Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-115).

Studies in the areas of goal pursuit and well-being suggest that the goals people work toward in their daily lives are important contributors of well-being. However, research to date has focused primarily on aspects of the individual in goal pursuit even though goals are not pursued in isolation. In fact, there is evidence that this emphasis on the individual, particularly salient in Western cultures, has negative consequences at both the individual and community levels. With regard to well-being, data have indicated that it is best represented as two dimensional, including hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. However, the research on personal goals has primarily focused on hedonic well-being of the individual. Overall, hedonic well-being appears to be more related to affective experience, whereas eudaimonic well-being appears to be more comprehensive and related to topics like purpose in life, self-acceptance, and positive relations with others. The theoretical framework of Virtue Ethics posits that social affiliations are essential for human beings to flourish and experience eudaimonia, and this study examines that premise. A two-step approach to structural equation modeling was used to contribute to the extant literature on goal pursuit and well-being by 1) exploring the individual and interpersonal dimensions of goal pursuit and their relationships to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and 2) exploring the interpersonal dimensions of goal pursuit as a mediator of the relationship between individual dimensions of goal pursuit and eudaimonic well-being. The retained structural model from the two-step approach included Efficacy (an Individual Dimension of Goal Pursuit) and Generativity (an Interpersonal Dimension of Goal Pursuit). Results demonstrated that Efficacy and Generativity were both significantly related to Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-being; however, Generativity was more strongly related to Eudaimonic than Hedonic Well-being. These findings were consistent with the premise of Virtue theory, that those engaged in goal pursuit with or on behalf of others are more likely to experience higher levels of eudaimonic well-being. Future research should include further exploration of the Interpersonal Dimensions of Goal Pursuit and well-being specifically by focusing on improving measurement for the Interpersonal Dimensions of Goal Pursuit, Hedonic, and Eudaimonic Well-being.

The study of subjective well-being an interdisciplinary field that borrows from and contributes to disciplines such as psychology, economics, philosophy, and related fields due to the positive effects correlated with high subjective well-being. Cross cultural examinations of well-being help expand the knowledge base of subjective well-being, however, if current measures fail to take into account cultural variances in subjective well-being it undermines the validity of subjective well-being as a construct because western understandings of well-being are not as generalizable to other cultures as seems to be assumed by some measures. This essay provides an examination of popular measurements of subjective well-being and an analysis of the way they could interact with cultural differences in constructs related to subjective well-being.

This thesis is an ethnographic study of craftsmanship among the Lulesámi in Northern Norway. The study, which is based on an apprentice-style methodology, focuses in particular on the role and significance of making and wearing the gáppte, a characteristic Sámi dress. While the gáppte is often employed to visually define and distinguish the Sámi in relation to other people, my aim is to move beyond such a common interpretation and unfold the garment's everyday aspects and explore how its production and use are interwoven with the Lulesámi's emphasis and ongoing creation of personal and social well-being. The chapters address, in their different ways, the three main themes of this study. The first is concerned with the various ways in which the gáppte and its use affect people's sense of self and relations to others, and the factors influencing such diverse experiences. The second theme focuses on how the learning to make the garment, rather than involving a fixed set of skills, is based on an ongoing practical and sensuous engagement with the world. I demonstrate that novices not only learn the technical skills of producing a garment to be worn, but that they are also encouraged to develop certain social skills and virtues for living a good life. The third theme is constituted by an examination of the productive activities within the domestic sphere, which often go unnoticed as they cannot easily be seen or measured through tangible evidence, but which affirm and strengthen the making of a convivial society. Through the analysis I draw and build on current anthropological debates on material culture by showing how craftsmanship is a self-transforming experience which encompasses a complete way of being, traversing and merging immaterial and material realms of life. I also wish to contribute to feminist debates by drawing attention to how the ‘personal' and ‘domestic' are intimately intertwined with larger historical, political and social processes.

Recent research suggests that, while up to 58% of women may experience significant difficulties with sexual function, only a third of these difficulties are associated with clinically relevant levels of subjective distress, suggesting a complex relationship between these two factors. We have relatively little understanding as to when sexual difficulties are distressing to women and why some difficulties are distressing while others are not. The current project aimed to begin answering these questions in a number of ways. First, I attempted to replicate previous findings regarding moderators of the association between sexual function and subjective distress. Second, I attempted identify the behavioral and cognitive mechanisms through which sexual impairments cause distress. Participants were 87 adult women from the local community who reported recurrent impairments in sexual function in the past month, and who were currently in sexually-active heterosexual relationships. Participants completed in-person diagnostic interviews and validated self-report measures before completing four weeks of daily online questionnaires assessing their sexual and relational experiences. Results provided additional support for previously identified moderators including relational satisfaction, age, and history of childhood sexual abuse. Additionally, a number of factors mediated the association between sexual function and distress within individuals over time. Specifically, a majority of the statistical effect of sexual function on subjective distress was accounted for by the degree to which impaired sexual function decreased the physical pleasure experienced by the individual during sexual activity. Other consequences of impaired sexual function such as decreased frequency of sexual activity and negative emotional reactions by the partner did not mediate this association. These findings add to theories of sexual dysfunction by taking into account the important ways in which sexual impairments play out in the context of romantic relationships. The results also may explain mechanisms through which current treatments for sexual dysfunction decrease sexual distress, potentially improving our ability to focus interventions on the factors that are of greatest importance to patients. / text

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