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Previous research examining the link between parenting and identity have either indirectly assessed a single dimension of parenting or explored the degree of achievement rather than the process of identity development. The present study examines the influence of maternal and paternal parenting behaviors on the identity formation process in late adolescence. Participants (N = 1134), ranging in age from 18 to 25, completed questionnaires to assess their perceptions of parental behaviors and their current identity status. The results indicate an association between maternal acceptance and identity achievement, and moratorium was correlated with lax control and psychological control. Parental acceptance and psychological control were linked with foreclosure, and all three dimensions of parenting were found to be associated with identity diffusion. The findings are discussed from an intervention standpoint as to which specific parental behaviors can protect against the unachieved identity statuses and facilitate the identity formation process. / Master of Science

No / In 2013, the World Health Organization referred to tobacco smoking as an epidemic and a great threat to human health. Despite the obvious exposures from first- and secondhand smoking contributing to illnesses, an increased cancer risk, and death, there is a hidden risk to the next generation(s) from transgenerational mutations. In human populations, paternal preconceptional germ cell damage leading to genomic instability in offspring has always been difficult to evaluate as preconceptional and gestational exposures usually cannot be analyzed independently. Clear indications have been found that the effect of pre- and periconceptional paternal smoking may have been transmitted to the offspring via the spermatozoal genome and epigenome. Hence, cigarette smoke has to be considered a human germ cell mutagen due to its potential of inducing transgenerational DNA alterations in the unexposed F1 offspring of smoking-exposed fathers. For cohort studies, the practice of almost exclusively employing mother–childbirth pairs for the evaluation of lifestyle factors, such as smoking, while excluding the fathers’ contribution has to be reconsidered. Evidence now strongly points to the necessity of including the fathers in order not to miss paternal transgenerational damage in the offspring. This applies for genetic, epigenetic, and other transmissible effects.

This research report presents a pilot study exploring the possibility of applying a Lacanian clinical methodology for analyzing unconscious dynamics in extra-analytic material. This research initially investigates the legitimacy and utility of this endeavour, followed by immersion in Lacanian thinking and the subsequent selection of potentially relevant data sets; samples of extra-analytic textual material. As this stage a recursive interaction between reading Lacanian theory and reflecting on the text is enacted. Five Lacanian concepts are identified (mirror phase, the three orders of the imaginary, the symbolic and the real, as well as the paternal agency). Although these concepts are, in process inextricable from another, they are presented as though discrete entities given that this allows for the foregrounding of different aspects in the process. The interaction between these concepts is considered with respect to Lacan‟s requirement in clinical practice of a tentative preliminary diagnosis of the patient into one of three diagnostic categories; perversion, neurosis and psychosis. Consequently, in a step that mirrors the clinical process, the textual subject of the data sets is tentatively classified as a (Lacanian) psychotic whose characteristic psychic structure is constituted out of foreclosure. Ways of discerning this structure in textual matter outside of the analytic setting are then considered. Four ways are proposed here. These are the unified or unbounded use of personal pronouns; evidence of thinking towards resolution or disintegration; denial or tolerance of difference and fourthly, the manifestation of regressive or libidinal speech actions. These four provide the basis for approaching the analysis of the selected data sets, which consist of carefully selected instances of Jacob Zuma‟s ostensibly unscripted public utterances. It is proposed that the four ways identified can be used in the analysis of other extra-analytic material.

