As one of the most important emotional goals pertaining to humankind, achieving happiness has been the central focus of scientists, philosophers, and the general population alike since the beginning of recorded history. This study strove to examine the association of body image satisfaction and relationship quality as it relates to happiness. Four hundred college-age participants completed the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Appearance Scales), and the Network of Relationships Inventory (Relationships Quality Version) for close friendships of the same-sex and opposite-sex. Statistical analysis indicated that while body image satisfaction was significantly correlated with happiness, quality of interpersonal relationships was not. The results of this study emphasize the importance of one’s satisfaction with one’s body in the cultivation and maintenance of subjective well-being and the need to examine other potential predictors of happiness.

This study investigated the influence of past witnessed or experienced abuse on heterosexual cohabiting couples' Premarital Personal and Relationship Evaluation for Cohabiting Couples (PREPARE-CC) couple relationship types. The researcher utilized preexisting data from 5,000 cohabiting couples who had previously participated in the PREPARE marriage preparation program and had completed the PREPARE-CC inventory including a demographic section that elicited information about past abuse. Discriminant analysis was conducted in SPSS to answer the question of whether the presence of past witnessed or experienced abuse could successfully predict relationship type among cohabiting couples. Results of the discriminant analysis yielded no significant ability to classify cohabiting couples by individuals' experience of past abuse, however, isolating females and males with the highest frequencies of past abuse indicated that males abused "very often" had a higher frequency of higher-satisfaction relationship types than the general sample consisting mostly of individuals with little or no history of abuse. Females reporting abuse "very often" did not follow this same pattern. Recommendations were made for future longitudinal studies and for strength-based research on healthy heterosexual cohabiting couples in an effort to understand what contributes to these couples' success.

No description available.

Gringa-Rican is a collection of short stories told through the lens of various female, Puerto Rican protagonists. They highlight the duality of one’s existence, when one is from neither here nor there. The stories explore ideas of dislocation, assimilation and identity, through a Puerto Rican family that moves from their home island to the United States. I was inspired to write these stories because of my own family’s pursuit of the American Dream. This thesis is, in part, a labor of love. Growing up, there were not many stories with families like mine. For this reason, when I decided I wanted to be a writer, I found myself trying to depict someone I wasn’t. I did not feel like I could truly write about my experience in the diaspora, because it did not matter. Eventually, this changed when I read books like We the Animals by Justin Torres, When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. For the first time, I saw myself as someone with a story worthy of being written and read. This collection is the product of years of writing, drafting and editing. I have laughed and cried, worried and dreamed. Now, I send it off to the world hoping that my work inspires others. I hope that these stories serve as both mirrors and windows. I hope that these characters, these lives I’ve created, feel as real to the reader as they do to me.

Text in English / This study examined the effects of childhood sexual abuse on the emotional functioning of adult female survivors and the impact on their relationships with their spouse I partner and child I children. Literature reveals that sexual abuse has negative long-term effects on adult survivors, including psychological impairments. To study this phenomenon, a psycho-educational perspective was utilised. A clinical, judgmental sample of sixteen adult female survivors who attributed their current difficulties and problems to their childhood sexual experience was selected and an in-depth qualitative study was undertaken. The Emotions Profile Index Personality Test, a Questionnaire and an Interview were used to determine the present emotional functioning of the survivors and the impact on their relationships. The conclusions reached were that childhood sexual abuse had a detrimental effect on the emotional functioning of survivors and this impacted negatively on their relationships with their spouse I partner and child I children. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education, with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

Text in English / This study examined the effects of childhood sexual abuse on the emotional functioning of adult female survivors and the impact on their relationships with their spouse I partner and child I children. Literature reveals that sexual abuse has negative long-term effects on adult survivors, including psychological impairments. To study this phenomenon, a psycho-educational perspective was utilised. A clinical, judgmental sample of sixteen adult female survivors who attributed their current difficulties and problems to their childhood sexual experience was selected and an in-depth qualitative study was undertaken. The Emotions Profile Index Personality Test, a Questionnaire and an Interview were used to determine the present emotional functioning of the survivors and the impact on their relationships. The conclusions reached were that childhood sexual abuse had a detrimental effect on the emotional functioning of survivors and this impacted negatively on their relationships with their spouse I partner and child I children. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education, with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

