Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Background: The aim of this thesis was to provide a systematic examination of the potential of a Verbal Thought Disruption Technique (VTDT) in reducing ruminative and intrusive thoughts (RATs). Thought Suppression (TS) is a commonly used tactic to deal with RATs. In contrast, very little is known about VTDT as a specific cognitive defusion technique in particular, or as a cognitive behavioural technique in general. Methodology: A mixed methods case series design was used for this project. 10 individuals were involved over a 12-week period. An ABACAB design was utilised in which each individual received no intervention (A), a VTDT intervention (B) and a TS intervention (C) over the course of the study. Change was monitored quantitatively utilising the Meta-Cognitive Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), Thought Control Questionnaire (TCQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Additionally the measures were also completed at a one-month follow-up alongside the completion of Client Change Interview Protocol. The quantitative data was analysed by calculating the effect sizes of the reported change and the qualitative data analysed by thematic analysis. Results: Use of VTDT appeared to have a positive impact on RATs five MCQ-30 sub-measures (Cognitive Confidence, Need for Control, Cognitive Self-Consciousness, Positive and Negative Beliefs). VTDT use showed a positive impact as measured by the TCQ in four areas Distraction, Punishment Re-appraisal and Worry. The GHQ showed positive effects for VTDT use in the areas of Anxiety and Insomnia, and Social Dysfunction. TS had a negative impact on all measures. VTDT decreased numbers of RATs and severity of Subjective Units of Distress (SUDs) and TS increasing them, indicating a beneficial effect for VTDT and a detrimental effect for TS. The size of this effect was greater on SUDs than on RATs. Qualitative analysis at follow up identified factors that supported the use of VTDT and of the lack of utility of TS protocols to deal with RATs. Moderating factors for the first technique were found in the lack of willingness of some participants to use it in the future. A new working model of RATs was proposed. Conclusions: Conclusions reached are that VTDT may be a useful addition to an already wide range of cognitive defusion techniques already used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and that it deserves further systematic research. TS, as previously found, appeared not to be a useful technique in dealing with RATs on most of the measures used.

Due to the universal nature of stress, and its impact on physical health, it is important to understand how it is related to other psychological variables. The current study was undertaken in order to investigate whether an individual's cardiovascular reactivity to stress is impacted by their level of experiential avoidance, as measured by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). Individuals who are experientially avoidant are more likely to attempt to escape or prevent certain experiences and make effort to change them or avoid the contexts in which they occur. Previous research has indicated that experiential avoidance is related to some measures of physiological stress. One hundred twenty-eight college students (ages 18-29) were administered a questionnaire that included measures of general stress, experiential avoidance, and depression. After completing the questionnaire, a baseline reading of cardiovascular activity was taken. After that baseline reading, research assistants administered the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a series of tasks designed to induce physiological stress that consists of an anticipation period, a speech, and a math task. Measurements of cardiovascular activity were taken throughout administration. It was hypothesized that increased experiential avoidance would predict higher blood pressure and heart rate both before engaging in the stress task. It was also hypothesized that increased experiential avoidance would predict higher cardiovascular reactivity during administration of the TSST. As was expected, higher experiential avoidance predicted higher baseline heart rate. This finding adds to the body of research that supports the connection between psychological constructs and physiological reactivity. However, experiential avoidance did not significantly predict baseline blood pressure or any measures of physiological reactivity during the TSST.

Le consentement dans l’arbitrage des litiges sportifs témoigne des mutations profondes que subissent les piliers du droit dans le domaine économique. L’unilatéralisme visible des puissances sportives supplante nettement le bilatéralisme où, en principe, la fusion paisible des volontés donne naissance aux conventions. Mus par la recherche de l’efficience, les pouvoirs privés sportifs s’emparent du consentement, le mettent résolument à leur service au point que leur arbitrage se rapproche plutôt du sens qu’y donnent les économistes. La convention issue de ce consentement rime plutôt avec les contrats économiques. L’automaticité des effets liés à ce consentement nie à l’arbitrage ainsi institué le minimum de légitimité dont il a besoin. Le juge du for en a enfin pris conscience et c’est heureux ! Mais c’est sur les arbitres du TAS que repose le plus grand travail nécessaire à sa légitimation. / Consent in the arbitration of sports’ litigation clearly highlights the important changes which in economic domain, that affect the pillars upon which regulations are laid. The unilateralism of sports authorities is noticeable as they breach the rule of bilateralism by which a peaceful merge of consent may likely lead to agreements. Private sports authorities fascinated by efficiency grasp and own consent as to serve their interest; therefore the arbitration process thoroughly diverted from its target likely slips onto economic ground. Agreement which is laid upon such consent rhymes with economic contracts. The certainty of the effects attached to such consent impairs the legitimacy of the arbitration process. The court judge has finally appreciated and approved that view and that is exciting. However, a thorough legitimation of the arbitration process is the TAS arbitrators’ responsibility.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is designed to target psychological flexibility, broadly defined as engagement with personal values regardless of the presence of difficult private events. As engagement with valued behaviors is imperative to psychological flexibility, clarification of values is an essential skill for clients to learn. Practicing of skills in treatment has historically been a difficult hurdle for clinicians to implement between sessions for clients as well. The present study examined the utility of a novel values card sort activity, as well as the utility of a rubber band to act as a reminding agent for engagement with values. 112 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a values card sort condition, a values card sort condition with a rubber band given to the participant, and a control card sort condition. Each participant completed questionnaires assessing connection with values, lack of contact with values, negative affect, and quality of life at baseline and at a one-week follow-up. A series of ANCOVAs were conducted to determine if there were any group differences between the three conditions at follow-up, with baseline scores as a covariate. The analyses indicate no significant difference between the conditions at follow-up across any of the variables of interest. Endorsement of prior therapy experience suggested unique trends and differential reaction to the card sorting activity. These findings suggest the values card sort may not be an effective intervention for subclinical populations but may be a fruitful intervention for clinically-elevated individuals.

