Psychology Commons^™

Learning To Love: Philosophy And Moral Progress, Phil Smith

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Love is a crucially important notion in morals. Moral philosophy, then, should give attention to this notion, and some of that attention should be concerned with how people might develop or improve as lovers. However, when the author tried to think through some rather obvious suggestions relating to love and becoming a lover, it became clear that much moral theory gives love short shrift. Assumptions inherent in rationalistic moral theory prevent most moral philosophers from letting love be the central concept in their work.

This dissertation has two aims: to suggest four things which may contribute to moral progress by …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of A Laboratory Learning Program On The Interpersonal Behavior Of Participants, Brett A. Bennink

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The effects of the Oregon Leadership Development Program on the assertive and aggressive behaviors of participants were measured by the scales of .the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS). The program, administered by Oregon Leadership Institute (OLI), uses an experientially oriented laboratory format which includes training group (T-group) participation, brief lectures, and various interpersonal and group exercises. The program seeks to increase the interpersonal effectiveness of participants. No previous formal evaluation has been done on the OLI program and prior laboratory learning studies have not examined assertive and aggressive behaviors as outcome variables. Participants included adults who were employed by a variety …

Relationships Between Personality And Spiritual Gifts, Kenneth J. Stone

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Discovering one's spiritual gift has become the focus of many current books and seminars within the evangelical community. One popular method of uncovering one's spiritual gift is the use of questionnaires. However, existing validity research suggests that these spiritual gift inventories do not measure the number of unique gifts they claim. Variables that may be confounding these scales are discussed with personality identified as the most likely. To examine the relationship between spiritual gifts scales and personality factors, fifteen male and seventeen female adult members of a Baptist church were administered a demographic questionnaire, the Hocking (1975) Spiritual Gift Inventory, …

Finding The Abundant Life: An Academic Perspective, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Demographic, Religious, And Retirement-Related Issues As Predictors Of Spiritual Well-Being Among Retired United States Army Chaplains, James H. Young

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

According to the literature, internal, subjective spiritual health may be measured objectively using the construct of spiritual well-being. This study sought to identify the variables which in linear combination would predict the spiritual well-being of retired United States Army chaplains.

The participants consisted of a sample of 105 retired United States Army chaplains. The final number of respondents was 71, or 68% of the population.

Spiritual Well-Being (SWB), the dependent variable, was the summed total of Religious Well-Being (RWB) and Existential Well-Being (EWB). Ten predictor variables measured demographic, religious, and retirement-related issues. The demographic issues were the number of years …

Demographic, Religious, And Retirement-Related Issues As Predictors Of Spiritual Well-Being Among Retired United States Army Chaplains, James H. Young

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

According to the literature, internal, subjective spiritual health may be measured objectively using the construct of spiritual well-being. This study sought to identify the variables which in linear combination would predict the spiritual well-being of retired United States Army chaplains. The participants consisted of a sample of 105 retired United States Army chaplains. The final number of respondents was 71, or 68% of the population. Spiritual Well-Being (SWB), the dependent variable, was the summed total of Religious Well-Being (RWB) and Existential Well-Being (EWB). Ten predictor variables measured demographic, religious, and retirement-related issues. The demographic issues were the number of years …

Pacifism And Emotional Arousal, Mark R. Mcminn, Scot A. Bolsinger, Stephanie A. Celley, Stephen L. Benson, Cathie J. Lebold

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "At the age of eighteen, American youths must make an ideological decision about war. Although most probably perceive selective service registration as little more than a rite of passage, others struggle with the ethics of military service and options of conscientious objection.

