Feeling that a partner is responsive to one’s needs is crucial to intimacy (Reis, Clark, & Holmes, 2004). Just as the well-known expression, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” suggests that people who voice the most complaints elicit the most support from others, existing theory and research suggest that the more one expresses one’s emotions, the more one’s partners should behave responsively—with caring, understanding, and validation (Reis et al., 2004; Reis & Shaver, 1988). However, I suspected that when a person frequently expresses negativity, individual negative disclosures seem less diagnostic of true distress, and thus elicit less responsiveness from partners. Building on Biernat, Manis, and Nelson’s (1991) shifting standards model, I predicted that people use person-specific standards—taking into account the expresser’s typical (baseline) level of negative expressivity—when interpreting a close other’s negative disclosures. Results of six studies employing both correlational and experimental methods supported the hypothesis that people who frequently express negativity may have the severity of their distress underestimated and elicit less concern and responsiveness from their partners when they make negative disclosures. These findings provide insight into why even close relationship partners may fail to behave responsively to each other’s negative disclosures.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from file title page. Kenneth B. Matheny, committee chair; Yiu-Man B. Chung, William L. Curlette, Gregory L. Brack, committee members. Description based on contents viewed Aug. 20, 2009. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-46). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed June 14, 2010) Julia Perilla, committee chair; Roger Bakeman, Gabriel Kuperminc, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-94).

Thesis (M.P.H.)--Georgia State University, 2009. / Title from file title page. Monica H. Swahn, committee chair; John Beltrami, Stacy L. DeJesus, committee members. Description based on contents viewed Nov. 12, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-83).

Bakgrund: Med en allt äldre befolkning ökar andelen som insjuknar i demenssjukdom. Demenssjukdom påverkar en rad kognitiva förmågor. I ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv är alla individer delar i ett större sammanhang. En parrelation utgör ett litet men tätt förbundet system. Drabbas ena hälften av sjukdom kommer det också påverka den andra. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa erfarenheter av att vara partner till en person drabbad av demenssjukdom. Metod: Metoden som användes var en systematisk litteraturstudie. Sökningar efter litteratur gjordes i de tre databaserna: Cinahl, Pubmed och Psykinfo. Utvalda relevanta artiklar kvalitetsgranskades och analyserades. Resultat: Tre teman framkom: Att lära känna sjukdomen, Förändrad relation och Att separeras. Huvudsakligt resultat visade på svårighet att acceptera och förstå sjukdomen. Partnern sökte kontroll över situationen, framtiden tycktes osäker. Ett växande ansvar gjorde att partnern alltmer uppfattade sig som en vårdare. Relationen förändrades när de inbördes relaterade föreställningarna inte längre kunde upprätthållas. Att separeras var förknippat med känslor av skam och tomhet. Det medförde också att ett förhållningssätt gentemot vården utvecklades. Slutsats: Demenssjukdom påverkar i stor omfattning den sjukes partner. Kan ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv förankras i vården kan de välfungerade delarna i ett system lyftas fram. En partner till en demenssjuk person är därför att betrakta som en expertresurs.

This investigation included two studies that examined the perspectives of support recipients (Study 1) and support providers (Study 2) regarding the context of social support seeking due to a violent or non-violent conflict with a romantic partner. Study 1 participants (78 female, 78 male) and Study 2 participants (73 female, 89 male) identified predominantly as European-American (48.1% in Study 1 and 50% in Study 2) and African-American (36.5% in Study 1 and 38.9% in Study 2). Social support responses were measured with Ullman's (2010) Social Reactions Questionnaire (SRQ). Results revealed that many of the expected differences in social support reactions by gender, ethnicity, and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization status were not supported. However, this investigation found a gender difference in the emotional support response, where females provided (F (1, 290) = 13.11, p < .001, partial η2 = .04) and received (F (1, 133) = 15.68, p < .001, partial η2 = .11) higher emotional support more frequently than males. When social support was provided to IPV victims, support providers reacted with egocentric support responses more often (F (1, 122) = 9.53, p < .003, partial η2 = .07) than when providing support for individuals not experiencing IPV. A comparison of Study 1 and Study 2 revealed that support providers (Study 2 participants) provided emotional support (F (1, 290) = 7.79, p < .05, partial η2 = .03), treating differently (F (1, 290) = 9.51, p < .01, partial η2 = .03), distraction (F (1, 290) = 10.09, p < .01, partial η2 = .03), taking control (F (1, 290) = 21.56, p < .001, partial η2 = .07), and tangible aid (F (1, 290) = 9.92, p < .01, partial η2 = .03) more frequently than support recipients (Study 1 participants) received. Regarding helpfulness of support responses, one difference emerged whereby female friends who provided distraction responses were viewed as more helpful than male friends who distracted (F (1, 50) = 9.40, p < .01, partial η2 = .16). This investigation suggests that gender, IPV victimization status, and type of participant (support provider, support recipient) are variables that impact social support during a conflict with a romantic partner. Measurement issues regarding the SRQ limited the ability to determine the helpfulness/harmfulness of social support reactions. Future research is necessary to continue to investigate the types of social support that are considered helpful when disclosing conflict with a partner.