Объектом исследования являлись отношения личности. Предметом исследования стала связь удовлетворенности межличностных отношений с самооценкой и самоотношением в юношеском возрасте. Магистерская диссертация состоит из введения, двух глав, заключения, списка литературы (77 источников) и приложения, включающего в себя бланки применяющихся методик. Объем магистерской диссертации 73 страницы, на которых размещены 3 рисунка и 12 таблиц. Во введении раскрывается актуальность проблемы исследования, разработанность проблематики, ставится цель и задачи исследования, определяются объект и предмет исследования, формулируются основная и дополнительные гипотезы, указываются методы и эмпирическая база, а также этапы проведения исследования, научная новизна, теоретическая и практическая значимость работы. Первая глава включает в себя обзор иностранной и отечественной литературы по теме межличностных отношений, самооценки и самоотношения. Выводы по первой главе представляют собой итоги по изучению теоретического материала. Вторая глава посвящена эмпирической части исследования. В ней представлено описание организации и методов проведенного исследования и результатов, полученных по всем использованным методикам: тесту (опроснику) для определения самооценки (Б. Уайнхолд), тесту-опроснику самоотношения (В. В. Столин, С. Р. Пантилеев), авторской анкете на удовлетворенность межличностных отношений. Также в главе представлен корреляционный и факторный анализ результатов исследования. Выводы по главе 2 в включают в себя основные результаты эмпирического исследования. В заключении в обобщенном виде изложены результаты теоретической и эмпирической частей работы, а также выводы по выдвинутым гипотезам, обоснована практическая значимость исследования и описаны возможные перспективы дальнейшей разработки данной проблематики. / The object of the study was the relationship of the individual. The subject of the study was the relationship of satisfaction with interpersonal relationships with self-esteem and self-attitude in adolescence. The master's thesis consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, a list of references (77 sources) and an appendix, which includes forms for the methods used. The volume of the master's thesis is 73 pages, which contain 3 figures and 12 tables. The introduction reveals the relevance of the research problem, the development of the problem, sets the goal and objectives of the study, defines the object and subject of the study, formulates the main and additional hypotheses, indicates the methods and empirical base, as well as the stages of the study, scientific novelty, theoretical and practical significance of the work. The first chapter includes a review of foreign and domestic literature on the topic of interpersonal relationships, self-esteem and self-attitude. The conclusions on the first chapter are the results of the study of theoretical material. The second chapter is devoted to the empirical part of the study. It presents a description of the organization and methods of the study and the results obtained by all the methods used: a test (questionnaire) to determine self-esteem (B. Weinhold), Self-attitude test questionnaire (V. V. Stolin, S. R. Pantileev), Author's questionnaire on the satisfaction of interpersonal relationships. The chapter also presents a correlation and factor analysis of the results of the study. Chapter 2's conclusions include the main findings of the empirical study. In the conclusion, the results of the theoretical and empirical parts of the work are summarized, as well as conclusions on the hypotheses put forward, the practical significance of the study is substantiated, and possible prospects for further development of this issue are described.

