Personality and Social Contexts Commons^™

Shadow Garments: Costume Creation For Integrating Alienated Parts Of The Self, Mega M. Galvin

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

This study explores costume creation as a narrative-based intervention for integrating "shadow" parts, or aspects of the self that are repressed or alienated due to shame, trauma, or social pressure. Grounded in Jungian analytic psychology, narrative therapy, and expressive arts theory, the research addresses the limitations of traditional talk therapy in accessing somatic memory and proposes costume making as a pathway for externalization and re-authorship. Using a qualitative, participatory study inspired by Pat B. Allen’s Open Studio Process, four adult participants engaged in a three-session workshop to design, construct, and wear costumes representing their identified shadow aspects. Data was collected …

Repairing Workplace Trust: A Process-Based Classroom Exercise For Management Education, Luke A. Langlinais Ph.D.

Posters

Trust is essential in every workplace, but conflicts, mistakes, and broken promises are inevitable. This project develops an experiential classroom exercise in which students diagnose workplace trust violations, examine the perspectives and emotions of both parties, and practice selecting and communicating evidence-based reparative actions. The exercise translates organizational behavior research into a practical learning experience that develops not only managerial competence but also the character, empathy, and relational wisdom needed to build healthy organizations and promote human flourishing.

I gratefully acknowledge peer review feedback on this project, and I am accountable for writing of this product without generative AI and …

Social Media Usage And Motives In Socially Anxious Individuals, Emma Eddy

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social media use (SMU) has grown rapidly in recent years, alongside the rate of social anxiety. Plenty of research has been previously conducted exploring the relationship between SMU and social anxiety, as well as potential motivations for using social media which may explain the recent incline in usage. However, this study combines the two relationships together to test the association between social anxiety and problematic SMU as well as to investigate motives of SMU as potential mediators of problematic SMU. Problematic social media usage, social anxiety, passive vs active SMU, and four different motives of SMU were all looked at. …

Ai-Human Relationship Experiences, Ari Rad

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Recent scholarly research regarding “human–chatbot relationships

(HCRs)” demonstrates that users often report having developed

meaningful connections with artificial intelligence. Although the

initial exposure to AI chatbots is seemingly predicated on users’

“curiosity,” the data suggest that “loneliness” is a precursor that

maintains the use of chatbots (Skjuve et al., 2022; Skjuve et al.,

2023). A cross-sectional mixed-method survey study demonstrated

that “loneliness” and “lower perceived social support” are among the

initiators of the use of chatbots for companionship (Herbener &

Damholdt, 2025).

The unique characteristics of these AI companions (e.g., being

socially safe, nonjudgmental, and always available) have brought

forth …

Individual Differences In Personality Traits And Anthropomorphic Tendencies, Olivia S. Young

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Anthropomorphism is broadly defined as the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman entities. Those with higher levels of neurodivergent traits, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may struggle to maintain eye contact with and interpret the emotions of others. Anthropomorphic interaction patterns between both those with and without ASD differ between various entities such as cars, cartoon characters, animals, and humans. Results of this study have implications across domains including human factors, cognitive science, and human-animal interaction. This study employed the use of unique stimuli in combination with various scales to measure personality traits and anthropomorphic tendencies. Participants were asked …

The Implicit Perceptions Of Asian American Adoptees And Their Clinical Implications, Cai Li L. Franckewich

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Asian American adoptees occupy a unique “in-between” space, shaped by societal perceptions of race, culture, and family context. This study examined how family composition and racial pairings influence perceptions of an Asian American adoptee. Undergraduate students completed an online survey in which they were randomly shown one of five images depicting the adoptee with different family compositions, without being told she was adopted. Participants then read a story describing the adoptee experiencing common college stressors, and rated statements on a 7-point Likert scale regarding the adoptee’s well-being, factors influencing her behavior, and behavioral descriptors. Results indicated that participants perceived stronger …

