Research documents that breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Latina females. The exact numbers are unknown, but studies reveal that Latinas with breast cancer underuse recommended follow-up chemotherapy, decreasing their rates of survival. Although several factors may be responsible, cultural influences are a possible barrier. However, there is a gap in the literature about how culture affects decisions about breast cancer treatment. This focused ethnographic study examined the role of cultural beliefs and perceptions in the decision-making process for Latina women about whether or not to receive chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis. Drawing from Douglas' cultural theory of risk, archived in-depth interview data from 20 Latina breast cancer survivors were open coded into 56 primary codes which were then categorized into hierarchical trees of overarching themes and subcategories. Unique elements of the patterns observed in these data were analyzed and interpreted to explain how culture may influence Latina breast cancer patients to underuse recommended chemotherapy. The results of this qualitative analysis revealed that various cultural factors including social role-related themes, avoidance of information and communication, as well as employment and immigration status influenced the treatment decisions of Latina women. Analysis suggested that these cultural factors influenced both the amount and quality of information Latina women had available to make these decisions, as well as how they processed information to reach their decisions. Results of this study can accelerate social change by drawing increased attention to cultural differences in medical decision making, by informing the communication process between medical providers and their Latina patients, and thus eventually increasing survival from breast cancer among Latinas.

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<p>The conventional study of social change had tended to perceive the values, attitudes, and cultural institutions of non-Western peoples as "obstacles" to the "rational" organization of society. Policy makers, "modernizing" states and "development" agencies have sought to create institutions which would supposedly diffuse values needed to promote rationality. Though this Modernist position has been severely criticized in the last two and a half decades by Dependency, Underdevelopment and Marxist theorists, the critics themselves have not departed from some of the fundamentally Eurocentric premises of Modernism. Despite the recognition of the role played by the historical linkages between the Western Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America in precipitating the condition described as "underdevelopment", it is taken for granted that the desired goal of "development" is the creation of Western type "advanced" societies. The case of the Bassa indicates the dreams and aspirations of the targets of "development", may differ fundamentally from the agendas of governments and development agencies. People in rural communities like the Bassa have their "development" agenda, an agenda informed by priorities derived from their unique historical experiences. Their case suggests that some of the questions development planners and theorists must start addressing are: What do the people themselves want? What are their dreams? What are their visions of the "good life"? In what context(s) are these aspirations formed? Can these be legislated or thought for them by planners and experts? The Bassa case shows that historical experiences are processed and reconstructed through cultural reference points and go on to inform a community's sense of "Who we are" "What is good for us" and "What we want". As communities transform their consciousness and behaviour patterns, new identities emerge. These identities become the instrument for the bestowal of roles in relation to the definition of their sense of "our problems". For the Bassa, struggling for power with their neighbours has involved reformulating the meaning of being "Bassa" in the late 20th century. Assailing "community-powerlessness" has meant developing new definitions for age-old institutions and reinterpreting the value of formal education. Their story shows culture is not the "iron-caged debris" of bygone ages. Rather, culture is as alive as the human beings who create it and for whom it is a reference point for action. The Bassa experience suggests culture is a dynamic sense of collective history and "group consciousness" which is transformed as new challenges to survival emerge.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>An exploratory, action research approach was used with adult Karen-Refugees (n = 26) separated by sex (male/female) in focus group sessions. The aim of the study was to explore a cultural-, context-specific definition of resilience and the factors that may contribute to resilience in resettlement using an ecological framework. In vivo coding techniques were used resulting in several themes. Results suggested a definition of resilience that encompassed a sense of gratitude, positive outlook, and resourcefulness; demonstrating a strong work ethic and perseverance, and moving towards a sense of community and belonging. Factors contributing to resilience in resettlement include language and availability of resources, the importance and value of education, the availability of other resources in the community (e.g., employment), a supportive civil society, special care for the elderly, and opportunities for the exhibition of cultural- pride, and preservation, which lead to a sense of community and belonging. Implications for prevention and intervention services are discussed along with contributions to literature pertaining to international psychology, resilience, and refugee research.

