Thesis (M.A.)--University of Arkansas, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

A thesis submitted to the University of Zululand, Fuculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology, 2006. / Human sexuality refers to the way in which we experience and express ourselves as sexual beings. Healthy sexuality varies in individuals, relationships and societies. Sexual and relationship problems are common to all societies. Misunderstanding and misinformation related to sexual relationship problems as well as the solutions to such problems are widespread. This is understandable considering the diverse and multifactorial nature of sexual behaviour, which encompasses biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of existence. Sexual adjustment and satisfaction are important features of personal well-being and satisfaction with intimate relationships. This thesis constitutes theoretical and practical investigations into the relationship between sexuality and psychological well-being with special reference to the improvement of sexual functioning in interpersonal relationships. The research methodology consisted of a self-report questionnaire, which included biographical, quantitative and qualitative components, administered to 100 volunteer patients attending an outpatient clinic in a local general hospital for sexual problems, who had given informed consent to participate in the research. Quantitative components consisted of standardized sexuality and psychological well-being scales. The qualitative component consisted of participants' responses to an open-ended question as to suggestions recommended to improve their sexual relationships. Main quantitative findings were that the South African sample perceived them to be less psychologically well. This supported earlier comparative research with this scale on South African and USA samples. Analysts of sexuality scale data revealed that South African and USA samples perceived themselves as having equal sexual health. In terms of comparisons between the sexuality and psychological well-being scales, the sexual depression subscale was negatively correlated with psychological well-being dimensions of environmental mastery, positive relations with others and self-acceptance. Main qualitative findings with regard to improving sexual relationships related to improving communication, intimacy, affection, self-esteem and quality of life. Integrating theoretical and practical investigations, the thesis concludes with various recommendations with regard to improving sexuality in interpersonal relationships. / National Research Foundation.

Research in the area of sex and gender communication has been largely relegated the organizational setting and the superior/subordinate framework. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effects of biological sex and psychological gender on evaluations of communication appropriateness within the interpersonal context. College students were first asked to complete a sex-role inventory. There were then presented with a series of scenarios depicting a communication encounter in which communicators adhered to gendered communication behavior norms, and a communication encounter in which communicators deviated from gendered communication behavior norms. After reading each transcript, participants completed a communication appropriateness scale for each character presented in the scenarios. The results show that within the interpersonal context, there are differences between males and females in evaluations of general competence, and that males enacting a feminine style of communication are evaluated as more communicatively appropriate than males enacting a masculine style of communication. Finally, this study provides a critique on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory based upon empirical evidence. / Department of Communication Studies

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on June 2, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-72).

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 23, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-71).

Using the social networking site Facebook as a corpus, I collected 1,500 random samples of interactions between friends. I tracked the use of jokes and disparaging humor between same- and opposite-gender pairs to discover that there is a strong correlation between the style of joke-making evoked by the speaker and the gender of both the speaker and the hearer. The men in the study were about eight times more likely to make insulting or degrading jokes with other men than the women were with each other. Following the study is a discussion where I address methods of politeness across genders, approaches to humor, and how sex, culture, and gender expectations influence our communicative choices. Though the discussion is based in our linguistic choices, the results of the study reflect trends that are present in countless aspects of society, and the issues that are raised go far beyond the spoken word. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between ease of discussion of sexual likes and dislikes with a sexual partner and religious, expressive, and affectional influences in the family of origin.