The purpose of the current study was to examine the path of parental acceptancerejection/ control, personality traits, coping strategies and psychological distress consequently. For the purpose of this study, 444 adults (134 male, 308 female, and 2 unknown) between the ages of 17 and 35 (M = 21.60, SD = 2.77) participated in the current study. The data was collected by a questionnaire battery including a Demographic Variable Sheet, Mother and Father Forms of Parent Acceptance- Rejection/Control Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Ways of Coping Inventory, and Basic Personality Traits Inventory. The three sets of hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to reveal the significant associates of psychological distress. As expected, the results of the current study revealed that parental rejection, different personality traits and different coping strategies had associated with psychological distress as depression and trait anxiety. Following findings and the relevant literature, the limitations, therapeutic implications of the current study, and the suggestion for future research were discussed.

The aims of the current study are to examine the relation of risk taking behaviors (RTBs) with perceived risk, perceived benefit, and impulsivity and also to investigate the moderator role of impulsivity on the relationships between engagement in RTBs and the predictors of the engagement in RTBs (i.e. perceived risk and benefit) after controlling the effects of age, gender, and self esteem. In order to measure engagement in RTBs, perceived risk, and perceived benefit, Modified Risk Involvement and Perception Scale (&Ouml / zmen, 2006) was adapted to Turkish culture in Study 1 by using Middle East Technical University (METU) students. The sample of Study 2 was composed of 234 METU students and a questionnaire set including demographic information sheet, Modified Risk Involvement and Perception Scale (M-RIPS) (&Ouml / zmen, 2006), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11) (G&uuml / le&ccedil / et al., 2008), and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) (Rosenberg, 1965) was administered. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis was conducted with perceived risk, perceived benefit, and impulsivity as independent variables and engagement in RTBs as the dependent variable. The findings suggested that perceived risk was negatively whereas perceived benefit and impulsivity was positively related to risk taking behaviors. Moreover, as compared to perceived risk, perceived benefit was a more powerful predictor of RTB. However, it was not found any moderator role of impulsivity on the relationships between engagement in RTBs and its predictors. The strengths and limitations, as well as implications of the findings were discussed.

The present study investigates the effects of cognitive inhibitory mechanisms and tendency to suppress thoughts on the frequency and intensity of traumatic intrusions within the trauma film paradigm. Non clinical participants&rsquo / response inhibition and proactive inhibition levels and tendency to suppress thoughts were measured prior to exposure to a trauma film. One week after seeing the trauma film, participants reported the frequency and intensity of trauma film related intrusions with an intrusion diary and Impact of Events Scale. No significant effect of response inhibition, proactive inhibition and thought suppression tendency was found on the frequency and intensity of trauma film related intrusions. Findings of the study are discussed.

The aim of this thesis was to examine the concept of self-compassion in relation to psychopathology with mediating effects of experiential avoidance and metacognition in a Turkish university student sample. Self-Compassion which is a recently formulated promising concept in western psychology consists of three components: self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. In addition to self-compassion, recent psychological concepts of cognitive (metacognition) and behavioral (experiential avoidance) perspectives were investigated through models. In this thesis, the negative relationship between self-compassion and psychopathology (depression and anxiety) with mediating effects of experiential avoidance and metacognition was tested. Prior to main analyses, psychometric properties of the scales measuring self-compassion and experiential avoidance were tested. Then, three different models were tested with structural equation modeling (SEM). In these analyses, the proposed full mediation models were compared to empirically alternative models. Self-compassion was found to be significantly and negatively related to both depression, and anxiety. In the first model experiential avoidance fully mediated the relationship between self-compassion and psychopathology. Moreover, metacognitive factors and metacognition as a whole concept mediated the relation between self-compassion and psychopathology. However, they were not as powerful as experiential avoidance. Results of this thesis supported the literature about empowering effect of self-compassion against psychopathology. Furthermore, relationships were mediated by concepts of both modern cognitive and behavior therapies. However, self-compassion, as a fundamental element of psychotherapy, was the focus of this thesis. Findings of the study were discussed in the context of the relevant literature.