<p> &ldquo;Heartbreak and Precipitation&rdquo; confronts an affective position that in its articulation and representation defeats and defines the limits of its possibility. Performing a theoretical ethnographic position, voice, and imagination, the work/labour of the project is trying to navigate itself successfully (ethically) through the affective, class, and aesthetic registers it crosses in the cities its finds itself in as it makes sense of them as spaces and has them come to be as objects of knowledge. As cartographic method, it tries to find itself from the inside by marking out a range of texts &ndash; from Benjamin&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Arcades Project&rdquo;, Marx&rsquo;s &ldquo;Capital&rdquo;, to C. W. Mills &ldquo;On Intellectual Craftsmanship&rdquo; &ndash; these knotted up with fields of artifacts such as Red Wing boots, Dial liquid hand soap, non-dairy coffee creamer, and a roomful of palm trees; together a speculative mapping of affective territories with well contained limits of potential and possibility.</p>

<p> The purpose of the grounded theory study was to understand and explain factors affecting the well-being of Korean MKs studying at universities in America. While various factors emerged from the data, three categories of factors dominated the three distinct stages of the MKs&rsquo; adjustment process: financial factors, social factors, and spiritual factors. Even though all three were present throughout the three stages, the factors manifested themselves differently in each of the stages. </p><p> In the early stage, a plethora of negative factors permeated the Korean MK&rsquo;s life. Negative factors outweighed positive factors all three main categories: financial, social, and spiritual. Additional negative factors also hindered Korean MKs&rsquo; adjustment in America. </p><p> In the middle stage, positive financial, social, and spiritual factors increased, and negative financial, social, and spiritual factors decreased. The financial, social, and spiritual factors interacted dynamically, resulting in a net gain in positive influences over negative ones. The major distinction at this stage was that social and spiritual factors have a greater impact on Korean MKs&rsquo; lives than did financial factors. </p><p> In the later stage, financial factors rarely affected Korean MKs deeply. Moreover, by this time they had cultivated continuous and mature social relationships, and their spirituality and faith continue to improve. Above all, most of the MKs testified that their relationship with God was the most important thing in their lives because it affected every part of their life (e.g., friendships, studies, physical and even mental health). Overall, most of the Korean MKs had entered a state of well-being.</p>

<p> This thesis used group and individual interviews to collect and study discourse produced by both self-defined heterosexual and self-defined homosexual males, living in a socially progressive region of the United States, in order to evaluate how the male subjects appease male gender expectations, as is still socially expected today, while also abstaining from expressing homophobia, as is also expected today in such environments. While the analysis suggests that self-defined heterosexual subjects in this research indeed produced hegemonic, discriminatory utterances toward the homosexual and female community, a positive aspect of this discrimination is the fact that the same males who produce utterances in line with homophobia often do so in a way that is indirect and even seemingly unintentional due to a proposed lack of understanding. Implications and suggestions derived from this research thus include a need for more education and awareness in the areas of gender, sexual orientation, and particularly the subtleties of discursive forms of discrimination and dominance that maintain hegemony and victimization even in more progressive locations in space and time.</p>

<p> Research has demonstrated that gossip meets many social and individual needs and serves several functions, often conflicting in the literature. The current study focused on examining the experiences of mothers as they publicly share and privately consume celebrity gossip to better understand celebrity gossip's functions. Motherhood is a demanding role filled with uncertainty and information seeking, as mothers seek to understand what constitutes a "good mother." Given that mothers may selectively seek and expose themselves to content to gain information, reduce uncertainty and to find validation they are a "good mother," this study revealed that participation in celebrity gossip plays a functional role by meeting both social and individual needs in these mothers' lives. Of particular interest however, was the exploration of the relationship between the public sharing and private consumption of celebrity gossip. Three focus groups and six individual interviews were conducted with mothers who enjoy sharing and consuming celebrity gossip. A Grounded Theory approach was used to analyze the data, revealing eight emergent categories. The study found that while celebrity gossip does meet social and individual functions, the process is also more complex, involving a simultaneous interaction taking place when mothers publicly share and privately consume celebrity gossip. </p>

<p> This inquiry has engaged master dowsers in conversation about their lived experiences with the practice of dowsing, how it has affected and influenced their lives. The history of dowsing, including its folklore, master dowsers throughout history distributed across numerous countries, is offered as contextual background of the lineage to which these individuals belong. Controversies regarding the validity of dowsing and how it functions are discussed. The multitude of tests of dowsers and dowsing are described. Mindfulness practice is explored as a bridge to the dowsing mind state. It is hoped that the information and insight gleaned from this inquiry will support the hypothesis that students will benefit by learning dowsing skills to enhance and expand their mental and emotional capacities.</p>