship Functioning, Gelila Yilma

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Attachment and Personality Dynamics Questionnaire (APDQ) is a psychometrically sound instrument, with an average alpha level of .80, for measuring attachment styles. The purpose of the present study was to examine the correlations between psychopathology as measured by the MMPI-2 and relationship dynamics using the APDQ. It was found that the APDQ successfully predicted elevations in 9 of the 10 MMPI-2 clinical scales.

Attachment Styles Of The Prison Population As Measured By The Attachment And Personality Dynamics Questionnaire, Kristy K. Fuller

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

100 criminals from a maximum security prison were given the Attachment and Personality Dynamics Questionnaire (APDQ) in order to profile them in terms of relationship functioning. Included in the APDQ were items that were specific to the subjects' crimes or potential crimes, as well as questions pertaining to alcoholism. The results showed that the APDQ did successfully differentiate between those of the criminal population and controls. Furthermore, two dimensions were revealed from the discriminant functional analyses. These were codependent partner, secure mother, ambivalent mother, and shame on the first dimension, and codependent partner, anger, secure mother, and shame on the …

Social Support, Prior Interracial Experiences, And Network Orientation: Factors Related To Later Adjustment Among Black Freshmen At A Predominantly White University, Calvin Graham

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

African-American students (mostly Freshmen) enrolled for the first year at a four-year university completed information about the racial composition of their high school, family income, living arrangements, and stressor prior to entering school. At two times during the first semester they completed measures of social support, network orientation and adaptation to college. Information about Grade Point Average (GPA) for the following term and attendance at the University one year later were also obtained. Racial composition of high school had some affect on social support at the university: Students from integrated and mainly Black high schools reported more social support satisfaction …

A Repertory Grid Assessment Of Traitedness And Its Relation To The Validity Of The Neo Pi-R Conscientiousness Scale, Susan Nancy Heidal-Schiltz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Since Allport (1937) first introduced the idea that traits may vary in their relevance for particular individuals, several investigators have explored ways to operationalize the construct of traitedness in order to improve the criterion-related validity of a trait-based approach to personality assessment. Specifically, these investigators have examined the utility of traitedness indicators as moderators of trait-criterion correlations, seeking to separate those individuals who are predictable on a given trait dimension from those who are not. This study attempted to determine whether the criterion-related validity of the Conscientiousness scale from the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) …

Perceptions Of Family Functioning And Suicide Attitudes, Stephanie Lynch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the general functioning of a family is related to attitudes regarding suicide. Past research has examined the impact of family functioning on suicide attitudes and found that the relationship between families and children are different in families of suicidal children than in families who have nonsuicidal children. This study combined three variables of suicide acceptance, suicide normality, and perceptions of family functioning in the hopes of gaining more information to assess risk of harm to self in adolescents. The participants were 94 students from Introductory Psychology classes at Eastern Illinois University. …

Father's Parenting Style And Childhood Mealtime Experiences: Predictors Of Bulimia, Marci C. Smith

Masters Theses

Although many factors may contribute to the etiology of bulimia (Killian, 1994; Root et al., 1986; Striegel-Moore et al., 1986; Weiss et al., 1994), only a few factors differentiate between individuals who will or will not develop bulimia nervosa. There is a need to further explore and narrow the determinants of bulimia nervosa in order to develop a universal model to understand and treat the disorder. This study investigates the extent that childhood mealtime experiences and father's parenting style contribute to the manifestation of bulimic symptoms. The Bulimia Test-Revised (Thelen & Farmer, 1991) is used to classify 146 college-age females …

The Interaction Between Religiosity And Depression Among Students At Two Universities, Nils Anders Haldorsen

