During the use phase of products, a series of obsolescing factors contribute to why a product is disposed of. Currently the visual state of a product is considered primarily in terms of aesthetic obsolescence which is synonymous with influential factors such as changes in fashion or personal preferences in style. The physical condition of a product is not commonly understood within the context of product replacement and the physical changes due to use are not understood fully. The research contributes to and provides original empirical research findings for the current literature on product lifetime extension, material semantics, the circular economy, emotionally durable design and material culture. Through an initial exploratory study (Photographic Analysis (PA) Study) of previously unexplained types of wear and damage that occur on portable electronic devices a taxonomy of damage (TOD) was established which provided the nomenclature for further studies. The second study (Retrospective Assessment (RA) Study) established the attitudes to wear based on the wear type, location, material and the stage during ownership that the wear occurred at. The RA Study highlighted the differences in the attitudinal responses to differing types of wear and damage and identified the differences in the temporal assessments of wear and damage. A third study (Real Time Assessment (RTA) Study) aimed to confirm or repudiate the findings found in the RA Study. The focus during the study was attitudes to the wear and damage in relation to the differences in materials, the location of the wear and the type of wear and damage was also looked at and led to a fuller understanding of how products and materials are perceived during the use phase; a stage of the product lifetime that is not currently well understood in terms of users aesthetic or cosmetic sensibilities. The final study (Semantic Perception of Materials (SPM) Study) focused on the visual and tactile perceptions of materials. The study established attitudinal perceptions of wear and damage of materials with a quantitative research methodology which has produced a better understanding of material semantics within the context of electronic objects. Through the four studies, discussion topics arose and major findings of the doctoral study were drawn out and seen to be interesting enough for further research and study. These discussions include the importance of including cosmetic obsolescence into the lexicon of product obsolescence and product lifetime extension literature, the differences in the perceptions of materials when they are within the context of a product or being assessed as samples, how differing product contexts affect user perceptions of wear and damage on materials and the potential inclusion of a material wear index that could inform the material selection process that goes further than the technical aspects outlined in current material selection tools and literature.

When children arc emotionally distressed, their capacity for learning is diminished and their self esteem is lowered. Not only is their behaviour often disruptive, reflecting their inner feelings and frustrations, but their health and wellbeing, physical, psychological, and spiritual is affected. Art is a natural medium of expression for children and provides an emotionally distressed child with a means of self expression, enabling an emotional release, an opportunity for self-exploration, and a means of communication which may not be possible through the normal channel of language. An art intervention program was implemented with a small group of emotionally distressed or withdrawn children at an A.C.T. primary school which holds a humanistic/holistic attitude to health and education. The study was undertaken between May and November 1992 in a first grade integrated classroom, where mainstream children are together with special needs children. The object of the study was to examine if art activities in small groups can provide a combination of personal and group experiences that result in a therapeutic change to the emotional health and wellbeing of the participating children.

Darbo tikslas. Įvertinti greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbuotojų darbo organizavimo ypatumus ir streso išreikštumo lygį darbe. Uždaviniai: 1. Įvertinti darbo organizavimo ypatumus greitosios medicinos pagalbos stotyse darbuotojų požiūriu. 2. Įvertinti patiriamo streso išreikštumo lygį greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbe. 3. Išanalizuoti veiksnius, sukeliančius didžiausią stresą, organizuojant greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbuotojų darbą. Tyrimo metodika. 2012 m. atlikta greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbuotojų anketinė apklausa (Kauno rajono Greitosios medicinos pagalbos (GMP) stotis, Alytaus raj. GMP stotis, Prienų raj. GMP stotis ir Kauno m. GMP stotis). Rezultatai. 80,8 proc. respondentų nurodė, kad darbo krūvis būna per didelis ir 76,7 proc., kad dirba ypač sunkiai. Didžioji dauguma respondentų teigia, kad tenka bendrauti su sudėtingais pacientais. 86,5 proc. teigė, kad žino už ką yra atsakingi. Nustatyta problema – kvalifikuotų specialistų trūkumas GMP stotyse, net 42 proc. respondentų teigė, jog specialistų trūkumas apsunkina jų darbą. Tyrimo metu paaiškėjo, kad 73,1 proc. respondentų teigia, jog jų atostogų grafikas yra tinkamas. Daugiau kaip pusė (73,1 proc.) respondentų nurodė visada/dažnai darbo metu jaučiantys emocinį nuovargį. Didžiausią stresą respondentai patiria situacijose, susijusiose su paciento mirtimi, bendraudami su įtūžusiais pacientais, kai iškyla grėsmė sveikatai ir saugumui bei esant netikrumui dėl specializuotų įrengimų funkcionavimo. Išvados... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the study. To determine the characteristics of work organization and the level of stress experienced by emergency health care workers. Methods of the research. In 2012 an anonymous questionnaire survey was done among 350 healthcare professionals at the Emergency departments of Kaunas region, Alytus region, Prienai region and Kaunas city. Analysis of work organization in relation to experienced stress by emergency health care workers was held. 245 questionnaires were filled, which make 70% in total. Results. 80.8% of the respondents claim having overload of work and 76,7% - work extremely hard. The majority of health care workers often encounter difficult patients. 86.5% of the respondents work according to the training received. The problem is the lack of qualified specialists at Emergency medical stations, even 42% of the respondents claim that the lack of specialists complicates the work. The study showed that 73,1 % are satisfied by a holiday schedule. More than a half (73.1%) usually feel emotionally tired. Respondents ofen experience the greatest stress in situations involving patient’s death, communicating with patients when there is a threat to health and safety, and when there is uncertainty on the functioning of the specialized equipment. Conclusions. According to the study, the organization of work is well-planned: the respondents are informed about their duties and responsibilities; work according to the training received and are independent, the... [to full text]

The rational emotive psychology movement has contributed significantly to the development of training approaches to explore the behavioral characteristics and emotional dynamics of full and healthy living. In response, this study was initiated to assess the effects of rational behavior training (RBT) upon emotionally disturbed adolescents in an alternative special education program.

