Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2007 May 25

Thesis (D.Phil (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes abstract in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether adult attachment style, psychological abuse in the marriage, conflict resolution strategies, and gender are associated with relational quality in childless couples in the early years of their marriage. Data were collected from 92 married couples who were recruited from university campuses, churches, and community organizations through e-mails, flyers, newspaper advertisements and mailings. Conceptualizing the interdependence of dyadic data from the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), multilevel linear modeling (MLM) was used to analyze differences within and between couples. It was hypothesized that higher levels of attachment anxiety or avoidance, psychological abuse, and maladaptive conflict resolution strategies would be associated with lower relational quality. Results indicated that attachment avoidance had stronger associations with relational quality than did attachment anxiety, and that higher levels of attachment avoidance were associated with lower relational quality. Additionally, findings indicated a direct negative relationship between both actor and partner psychological abuse and the actor's relational quality. The discussion section addresses strengths and limitations of the present study as well as directions for future research.

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Thesis advisor: Lisa A. Goodman / The term “gaslighting” has become increasingly ubiquitous in popular media, from self-help literature to political analysis (Carpenter, 2018; Sarkis, 2018; Stern, 2018). It is also beginning to gain traction in the medical and mental health establishment. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now includes gaslighting under its definition of psychological aggression (Breiding, Basile, Smith, Black, & Mahendra, 2015). However, empirical research on this topic lags behind popular discourse. There is desperate need for definition clarity and empirical evidence of this uniquely epistemic form of harm, otherwise the term gaslighting runs the risk of becoming vague, diffuse, and almost meaninglessness. Gaslighting in intimate partner violence (IPV) is the original and paradigmatic case of gaslighting (Cukor, 1944; Hamilton, 2015). A small handful of recent studies have investigated gaslighting in this context, and more general psychological abuse literature has hinted at it by other names (e.g. Bhatti et al., 2021; Ferraro, 2006; Sweet, 2019; Tolman, 1992). However, the present study represents the first systematic, empirical, psychological investigation of gaslighting in IPV. Study aims were to illuminate the tactics, effects, and long-term implications of gaslighting in IPV, as well as ecological factors that may influence survivor experiences. Fifteen IPV survivors were interviewed about their gaslighting experiences, and data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive methods. Three clusters of findings emerged: Survivors described (1) the gaslighting process, (2) their long-term responses to gaslighting, and (3) the influence of ecological factors on self-trust. This study represents a substantial advancement in the literature on gaslighting in IPV, demonstrating the validity of a new two-part model of gaslighting, describing survivors’ subjective experiences of self-doubt, and illuminating how gaslighting fits into broader patterns of power and control in IPV. It also provides the first account of what survivor resistance to gaslighting might look like, and how other factors in survivors’ lives may hinder or promote resistance. Implications for research and practice are discussed in the context of study limitations. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

No description available.

Although intimate partner violence is an established societal problem, psychological violence often falls in the shadow of physical violence. Studies have shown that both men and women are exposed to psychological violence to an equal extent, but despite this, men's exposure is not noticed to the same extent as women's. This study investigates the expression of psychological violence, which characteristics of individuals that are exploited by perpetrators and why individuals choose to remain in relationships where they are exposed to psychological violence, and whether the reasons differ between men and women. The results of this qualitative study are based on semi-structured interviews with six individuals, three men and three women who had previously been in a relationship characterized by psychological violence. The study's theoretical framework consists of Hearns view of intimate partner violence and concept of a distant intimacy, Connell and Pearse’s gender theory, Beauvoir's concepts of the other, immanence and transcendence, and Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity. The results of the study indicate that the expression of psychological violence in heterosexual relationships was quiet the same for both our male and females respondents. The difference was that the female respondents felt criticized and derided by their partner. The male and female respondents also attributed themselves with similar characteristics, such as caring, accommodating and emotional. Yet it was only the female respondents who felt like their characteristics were exploited. The reason why the female respondents chose to remain in the destructive relationship was because they got broken down by the violence and formed a position of dependence on the their partners. The male respondents, on the other hand, remained in the relationship due to its difficulties in identifying their partner's destructive behavior as problematic. / Trots att våld i nära relationer är ett etablerat samhällsproblem hamnar psykiskt våld ofta i skuggan av fysiskt. Mätningar tyder på att kvinnor och män utsätts för psykiskt våld i en lika stor omfattning, men trots det så uppmärksammas inte männens utsatthet i samma utsträckning som kvinnornas. I detta självständiga arbete undersöks det psykiska våldets uttryck, vilka egenskaper som utnyttjas och varför individer väljer att stanna kvar i parrelationer där de utsätts för psykiskt våld, samt om anledningarna skiljer sig mellan män och kvinnor. Datainsamlingen utgjordes av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex respondenter, tre kvinnor och tre män, som tidigare varit i en relation präglad av psykiskt våld. Studiens teoretiska referensram består av Hearns (2012) teoretisering av våld i nära relationer och begrepp avlägsen intimitet, Isdal (2001) sju undergrupper av psykiskt våld, Connell och Pearse genusteori, Beauvoirs begrepp den andre, immanens och transcendens, samt Connells begrepp hegemonisk maskulinitet. Studiens resultat tyder på att det psykiska våldets uttryck i heterosexuella relationer var nästintill detsamma för våra manliga och kvinnliga respondenter. Det som skildes var det kvinnliga respondenterna upplevelse av degradering och förlöjligande av sin manliga partner. De kvinnliga och manliga respondenterna tillskrev sig även med liknande egenskaper, som omhändertagande, tillmötesgående och känslosamma. Men det var endast det kvinnliga respondenterna som upplevde att dessa egenskaper utnyttjades. Det som gjorde att de kvinnliga respondenterna valde att stanna kvar i den destruktiva relationen var att de hade blivit nedbruten av våldet och bildat sig en beroendeställning till deras manliga partner. De manliga respondenterna stannade däremot kvar i relationen på grund av dess svårigheter att identifiera problematiken med deras partners destruktiva beteende.