Direct studies of speciation are possible in the superspecies complex of Drosophila paulistorum, which consists of six different semispecies undergoing incipient speciation. Strict maternal inheritance of mitochondria is the most common pattern of mitochondrial inheritance in animals. Here I show that paternal transmission of mitochondrial DNA occurs in the heteroplasmic Orinocan semispecies and is not limited to hybrid offspring. Inheritance of one mitotype is mainly maternal while the other is mainly paternal; a highly unusual pattern of mitochondrial inheritance. I used absolute quantification real-time PCR on DNA extracted from eggs and imagoes from the Amazonian and Orinocan semispecies, as well as hybrids between these two semispecies. In crosses performed between F1 hybrids with a combination of mitotypes not found in any of the parents, no F2 hybrids were acquired. One possible explanation for this is that differences in mitotypes and inheritance patterns of mitochondrial DNA may cause incompatibilities between the genomes of D. paulistorum. This may be one cause of hybrid inviability and genetic isolation between semispecies, a necessary part of the speciation process. This further complicates the story of the ongoing speciation process in the D. paulistorum superspecies complex, which offers much to learn about speciation, mitochondrial inheritance and interactions between multiple genomes in the same organism.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:22:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JULIANA GUIMARAES DE OLIVEIRA GOMES.pdf: 455989 bytes, checksum: fd701621028168ea3115e1a74a625f91 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-14 / Considering contemporaneity, we have been watching an increase of episodes, such as violence, which generally indicates a failure in the process of culturalization /socialization of individuals. The family as a nuclear cell of society has been identified as central to the analysis of this situation increasingly evident. In this sense, it is essential to seek an understanding of relational configurations between parents and children, specifically with regard to the exercise of the paternal role. This study aimed to investigate the exercise of the paternal role nowadays in situations where there is a perception by parents of failure or inability in exercising his/her function of socializing children. For that, a bibliography review was fulfilled contemplating the family settings from the end of the Middle Ages until the actual moment; an exam, anchored in Psychoanalysis, of the process of the psychic constitution of the individual in the interior of the family, the central role of the paternal function and that which has been appointed as its decline or weakening. From the empirical point of view the research makes the observation and analysis of three Brazilian families who take part in a reality show from a Brazilian TV, where parents were in significant difficulty in the process of raising/nurturing children. Are listed the following Motivational Factors: Ideal for Parents (belief in an omnipotent model); Emotional Unpreparedness (immaturity, inability to manage conflict, inability to self-evaluation and reflection), Affective Inclination (fear of loss of love, insecurity, guilt, identification/projection, affective ambivalence). Data analysis was performed by means of observation and detailed examination of the parents speeches considering the Method of Analysis (Bardin, 2009). A general consideration of the results states a decline of parents and not the paternal role nowadays. / Considerando a contemporaneidade, temos assistido a uma inflação de episódios, como por exemplo, a violência, que de um modo geral indicam uma falha no processo de culturalização/socialização dos indivíduos. A família, como célula nuclear da sociedade, tem sido apontada como central para a análise desta conjuntura cada vez mais evidente. Neste sentido, faz-se mister buscar uma compreensão das configurações relacionais entre pais e filhos, mais especificamente no que se refere ao exercício da função paterna. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo a investigação do exercício da função paterna na atualidade em situações onde há uma percepção pelos próprios pais de fracasso ou incapacidade no exercício da sua função de socializar os filhos. Para tanto foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica que contemplou as configurações da família desde o final da Idade Média até o momento atual; um exame, ancorado na Psicanálise, do processo de constituição psíquica do indivíduo no interior da família, do papel central da função paterna e do que vêm sendo apontado como seu declínio ou enfraquecimento. Do ponto de vista empírico, a pesquisa realiza a observação e análise de três famílias participantes de um reality show da televisão brasileira, onde os pais encontravam-se em significativa dificuldade no processo de criação/educação dos filhos. São elencados os seguintes Fatores Motivacionais: Ideal de Pais (crença em um modelo onipotente); Despreparo Emocional (imaturidade, incapacidade de gerir conflitos, incapacidade de auto-avaliação e reflexão), Disposição Afetiva (medo de perda do amor, insegurança, culpa, identificação/projeção, ambivalência afetiva). A análise dos dados foi realizada por meio da observação e do exame pormenorizado das falas dos pais considerando o método de Analise de Conteúdo (Bardin, 2009). Uma consideração geral dos resultados afirma um declínio dos pais e não da função paterna na atualidade.