Title: Personal and professional transformation during the four years of study at the Academy of Performing Arts. I choose a few important moments year after year, with emphasis on the role that shaped me during the study, confront ourselves with the experience and knowledge that the school gave me, and I think the importance of studying acting, I really should

abstract: Research has demonstrated that intimate partner violence (IPV) plays an important role in relationship satisfaction. Consistently, the research has indicated a negative association between the prevalence of IPV and relationship satisfaction (Cano & Vivian, 2003; Hotaling & Sugarman, 1990; Vivian & Langhrinrichsen-Rohling, 1994); however, more recent research has provided evidence of higher relationship satisfaction when IPV is present (Frieze, 2005; Hamby & Gray-Little, 2000; Williams & Frieze, 2005). There has been less emphasis placed on uncovering possible explanations for this inconsistency. Some researchers have suggested that victims find ways to rationalize their offender's behavior (Ackerman & Field, 2011), do not consider themselves victims of violence (Hamby & Gray-Little, 2000), or even fail to identify physical violence as IPV (Ferraro & Johnson, 1983) in order to maintain their desire to feel satisfied in their relationship. There is a need for additional research to understand why an individual might report higher relationship satisfaction when IPV is present in her/his intimate relationship and attempt to uncover underlying, contributing factors of IPV. This study sought understanding of the potential mediating role that idealization, the overly positive illusions of a partner or the intimate relationship (Murray, Holmes, & Griffin, 1996a; 1996b), may play on the association between IPV and relationship satisfaction. Additionally, gender was examined as a potential moderator between the predictor and outcome variables as IPV research has consistently documented the need for greater gender symmetry within this topic. One hundred and fifty-two adults (75 males and 77 females) who were currently involved in an intimate relationship (e.g., dating, engaged, married) or had been within the past 12-months completed a survey that assessed IPV, idealization, and relationship satisfaction. Three types of IPV were measured for the purposes of this study (i.e., psychological aggression, physical assault, and sexual coercion), and each was analyzed separately. Results indicated that idealization served as a mediating variable in the relationship between IPV and relationship satisfaction for all three types of IPV. Gender was not found to moderate the relationships for any of the three types of IPV and relationship satisfaction. Limitations, implications, and future research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Counseling Psychology 2018

Intimate partner violence is a prevalent problem throughout the world and is associated with significant physical as well as psychological impairment for women. Few studies are available to fully illuminate which interventions are most beneficial in healing and empowering women after their experience of violence in an intimate relationship. Although many traditional as well as creative approaches (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy or Creative Arts Therapies) are used in practice, much of the work with survivors is not grounded in empirical research. In the present study the effects of Art Therapy in comparison with Person-Centred Therapy and routine intervention without additional therapy have been measured by quantitative as well as qualitative means. Measures of self-efficacy, self-esteem, depression, symptoms of PTSD and general psychological well-being were administered to a sample of survivors of intimate partner violence at baseline, end-oftreatment and follow-up. Therapy experience has been the focus of one-on-one interviews with participants. In general, all intervention groups improved on most outcome measures at follow-up. Participation in either of both therapeutic interventions in addition to routine care, however, contributed to improvements in difficulties related to phobic anxiety and impaired self-reference. Art Therapy was particularly effective in improving general psychological wellbeing and in particular self-efficacy, self-esteem, depression, somatic problems and several debilitating symptoms of PTSD.