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in the effects of different coping strategies on different dimensions of university adjustment of the first-year students in Turkey and in the United States. The data were gathered by administering three instruments, Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), Brief COPE, and Demographic Sheet (DS) to 1143 first-year university students from Turkey (n = 695) and U.S. (n = 448). In the data analysis, first, the equivalence of the instruments between Turkish and U.S. samples were determined. A series of multiple hierarchical regression analysis was then carried out to examine the cultural differences in coping strategies (Self-Distraction, Active Coping, Denial, Substance Use, Using Emotional Support, Behavioral Disengagement, Positive Reframing, Planning, Humor, and Religion) as predictors of overall and four dimensions of university adjustment, namely, Academic Adjustment, Social Adjustment, Personal/Emotional Adjustment, and Goal Commitment/Institutional Attachment. The results revealed that there were cross-cultural differences in the effects of behavioral disengagement on social adjustment, goal commitment/institutional attachment, and overall adjustment. Differences were also found for the effects of religion and positive reframing on personal/emotional and overall adjustment. Finally, the effect of active coping was found to be significantly different on academic adjustment of first-year students from Turkey and the U.S.

ABSTRACT SECURE EXPLORATION: CONCEPTUALIZATION, TYPES, AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH SECURE ATTACHMENT, SELF-CONSTRUALS AND OTHER SELF-RELATED VARIABLES imamoglu, Selen Ph.D., Department of Psychology Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Olcay imamoglu Co-supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bengi &Ouml / ner-&Ouml / zkan June 2005, 211 pages The aim of the present study was to enhance understanding of secure exploration within the perspective of attachment theory and Imamoglu&#039 / s (2003) Balanced Integration-Differentiation (BID) model. A two-dimensional model of exploration was proposed consisting of trust for self and approaching the unknown, and scales were developed to study exploration separately from attachment both as a general and a domain-specific (i.e., cognitive, relational, self-related, spatial, and time-related) orientation. A questionnaire consisting of measures concerning exploration, attachment, self-construals, and other affective-relational (i.e., positive self- and other-models, trust for self, self-satisfaction, positive future expectations, trait anxiety) and intrinsic motivational (i.e., need for exploration, need for cognition, approaching the unknown, tolerance for ambiguity, curiosity, separation-differentiation security) variables, was administered to 434 (280 female, 154 male) Turkish university students. On the basis of the results, it was concluded that, (1) trust for self and approaching the unknown represent important dimensions in understanding secure exploration and variations in insecure exploration orientations / (2) exploration orientation, like attachment, represents both a general as well as a domain-specific orientation / (3) attachment and exploration represent distinct but complementary orientations, and separation-differentiation security provides a conceptual link between the two / (4) attachment and exploration may represent the foundations of relational and individuational self orientations, respectively / (5) secure attachment and secure exploration tend to be associated with the distinct but complementary affective-relational and intrinsic motivational domains, respectively / (6) of the four types of attachment-exploration orientations formed by crossing the secure and insecure ends of each, being secure in both orientations seems to be associated with optimal psychological functioning.

This study examined some factors to understand earthquake preparedness behavior. The roles of demoghraphic characteristics of the participants, trait anxiety, the severity of exposure of past earthquake experience, outcome efficacy (perceived effectiveness of preparedness), self efficacy (perceived difficulty of preparedness), impact of past experience (avoidance and intrusion symptom levels of impact of event scale), threat perception, locus of control and four factors of coping strategies (problem focused approach, fatalistic coping, helplessness/self blaming approach and seeking social support) in predicting earthquake preparedness behavior were studied. Data was collected by a questionnaire consisting of three parts. The first part was a socio-demographic information form. The second part of the questionnaire included sets of items designed to examine past earthquake experience, the severity of past earthquake experience, estimations of the severity of a possible future earthquake, probability of occurence of a potential future earthquake, reasons to prepare and responsibility related to preparedness. The third part of the questionnaire consisted of four scales. These scales were Ways of Coping Inventory (WCI) to measure coping strategies in stressful situations, Impact of Event Scale (IES) to measure current subjective distress trait part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure the level of trait anxiety of persons and Revised and Translated Mulilis- Lippa Earthquake Preparedness Scale (MLEPS) to measure the level of earthquake preparedness behavior, perceived difficulty of being prepared and perceived effectiveness of being prepared. Two hundred eighteen adults (120 females and 98 males with an age range of 20 to 67) were participants of the study. There were participants from all 32 districts of istanbul in the sample. Data was collected in two departments of Istanbul Technical University, which were architecture and civil engineering, Psychology Department of Middle East Technical University, High School of KabataS Erkek Lisesi and istanbul Bah&ccedil / elievler Primary School. Participants were parents of students. The regression analysis results revealed that, severity of exposure of past earthquake experience, avoidance, self-efficacy and outcome efficacy were found to be significantly related to earthquake preparedness. Considering significant predictors, the severity of the exposure to past earthquake experience and perceived effectiveness of being prepared increases the level of earthquake preparedness behavior / perceived difficulty of being prepared and avoidance symptom levels of impact of event scale decreases it. As an evidence to Person Relative to Event Model, the results of the current study showed that there is a significant relationship between both perceived effectiveness of being prepared and perceived difficulty of being prepared with the level of earthquake preparedness level. The importance of the results of the current study and their shortcomings were discussed within the earlier findings on disaster preparedness literature.