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Thesis (MA (Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / In recent years, the issue of fathers’ involvement with their families has increasingly gained support and currently more research focuses on fathers’ involvement and what fathers must do to become more involved with their families. The aim of this study was to gain insight into boys’ perception of fathers’ involvement in the lives of boys. The participants were boys in Grade 7 and 8 whose parents are married and who both live in the same house with them. The data of this explorative, qualitative study were gathered by means of focus group discussions. The 18 participants who complied with the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into three focus groups of six participants each. The groups were asked an open question and the discussion was audio-recorded. The group discussions were transcribed, after which the data were loaded onto the Atlas.ti program for analysis. In this analysis technique, related aspects (termed ‘codes’, which are formed by related quotations by participants) are grouped to form families (of codes). Based on the description by Lamb, Pleck, Charnov and Levine (1987) of fathers’ involvement and the qualitative data analysis, content could be given to the families responsibility, accessibility and engagement. The family responsibility, which includes any activities of the father regarding the child’s direct care or arrangements regarding the care of the child, is the largest family in terms of number of codes and quotations. The most prominent code in this family in terms of number of quotations compared to the other codes, is to provide. This is followed by the codes discipline, set right and protect. Accessibility is the second largest family and entails the father being present as well as his availability to his son. The most important codes in this family are talking, to be there for the child and to pay attention to the child. The third family, engagement, includes the experience of caring, direct contact and interaction between the father and his son. The most important codes that emerged in this family are to demonstrate love and to hug. The specific content given to the three components of fathers’ involvement can be applied with success in the development and presentation of parent guidance programmes.

Pathogenic gain-of-function mutations associated with increased paternal age, albeit harmful to embryonic development, are paradoxically enriched in the normal testis. Evidence from previous studies indicates that these so-called paternal age-effect mutations confer a proliferative advantage to the spermatogonia in which they arise, leading to clonal expansion within the normal testis over time. Recently, spermatocytic seminoma (SS; a rare testicular germ cell tumour that occurs mainly in older men) has emerged as a key link between the processes of somatic and germline mutation (Goriely et al, Nat Genet. 41:1247-52, 2009), suggesting that the proposed clonal expansion events can in some cases lead to testicular tumourigenesis. In this thesis, I have used immunohistochemistry to seek evidence for putative clones of cells in the normal adult testis. To address this, a screening approach was developed using markers chosen from analysis of normal testicular tissues and SS. The ontogeny of OCT2 and SSX expression in human testis, from embryonic development to adulthood, identified distinct subpopulations of spermatogonia at different maturation stages. Together, these data reveal the potential of OCT2 as a novel marker of A_dark spermatogonia (human reserve spermatogonial stem cells). In parallel with these observations, two distinct types of SS characterised by differential OCT2 and SSX immunoexpression were identified, providing new evidence for heterogeneity of this tumour. This work provided the backdrop to the detailed immunohistochemical study of normal adult testis by characterising in serial sections the expression of five spermatogonial markers, MAGEA4, SSX, FGFR3, OCT2 and SAGE1, and a proliferation marker, Ki67. Independent sections were screened with predetermined criteria set to identify unusual positively-stained cellular clusters within the seminiferous tubules. Several antigenic combinations previously described in SS were observed in a subset of these clones, suggesting differing genetic origins and a possible link with early events of testicular tumourigenesis. The size (minimum number of cells) of each clonal event was estimated and its correlation with the staining pattern of the molecular markers was investigated. In summary, the data presented in this thesis convincingly identify for the first time the previously hypothesised clonal events in the testis using immunohistochemical markers. My research will pave the way for future work involving genetic analysis of microdissected cells from these putative clones, aimed at identifying the underlying mutational events thought to be present.

Relationships between body dissatisfaction, dieting methods, father absence, and puberty timing were investigated in this study. Participants included adolescent females from Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. Logistic regression results indicated that girls without a biological father in the home were significantly more likely to have an early onset of puberty than on-time or late. Girls who experienced early puberty exhibited higher levels of body dissatisfaction, but didn't use more dieting methods. Early onset girls more likely used dieting methods if their biological father was present than absent; however, no significant difference in body dissatisfaction was shown. A negative relationship with fathers indicated more body dissatisfaction. None of the attained findings were found when the biological mother was absent, and having a stepfather did not seem to matter. Evidence was revealed that fathers play a role in their daughters' view of their own bodies.