This study was conducted to determine whether learning specific writing techniques and discussing them in a small group is more beneficial to women than writ ing a journal using self-taught techniques, or not writing at all. Instruments used included the Beck Depression Inventory and the California Personality Inventory (Self-Acceptance and Well-Being scales). The literature review covers four general areas: a brief discussion of the impact of contemporary feminism on traditional therapy; an examination of feminist therapy, specifically its advocacy of consciousness-raising groups as a therapy alternative; women's self-reports on diary or journal writing; and information on modern non-literary journal uses including an investigation into the status of therapeutic uses of journal writing. A group model was developed and examined for this study using a modified consciousness-raising format to teach journal writing techniques and provide for group discussion of the writing practices. Pre- and posttest scores were compared among three groups of women (N = 52). An additional follow-up sub-sample was contacted (n = 25) to test statistical differences in writing frequency, number of writing techniques used and level of subjective satisfaction with personal writing. No empirical evidence was found to justify the supposition that structured journal writing groups are more beneficial than either self-taught, solitary diary writing or not writing at all. Includes bibliography for journal writers, outline for 8-week structured writing group, references, and recommendations for possible further investigation.

Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25 years) is a developmental period marked by changes in attachment, the onset of serious dating relationships, and rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) up to 40% and 90% for physical and psychological IPV, respectively. This dissertation aims to investigate moderators of the link between insecure attachment, a known risk factor for IPV, and psychological IPV, coercive controlling behaviours, and relational aggression in emerging adulthood. One hundred and seventeen undergraduate students in dating relationships were recruited to partake in a baseline assessment followed by a 14-day daily diary study. During the baseline assessment, participants self-reported on putative trait level risk factors such as demographics and insecure attachment. During the daily diary portion, participants reported on their use of partner aggression (physical and psychological IPV, coercive controlling behaviours, and relational aggression; however, due to low base rates, physical IPV could not be analyzed as an outcome), as well as their experiences of felt partner acceptance and rejection, support and conflict in their relationships, alcohol use, and stress for each day. I hypothesized that attachment anxiety, problems in the dyadic relationship (inadequate support, conflict, and felt rejection and anxiety about acceptance), and putative disinhibitors (stress and alcohol consumption) would be directly linked to risk for perpetration of all forms of aggression and interact to predict risk for partner aggression. Hypotheses regarding partner support, conflict, and felt regard were also tested. Specifically, I hypothesized that ratings of partner support fit, hurt as a result of conflict, and daily felt regard would differ for more insecurely attached versus more securely attached individuals. Following application of exclusion criteria, data from 98 participants were analyzed using multilevel modeling in Hierarchical Linear Modeling (Raudenbush et al., 1995). The results from this dissertation underscore the importance of attachment anxiety as an individual risk factor for IPV and identified more proximal risk factors that fluctuate on a daily basis. Attachment anxiety, felt rejection, and conflict were related to risk for all three forms of IPV. Unexpectedly, attachment avoidance was linked to decreased risk for coercive control. Anxiety about acceptance was uniquely associated with risk for psychological IPV, and inadequate support fit was uniquely associated with risk for coercive control. Greater attachment anxiety interacted with high conflict to predict greater risk for coercive control. No other significant two-way interactions between attachment anxiety and problems in the dyadic relationship emerged. Contrary to hypotheses, stress and alcohol consumption were linked to decreased risk for coercive control. Stress also appeared to suppress the link between dyadic problems and risk for psychological IPV on a given day, and dyadic problems paired with alcohol consumption was related to a decreased risk of coercive control. High stress and greater dyadic problems interacted to predict greater risk for coercive control as expected. No conclusions could be drawn about 2-way interactions between stress and dyadic problems and alcohol consumption and dyadic problems when predicting relational aggression, as the model did not converge. This study did not find support for the “perfect storm theory” of aggression (in which a 3-way interaction between risk factors is associated with greatest risk of IPV) when predicting psychological IPV. The “perfect storm theory” could not be tested in relation to coercive control and relational aggression as these models did not converge. The findings from this study contribute to our knowledge of why some people perpetrate IPV and not others, and why people perpetrate IPV on some days and not others. These results inform the multiple possible points of entry for prevention and interventions aiming to promote healthy relationships in emerging adults. / Graduate