Experience Is Not Enough: Allan Combs And The Developmental Conditions Of Integration, Maria Giovanna Vianello

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Allan Leslie Combs occupies a distinctive position in consciousness studies through his sustained attention to the relationship between experience, interpretation, and development. This article examines Combs’s enduring contribution by focusing on his insistence that extraordinary or altered states of consciousness are neither self-interpreting nor inherently developmental. Drawing primarily on Consciousness Explained Better and related works, the paper argues that Combs’s central insight lies in viewing interpretation as a function of one’s developmental stage rather than treating it as a reflective process applied after experience. This perspective is articulated most explicitly through the Wilber–Combs lattice, which correlates states of consciousness with …

Exploring The Impact Of Inpatient Mental Health Care On Adolescents, Alexandria M. Mckahan

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Adolescent psychiatric hospitalizations continue to rise, yet there is limited research on which daily practices inside inpatient units genuinely support engagement and recovery. This project examined how structure, staff tone, and therapeutic programming influence adolescents’ participation and emotional stability within a real inpatient setting. The study focused on three questions: how structured routines affect recovery, what challenges staff face when supporting adolescents with complex needs, and how adolescents’ engagement patterns reflect their perception of care. Using a mixed-methods case study at Mesa Springs Behavioral Health Hospital, I conducted approximately twenty field observations, semi-structured staff interviews, and descriptive engagement tracking across …

An Impact Study Of Young Women's Leadership Development: A Case Study Of Kosovo, Linda Gjergji

Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the leadership development trajectories of young women in Kosovo engaged in a global leadership program, offering significant insights into their capabilities, aspirations, and the barriers they face in pursuit of leadership roles. Using a qualitative instrumental case study approach, this study examines how participation in global leadership initiatives fosters skill development, self-awareness, and civic engagement among young women in a traditionally male-dominated society. The conceptual framework of the study is comprised of Erikson's theory of Psychosocial Development (Erikson, 1968) and Positive Youth Development (Lerner, 2005). Data was collected through online semi-structured interviews and an arts-based method, revealing …

Trailblazing Pathways: Personal Traits Fueling Success For Underrepresented Minority Entrepreneurs, Rebecca P. Wilson

Dissertations

This study examines how entrepreneurial personality traits influence business outcomes among underrepresented minority entrepreneurs in the United States. Specifically, it investigates the effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, locus of control, risk tolerance, and extraversion on entrepreneurial performance, as well as the moderating role of grit and the mediating role of business networking. Although underrepresented minority entrepreneurs contribute significantly to innovation and economic growth, they continue to face persistent barriers, including limited access to capital, mentorship, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Guided by Trait Theory of Entrepreneurship and Social Cognitive Theory, this study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with embedded open-ended questions …

Error Processing In Psychopathy: An Analysis Of Event Related Brain Potentials And Post-Error Task Behavior, Ananda Liz Peixoto Couto

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Performance monitoring and error processing are crucial for learning from mistakes, adjusting responses, and adapting to the environment. Individuals with psychopathy present with failures in performance monitoring, particularly a failure to learn from experience, and error processing deficits have been reported in this population. Error processing literature has investigated its underlying mechanisms via two prongs, namely behavioral measures and electroencephalography (EEG) indicators. Behaviorally, error processing literature has focused on post-error slowing (PES) and post-error accuracy (PEA). Meanwhile, EEG research has identified two components of error-related brain potentials (ERPs) in error processing: error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe). This study …

Stigma, Shame, And Narcissism: A Literature Review, Alex Gaither

University Honors Theses

This thesis is a literature review of 12 peer reviewed journal articles accessible through the Portland State University library database on the relationship between stigma, shame, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This thesis discusses ideas brought up in these articles regarding the classification and conceptualization of NPD as a disorder, the role that shame plays in the pathology of NPD, the ways that shame is addressed through treatment, and public and practitioner held bias resulting from the stigmatization of the disorder. New and upcoming ways of conceptualizing the disorder are also briefly discussed as there has been a push to …