Hold Me Tight: Conversations for Connection is a relationship education program based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT; Johnson 2004), an empirically supported model of couple therapy with roots in attachment theory. Currently, relationship education is mostly provided through skills-based programs with a focus on teaching communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills from the social-learning perspective. The HMT program is different; it targets attachment and emotional connection – aspects central to relationship functioning as identified in the literature. The present study is the first outcome study of the HMT program. The purpose of the study was to examine the trajectory of change for relationship satisfaction, trust, attachment, intimacy, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Couples who participated in this study were from several cities across Canada and the United States. The trajectory for the outcome variables were modeled across baseline, pre-program, post-program and follow-up in a sample of 95 couples participating in 16 HMT program groups. Results of a four-level Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM: Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) analysis demonstrated a significant cubic growth pattern for relationship satisfaction, trust, attachment avoidance, depressive and anxiety symptoms demonstrating no change from baseline to pre-program and improvements from pre-program to post-program. Scores returned to pre-program levels at follow-up. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that the changes from pre- to post-program were significant with a large effect size. We also looked at couples’ reported ability to engage in the conversations from the program and found that mean scores declined from post-program to follow-up. The results of this initial pilot study suggest that the HMT program is a promising alternative to existing relationship education programs with results comparable to skills-based relationship education programs. The decrease in scores from post-program to follow-up suggests that booster sessions following the completion of the program could be necessary to help couples maintain gains. Limitations and areas for further study are discussed.

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and field test a practical program for the mainstreaming of behaviorally disturbed childred into regular fifth-grade classrooms. The 10-day training program emphasized the training of both teachers and peers as therapeutic agents. It focused upon the teachers' behaviors in terms of establishing classroom rules, praising and ignoring, minimizing reprimands, individualizing instruction, and providing ix naturally-occurring reinforcers to the children. The program enlisted the aid of the peers in terms of utilizing them as tutors, models, and as reinforcing agents or therapists. The children were taught to self-monitor their attention to appropriate and inappropriate behaviors and role playing techniques were used. Multiple baseline designs were used to assess the effects of intervention in five classrooms and on the target behaviors of ten children identified as emotionally disturbed. Treatment effects were replicated across students and teachers in three experiments. Substantial reductions in inappropriate behaviors were obtained while significant academic gains in reading and math were fostered. The results indicated that this approach was effective, efficient, and suitable for a variety of elementary classrooms.

This study of recreational therapy was made in order to determine the use of physical education as a therapeutic for the mentally maladjusted student.

No description available.

The current study identified attachment injuries in couples and developed a preliminary model for the resolution of attachment injuries using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). An attachment injury occurred when one partner betrayed or broke the trust of the other in a specific incident and that incident became a clinically recurring theme or stuck-point of task resolution. Couples with attachment injuries were identified by an expert clinician and the researcher. Subjects were couples with moderate to mild distress. The attachment injuries were resolved using EFT, an empirically validated approach to couples therapy. The model (N = 3) was developed using task analysis. Audiotaped segments of "best sessions" of marker events were reviewed by raters to determine change events throughout the therapy process. A rational, conceptual map of expected change was compared to an empirically developed map. The marker events emerged at the assessment, de-escalation, and resolution phases of treatment. Pre- and post-tests measured overall resolution of the attachment injury and process measures identified in-session changes. The results of this study yield a proposed theoretical model of change for couples who sustain an attachment injury. / Ph. D.

Prior research has shown the therapeutic alliance to be positively related to therapeutic outcome in couple therapy (Johnson & Talitman, 2007; Knoblock-Fedders, Pinsoff, & Mann, 2007). It is common for the therapeutic alliance to vary over the course of therapy. Alliance ruptures can be defined as "deteriorations in the relationship between therapist and patient" (Safran & Muran, 1996, p. 447). If managed successfully, these moments of alliance rupture can positively impact therapy (Safran & Muran, 1996; Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). As a result, researchers have begun to develop models of alliance rupture repair to help further our understanding of how this process is achieved in various therapeutic approaches (Aspland, Llewelyn, Hardy, Barkham, & Stiles, 2008; Binder, Holgerse, & Nielsen, 2008; Safran & Muran, 1996). The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary, discovery-oriented task analysis (Greenberg, 2007) in order to develop a model of alliance rupture repair in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a couple therapy approach which encourages emotional reconnection and restructuring of couple interactions developed by Susan Johnson and Les Greenberg (Johnson, 2004). By conducting a thought experiment with four experienced certified EFT therapists, a rational model of alliance rupture repair in EFT was formulated. The rational model was then compared with the analysis of alliance rupture repair sequences during the process of one couple's therapy with a certified EFT therapist to develop a rational-empirical model of alliance rupture repair in EFT. The final model and treatment implications are discussed. / Master of Science