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The central question of this study was to examine the moral orientation and the role of self in subject generated moral dilemmas for information on the developmental and cultural forces contributing to the etiology and maintenance of eating disorders in college women. The research was based on the theories of Carol Gilligan (1982, 1988, 1990). Twelve women identified as bulimic by therapists and twelve women with no eating disorder were administered the BULIT-R and the moral conflict and choice interview. A Guide to Reading Narratives of Moral Conflict and Choice for Self and Moral Voice provided the framework for analyzing the the interviews. Using Chi squares to analyze the data, no significant differences were found between the two groups on presence, predominance, and alignment of the moral voices of care and justice or on relationship framework, although a trend toward the bulimic sample aligning both with the justice and care orientations was noted. The bulimic sample expressed one or more of the vulnerabilities of care and both care and justice significantly more often than the comparison sample. No difference was found for expression of self care, though the quality of self care expressed was different. Subjects from the bulimic sample mentioned self care in conjunction with self-preservation, while subjects in the comparison group mentioned self-care as an ordinary consideration in conflicts. A significant difference was found between the two groups on mention of a problematic relationship with father, with bulimics describing an emotionally distant relationship with father more often. Finally, the quality of the conflicts described by bulimics tended to be more critical to self than those described by the comparison sample. Results were related to what Gilligan (1990) calls the biggest challenge of the adolescent female: how to integrate inclusion of self with inclusion of others. Disturbances in relationships within the family resulted in the women from the bulimic sample having difficulty with this task. Two coping styles were identified: role reversal and hostile avoidant (Salzman, 1990). The relevance of these coping styles to bulimia was discussed. Implications for therapy were reviewed and recommendations were made for future research. / Graduation date: 1992

Anxiety and depression are debilitating disorders that often co-occur. Their differentiation has important ramifications for theory and treatment. Beck's (1976) Cognitive Content Specificity (CCS) hypothesis proposes that depression and anxiety are characterized by unique cognitive profiles that should be reflected, among other variables, in their cognitions. Further, the Balanced States of Mind model (BSOM; Schwartz, 1997) asserts that the cognitive ratio of positive to the sum of positive and negative cognitions is implicated in distinguishing various levels of pathology from optimal functioning. The present study used a cross-sectional design to compare the differentiating abilities of the CCS hypothesis and the joint CCS/BSOM model by examining depression and test anxiety-relevant positive and negative cognitions separately versus the BSOM cognitive ratios. Additionally, the specific interval predictions of the BSOM model were tested for test anxiety and depressive content. Four groups of college women were selected from a larger sample of college women from a large public university: Depressed (n = 51), Test Anxious (n = 51), "Mixed" Depressed and Test Anxious (n = 51), and Control (n = 51). Findings indicated that the Depressed Group differed from Test Anxious Group on test anxious and depressive negative cognitions and BSOM ratios. Consistent with previous literature, positive anxious content yielded less specificity, as it failed to discriminate between test anxious and depressed groups. While the "Mixed" group was most dysfunctional, Controls showed a least dysfunctional cognitive profile on both cognitions and cognitive ratios. Thus, the quantitative parameters of the BSOM model with varying content were partially validated, with depressive content not fitting the predictions as well as test anxious content. Results support the integration of the CCS and BSOM models and the use of a specific anxiety disorder (i.e., test anxiety) as ways to improve depression-anxiety differentiation in nonclinical populations. Theoretical and treatment implications are highlighted, and limitations are discussed.

The exit/entry patterns of students in higher education have been a matter of concern to college administrators and counselors for over half a century. The purpose of this study was to identify certain characteristics commonly associated with persistence in order to determine if these same characteristics are likewise predictive of success in teacher training programs. The data base was the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. This study was an investigation designed to observe the educational and vocational activities, plans, aspirations, and attitudes of high school seniors of that year and subsequent years through three follow-up studies. The sample design was a two-strage probability sample with schools as the first stage and students as the second stage. The sample was highly stratified with variables such as type of control, geographical region, minority group enrollment, and level of urbanization making up the strata. The base year questionnaire was administered in the spring of 1972 and consisted of 104 questions. Subsequent follow-ups in 1973, 1974, and 1976 asked questions similar to those asked int he base year and others necessary to ensure continuity of data. The sample used for the present study consisted of 472 prospective teachers. Identifying education as a major and aspiring to teach was the method used to determine sample members. Additional criteria were used to select migratory and non-migratory prospective teacher sub-groups. The sub-groups identified were persisters, drop-ins, drop-outs, late entries, program transfers, and college transfers. Since most students move into migratory patterns due to one or more intellectual or non-intellectual reasons, the present study was designed to compare certain selected factors hypothesized to have a relationship with this movement. Ability, satisfaction with the college environment, values, and self-concept were factors chosen for this comparison. Ability was determined in the base year from standardized tests such as the Scholastic Achievement Test. The students' feelings toward their instruction, social life, campus resources, and curriculum were used as a measure of satisfaction. Having lots of money, being a leader in the community, living close to parents, and correcting social ills were used to determine values. Self-attitude, self-worth, external satisfaction, and internal satisfaction were factors selected to measure self-concept. Levels of satisfaction, values, and self-concept were collected in all three follow-up studies. Ability was determined only in the base year. The design of the investigation was to compare the only nonmigratory group, persisters, with other prospective teacher sub-groups considered migratory. Comparisons were made using the persistence characteristics identified earlier, namely, ability, satisfaction, values, and self-concept. Additional comparisons were made between prospective teacher sub-groups on the basis of race, sex, and type of institutionalized control. Longitudinal trends were incorporated into these comparisons. Prospective teacher sub-groups were also examined in relation to financial assistance. The results suggest that ability and satisfaction measures can provide a persistence index that permits differentiation between certain prospective teacher groups. There is a further indication that ability tests provide a clear distinction between minority and non-minority prospective teachers. Ability and certain self-concept and satisfaction measures provide a distinction between males and females in teacher training programs. Differences among private and public college prospective teachers can be seen with selected achievement tests. Public college late entries and drop-outs are more dissatisfied with the college environment than any other prospective teacher group. Finally, a relationship exists between the amount of financial assistance and the various prospective teacher sub-groups. This relationship is most pronounced for late entry students.

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