Building A Theory-Based Understanding Of Sexual Health Provider Stigma: A Phenomenological Study, Harit Agroia, Rebecca Reno, Maytal Bach, Jenette Spezeski, Erin Starzyk

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Unraveling provider-level sexual health stigma requires building an understanding of contributing factors, such as provider knowledge, values, beliefs, medical training, and other intrapersonal or interpersonal factors that may influence its manifestation at the clinic level during patient–provider interactions. Healthcare provider stigma has not been sufficiently understood or explained using classic psychological theories, such as Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) or Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). We build a theory-based understanding of sexual health-provider stigma by proposing modifications to the SCT to develop the Modified SCT (M-SCT) model, where cognitive dissonance is hypothesized to influence the personal/cognitive and behavioral factors of the M-SCT. …

Early Adolescent Intervention: A Therapy Group For Girls, Madelyn A. Ohm

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

As mental health concerns are on the rise, especially among adolescents, it is important to consider promoting early intervention. Paying attention to the nuances surrounding personal identity and interpersonal relationships during adolescence is crucial. Dialectical-Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills encompass just what is needed to address said nuances, including interpersonal effectiveness skills, emotion regulation skills, distress tolerance, and mindfulness. Thus, the proposed DBT group and therapeutic manual designated for adolescent girls summarizes and explores suggestions for early intervention of mental health services. This, alongside the careful attention to the population’s specific needs and noted modules, allows for the exploration of mental …

Psychological Treatment Behind The Walls:Insights From The Inside, Rogelio Serrano

Psychology Division Scholarship

Repeated eras of mass incarceration, criminalization of marginalized communities, and substance use policies have created a revolving door of justice involved populations. The ever-increasing prison population has repeatedly become the largest contingency of mental health clientele for an overburdened mental health system. Those who work with formerly incarcerated individuals in the community often don’t know the unique set of challenges faced by practitioners within the system. Increased understanding and coordination of care can offer opportunities for sustained recovery and reduced levels of recidivism. In this presentation participants will learn about the unique insights on mental health treatment that can be …

Does Ai Help Or Harm? Why And How Ai Use Influences Workplace Outcomes And Employee Well-Being, Haille Trimboli, Reka Lassu

Education Division Scholarship

Although the recent surge in excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) might suggest it is a new development, AI has been applied in organizations for over forty years (Fanti et al., 2022; Markelius et al., 2024). Indeed, the term "artificial intelligence" itself emerged in the 1950s during a research project at Dartmouth College, where it was used to describe "machines able to simulate human intelligence" (Haenlein & Kaplan, 2019, p. 3). Most recently, in 2022, the landscape of AI use for laypeople greatly changed when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, to the public; ChatGPT is an advanced AI language …

Differences In Performance In Mental Rotation And Short-Term Free Recall In Gender Minorities, Katheryne Renee Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study examined mental rotation, short-term free recall, state anxiety, and gender expression through masculinity and femininity. This study addressed gaps in literature examining gender differences in gender minority groups by investigating gender differences in two tasks: mental rotation and short-term recall. Participants are categorized into four gender groups: cisgender men, cisgender women, non-binary, and binary transgender. In accordance with previous literature, it was hypothesized that men would outperform women in mental rotation, women would outperform men in short-term free recall performance, and that non-binary individuals would operate separately from other groups. Anxiety was recorded as a possible covariate, but …

Help-Seeking For Problematic Alcohol Use: Stigma, Shame, & Guilt, Olivia G. Chapell

2025 Honors Symposium

Stigmatization is a prevalent barrier to help-seeking behaviors in problematic alcohol users, especially among college-aged students. By using a cross-sectional electronic survey method, the relationship between personal or immediate family experience with substance-related treatment and perceptions of stigmatization was assessed.