Masters Theses

The association between religion and mental health has been a long standing topic of the debate. Some have felt that religion leads to emotional and mental disturbances and thus is detrimental to mental health (Freud, 1907/1924, 1927/1961; Ellis, 1980, 1988); while others believe religion is helpful to mental health (Jung, 1932, 1933; Bergin 1980, 1983) . This study used 180 male and female (79%) college students from a Midwestern state university (62%) and a Christian liberal arts college. It was found that for women, private religiosity was negatively related to depression, as measured by the BDI. Students from the state …

Bosnian Civilian Survivors Of War In Exile And In Bosnia: A Comparative Study, Ines Lajla Matijas

Masters Theses

This study describes the psychological consequences of war for 111 female Bosnian civilians, 59 of whom are survivors in exile and 52 of whom are living in Bosnia. These participants, ages 18-23, completed anonymous self-report questionnaires which provided information about the prevalence of traumatic stress symptoms and the relationship between traumatic events experienced during the war and current symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found in PTSD diagnosis and PTSD severity between survivors in exile and survivors in Bosnia. No significant differences were found between groups in the frequency of reexperiencing, avoidance and …

Comparison Of Three Different Interviewing Techniques For Young Children, David Samsock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Three programs for the testing of elementary school students' eyewitness testimonies were compared; Action for Child Protection Inc., (1994) which utilizes doll play, the Step-Wise Interview procedure developed by Yuille et al. (1993), and a modified version of the Cognitive Interview, (Geiselman, Saywitz and Bornstein, 1993). College students were trained in one of the three interviewing techniques. First and second grade children viewed a short film, were given suggestions, and were then interviewed with one of the three interviewing techniques. The college students had not seen the film. The techniques produced different response patterns, and strengths and weaknesses of each …

A Comparison Between Afro-American And White College Student's Attitudes Toward Suicide, Christina M. Mentes

Masters Theses

The rate of suicide in the United States has increased considerably in recent years making research of suicidal behaviors an important avenue of study. Yet the rate of increase has been inconsistent across demographic variables such as gender, age, and ethnicity, making it difficult to determine risk factors and predictors of suicidal behavior. Previous studies have conflicting results as to whether or not it is possible to determine risk factors by measuring attitudes towards suicide, and whether or not certain demographic variables correlate with attitudes toward suicidal behavior. This study investigates attitudes toward suicidal behavior and demographic variables in order …

An Exploratory Study Of High School And College Students Attitudes Toward Suicide, Kathy Jo Carroccio

Masters Theses

The present study examined whether demographics such as education level, age, gender, religious background, and experience with suicide affected individuals attitudes toward suicide with 93 college students. The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was used to assess attitudes including: acceptability-normality; mental & moral illness; suicide as semi-serious; religion; risk; and normality. The Suicide Attitude Vignette Experience (SAVE) was used to measure attitudes toward a number of different problem areas. Church attendance was the best predictor of an individual's attitude toward suicide. Females scored higher, but not significantly so, on the sympathy, empathy, and agree scales of the SAVE. College students viewed …

Prejudice Toward Fat People: The Development And Validation Of The Antifat Attitudes Test, Robin J. Lewis, Thomas F. Cash, Lora Jacobi, Cristina Bubb-Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although the stigma of obesity in our society is well documented, the measurement of antifat attitudes has been a difficult undertaking, Two studies were conducted to construct and validate the Antifat Attitudes Test (AFAT), In study 1, college students (110 men and 175 women) completed the preliminary 54-item AFAT and specific indices of body image and weight-related concerns, Psychometric and factor analysis revealed a 47-item composite scale and three internally consistent factors that were uncorrelated with social desirability: Social/Character Disparagement, Physical/Romantic Unattractiveness, and Weight Control/Blame. Several body image correlates of antifat prejudice were identified, and men expressed more negative attitudes …

Effects Of Exposure To Information About Appearance Stereotyping And Discrimination On Body Image And Mood, Melissa Ann Brown

