Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2007. / Title from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 25, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0749. Adviser: Douglas H. Knapp.

This cross-cultural study investigates the interpersonal perception of parents and young people in Lebanon and Britain. The aims were (1) to compare the students' degree of accuracy in perceiving their parents' opinion with the actual opinions of the parents. Similarly, the parents' accuracy in perceiving their children's opinion is compared with the actual opinions of young people, (2) to assess the students' level of security and find its relationship to accurate prediction, (3) to compare the two generations, the two sexes, and the two cultural groups quantitatively and qualitatively in their attitudes to the various areas of opinion. Using two questionnaires, three different scores were obtained for each student: a security score, an accurate prediction score and an agreement score. The personal security of the student was measured by Ainsworths' Security-Insecurity test. The prediction and agreement scores were obtained using an opinion statement questionnaire administered to both parents and students. By varying the instructions for both groups and by the scoring procedure it was possible to go beyond a mere accuracy score. The findings were as follows: 1. Security and accurate prediction are highly correlated for the Lebanese women students but non-significant for the other three groups (especially after partialling out agreement). Results were explained within the contexts of the Middle Eastern culture and Riesman's theory of 'inner directed society'. 2. Agreement and accurate prediction are highly related only for the Lebanese men and British men students. Various explanations were discussed of which one was found within the theory of cognitive dissonance. 3. Accurate predictions of both parents and children correlate significantly, suggesting the reciprocal nature of accurate perception. A. Agreement and accurate prediction are highly related. The possible effects of 'Real' and 'Assumed' similarity are pointed out. 5. Broadly, the qualitative and quantitative comparison of both generations, sexes and cultures are, with a few exceptions, generally in accordance with expectations. These findings were discussed within the social structure of each culture.

This thesis is an examination of the problems confronting the young mother with small children today. The first section is concerned with methodology. It explains how the choice of subject was made; it describes how the study was designed, and it records how the sample was selected for the survey. The second section provides a historical background by discussing the various changes affecting the position of women in this country, during the last one hundred and fifty years. From the point of view of this survey, three major consequences are noted. 1. The status of women, in relation to men, has risen considerably. 2. The number of roles which women can perform, in society, have increased and become more varied. 3. Women have experienced an extension in the freedom of choice as to which roles they wish to perform. The third section is a discussion of the results of the interviews. These were conducted with forty eight middle class mothers and forty eight working class mothers. All the mothers in the survey were aged thirty or younger, and had at least one child under five. The most important facts to emerge are: 1. Some of the mothers, more particularly the working class mothers, felt themselves to be leading rather isolated lives. 2. At the time of the interview all the mothers saw their childrenas the central focus of their lives; the role of mother took precedence over all other roles. 3. At the same time the majority did not feel entirely at home in this role. Mothers, both working class and middle class, found themselves unprepared for the responsibilities of motherhood, and for the restrictions it imposed on their lives. 4. Both the middle class and the working class mothers had enlisted the support of their husbands in facing their problems. The middle class husband gave his support by co-operating with his wife in extending her interests outside the home and the children. The working class husband gave his support by devoting his leisure to sharing his wife's roles within the home, and participating regularly in all the household activities. 5. Ninety percent of the total sample was planning to work when the children were older. The significant factor here was thatthis return to work seemed an automatic process, the special decision was to remain at home. The wives in both samples were aware of the conflicts between the role of mother and the role of worker. On the other hand the great majority did not feel that a conflict existed between the role of wife and the role of worker. The concluding section considers the findings of the survey against the wider background of the position of women in this country today. It is suggested that mothers with young children have aspecial problem. There is a conflict of interests between the role of motherhood and the many other roles which women can perform today. The inability to resolve this conflict has meant that many mothers find themselves isolated, in a cul-de-sac, cut off from the central activities of society. In conclusion several methods of improving the situation are proposed: 1. A re-analysis of the education of girls. This would take as its starting point the fact that girls will be performing many different roles at different stages in their life. 'Home' or 'Work' should not be posed as mutually exclusive alternatives. The educational process itself should be divided into three stages. 1) School. 2) Further education or training. 3) Re-training for re-entry to work after a period of absence. 2. A re-examination of the roles and capacities of women as workers. In particular retraining schemes would have to be allied closely to work opportunities. Employers too would have to be educated in: 1) the real nature of women's capabilities, 2) the special problems that married women may encounter owing to their domestic responsibilities. 3. The re-direction of mothers and young children, back into the main stream of society. This could be done: 1) by the promotion of organisations parallel to the Parent Teacher Association, which give mothers the opportunity to relate to each other, to their local community, and to society at large. 2) by the general improvement in the facilities which society provides for young children. 3) by encouraging the community to include young children in a whole range of situations, from which, at present, they are excluded. The aim of all these proposals would be to enable mothers with small children to perform their traditional roles as mothers in ways that complemented rather than curtailed their other contemporary roles.

This study's objective was to uncover the role of fathers in constructing the spatial boundaries of their sons' childhoods and providing them access to play spaces, as informed by the fathers' memories of their own childhoods. In order to understand the meanings that fathers attribute to their experiences with boyhood worlds, ten semi-structured interviews were completed with fathers living in Ottawa. The fathers expressed uneasiness with what they perceive to be an increasing level of structure in their sons' play spaces. While most of the fathers attributed this decrease in autonomy to safety concerns for their sons, some fathers noted that organized play is in opposition with their experiential knowledge of boyhood in terms of risk and adventure. The study emphasizes the different ways in which fathers navigate through both societal expectations of good parenting and their understanding of masculinity as they create spatial worlds of boyhood for their sons.