What can be said of youths who decide, for moral and religious reasons, that they will not be involved in warfare? To date, no descriptive studies have been reported that address this question. Previous studies on pacifism focus on the likelihood of pacifism in eliciting cooperation (Gruder & Duslak, 1973; Marwell & Schmitt, 1973) or aggression (Borden, …

Teaching Nonsexist Language To College Students, Mark R. Mcminn, Pamela K. Troyer, Laurel E. Hannum, James D. Foster

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Although psychologists have noted the importance of avoiding sexist language because of its potential role in transmitting sexism, little attention has been given to methods of teaching students of psychology to use nonsexist language. Two experiments were conducted to measure the effectiveness of teaching general Psychology students to use nonsexist language. In a pilot study (Experiment 1), undergraduates were exposed to a 20-minute lecture either on use of nonsexist language (experimental group) or on an unrelated topic (control group). No changes in use of sexist language in short essay responses were noted on the posttest or in a 2-week follow-up. …

Christianity And Cognitive Therapy (Chapter 3 Of Cognitive Therapy Techniques In Christian Counseling), Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

LEN NERVOUSLY EYED THE DIPLOMAS on the wall, the titles on the bookshelf, and the wilted leaves on the plant I routinely neglect before telling me why he came for help. "I guess I'm here because you're a Christian and I need help dealing with my feelings ." Within this first thirty seconds of therapy, Len had revealed some important information about himself. He was nervous. He wanted to talk with a Christian, probably because he was also a Christian. He was troubled with uncomfortable - feelings, but wanted to be selective about the help he received. Len, like so …

A Computer Program To Teach Nonsexist Language, Mark R. Mcminn, James D. Foster

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

A computer program designed to teach nonsexist language is described. The interactive program teaches students to recognize the various forms of sexist language described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 1983) and to correct sexist language without mixing singular and plural pronouns. Student performance records are saved to a disk file for later review by the instructor. In a preliminary study with general psychology students, the software was as effective in teaching nonsexist language as was a didactic presentation on the topic and was more effective than no presentation.

Religious Values, Sexist Language, And Perceptions Of A Therapist, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

This study investigated the effects of emphasizing religious values above clinical skills and the effects of sexist language on therapist perception. One hundred fifteen adults in a continuing education program completed a questionnaire after reading one of four possible quotes allegedly from a psychotherapist. Those quotes emphasizing religious values over clinical skills produced higher ratings of likability, trustworthiness, and approachability in the therapist. However, there was an interaction effect with those who were nonreligious preferring the therapist who valued clinical ski lls above religious values. No significant effects were found between groups reading quotes with and without sexist language. Implications …

Maternal Employment, Marital Status, And Religiosity And The Social Adaptational Status Of First Grade Children In Selected Oregon Schools, Grace Peng-Mi Chew

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study attempted to examine whether certain maternal variables (i.e., maternal employment, marital status, and religiosity) could be used to accurately predict first-graders' social adaptational status (SAS), as measured by the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Scale (TOCA).

One-hundred-and-fifty volunteering mothers (or mother surrogates) and their first-grade child(ren) participated in this study. Familial and individual data were obtained through a structured mother interview. The participating children's teachers rated the children's SAS on the TOCA during the 9th and 15th weeks of the academic school year. Five Christian-oriented private schools and two public schools participated in this study.

The Effectiveness Of Cognitive-Behavioral Anger Management Group In Reducing Measured Attitudes Of Aggression, Nathaniel B. Thomas

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study was designed to analyze the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral anger management class available to both voluntary and probation-mandated clients from the general public. Clients enrolled in the existing 8 week program were asked to complete the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS) on a pre/post treatment basis (N=36). The program curriculum is similar to Novaco's (1975) anger treatment in which clients prepare themselves for potential anger provocation by developing personal competence. A comparison group (N=41) was developed with a pre/post administration of the IBS at an eight week interval. Analysis of covariance and analysis of treatment effects were used to …

The Effectiveness Of Cognitive-Behavioral Anger Management Group In Reducing Measured Attitudes Of Aggression, Nathaniel B. Thomas

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study was designed to analyze the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral anger management class available to both voluntary and probation-mandated clients from the general public. Clients enrolled in the existing 8 week program were asked to complete the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS) on a pre/post treatment basis (N=36). The program curriculum is similar to Novaco's (1975) anger treatment in which clients prepare themselves for potential anger provocation by developing personal competence. A comparison group (N=41) was developed with a pre/post administration of the IBS at an eight week interval. Analysis of covariance and analysis of treatment effects were used to …

The Effect Of Psychotherapy On Spiritual Well-Being And Depression In Outpatient Adults, Thomas Wilson Renfroe Jr.

