Långvarig smärta är ett komplext samhällsproblem som utgör ett stort lidande för de som drabbas. Kommunikationen mellan läkare och patient med långvarig smärta är av vikt för att främja både förståelse och behandling av smärtan men upplevs ofta som besvärlig av både patient och läkare. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att undersöka upplevelsen patienter med långvarig smärta har av kommunikationen vid läkarbesök. Multiple Goals Theory (MGT) utgjorde teoretisk tolkningsram. Data inhämtades genom semistrukturerade telefonintervjuer med personer med långvarig smärta (n = 6) och analyserades med tematisk analys. Resultaten sammanfattades i tre huvudteman och åtta subteman. Huvudtemat kommunikationsmål inkluderar subteman som representerar mål som framstått som viktiga för informanterna; något måste ske, stötta mig och vem är jag med smärtan. Dessa mål kan förhålla sig överlappande eller motstridigt i relation till varandra vilket presenteras under huvudtemat förhållande mellan mål. Slutsatser är att patienter med långvarig smärta ger uttryck för olika kommunikationsmål och upplevda hinder för dessa mål. Dessa hinder verkar bland annat kunna komma ur både konflikter mellan målen och ur kontextuella faktorer.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand how context may shapemultiple goal negotiation. Prior research has focused on identifying variables that influence goal pursuit in general, but little attention has been given to how these principles operate in different circumstances. This study adopted the Dynamic Systems Model of Role- Identity and studied context through an identity lens. The context of the L2 teacher was selected as the focus of investigation, specifically the L2 teacher’s pursuit of speaking in the second language for 90% of instructional time while forming meaningful relationships with students. Fifty six L2 teachers participated. The study was carried out over five phases. In the first phase, data were collected in an online survey targeting teachers’ contextual variables, goal commitment, goal expectancy, self-accordance, job satisfaction, and perception of goal conflict. In the second phase, teachers were divided into groups based on their perception of conflict between the two goals: misaligned, no effect, and aligned. Chi-square analysis and Fischer exact tests were conducted and the only significant difference between groups was the amount of L2 spoken. A MANOVA, followed by univariate analysis found that the groups differed significantly regarding their level of commitment to the L2 goal, and their goal expectancy for forming relationships. In the third phase, a content analysis of the open-ended responses found that context influenced the goal navigation process, that the most frequent approach to resolving conflict was abandoning the L2 goal, that multifinality is contingent on one’s role-identity, and that tension may be conscious or unconscious. In the fourth phase, 14 L2 teachers completed semi-structured interviews, which were used to further explore how role-identity informs goal navigation. Analysis of the transcripts revealed that role- identity has a powerful influence on how teachers manage and construal their goals. In the fifth and final phase, all the data were synthesized, resulting in the implications for researchers, administrators, and teachers. / Educational Psychology

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Recently, sexting has gained popularity in both popular press and academic publications. Despite the prevalence of this communicative behavior, there is limited research that focuses on a theoretical explanation as well as how it can potentially enhance relationships. The purpose of this dissertation was threefold: to utilize the multiple goals theoretical perspective to examine sender goals when sexting, to assess if multiple goals within sexting was associated with relational behaviors and outcomes, and to develop a reliable and valid scale for sexting goals. A two-phase study was implemented. In phase 1, participants provided actual sexting messages they had recently sent to another person, and also provided their goal when they sent that particular message. Participants also answered scales related to relationship, communication, and sexual satisfaction, affectionate communication, and relational maintenance behaviors. Analytic coding was utilized for the open-ended responses regarding message content and goals, and the researcher also used the responses to develop participant- and theoretically-driven scales. Nine themes were identified for the type of goal participants had when sending sext messages. For phase 2, the proposed scale for the multiple goals of sexting was added to the preexisting survey. The researcher coded 204 sexting messages provided by participants as instrumental, relational, or identity goals and conducted multiple regressions to assess how the type of goal influenced each of the five relational outcomes. Multiple regressions revealed no significant associations among multiple goals and outcomes. Finally, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the proposed scale for the multiple goals of sexting. The EFA revealed a four-factor solution and the CFA demonstrated factorial validity for the scale. Post hoc analysis revealed significant associations for the goals from the scale and the relational outcomes. The results of this dissertation demonstrate that multiple goals are utilized in the context of sexting, and that specific goals are important for relational outcomes.