In Praise Of Dust, Hasler Gomez-Perez

Theses and Dissertations

A desire path is a physical manifestation of where a system has failed, but also where it has been refused, where a new path has been made. The wake exists in the post, it is not a singular, untethered event, but a subtle double entendre that lives in the post-death, but also in the pre-life—not a liminal limbo, but a superposition of dying and waking.

This collection was assembled and composed over the course of two years as I navigated my practice, myself, and others. Present here are my thoughts, my experiences, and in many ways my beliefs. IN PRAISE …

This Is How You Can Be A Cool Adult, Angelica Angelica

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

“This Is How You Can Be a COOL Adult” is an interactive and self-reflective lesson designed to help high school juniors through college seniors practice being more compassionate, open-minded, optimistic, and laughing-out-loud (humorous) in their everyday lives. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe and explore research-based strategies that foster compassion, open-mindedness, optimism, and humor, and create a personalized “COOL Action Plan” with self-reflection logs to track progress. The lesson takes place in an unconventional classroom setting (outdoors) and includes mini-lectures, meditation, collaborative games, creative role-play, personal reflection, and practical methods for applying these qualities …

Are We Safe In The Digital World? Why We Still Fall Victim To Cybercrime, Kevin Le

Honors Papers and Posters

Cybersecurity has only recently gained press coverage as millions of individuals are victimized by cyberattacks. While current cybersecurity measures offer some protection, human error has been the number one cause of cyberattacks for the past eight years (Verizon, 2024). Cybercrime continues to evolve in complexity, leveraging advanced technology and human psychology to bypass traditional security systems. This study examines why individuals still fall victim to cyberattacks. It explores the psychological and cognitive factors that make individuals vulnerable, focusing on social engineering techniques such as phishing and pretexting. This study also analyzes factors from psychological theories, including Protection Motivation Theory, Routine …

Musical Motivation: Investigating Musical Contingent Self-Worth And Its Interactions With Music Training And Perceived Musical Ability, Douglas Allan Kowalewski

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This program of research centers on a novel measure of how much value one places on having and displaying their musical ability – musical contingent self-worth – and how that construct interacts with existing measures of music training and perceived musical ability to predict performance on both musical and general cognitive tasks. Two studies (Experiments 1 and 2) provide evidence for the validity and reliability of an MCSW scale and additionally show that it uniquely predicts both reactions to, and performance on, a musical skills task (Experiment 1). These initial studies also show that MCSW interacts with music training to …

Mini-Maps, Crucial Or Controversial: Assessing The Influence Of Perceived Spatial Orientation And Cognitive Mapping Performance On Video Game User Experience, Angela Le

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Decades of game studies, also known as video games research, have revealed frequent video gameplay is positively correlated with enhanced cognition. An area of study that is limited, however, is the relationship between spatial cognition, specifically the domains of spatial orientation and cognitive mapping and their effects on video game user experience for games employing visual navigational aids. Video game user experience is influenced by many factors such as graphics and audio, gameplay mechanics, user interface design, etc. The present study aims to explore whether spatial abilities influence and are significantly correlated with user experience for games using heads-up displays …

The Effect Of Need For Cognition & Need For Affect On Human Reliance And Artificial Intelligence Interactions, Aliyah Mcgowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Abstract

With the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) automations in fields like medical diagnoses and mental health queries, there are concerns regarding an individual’s trust and reliance on the technology. Reliance on AI output may lead an individual to accept inaccurate or incorrect information without further analysis. Trust may influence reliance and trust formation may be a product of affective processing. This study investigated the relationship between Need for Affect (NFA), Need for Cognition (NFC), and trust and reliance on AI interactions. Participants were assessed on the NFA scale for willingness to approach or avoid emotional stimuli, the NFC …

Unraveling The Impact Of Cognitive Test Anxiety On Academic Performance Among Adolescents: The Case Of Minority And Majority Communities, Zulfiqar Ullah Siddiqui, Wael M. F. Abuhassan