&ldquo / Dissociative Identity Disorder&rdquo / , also known as split or multiple personality disorder, made its appearance in literature in the form of &lsquo / the double&rsquo / , a projected dual personality. Ralph Tymms is believed to be the first to use the psychological provenance of the double as a literary device. To date, many publications have been made on Dissociative Identity Disorder, and many literary works dealing with &lsquo / the double&rsquo / have been published. However, the subject of the double, in all its literary and psychological manifestations, has not yet found the sufficient research and up-to-date study that it deserves. This paper ventures to study some of the links between Modern British Drama and Clinical and Social Psychology. It analyses the fact that although people adopting Dissociative Identity Disorder as a defence mechanism against social and personal constrictions are viewed outside the norms of personality structure, this practice allows them to create a personal space and a personal voice in the conditions they find themselves in. To this end, the characters Susan, Gareth, and Alan in the plays Woman in Mind, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, and Equus, written by Alan Ayckbourn, Brian Friel, and Peter Shaffer, respectively, will be studied.

In the present study, mediating effects of parenting dimensions between parent values and parent-child value similarity were examined along with the relationships between values, value priorities, parent-child value similarity, and self-evaluations. In the first study, Portrait Values Questionnaire (Schwartz, et al., 2001) was adapted to Turkish in a university sample, and its construct validity was investigated together with its psychometric qualities. In the second study, in both high-school and university samples, hypothesized relationships and mediation models were tested in, in which the mothers, fathers, and students served as the participants. Results indicated that value priorities of parents were systematically related to parenting dimensions. Parental acceptance mediated the relationship between parents&rsquo / Self- Transcendence values and parent-child value similarity, and parental control mediated the relationship between parents&rsquo / Self-Enhancement values and parentchild value similarity in both samples. Moderations effects were obtained in the university sample. Mothers&rsquo / socialization goals moderated the relationship between maternal control and mother-child value similarity in the Conservation domain. In addition, perceived importance of Self-Transcendence and Conservation values moderated the relationships between fathers&rsquo / parenting dimensions and father-child value similarity within the same domains. Value priorities were also found to be systematically related to self-esteem in the university sample per se, whereas relationships between parental congruence on value priorities, self-concept clarity and self-esteem were not significant. Results were discussed with reference to relevant literature together with implications and the limitations of the study. Contributions to current socialization research were elaborated and future research directions were highlighted.

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the impacts of both the group boundary permeability (with a novel concept) and the social identity salience on the low-status group members&rsquo / behavioral preferences, feelings, and social identity level with reference to the social identity theory. The participants were 138 undergraduate students from Abant izzet Baysal University. All participants completed behavioral alternatives questionnaire, negative feelings of personal treatment questionnaire, and the Organizational Identification Scale. In the experimental design, group boundary permeability (permeable/ hierarchically permeable/ impermeable) and social identity salience (high/ low) were manipulated / and participants were randomly assigned to the conditions. In line with the expectations, the results showed that collective actions were more preferred in the impermeable and hierarchically permeable group boundary conditions compared with the permeable group boundary condition. In addition, results indicated that being the most disruptive action, collective protest action was the least preferred action regardless of the conditions. Furthermore, although the effect of group boundary permeability on the social identity level was not supported, the results demonstrated in part that participants felt more negative feelings when group boundary condition was impermeable. Finally, the results provided considerable evidence that as the novel concept, hierarchically permeable group boundary condition is viable in the permeability studies.