Syftet med studien var att se om psykiskt välbefinnande hos avhoppare från sekter är relaterat till förekomsten av psykiska övergrepp i den rörelse som lämnats samt att undersöka hur avhoppares psykiska välbefinnande ser ut. Deltagare var 57 avhoppare från åtta olika religiösa rörelser i Sverige. De rekryterades huvudsakligen genom hjälporganisationer för avhoppare och deltog genom att svara på frågor via ett nätformulär. Resultaten visade att högre förekomst av psykiska övergrepp, mätt med GPA-skalan, var relaterat till sämre psykiskt välbefinnande, mätt med CORE-OM, vilket var enligt hypotesen. Det fanns däremot inte något samband mellan psykiskt välbefinnande och antalet år i rörelsen eller antalet år sedan avhoppet. Vidare framkom att avhoppare har sämre psykiskt välbefinnande än normalbefolkningen, vilket var enligt hypotesen, där högt riskbeteende var utmärkande. Ett förslag till slutsats är att sämre psykiskt välbefinnande hos avhoppare till stor del orsakas av psykiska övergrepp som förekommit i rörelsen. Vidare indikerar resultaten att vården bör vara observant på riskbeteende hos denna patientgrupp samt att avhoppare skulle vara hjälpta av större kunskap hos vårdpersonal om sektmiljöer. / The aim of this study was to examine if psychological well-being among ex-cult members is related to the extent of psychological abuse in the group, and to investigate the level and characteristics of their psychological well-being. Participants were 57 ex-cult members from eight different Swedish religious groups, who were primarily recruited from organizations for ex-cult members. They participated by answering an internet questionnaire. The results showed that higher levels of psychological abuse, measured with the GPA-scale, was related to lower levels of psychological well-being, measured with the CORE-OM, which supported the hypothesis. On the other hand, no relation was found between psychological well-being and the number of years in the group or the number of years since leaving the group. Furthermore it was found that ex-cult members have a lower level of psychological well-being than the normal population, which was in accordance with the hypothesis, in particular showing an elevated risk behaviour. The suggested conclusion is that low psychological well-being among ex-cult members is to a great extent caused by psychological abuse in the group. The results also indicate that personnel in health care should be aware of risk behaviour among these patients and that ex-cult members would benefit from better insight in cult environments by personnel in health care.

The diploma thesis called " Cyber - bullying in Society" deals with this phenomenon and there Ialso mentioned its related problems such as cyberstallking, luring, video clips, where agressors torture thein victims. My aim is to inform the public with this topical phenomenon.I focus on its types, who the attacker is in these forms of bullying nad who becomes a victim. Additionally, I describe the divisor of cyber-aggresors, the effects on cyber.bullying victims and how the victims can be helped. In the practical part I analyse a case study of a girl, who I met and who became a cyber-bullying victim. I also describe the offender of this crime, I try to define with the help of a professional the investigatoin and subsequent capture of the cyber-aggresor by Czech police. Furthemore I džine the specific development of cyber-bullying in a sekond case and steps taken by the girl's school in order to capture cyber-aggresors and subsequently punisch them. From the analysis case studies I learned that she was tiny and at last kyberšikanována girl Hana (14 ), pupil one Prague ZŠ. The girl was in school the new, because she's out of the original school, to which she didn't like and she was in her bad favor. The girl came from adverse family environment, in which she lived with her mother, stepfather and...

Men who experience abuse in their relationships can undergo emotional hardships, suffer injuries, and can experience various psychological problems. Cultural gender norms create barriers in receiving the appropriate help men need. Large population based studies show that men do in fact experience incidents of physical and emotional abuse yet men are often overlooked in the domestic violence literature. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important societal problem that needs to be evaluated and addressed for both genders, even if women are the primary victims of IPV. This report will present research regarding the prevalence of female-perpetrated abuse and discuss implications within the literature. The impact and consequences IPV has on men will be reviewed as well as barriers men face in getting help. New questions will be posed that need addressing and practical implications will be provided for researchers and mental health practitioners. / text