Compulsive pornography use (CPU) is generally defined by the inability to control the use of pornography and the resulting negative effects on quality of life or general functioning including damaged relationships, loss of productivity, impaired performance at work or school, job loss, financial expenses, guilt/shame, and personal distress. Statistics indicate that CPU may be as common as other psychological disorders and that the effects of the behavior can be just as severe. It is estimated that 1.5% to 3% of the adult population of the United States meets the criteria for compulsive pornography use. A review of the literature found no randomized controlled investigations of psychosocial treatments for this problem. This study reports the results of a randomized clinical trial of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of compulsive pornography use comparing an active treatment condition (n = 14) with a waitlist control (n = 14). The results showed a significant 93% decrease in self-reported hours viewed per week from pretreatment to posttreatment compared to the control condition, which experienced a 21% decrease. In a 20-week follow-up assessment, the treatment group did not change significantly from posttreatment to follow-up with an 84% decrease, indicating relative maintenance of the treatment gains. The control condition received the active treatment after the waiting period and was combined with the treatment group to calculate an overall effect size from pretreatment to posttreatment of 1.86. This is supported by clinical effectiveness data that shows 54% of the participants completely stopped viewing at posttreatment and another 39% of participants reduced viewing by at least 70% of pretreatment levels by posttreatment. Additional measures of quality of life, sexual compulsivity, and negative outcomes of sexual behavior were also completed and support the behavioral self-report results. These results are significant because they provide the first randomized group evidence of an effective treatment for compulsive pornography use. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Approximately 70% of technology projects fail, which negatively impacts resources, productivity, and organizational profitability because of employees' lack of acceptance of technological change. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies some midlevel managers used to improve employees' lack of acceptance of technological change. The conceptual framework for this study was the technology acceptance model. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 5 participants from a local government organization in the southwestern region of the United States and review of organizational documentation. Data analysis included Yin's 5 phases, methodological triangulation, and theme identification. Four themes emerged from data analysis: training, communication, involvement, and management support. Findings showed the importance of providing training when implementing technological change, communicating the change, and explaining how the change impacts employees throughout the organization. Findings also indicated that allowing employees to be involved in the technological change process and communicating management support of the technological change results in increased employee acceptance of the change. Implications of this study for positive social change include improving work products and conditions for employees and human and social conditions for residents of the local community. Findings may provide leaders with insights needed to integrate technological changes, and organizational and resource allocation efficiencies to improve services to employees, residents, and local businesses.

The current research was a randomised two group (control and treatment) study that evaluated the effectiveness of an ACT-based self-help book for people with chronic pain. Over a 6-week period, 6 participants read the book and completed exercises from it with weekly telephone support while 8 others waited. Five of these others began the intervention after a 6-week control period. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires for acceptance, values illness, quality of life, satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety and pain. Initial outcome data were collected for 8 control participants and 6 intervention participants. A total of 11 participants completed pre- and post-intervention measures. Participants' who read the book, rated the content of the book each week according to reading level and usefulness, and their comprehension of the content was also assessed. Original group data showed statistically significant improvement in acceptance and quality of life for those who completed the intervention. Once the data were pooled, statistically significant improvements in acceptance, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and values illness were found. In general, using the self-help book did not result in reduced pain, depression or anxiety, although for some individuals gains were made in these areas. Individual perceptions of the book components were varied but findings suggest that cognitive defusion and mindfulness were parts of the book that participants found hard. The current findings support the hypothesis that using the self-help book would add value to the lives of people who experience chronic pain. Thus, the book may be a useful tool for people who experience chronic pain.

This study explored the application of the counselling technique called Focusing, with three subjects each attending four counselling sessions. A background view of Focusing identified major contributions from existential, experiential and transpersonal fields of psychology associated with the phenomenological school of counselling therapy. Naturalistic inquiry was used as a method to devise a cumulative exploration of self-acceptance and experiencing. The Focusing technique, first devised by Eugene Gendlin in the 1960's, was modified prior to the main study and then implemented as a combined counselling/training intervention. A grounded theory procedure provided the basis of a qualitative methodological examination for the study and triangulation was effected using quantitative instruments to examine an empirical outcome of the intervention for selfacceptance. The Focusing intervention was developed as a prepared script elicited by the researcher, followed by unstructured debriefing which included embedded questions about acceptance of self and the subject's process of experiencing during the intervention. Prior to commencement of the study, the researcher held some ideas but no preconceived assumptions about the outcome of the intervention in terms of its effect upon subject self-acceptance and experiencing. Upon analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results, it was concluded that exposure to a counselling process such as Focusing affects openness to and awareness of potential breadth, depth and expression of individual experiencing. Empirical measures of self-acceptance produced inconclusive results in pre- and post-testing, being more adequately explored in the outcomes of qualitative analyses. During the course of the study, five innovative methods of investigation were utilised and found to be suitable for further development towards future research.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Cihan Cobanoglu, Dept. of Hotel, Restaurant, & Institutional Management. Includes bibliographical references.