Background: South Asian girls have reported low levels of physical activity (PA) compared to other Canadian adolescents. Potential explanations include omissions in existing PA measures that don’t capture all types of PA, and factors discouraging PA in this group. Purpose: This study examined the quality and quantity of PA; compared PA participation using two self-report methods; and, examined psychosocial and cultural factors associated with PA in adolescent South Asian girls. Methods: 113 participants were recruited from community sources in Toronto. Data were collected using a structured electronic diary (3 weekdays; 2 weekend days) and a self-administered online questionnaire that included the Leisure Time Exercise questionnaire. Diaries were content analyzed and compared to PA reports in the questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses identified factors associated with PA. Results: Diaries revealed that when a range of PA types were captured, like walking activities and chores, PA levels were similar to representative data for Canadian youth. 92% of respondents reported at least 30 minutes of PA per day across their diary entries. However, 19% did not report any PA at the vigorous intensity level, and PA levels were lowest on weekends. Reports of PA in the diary and questionnaire were inconsistent, with considerably higher levels of PA reported in the questionnaire. Enrolment in physical education, enjoyment, control, fewer barriers, and social provisions were associated with greater PA. Conclusions: Physical activity levels were low, but results did not suggest that South Asian girls are more vulnerable to low levels of activity compared to other Canadian girls. Findings from the diary suggest that PA questionnaires would benefit from including a broader range of activity types with a variety of walking activities, and structured reflections to enhance data quality and minimize the potential for over-reporting. PA levels may be increased through mandatory physical education, curricula that emphasize how girls may engage in vigorous activities outside of classes, and changes to neighbourhood environments that would promote walking.

This study seeks to explore the meaning of diary-keeping for women. In particular, this research is focused on the relationships between the diary and leisure, the diary and performance, and the diary and dominant gender discourse. This study is guided by a feminist, dramaturgical, qualitative, interpretive framework. Unstructured “active” interviews with seven women in a rural, Nova Scotian community were used to create a collaborative process driven by the participants’ experiences as diarists. The phenomenological method was used to analyze the resulting transcripts. By incorporating interviews with diarists into the analysis, and by framing the research within leisure studies, this research addresses two gaps in the existing literature on diaries: the lack of women’s voices in the interpretation of their diaries and the absence of the diary in leisure studies. This study found that the social experience of diary-keeping can reproduce dominant gender discourses; however, findings also demonstrated that women use their diaries to resist the ethic of care, disrupt oppressive dichotomies and take control of the direction of their lives. Furthermore, diaries are meaningful insofar as they allow the diarist to take control of her personal space, time, and life story. Through this space the diarist can perform the story of her life in whatever way she sees fit; she takes her performance to the public, despite the risk of doing so. Therefore, though the diary can act to reproduce traditional notions of femininity, this research found that it can also be a space for women to resist dominant gender discourses.

This study seeks to explore the meaning of diary-keeping for women. In particular, this research is focused on the relationships between the diary and leisure, the diary and performance, and the diary and dominant gender discourse. This study is guided by a feminist, dramaturgical, qualitative, interpretive framework. Unstructured “active” interviews with seven women in a rural, Nova Scotian community were used to create a collaborative process driven by the participants’ experiences as diarists. The phenomenological method was used to analyze the resulting transcripts. By incorporating interviews with diarists into the analysis, and by framing the research within leisure studies, this research addresses two gaps in the existing literature on diaries: the lack of women’s voices in the interpretation of their diaries and the absence of the diary in leisure studies. This study found that the social experience of diary-keeping can reproduce dominant gender discourses; however, findings also demonstrated that women use their diaries to resist the ethic of care, disrupt oppressive dichotomies and take control of the direction of their lives. Furthermore, diaries are meaningful insofar as they allow the diarist to take control of her personal space, time, and life story. Through this space the diarist can perform the story of her life in whatever way she sees fit; she takes her performance to the public, despite the risk of doing so. Therefore, though the diary can act to reproduce traditional notions of femininity, this research found that it can also be a space for women to resist dominant gender discourses.