ill this study the interpersonal relationships and especially problematic communication within the family context is of paramount concern. The focus on communication, specifically in the family system, with a view to Biblically restoring communication in problematic interpersonal relationships gives the present study validity and value; this is especially true in the context of family systems in SOllth Africa. The family system in South Africa is under pressure and the. pastoral care giver is, subsequently, also under pressure to provide accurate counselling and intercession when needed to the family as a whole. This study aims to satisfY that need in focusing on restoring communication in problematic interpersonal relationships in the family system from a Bible-centred (Christian) perspective. The areas that the researcher investigated centred on communication in problematic interpersonal family relationships and the way in which communication problems in a particular family system may contribute to the potential problems that the family as a unit may have to cope with. The researcher worked with the hypothesis that problematic communiCation in interfamilial relationships may severely impede the family system in functioning as an allied unit against the pressures of life (for instance fmancial challenges, work stress). If family communication patterns were healthy or at least functional, the hypothesis is that all other problems that a family might face could be handled more easily by a family as an allied unit. The research question of this study is: How can families, with problematic interpersonal familial relationships, be counselled from a Biblical perspective with the primary objective of restoring communication in the family system? Can effective Bible-centred counselling guidelines be set down and developed from a study of family systems as depicted in Scripture, the human sciences and an empirical study in order to restore communication in problematic interpersonal relationships in the family system? This study shows that problematic communication in interfamilial relationships does impede the family system from functioning effectively. Interpersonal relationships in the family system is often complex and communication is only one element present in those relationships which can have a detrimental effect on good family relationships if communication is strained. The overarching research aim of the study was to obtain, develop and put forth Bible-centered praxis-theoretical guidelines on restoring communication in family systems caught up in problematic interpersonal relationships. The conclusion of this study is that families with problematic interpersonal familial relationships can be effectively counselled from a Biblical perspective with the aid of material from the human sciences with the primary objective of restoring communication in the family system. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

The aim of this thesis is to explore how professionals working in a French community association perceived the notion of spirituality and a shared life practice, and furthermore what contributions and limits these concepts have in the social work. To attain this, a case study has been done using participant observations and four thematically opened interviews within a L'arche community where persons with varying disabilities are living together with professional assistants. To put the association in a theoretical framework, I propose it to be regarded as a case of milieu therapy with spiritual elements, which are the two areas that will be stressed out in the section about previous research. The theories used in the study are ecological system theory, existentialism and Roger's theory about interpersonal relationships. The result of the thesis illustrate how the notion of a shared life practice has good contributions in the social work, such as equal and personal relationships between the members of the community and furthermore a notion of time that makes the work unstressful and natural as a result of the communal living. However, a limit discovered regarding this practice is the exposed and tiering situation for the assistants that hinder a longterm work in the community for most assistants. Another finding is that the spiritual dimension in the community makes way for a holistic view of everyone and contributes with rituals that create strong moments of fellowship within the community, at the same time it risks to make people who regard themselves as non-spiritual not to feel totally included.

In the introduction, I discuss the problems scholars experience in trying to define the concept of Roman friendship. I argue that amicitia cannot be equated with patronage, and present justification based on some primary literature. Brief words are then offered on the sociology of friendship, and an attempt is made to relate ideas from modern sociology to ancient friendship. The first chapter is based on the Letters of Pliny the Younger, and begins with an analysis of the vocabulary employed by Pliny in describing his friendships. This is considered in conjunction with prosopographical data in order to establish the connection between vocabulary and practice. The derived results are used to conclude that friendship in the Roman world was more involved than simply patronage, and that it was one of the driving forces behind Roman social behaviour as it helps to integrate different levels of society. Chapter two follows a similar methodology, with the correspondence of Fronto as its focus. The conclusions drawn in this chapter are used to reinforce the arguments presented in the first. Also included in chapter two is a brief discussion of the ancient philosophical approaches to friendship, and a solution is presented to resolve the differences between philosophical ideals and the reality of friendship. The third chapter begins with an examination of the secondary literature on the concept of friendship with the emperor. I maintain that scholarship is lacking in this field because it neglects the personal nuances such relationships could have. The chapter then turns to Pliny’s Panegyricus to determine his attitude regarding this issue, which is used as evidence against some modern interpretations of aristocratic perceptions of the emperor. Pliny’s exchanges with Trajan are subsequently analyzed, and it is argued that it was as subject/ruler that Pliny and Trajan defined their association. Chapter four discusses the relationship Fronto shared with the Antonine emperors. I contend that Fronto related differently with each and experienced different levels of intimacy, which points to the importance of personal connections, even with people as uniquely powerful as emperors. I also conclude from this that even emperors were not above the rules and practices of friendship. The concluding remarks draw attention to the advantages of exploring Roman social relationships through the prism of friendship, as opposed to the traditional perspective of patronage. Some future avenues of research are also suggested.