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In recent years the efficacy of psychotherapy has undergone scrutiny; research has sought to find the client, therapist, and therapy factors that induce positive outcomes in therapy. Religious variables, however, have not been extensively investigated. Religious values, as well as psychiatric symptoms, are altered by participation in psychotherapy. Therefore, a study to assess whether psychotherapy alters psychiatric symptoms and religious variables was needed. This investigation examined depression, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and a general measure of spiritual health, as represented by the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) . Data was collected at the beginning of treatment and …

Reliability And Construct Validity Of An Adjective Rating Scale Of Concept Of God, James D. Fischer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The reliability and construct validity of Gorsuch's (1968) adjective rating scale of Concept of God (COG) was investigated. Two separate samples of 72 and 197 participants were utilized to complete four statistical analyses: (a) test-retest reliability was computed on a sample of 120 participants; (b) measures of internal consistency were computed providing coefficient alpha's for each scale of the COG; (c) the COG was correlated with the Spiritual Well-Being scale, the Spiritual Maturity Index, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the Spiritual Distress Scale; (d) a confirmatory factor analysis was completed hypothesizing both a one- and four-factor model. The four-factor model …

Reliability And Construct Validity Of An Adjective Rating Scale Of Concept Of God, James D. Fischer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The reliability and construct validity of Gorsuch's (1968) adjective rating scale of concept of God (COG) was investigated. Two separate samples of 72 and 197 participants were utilized to complete four statistical analyses: (a) test-retest reliability was computed on a sample of 120 participants; (b) measures of internal consistency were computed providing coefficient alpha's for each scale of the COG; (c) the COG was correlated with the Spiritual Well-Being scale, the Spiritual Maturity Index, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the Spiritual Distress Scale; (d) a confirmatory factor analysis was completed hypothesizing both a one- and four-factor model. The four-factor model …

Caregiver Characteristics, Situational Factors, Coping Style, And Personal Adjustment Of Hospice Nurses, William W. Davis

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The questions addressed in this study were:

1. Are there any significant relationships between selected personal and professional characteristics of the hospice nurse and his/her ability to cope with work stress?

2. Which personal characteristics of the hospice nurse are the best predictors of adequate adjustment to his/her work?

The sample studied consisted of 79 registered nurse hospice care providers in the state of Oregon.

The survey instrumentation included: a personal data form; the Daily Hassles Scale (DHS), and the Ways of Coping Scale (WOC) by Lazarus and Folkman; the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS) by Jones; Olson's …

Does Sexist Language Reflect Personal Characteristics?, Mark R. Mcminn, Shannan F. Lindsay, Laurel E. Hannum, Pamela K. Troyer

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

We investigated whether or not sexist language in written form can be linked to traditional views of sex roles, assertiveness, psychological androgyny, Christian beliefs, or sexist language in oral form. In Experiment 1, undergraduates were given an essay designed to test written sexist language and several pencil-and-paper personality inventories. No relationship between sexist language and interpersonal assertiveness or psychological androgyny was found. However, those who avoided sexist language were less traditional in their sex role perceptions scored lower on a scale of Christian beliefs. In Experient 2, the method of measuring sexist language was expanded by using three essay responses …

Obesity: A Biobehavioral Point Of View, M. Katahn, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "If you ask an overweight person, “Why are you fat?’, you will, almost invariably, get the answer, “Because 1 eat too much.” You will get this answer in spite of the fact that of thirteen studies, six find no significant differences in the caloric intake of obese versus nonobese subjects, five report that the obese eat significantly less than the nonobese, and only two report that they eat significantly more."