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Background: Within the Indian society and its many communities, adolescents exhibit a wide range of individual differences, including cognitive abilities, learning styles, and personality traits. These differences can influence how students perceive and cope with test anxiety and related stress. Objective: The primary goal of this research study was to investigate the influence of cognitive test anxiety on academic performance in adolescents from both minority (Muslims) and majority (Hindus) communities in India. Method: Based on descriptive-inferential research design, a sample of 450 students was selected, with 223 students representing the majority community and the remaining 227 students representing the minority …

A Laboratory Evaluation Of The Effects Of Empathy Training On Racial Bias, Victoria D. Suarez, Adel C. Najdowski, Angela Persicke, Jonathan Tarbox

Psychology Division Scholarship

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efects of behavioral procedures, including relational training and multiple exemplar training on empathic responding of individuals who display racial bias. In particular, this study used a multielement design with fve adult participants to evaluate whether the presentation of relational frames of coordination and distinction between the participants’ values and the values of a person belonging to a group for which a bias existed altered empathic responses toward people belonging to such groups. The results showed empathic responding was higher when relational frames of coordination were presented and lower when relational …

Policy, Practice, And Perceptions Of K-12 Social-Emotional Learning, Janice Filer, Ebony C. Cain, Della Thompson-Bell

Education Division Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of K-12 school staff who participate in social-emotional learning (SEL). Since the global pandemic, several school districts have included SEL as part of the school curriculum. Teachers, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and school administrators participate in SEL instruction and/or practices. Classroom teachers instruct students in SEL instruction and other school staff practice the SEL components of self-awareness, self-management, decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills through their daily interactions with students. This study was conducted in various schools throughout the Los Angeles area using open-ended interview questions that utilized focus …

Training In Trauma-Responsive And Anti-Racist Telehealth: A Model For Behavioral Health Clinicians And Providers, Ritchie Rubio

Psychology Division Scholarship

Telehealth's uptake in behavioral health services has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many clinicians continue to lack focused training in providing trauma-informed and culturally-responsive telehealth care. This article outlines a model curriculum that was created to instruct and coach behavioral health providers in California on how to integrate anti-racist and trauma-responsive techniques into telehealth. Topics like evidence-based trauma therapies, racial/ ethnic trauma, marginalized communities, digital divide, and provider selfcare were all covered in the nine-part curriculum. Every three-hour session included evidence-informed didactic content, telehealth skills practice, and concrete planning for implementation. Trauma-responsive frameworks such as the tri-phasic model …

The Power Of Words: Unpacking Language's Role In Educational Inequities, Zara Yokohama, Liz Beccari, Malcolm Jasmin

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The language used to describe racial disparities in education may inadvertently influence how we address them. Framing such disparities as “achievement gap” rather than as “inequality in educational outcomes” assumes a deficit thinking mindset, shifting focus from the structural injustices contributing to education disparities to individuals, resulting in decreased prioritization of racial equity (Quinn & Desruisseaux, 2022). We aim to replicate this prioritization effect, specify the language driving the effect, and examine the impact of frames on perceptions of how to achieve racial equity. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions framing racial equity concerns as: a racial achievement gap, racial …

A Woman Unfolding: A Journey Of Motherhood And Creativity How Inviting Play And Honoring Our Thinking Preference Strengthens Well-Being, Laine M. Walnicki

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Seeking to provide a nuanced understanding of how the facets of motherhood, creativity, and wellbeing intersect and influence each other, this investigation and subsequent analysis answers the questions, "How does motherhood affect creativity?" and "How does creativity affect motherhood?" as well as their impact on creative outlook and wellbeing. Drawing on insights from the science of creativity, self-actualization, flow, and play, an understanding is curated as to how humans develop creative capacity, utilize it to foster well-being, and develop their potential for growth and evolution. The significance of play in the context of motherhood is also explored along with its …