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present experiment examined how information about societal appearance discrimination can affect current body image. Sixty-six female college students listened to audiotapes containing information about either appearance discrimination or an unrelated topic, television violence. Afterward, participants completed measures of mood and body-image states. They also completed the Appearance Schemas Inventory (ASI), an assessment of maladaptive investment in appearance (i.e., appearance schematicity). As expected, participants exposed to the appearance information subsequently reported significantly greater body-image dissatisfaction than did those in the Control condition. Conditions did not differentially affect mood state or ASI scores. Participants were divided into upper and lower tertiles …

Personality Characteristics Of Successful Applicants To The Priesthood, Thomas G. Plante, Gerdenio Manuel, Jeannette Tandez

Psychology

This study investigated personality characteristics of successful pastoral candidates to a major Catholic religious order. Personality measures (i.e., MMPI-2 and 16PF) were administered to 21 male applicants between 1990 and 1994 who subsequently entered into religious life. Results suggest that these clergy applicants were generally well-adjusted, socially responsible, and interpersonally sensitive. However, results also suggest a tendency for defensiveness. Coping with perceived negative impulses (i.e., anger and hostility) may also be an issue for many. Implications for future research are offered.

Comparison Of Several Substance Use Assessment Instruments And The Clinical Interview In The Diagnosis Of Substance Use Disorders, Mark Christians

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The purpose of the study was to explore a currently existing diagnostic structure at a university counseling center located in the midwest to determine the most effective protocol for diagnosing substance use disorders in a college student population.

One hundred eighty-six client files from a state-accredited alcohol and drug counseling agency at a small university in the midwest were included in the study. A file consisted of a clinical interview and completed scores on the Addiction Acknowledgment Scale (AAS), Addiction Potential Scale (APS) , Modified-Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (M-MAST), at least one of the three Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory …

Neuropsychological Assessment Of Battered Women, Mona Matheney Tiernan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of physical battering on the neuropsychological functioning of women. Twenty-five battered women and twenty-five non-battered women were administered a neuropsychological screening battery (11 separate tests, yielding 16 variables) to assess for possible deficits in the areas of attention/concentration, memory, visual-perceptual skills, sensory-motor skills, novel problem solving, and verbal fluency. All participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a post-concussive syndrome checklist, and a questionnaire evaluating for the presence of depressed mood and possible effects of depression. Potential participants with a history of previous head injury (occurring from a source other than battering) or other neurological disorders were …

The Relationship Of Autonomy Sociotropy And Depression To The Recall Of Autobiographical Memories, Jennifer Sue Cheavens

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Past research in the area of dysphoria and depression has examined two personality constructs known as autonomy and sociotropy. These personality constructs have been studied as predispositions to dysphoria and depression. The current study focused on the ability of Autonomy and Sociotropy, measured by the Personal Style Inventory (PSI), to predict both participants' and raters' autonomous and sociotropic ratings of autobiographical life events. The study also examined the differences in classifications of events as either sociotropic or autonomous when the classifications were made by both participants and objective raters. Participants were 72 female and 43 male undergraduate students enrolled in …

Development Of The Inventory Of Life Span Events, Julie A. Dickison

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The possible relationship between stressful life events and subsequent illness has been studied in the past few decades, resulting in several widely-used questionnaires. However, these measures tend to focus on recent events and attempt to remove subjective rating of a stressful event by the respondent. These two factors may limit these scales clinical utility. An alternative measure, the Inventory of Life Span Events (ILSE) is proposed, to quantify the life-stress burden for childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and across the entire life span. ILSE was compared to other leading measures for life events, hassles and perceived stress, and was more closely related …

Effects Of Goal Reward And Feedback Frequency On Motivation: A Control Theory Perspective, Jonathan Michael Balcerek

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated the effects of feedback frequency and goal reward on subject motivation. Klein's (1989) control theory model of work motivation was used to conceptualize the method and hypothesis. Subjects performed a simple computer addition task. When we examined subjects who displayed medium to high mathematical ability, significant effects were discovered. Higher goal reward led to higher motivation. In addition, subjects with a low goal reward and high amounts of feedback displayed lower motivation than subjects with a high goal reward and high amounts of feedback and subjects with a high goal reward and low amounts of feedback. …