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<p> Crime shows are extremely prevalent in current television programming. The popularity of these shows has created what is commonly referred to as &ldquo;the CSI Effect.&rdquo; This effect argues that crime shows cause viewers to have skewed expectations regarding criminal investigation and prosecution. This research looked specifically at the CSI Effect and how it has affected the way law enforcement officials do their jobs. The purpose of this thesis was to determine if and/or how crime shows have influenced contemporary criminal investigations. This research took a qualitative research approach based on grounded theory. Fifteen, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with individual police officers to examine what influences crime shows have had on their profession. Participants were asked 14 questions related to crime shows and their work experience. Once participant responses had been coded and analyzed, it was determined that police-work is very case specific and officer dependent. Participants acknowledged that each situation they deal with is different than the next; therefore, at times they were unable to provide exact answers to questions. This study found that crime shows do influence law enforcement and contemporary investigation. The type and severity of the influence was inconclusive. Overall, this thesis argues that more research needs to be conducted regarding the impact crime shows have had on current policing.</p>

<p> Researchers have documented that problem gambling has affected families. The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate how the gambling behaviors of an individual affected perceived social support of his or her family members and their financial well-being. This study will be based on a cross-sectional survey of 33 family members of gamblers who resided in Orange County, California. The majority of the participants estimated their family member spent an average of $1,000 per week on gambling activities. Asians and first generation immigrants experienced low perceived social support compared to their non-Asians and second and third generation counterparts. Participants who earned less than $15,000, those who rented, and were single scored low on financial well-being scale compared to their counterparts. Study findings have implications for social and behavioral sciences. The findings aimed to help families, communities and helping professionals to have an awareness of the potential harm of problem gambling.</p>

<p> The subject of this inquiry is the lived experience of the body healing from childhood interpersonal trauma. The questions driving this inquiry were designed to elicit the meaning body-based healing has brought to those who have endured childhood trauma and engaged in healing practices offered by the field of psychology, including both talk therapy and somatic psychotherapy and practices. The literature in psychology reveals scarce studies that privilege the lived experiences of persons who are in the process of transforming childhood trauma. Therefore, there is need for this study which foregrounds the mind, body, and spiritual lived experiences of trauma and its healing, in participant&rsquo;s own words. </p><p> This study brings forth the stories of four participants who experienced interpersonal childhood trauma and also sought body-based healing modalities. Through the perspective of psyche, outcomes of this study were revealed from a deep, reflective, metaphorical standpoint. This theoretical foundation set the stage for the use of the qualitative method of narrative inquiry. Phenomenological analysis of interviews created a first-person subjective point of view into the experience of developing a deeper body consciousness. </p><p> Meaning derived from this study delineated four pathways of healing presented under the refrains of Seeking Healing, What Wants to Live, Living Within Trauma and Healing, and The Awakened Body. From here, the study provides a broader context to the experience of healing that includes the movement from dissociation to awareness in a context of uncertainty. This perspective provides a different consideration of what is happening in the healing process, important for psychotherapists, as well as trauma scholars and practitioners exploring treatments. Most importantly, the outcomes will be of interest to those who are healing from childhood trauma, sketching a trajectory of how body-based therapies and activities potentially transform many aspects of one&rsquo;s life. Outcomes could guide further research related to the intersections of childhood trauma and long-term healing and transformation.</p>

<p> This qualitative research study addresses the gap in literature about the lived experience of counselors working with English-speaking immigrant parents who use physical discipline with their children. A phenomenological design was used to guide this project as a way of capturing the unique meanings of each participant. Relational cultural theory was the framework utilized to present explanations of counselors&rsquo; work with the clients/parents they serve. The researcher interviewed 10 social workers: five were licensed master social workers and the other, licensed clinical social workers who volunteered for the study. The interviews were individually conducted and audio-recorded. Four semi-structured interview questions guided the interview. Each interview was transcribed verbatim, read multiple times, and coded and analyzed by using the computer software, MAXQDA. The three themes emerged from the data analysis were: (a) Counselors&rsquo; Knowledge of Physical Discipline; (b) Counselors&rsquo; Perspectives of Physical Discipline; and (c) Counselors&rsquo; Use of Self. The identified themes were supported by selections of the participants&rsquo; responses. The findings of this study reveal the need for counselors&rsquo; initial and ongoing education and trainings in cultural sensitivity and cultural competence to better serve English-speaking Caribbean immigrant parents who use physical discipline with their children. This study&rsquo;s results were compared and contrasted to existing literature on counselors&rsquo; work and on physical discipline. Implications, limitations, and future recommendations were also discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether or not a father&rsquo;s absence has an impact on how adult daughters view intimate partners and how they choose their intimate relationships. While most previous research focused on the importance of the father/daughter relationship on a daughter&rsquo;s sexual development, there is limited research that reveals the importance of the father/daughter relationship on women&rsquo;s adult intimate relationships. The present study was conducted with 15 adult women who volunteered to participate in the study. The results revealed that father&rsquo;s involvement in their daughter&rsquo;s lives throughout their childhood can influence their intimate relationships in adulthood. The factors associated with father absence during childhood can stay with individuals as they enter into adulthood, which shows the significance for early intervention. Even though most of the participants mentioned having a fear of abandonment and becoming too attached, there is still potential for fatherless daughters to have healthy fulfilling and lasting relationships. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed. </p>