Pet And P300 Relationships In Early Alzheimer's Disease, James T. Marsh, Glena Andrews, Warren S. Brown, Walter Riege, Robert Strandburg, Deborah Dorsey, Adrianne Maltese, David Kuhl

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The P300 (P3) wave of the auditory brain event-related potential was investigated in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease to determine whether P300 latency discriminated these patients from controls and whether prolonged P300 latency correlated with rates of brain glucose metabolism as measured by Positron Emission Tomography. P300 latency was prolonged by more than 1.5 standard deviations from age expectancy in 14 of 18 patients, but none of 17 controls. In these subjects P300 latency was shown to be inversely correlated with relative metabolic rates of parietal and, to a lesser extent, temporal and frontal association areas, but not with subcortical …

Is Psychology Seducing Christianity (Chapter 7 From Christians In The Crossfire), Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Study Of Diagnoses In Children Of Women With Unipolar And Bipolar Affective Disorder, Constance Hammen, Dorli Burge, Elizabeth Burney Hamilton, Cheri Adrian

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

School-age children of unipolar depressed, bipolar, chronically medically ill, or normal women were diagnosed every 6 months for up to 3 years. Offspring of unipolar women had the highest rates of disorder at all evaluations, but children of bipolar and medically ill mothers also experienced significant rates of disorder. Observing diagnoses from both past lifetime and prospective follow-up assessments, it appeared that most children who had diagnoses had onsets in preadolescence and continued a chronic or intermittent course of disorder. Thus, risk to offspring of ill mothers is not transitory and indicates a pernicious course that commonly includes affective disorders …

Psychopathology, Psychotherapy And Demonic Influence, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Assessing Mental Health Needs In Northern Haiti: A Multidimensional Approach, Jean Abede Alexandre

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study assessed mental health needs in Northern Haiti, with the socioeconomic and sociocultural factors which predispose to mental disorders. Following the Key Informants approach to needs assessment, two groups were chosen to participate in this study: 27 out of 60 physicians and 30 out of 70 clergymen (n = 57), completed a questionnaire which asked specific questions on certain mental disorders they have either observed or dealt with among the population. The participants were also asked to give the frequency with which those disorders occurred among the population, and to rate the importance of factors contributing to those mental …

Correlations Between Spiritual Well-Being, Self Esteem, And Social Desirability For Chinese Americans In The Northwest., Elsa Wong

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The Chinese in America must deal with two cultures. Their original culture with its traditions and norms may clash with the larger Western culture in which they live. How this tension is resolved and manifested was examined in terms of a number of factors, including spiritual well-being, self esteem, and social desirability. It was hypothesized that for a Chinese church group in the Northwest, spiritual well-being and self esteem would be positively correlated with social desirability factored out of the relationship. Spiritual well-being was measured by the Spiritual Well-Being Scale which included a total Spiritual Well-Being score, the Existential Well-Being …

Demonic Influence And Mental Disorders, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Reliability And Response Measurement, Daniel Dale Brinkman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) is a 20 item self-report attitudinal measure of one's religious and existential well-being. It is the most extensively studied of the instruments developed to measure spiritual well-being (Moberg, 1986). Despite the popularity of this scale, it is still in the process of research and development. This study evaluated research done with the SWB scale considering the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (1985). While there has been much progress, two needs that became clear from this examination were for additional studies in the area of reliability and to try to "raise the ceiling" of the …

Evaluation Of Group-Home Treatment For Troubled Adolescents, Roger A. Larson

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

A literature review in child residential treatment and juvenile corrections snows group homes have increased as less restrictive methods for treating delinquents are sought. Controversy exists over whether the increased use of community-based group-home treatment has actually resulted in less restrictive treatment. Some data indicates that children themselves do not view out-of-home residential treatment environments as supportive places in which to live. Rapid staff turnover has been identified as a problem in group-home care. Treatment evaluation studies can be viewed as falling into four types: descriptive studies, outcome studies, process evaluators, and systems analysis. The outcome studies conducted to date …

The Effect Of Deliberate Faking Good And Faking Bad On Spiritual Well-Being Scores In A Religiously Inactive Sample, Neal A. Boliou

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of faking good and taking bad on Spiritual Well-Being Scale scores in a religiously inactive sample. The study replicated a previous work investigating the effects of faking good and faking bad on SWB scores in a Christian sample. It is a true experiment with three levels of the independent variable: Fake Good, Honest, and Fake Sad instructions. The sample consisted of 151 members of two Oregon Air National Guard units stationed at Portland, Oregon. A demographic questionnaire was given along with the SWB scale. An analysis of variance was performed …