This study examined the experiences of shy, introverted, and apprehensive students in the college classroom. This study was framed by multiple goals theory to discover how these students use nonverbal communication to achieve their task, identity, and relational goals in the classroom. Shy, introverted, and apprehensive students face challenges in the classroom especially when asked to verbally participate or give presentations that their more outgoing classmates may not face. Participants (N = 16) participated in focus groups where they discussed their experiences, perceptions, and feelings about participation in their college courses. Results showed that these students do experience apprehension in communication situations, often avoiding participation when possible, and that they do use nonverbal communication to meet their task, identity, and relational goals in the classroom. Implications for theory and for both students and instructors, limitations, and future directions for research are discussed.

While being physically active is an important and valued goal for many individuals, family, work, school, and friends are also valued aspects of their lives. Many social cognitive theories examine health behaviours in isolation, without taking into consideration the context, or life circumstances, in which people seek to achieve such health behaviours. Examining a single goal-directed behaviour without acknowledging the possible influence of other concurrent goals managed by an individual may oversimplify the self-regulation needed in daily life. The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to examine exercise behaviour in the context of concurrently held, valued non-exercise activities (e.g., academics, family). Relationships between valued non-exercise goals, concurrent self-regulatory efficacy, and physical activity behaviour were explored. Social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework for the three studies conducted. Study 1 sought to discriminate university students whose physical activity level was either commensurate or not with achieving health benefits using social-cognitive predictors. These predictors took into account participants beliefs about the concurrent management of physical activity with other valued non-exercise goals. Results indicated that concurrent self-regulatory efficacy (belief in abilities to self-regulate the management of multiple goals including exercise) discriminated those active enough to achieve health benefits from those who were not active enough. Study 2 used a prospective design to explore potential mechanisms that allow individuals to successfully self-regulate exercise behaviour with other goals during hectic times. Undergraduate students were observed during a 4-week examination period where they faced greater than usual challenges to exercising regularly. Concurrent self-regulatory efficacy was identified as a partial mediator of the relationship between value of an exercise goal and future exercise behaviour, and this effect was stable during this challenging period of time. Study 3 used a randomized experimental design to test the social cognitive theory hypothesis that individuals with greater concurrent self-regulatory efficacy would persevere with exercise to a greater extent when facing numerous exercise barriers than their lower efficacy counterparts. Forty-nine busy working mothers with young children who were exercisers or wanted to exercise comprised the study sample. Participants either high or low in concurrent self-regulatory efficacy were exposed to numerous or minimal exercise barrier scenarios. Consistent with social cognitive theory, when exercise barriers were numerous, mothers with higher concurrent self-regulatory efficacy demonstrated greater perseverance towards achieving their exercise goals, and perceived the concurrent management of exercise along with their other valued life goals as more positively challenging, than did mothers with lower concurrent self-regulatory efficacy. Taken together, these results provide preliminary support for the utility of using social cognitive theory to examine beliefs about concurrent self-regulation of exercise along with other valued non-exercise goals when studying exercise behaviour. Future directions and applications to theory are discussed.

While being physically active is an important and valued goal for many individuals, family, work, school, and friends are also valued aspects of their lives. Many social cognitive theories examine health behaviours in isolation, without taking into consideration the context, or life circumstances, in which people seek to achieve such health behaviours. Examining a single goal-directed behaviour without acknowledging the possible influence of other concurrent goals managed by an individual may oversimplify the self-regulation needed in daily life. The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to examine exercise behaviour in the context of concurrently held, valued non-exercise activities (e.g., academics, family). Relationships between valued non-exercise goals, concurrent self-regulatory efficacy, and physical activity behaviour were explored. Social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework for the three studies conducted. Study 1 sought to discriminate university students whose physical activity level was either commensurate or not with achieving health benefits using social-cognitive predictors. These predictors took into account participants beliefs about the concurrent management of physical activity with other valued non-exercise goals. Results indicated that concurrent self-regulatory efficacy (belief in abilities to self-regulate the management of multiple goals including exercise) discriminated those active enough to achieve health benefits from those who were not active enough. Study 2 used a prospective design to explore potential mechanisms that allow individuals to successfully self-regulate exercise behaviour with other goals during hectic times. Undergraduate students were observed during a 4-week examination period where they faced greater than usual challenges to exercising regularly. Concurrent self-regulatory efficacy was identified as a partial mediator of the relationship between value of an exercise goal and future exercise behaviour, and this effect was stable during this challenging period of time. Study 3 used a randomized experimental design to test the social cognitive theory hypothesis that individuals with greater concurrent self-regulatory efficacy would persevere with exercise to a greater extent when facing numerous exercise barriers than their lower efficacy counterparts. Forty-nine busy working mothers with young children who were exercisers or wanted to exercise comprised the study sample. Participants either high or low in concurrent self-regulatory efficacy were exposed to numerous or minimal exercise barrier scenarios. Consistent with social cognitive theory, when exercise barriers were numerous, mothers with higher concurrent self-regulatory efficacy demonstrated greater perseverance towards achieving their exercise goals, and perceived the concurrent management of exercise along with their other valued life goals as more positively challenging, than did mothers with lower concurrent self-regulatory efficacy. Taken together, these results provide preliminary support for the utility of using social cognitive theory to examine beliefs about concurrent self-regulation of exercise along with other valued non-exercise goals when studying exercise behaviour. Future directions and applications to theory are discussed.

