Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wyoming, 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Mar. 6, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-42).

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / An interest in the causes of disruption in disturbed marriages led to the present study which focuses on the area of interpersonal perception in the marriage relationship. Previous work has demonstrated that there are significantly more perceptual disjunctions between partners in disturbed than in non-disturbed marriages. However, prior research did not attempt to relate such disparate perceptions to personality factors in the respective partners ...

Research output indicates that a very high percentage op people with depressive disorders do not improve after a period of two years. One can thus assume that poor identification of the symptomatology and the factors involved in the etiology and maintenance thereof could lead to a generalised diagnosis and a less successful intervention. Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) has explicit criteria for both Dysthymia and Unipolar Major Depression it is sometimes difficult for clinical therapists to distinguish between them because of/due to the symptom similarities. Against this background the question is often asked whether Dysthymia is entitled to an unique diagnostic status. A few international investigations, as well as the preceding study (Smit 1994) have indicated that they are in fact different disorders. Each of these research findings however only focuses on specific areas of these disorders. The main purpose of the present study is however to identify the differences and similarities between the two depressive groups. An in-depth study was done to get an indication of the different comorbid personality and syndrome disorders as well as the unconscious defence mechanisms these patients tend to use. Two hundred and fifty five patients from the TARA, the H. Moross Centre, Weskoppies Hospital and Vista Private Clinic was evaluated. The DSM-IV was used to distinguish between the subjects of the different groups. Thereafter Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale was applied to get an indication whether the chosen patients weren't too little or too seriously depressed, as this could have influenced the results. The patients were then tested with Millon's Clinical Multi-Axial Inventory II to determine their comorbid personality and syndrome disorders. Finally they were assessed with Ihilevich and Gleser's Defence Mechanism Inventory to establish the defence style they usually unconsciously use. The results indicate that both groups tend to have comorbid anxiety and somatoform disorders. The findings also suggested that the Schizoid, Dependent and Borderline personality disorders would be the best indicators/predictors for the diagnosis of Unipolar Major Depression. According to the results the Dysthymic group had significantly higher measures on the Self-Defeating, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Avoidant, Borderline, Paranoid, Somatoform, Dysthymic, Thought Disorder, Major Depressive, Delusional and Aggressive style sub-scales. The best predictors/indicators for the Dysthymic Depressive Disorder are the Anxiety, Drug dependence, Thought Disorder, Major Depression and Somatoform syndrome disorders, the Anti-Social, Self-Defeating, and Schizotypal personality disorders, as well as the Aggressive, Projective, Intellectual, Intrapunitive and Reversal defence mechanisms. The results also indicate that the Dysthymic males had significantly higher measures than the females on 19 of the 27 subscales. The females subjects of the Unipolar Major Depressive group had significantly higher scores than the males on the Dependent and Somatoform sub-scales, while the males of the Major Depressive group had significantly higher scores than the females of this group on the Anti-Social, Aggressive-Sadistic, Alcohol dependence and Drug dependence sub-scales. One can come to the conclusion that the Dysthymic group (especially the males) are much more affected than the Unipolar Major Depressive group. These findings thus support the view that Dysthymia is entitled to a own unique diagnostic status, at least for a South African population. / Dr. A. Burke

No description available.

The Purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the repression-sensitization dimension and leisure preferences, specifically threatening versus nonthreatening physical activity and television program preferences. The hypotheses were that sensitizers would prefer threatening (violent) television programs and threatening (competitive) physical activities to a significantly greater degree than repressors. Sixty college undergraduates were designated repressors, sensitizers, or middle group by their scores on Byrne's Repression-Sensitization Scale. Preference sheets determined subjects' preferences for threatening and nonthreatening television programs and physical activities. Simple analyses of variance revealed no significant differences in repressors', sensitizers', or middle group's preferences for threatening television programs or physical activities, and thus the hypotheses were rejected. Non-significant tendencies in the data, in hypothesized directions, suggest further research.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-129). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The interdisciplinary field of developmental psychopathology has brought considerable organization and clarity to the study of resilience, and it was from this theoretical perspective that the present study was conducted. One-hundred and forty-three preschool children, ages four to six, were recruited to answer two primary questions. First, do resilient (high threats, high competence) children differ from their maladapted (high threats, low competence) and competent (low threats, high competence) peers on measures of potential protective resources (i.e., intellectual ability and parent-child relationship)? Second, what are the mechanisms that underlie the effects of threats to development and protective resources on children's emotional and behavioral competence? To test the first question, differences across groups were examined using categorical, person-based analytic procedures (i.e., ANOVA, MANOVA). It was found that the quality of the parent-child relationship among resilient children was indeed more favorable than among maladaptive children, but resilient and competent children did not differ on this dimension. Resilient children produced significantly higher results on nonverbal intellectual reasoning tasks, but were no better than their maladapted counterparts on verbal intellectual abilities. To explore the second question, variable-based analyses (structural equation modeling) were used to test for hypothesized processes underlying the impact that threats and resources have on competence. The results supported the notion of an adversity process in which threats to development directly and unfavorably impacted children's functioning. Mixed support was found for the compensatory process in which resources directly influenced competence in a manner that compensated for the effects of threats. An indirect, compensatory-enhancing processwas supported whereby intellectual resources contributed to improved parent-child relationship which in turn had a positive influence on competence. The most important finding was the adversity-mediating process. This mechanism indicated that threats to development not only directly diminish competence, but also deleteriously impact resource variables. Likewise, this finding suggested that protective resources are essential in buffering children from the consequences of exposure to threats. Specifically, while the quality of the parent-child relationship did not have strong direct influences on competence, it mediated the effects of threats. Implications from these findings for future research and clinical practice are outlined. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education

This study tested a dissociative model of aggression measurement. Aggression is construed as having two components, each of which is associated more strongly with either implicit or explicit measures of aggression. A videogame based frustration manipulation was used to elicit hostile aggressive responses in the form of hard force applied to buttons. Instrumental aggression criteria were also assessed in the form of honesty in reporting game outcomes, willingness to pause games while believing that pausing could damage the study results, and willingness to use unfair strategies that are also described as damaging to study results. Differential prediction of these behaviors by implicit and explicit measures of aggression supported a dissociative model of aggression measurement.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, Macarthur, Faculty of Education, 1998.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-166).