<p>Inledning</p><p>The horror of the zombie movie comes from recognizing the human in the monster; the terror of the zombie movie comes from knowing there is nothing to do about it but destroy what is left; the fun comes from watching the genre continue to develop. Although zombies are technically dead, their cinematic genre is a living, breathing entity that continues to grow and evolve.</p><p>Citatet taget ur Kyle Bishops artikel ”Raising the dead” öppnar upp för en intressant diskussion angående utvecklingen av zombiefilm. De flesta i en skräckfilmspublik kan på ett fåtal sekunder med säkerhet peka ut en zombie på vita duken. Även filmad i long shots och i extreme long shots kan till och med den åskådare som är relativt ny för genren känna igen zombien. De tydliga rörelsemönstren med långsamma släpande steg och ryckiga rörelser tillhör förväntningarna kring hur zombies ska bete sig, men ser zombien verkligen ut så idag? Om en publik förväntar sig se dessa stildrag när de bänkar sig för att titta på en zombiefilm gjord under 2000-talet är det vad de möter? Visst kan man ännu se grunden till dessa manér även i zombies av idag men dock med ett flertal modifieringar. Den klassiska bleka sminkningen tillsammans med ett lika klassiskt rörelsemönster som sedan Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) har definierat zombien inom filmens värld befinner sig i en ständig transformation. Denna uppsats kommer att granska film och litteratur i ett försök att bena ut de olika stilistiska och sociala förändringar som zombien genomgått från 1968 fram till idag.</p>

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Syfte: Studiens syfte var att undersöka samband mellan hur universitetsstudenter skattar sin fysiska aktivitetsnivå och hur de registrerar aktivitetsnivå med hjälp av dagbok samt att se om de kom upp i ACSM (American College of Sport Medicine) och WHO´s (World Health Organisation) rekommendationer. Metod: Studien hade en icke experimentell, deskriptiv och korrelerande design där 26 försökspersoner, två män och 24 kvinnor, rekryterades via anslag. De fick först svara på en enkät och därefter registrera sin aktivitet via en 7-dagars aktivitetsdagbok. Resultat: Studenterna ansåg inte att de hade en stillasittande livsstil och alla deltagare utom en ansåg sig komma upp till ACSM´s rekommendationer av fysisk aktivitet 30 minuter per dag av måttlig intensitet alla dagar i veckan. Trettiofem procent kom inte upp i WHO´s rekommendationer och av dessa överskattade 67% sin fysiska aktivitetsnivå. Sextiofem procent kom inte upp i ACSM´s rekommendationer och av dessa överskattade 94% sin aktivitetsnivå. Konklusion: Studenterna hade en låg fysisk aktivitetsnivå utifrån ACSM´s rekommendationer och majoriteten av de som inte levde upp till WHO och ACSM rekommendationer överskattade sin fysiska aktivitetsnivå. Det krävs dock mer omfattande studier för att dra några generella slutsatser då denna studie hade en skev könsfördelning och ett lågt antal deltagare. Keywords: Self-estimation, Perception, Activity diary, Physical Activity level, Overestimation. / Objectives: The main objective was to compare self-estimated physical activity level with the registration of physical activity level among college students. A secondary objective was to investigate if the subjects reached the level of physical activity recommended by American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) and World Health Organisation (WHO). Method: A non-experimental, descriptive and correlated design. 26 subjects, 2 men and 24 women, were included. A questionnaire was used to investigate their perceived level of physical activity and a 7-day activity diary was used for the registration of activity level. Results: The students did not perceive to have a sedentary lifestyle and all subjects except one believed they reached the level recommended by ACSM. Thirty-five percent did not reach the recommendations of WHO and 67% of these overestimated their physical activity level. Sixty-five percent did not reach ACSM´s recommendations and 94% of these overestimated their physical activity level. Conclusion: The students had a low physical activity compared to the recommendations of ACSM and subjects who did not reach WHO and ACSM´s recommendations overestimated their physical activity level.  Due to the small number and adverse gender in the subjects, numerous studies need to be done in order to complete any further conclusions.

