After the attacks in Paris on November 13th 2015, the movement Anonymous has declared a cyber war to terrorist group ISIS that claimed responsibility for these attacks. According to Klein (2015) Anonymous has earlier been framed by the news media as malicious prankster, because their choice of targets did not align with western standards. However, ISIS can be seen as a common enemy of the West. As such, what is the effect of this newly chosen target on the representation of the movement in the media? Departing from this question, this thesis aims to research whether the attributes in use to represent Anonymous in the news media have normatively changed due to the taking on of a common western enemy. In fulfilling this aim, 21 articles published before and 21 articles published after the public declared war on ISIS on November 13th have been analysed based upon second level agenda setting theory. Focus is placed upon the attributes that describe Anonymous in the news media agenda and how these normatively evaluate the movement. In doing so, findings of this analysis present a change in the evaluation of the movement towards a more positive depiction.

The knife is a major character in my work. Sections of paper, cut, painted, and bound together form shallow reliefs. In recontextualizing quotidian objects such as fruit, plants, curtains, and shrimp cocktails, they are reconfigured, their original functions replaced with those of physical pleasure and perversion. Caught in private moments of leisure and play, anonymous fetishistic and often mundane subjects pose with theatricality heightened by graphic forms and a high-contrast palette. Strangers exist between actions. Each composition appears to take place before or after an event. Restrained scenes reveal a conservative eroticism. Dark humor and absurdity distill queer images. Themes of control, anxiety, and desire embed within each psychological arrangement. Though based on true stories and real people, the following accounts are fictional, designed to contextualize the aforementioned scenarios.

This study examines the effects of reputation threats and anonymous whistle-blowing channels on Chief Audit Executives’ (CAEs) decisions to investigate whistle-blowing allegations. Participants were 94 CAEs and Deputy CAEs from publicly traded companies in the eastern half of the United States. Participants received whistle-blowing reports from either an anonymous or a non-anonymous source. In the high reputation threat condition the whistle-blowing report alleged that the wrongdoing was perpetrated by the exploitation of substantial weaknesses in internal controls that had been previously evaluated by external auditors and the internal audit function. The report in the lower threat condition alleged that the wrongdoing was accomplished by the circumvention of internal controls. Findings show that CAEs found anonymous whistle-blowing reports to be significantly less credible than non-anonymous reports. Although CAEs assessed lower credibility ratings for the reports alleging wrongdoing by the exploitation of substantial weaknesses in internal controls, they perceived greater personal and departmental responsibility in this condition. CAEs did not, however, perceive a significant reputation threat in either the Exploitation or Circumvention condition. Regardless of report source credibility, perceived reputation threat, or felt responsibility, CAEs’ resource allocation decisions consistently demonstrated a determination to thoroughly investigate the allegations of wrongdoing and uncover the truth.

Older men are an under-researched population in Counselling Psychology. This thesis explores how older men in sobriety experience their emotions in therapy and aims to understand the meaning of these experiences from a psychologically gendered subject perspective. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six older men (aged 62 and above) and interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology that focuses on the lived experience and the meaning people give to these experiences. The analysis highlighted significant challenges for older men when attempting to unlock, process or discuss emotions in therapy. The analysis also revealed positive transformational effects by those who were able to transcend the confines of gendered constructs with concerted emotional investments. The two master themes are: (1) CONTROL/REGULATION OF EMOTIONS including subthemes: Challenges to unlocking emotion; Importance of therapeutic emotional containment; Role of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in the emotion sharing experience and (2) TRANSFORMATION/ALLEGIANCE TO SELF, including subthemes: Selfactualisation; Going into the heart of emotions as an emotional-spiritual journey. Participants expressed challenges to unlocking their emotions in therapy,which were mainly experienced as controlled or suppressed. Aging, masculinity and helpseeking theories, as well as addiction and recovery literature, are discussed in light of the findings along with suggestions for future research and implications in Counselling Psychology.