Following each of three major disasters--the financial crisis, the Gulf oil spill, and the nuclear meltdown in Japan--policymakers responded by overhauling the associated regulatory infrastructure. In each case, the response was intended to sharpen the regulator's focus, predicated on the widely held view that asking an agency to satisfy both regulatory and non-regulatory roles induces organizational conflict and impedes performance. In this dissertation, I put this commonly accepted belief about agency structure to the test by analyzing the behavior of regulators also assigned significant, non-regulatory functions. Incorporating data on a broad set of U.S. federal agencies, I first establish that the conventional wisdom holds some truth: Regulators that combine purposes do not perform as well. Even so, through a mix of statistical analyses, formal modeling, and an in-depth study of the former U.S. offshore oil and gas regulator, the Minerals Management Service, I show that assigning regulatory and non-regulatory functions to one agency can, in some cases, still be better than dividing them between agencies. I demonstrate that while the goal ambiguity and conflict introduced by combining roles does impact behavior, overemphasizing this issue misses several important factors affecting regulators tasked with non-regulatory aims. These factors explain both how regulators operate when charged with achieving other goals and why these multiple-purpose mandates persist. First, although the goals may conflict, the underlying tasks supporting these divergent purposes may still require extensive coordination. Second, even within agencies, introducing features that encourage separation between the affected groups can allow regulators to manage ambiguity, but these efforts can simultaneously exacerbate difficulties in achieving synergies generated through Professor Daniel Paul Carpenter Christopher Michael Carrigan close contact. Third, even when the conditions for conflict are present, political and public preferences—and not just internal factors—can play important roles in shaping agency priorities. Fourth, broader social, industry, and environmental shifts can attenuate or accentuate the organizational tension that exists between managing goal ambiguity while encouraging underlying coordination. In sum, only by recognizing roles for a diverse set of forces—operations, organization, politics, and environment—can the existence, behavior, and performance of regulatory agencies that balance non-regulatory mandates be logically explained.

The present study sought to extend goal-setting research by examining the nature of individuals' self-regulation with respect to performance goals while pursuing multiple, simultaneous goals. It was proposed that goal revision and effort allocation would be influenced by goal-performance discrepancies (GPD), causal attributions for factors affecting performance, self-efficacy, and rate of progress toward task goals. Results indicated that GPDs predicted goal revision direction and magnitude, and that controllability attributions moderated the GPD – revision relation. GPD size determined prioritization between tasks, as did self-efficacy. Mixed results were found for self-efficacy moderating the relation between GPD size and task prioritization. Rate of progress toward a task goal generally predicted prioritization between tasks and the amount of exerted effort within a single task. Although many results were not in the anticipated form, they still fit with modern theoretical frameworks associated with work motivation. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. / Master of Science

Cyberbullying, defined as any behavior performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others, is a widespread problem. Bystanders play an integral role in the initiation, maintenance, and prolonged presence of such aggressive behaviors, but have thus far been overlooked in cyberbullying literature. Cyberbullying bystanders are defined in this study as those who witness cyberbullying, either within or outside their personal social network(s) and whose available responses range from inaction to intervention. Operating from a social-ecological perspective and guided by multiple goals theories, this study used focus group methodology and found that cyberbullying bystanders have an impact on perpetration and victimization by way of multiple, distinct goals, which impact their choice of behavioral response. Bystanders’ goals and behaviors served to inform the creation of a cyberbullying bystander typology inclusive of five types: the oblivious/distant bystander, the entertained bystander, the conspiring bystander, the unintentional instigating bystander, and the active/empowered bystander. By allowing a thorough, nuanced understanding of bystanders’ role in cyberbullying, the study has significant implications for communication theory and practical application in the development of prevention and intervention efforts.