Criteria Used In Assigning A Diagnosis Of Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder, Laura J. Hunsucker

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Passive-aggressive personality disorder has a long history in the literature and has been present in all versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, there have been many different conceptualizations of the disorder over time, and there is not a clear consensus concerning what symptoms constitute the disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine the criteria that clinicians consider most representative of a prototypic patient with passive-aggressive personality disorder. This research also examined differences in symptom presentation of male versus female passive-aggressive individuals. Finally, this study examined symptom overlap with other personality disorders. A list …

Separating The Wheat From The Tares: Evaluating Christian Theories Of Personality And Counseling, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Narcissism And Actors: A Comparative Study Of The Narcissistic Qualities Of Actors Acting Students And Psychology Students, David William Wicker

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared 200 psychology undergraduates, 47 acting students and 69 professional actors using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The inventory was evaluated using both Robert Raskin's seven factor system and Robert Emmons' four factor system. Three comparisons were done. The first analysis involved the three groups, undergraduate, student actors, and professional actors and gender. The second involved only the professional actors and investigated effects of gender and membership in an acting union. The third examined effects of gender and age. The age groups were delineated by decade beginning with teens, the oldest group being in their sixties. The acting groups …

Correlates Of The Mmpi-A Immaturity (Imm) Scale In An Adolescent Psychiatric Population, Eric Albert Imhof

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Despite numerous theories of adolescent ego development, there is no objective measure of ego development or maturation targeted for the assessment of adolescents. The Immaturity (IMM) Scale developed for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) was designed to fill this void in adolescent assessment. The present study examined the concurrent validity of the IMM Scale based on sixty-six adolescents (13-18 years old) in an inpatient setting using four prominent measures of maturity, i.e., The Defining Issues Test (DIT), the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT), the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status - Second Revision (EOM-EIS-2), and …

A Preliminary Construction And Validation Of A Measure Of Mothering, Cheryl A. Lane

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This research project outlines the preliminary construction of the Measure of Mothering (MOM) , a self-report rating instrument based upon the research on the relationship between maternal caregiving and the development of psychological disorders in children. Such an instrument is needed because there appears to be no published measure designed to assess mothering effectiveness. Two primary questions were addressed in this study: (a) can an instrument be developed that measures mothering effectiveness based on dimensions derived from the literature?, and (b) Can a pilot test of the instrument demonstrate that it possesses acceptable psychometric qualities? The first procedure used in …

Weighing Evidence In Sexual Abuse Evaluations: An Introduction To Bayes's Theorem, James Wood

Selected Works Temporary Series

This article introduces readers to Bayes' theorem, a simple mathematical formula that can illuminate general issues and assist evaluators in the field of child sexual abuse. The theorem is applied to a case study of sexual abuse allegations that arose during a custody dispute.

Weighing Evidence In Sexual Abuse Evaluations: An Introduction To Bayes's Theorem, James Wood

Departmental Papers (Psych)

This article introduces readers to Bayes' theorem, a simple mathematical formula that can illuminate general issues and assist evaluators in the field of child sexual abuse. The theorem is applied to a case study of sexual abuse allegations that arose during a custody dispute.

A Practical Model For Teaching Supervision Through Vertically Integrated Teams, Rodger K. Bufford, Clark D. Campbell, Brandy Liebscher

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Teaching supervision is a relatively new practice and training area (Schindler and Talen, 1996). This paper describes a method of teaching clinical supervision to graduate students in clinical psychology. The method involves an intensive seminar, assigned readings, and a year long supervised practicum in providing supervision. Students in the first through fourth years of a doctoral program are assigned to a team with a faculty leader. The faculty member oversees the professional development of all students on the team. Additionally, the fourth year students oversee the first and second year students under the supervision of the faculty member. This method …