Ethnographic in approach, this dissertation examines trolling, an online subculture devoted to meme creation and social disruption. Rather than framing trolling behaviors as fundamentally aberrant, I argue that trolls are agents of cultural digestion; they scour the landscape, repurpose the most exploitable material, then shove the resulting monstrosities into the faces of an unsuspecting populace. Within the political and social context of the United States, the region to which I have restricted my focus, I argue that trolls on 4chan/b/ and Facebook perform a grotesque pantomime of a number of pervasive cultural logics, including masculine domination and white privilege. Additionally, I argue that the rhetorical and behavioral tactics used by trolls, including sensationalism, spectacle, and emotional exploitation, are homologous to tactics routinely deployed by American corporate media outlets. In short, trolling operates within existing systems, not in contrast to them, immediately complicating knee-jerk condemnations of trolling behaviors. / 10000-01-01

With the increasing number of Vehicular Autonomous Network (VANET) architectures and applications, user privacy must be addressed and protected. Internet of Things (IoT) and their applications take care of everyday mundane task in order to increase user convenience and productivity. However, studies have shown that IoT architectures can be a weak spot in network security, including data being sent plain text. In this thesis, a VANET architecture is proposed that is capable of securing anonymous data collection from a distributed set of autonomous vehicles. The proposed architecture features a hybrid combination of centralized and decentralized routing concepts. Unlike other VANET implementations, our proposed architecture provides anonymity to users in the network. Lower latency can be achieved by merging data from live short-range ad-hoc routing methods with the data collected from a pseudo-live long range centralized routing methods. The proposed architecture guarantees user anonymity within the VANET framework. Most VANET models assume users do not value the privacy of their identity. We assume that each vehicle is equipped with a VANET computer capable of storing data, performing calculations, and both sending and receiving data wirelessly. Therefore vehicles can communicate directly with each other and exchange data within short distances as well as communicate with long-range wireless infrastructure. Simulation results show the implementation is equipped to handle diverse traffic scenarios as well as deter adversaries to the network from maliciously trying to manipulate collected data.

This candidate's essay initially describes addiction problems in Sweden. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare proposes methods to handle the problem. Standalone self-help groups such as Anonymous Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous (u.å.c; 2018) provide the 12-step program as an alternative to government recommendations. This essay aims to study this alternative method using a qualitative and inductive approach in order to interpret determinants which benefits the program as well as formulate a theory that can understand the process. The authors researched the 12-step program’s history and describes the actual places which were observed as well as their pre-understanding of the program. In accordance with studies on human life situations ethical principles have been reported and used recurrently. To increase understanding of the phenomenon, previous studies on the program has been researched; knowledge bases regarding classifications; psychological; sociological approaches and qualitative methods. Thereafter, an explanation of the usage of relevant concepts in the work. Data collection is done exclusively with micro-ethnographic methods, respondents who volunteered have experienced the 12-step program of one of the two selected self-help groups. Furthermore, Grounded theory and Narrative analysis was used to interpret collected data, a detailed description was constructed in order to enhance the study’s transferability. Generated codes resulted in a conceptualization of a triangular effect between the concepts of motivation; spirituality and the group. Trinity was analyzed and two additional determinants, receptiveness and structure, were formulated. This study concludes that introduction of the 12-step program is defined by an initial personal receptiveness and an adequate structure, these phenomena interact recurrently when the individual meets the other determinants of the program. Which are described as an internal process of reflection (spirituality); external physical action (motivation) and collective social development (the group). Together, the five determinants constitute the success of the 12-step program which the authors try to verify theoretically by problematizing the content.

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The introduction of a Thomistic framework to contemporary models of addiction provides new insight that may prove useful in efforts toward therapy and understanding. Aquinas's conception of the human soul and its proper functioning contrasts with the suggested disordered functioning of the addict's soul in such a way that this may prove useful for addicts attempting to interpret their physical, psychological, and moral feelings or intuitions. This framework can then be related to the common contemporary addiction therapy found in Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve Step programs in order to provide a greater understanding of what psychological and moral processes may be at work within the addict with the hope that greater understanding will lead to more effective therapy.

When I began the Compulsion and Recovery Research Project in 1992, I did so in response to the schism between professionals who were leaders in the addiction recovery field. Known as the D and A Debate, this schism resulted in changes in government policy, funding and service provision, causing great confusion to people suffering with addictions. It was described by the media as 'addiction treatment now a battleground'.As a family therapist specialising in addictions recovery, I became concerned about this battle between leaders in the recovery field and its impact on the community. I had experience in running halfway houses for people recovering from addictions and knew that abstinence with AA worked. I embarked on a research project which used a dialectic/narrative method inquiry method, interviewing leaders in the conflict and others who contributed progressive ideas to recovery. This process aimed at ensuring there was validity, rigour and ethics in the research process. Importantly as a result of this inquiry, I came to believe that the Drug and Alcohol Debate (D and A Debate) protagonists need not dogmatically defend their own model to the point of being in conflict, as all their treatments work, and it was valid to concede that different models work for different people in different stages of their recovery - 'whatever works works, and not to be judged by others'. (Nicotine Anonymous The Book, 1992:113) / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)