Inledning The horror of the zombie movie comes from recognizing the human in the monster; the terror of the zombie movie comes from knowing there is nothing to do about it but destroy what is left; the fun comes from watching the genre continue to develop. Although zombies are technically dead, their cinematic genre is a living, breathing entity that continues to grow and evolve. Citatet taget ur Kyle Bishops artikel ”Raising the dead” öppnar upp för en intressant diskussion angående utvecklingen av zombiefilm. De flesta i en skräckfilmspublik kan på ett fåtal sekunder med säkerhet peka ut en zombie på vita duken. Även filmad i long shots och i extreme long shots kan till och med den åskådare som är relativt ny för genren känna igen zombien. De tydliga rörelsemönstren med långsamma släpande steg och ryckiga rörelser tillhör förväntningarna kring hur zombies ska bete sig, men ser zombien verkligen ut så idag? Om en publik förväntar sig se dessa stildrag när de bänkar sig för att titta på en zombiefilm gjord under 2000-talet är det vad de möter? Visst kan man ännu se grunden till dessa manér även i zombies av idag men dock med ett flertal modifieringar. Den klassiska bleka sminkningen tillsammans med ett lika klassiskt rörelsemönster som sedan Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) har definierat zombien inom filmens värld befinner sig i en ständig transformation. Denna uppsats kommer att granska film och litteratur i ett försök att bena ut de olika stilistiska och sociala förändringar som zombien genomgått från 1968 fram till idag.

Šio magistro darbo tikslas – paanalizuoti tapatybės problemą Jono Meko dienoraščiuose. Pagrindiniai uždaviniai yra aptarti, kas apskritai yra tapatybė, kokias tapatybės rūšis išskiria įvairūs mokslininkai; panagrinėti, kaip tapatybė atskleidžiama J. Meko knygoje „Žmogus be vietos. Nervuoti dienoraščiai��� bei jo kino dienoraščiuose „Prarasta, prarasta, prarasta“, „Rojus dar neprarastas“ ir kt. Taip pat dienoraščiai nagrinėjami kaip autobiografija. Asmens tapatybė yra daugiasluoksnė, susidedanti iš įvairių socialinių, kultūrinių, etninių dalykų. Asmens Aš yra refleksyvus projektas, t.y. tapatumas nėra pastovus, o kintantis. Asmens biografiją galima prilyginti asmens tapatumui, nes jis formuojasi per laiką. Ribinėse situacijose žmogui tapatybė iškyla kaip problema. J. Meko dienoraščiuose galima išskirti socialinės, tautinės ir kultūrinės tapatybės problemas. Socialinę tapatybę galima būtų apibrėžti kaip priklausymą tam tikrai socialinei grupei. Menininkas visa savo esme yra lietuvis ūkininkas, tačiau tas supratimas yra problemiškas, nes jis gyvena ne kaime, ne Lietuvoje, jis neturi ūkio. J. Meko savęs, kaip ūkininko, apibrėžimas yra iliuzinis. Autoriaus tautinę identifikaciją galėtume priskirti moderniajam nacionalizmo tipui. Panaudodamas ikimodernųjį etninį paveldą, bendros praeities pojūtį, „pirmykščius“ etninius ryšius kaip subjektyvų pagrindą, jis stengiasi išsaugoti savo tautinę tapatybę. Meko kultūrinė tapatybė yra susiformavusi iš lietuvių ir pasaulio kultūrų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of this master’s paper is to analyze identity problem in the diaries of Jonas Mekas. The main objectives are to discuss what identity is in general, what kinds of identity are distinguished by scholars; to analyze how the identity is revealed in the book by J. Mekas “A man without a place. Nervous diaries” as well as in his cinema diaries “Lost, lost, lost”, “Heaven is not lost” and others. Also the diaries are analyzed as an autobiography. Individual’s identity is multi-layered, comprising of various social, cultural, ethnical components. Individual’s “I” is a reflexive project, i.e. identity is unstable and changing. Individual’s biography can be compared to his identity because it forms in the period of time. In limitary situations identity arises as a problem for a man. In J. Mekas diaries social, national and cultural identity problems are distinguished. Social identity can be described as dependence to particular social group. An artist in all his nature is Lithuanian farmer, but this understanding is problematic because he lives nor in the countryside, nor in Lithuania and he does nor own a farm. The description of J. Mekas as a farmer is illusory. Author’s national identity could be attributed to the type of modern nationalism. He tries to save his national identity through using pre-modern ethnic heritage, the sense of common past, and primitive ethnic relationships as a subjective basis. Mekas’ cultural identity is formed out of Lithuanian... [to full text]