<p>This thesis is a heuristic exploration, from a depth psychological perspective, of the relationship between shame and authentic voice for fatherless daughters living in a patriarchal culture. Literature is reviewed related to a definition of shame and understanding its etiology and psychological effects. Through a depth psychological analysis of the author&rsquo;s personal experience of abandonment by her father, the path toward healing shame is revealed as the capacity to be vulnerable enough to tell one&rsquo;s whole story in the presence of a loving and compassionate witness. This profoundly courageous act is what leads a fatherless daughter from a place of a silenced voice in the face of shame to a place of empowerment through sharing her authentic voice and moving toward psychological liberation. </p>

<p>This thesis explores the potential for soul-making in the prison violence-prevention program known as GRIP&mdash;an acronym for Guiding Rage into Power. The author utilizes hermeneutic methodology to explore the meaning and evolution of the concept of soul-making within the literature of depth psychology. Using heuristic methodology, the author then analyzes what he perceived to be a profound demonstration of soul-making among the members of the GRIP prison group he cofacilitated. The findings indicate that by combining a downward move into the underworld of emotional woundedness and psychopathology with a vertical orientation that includes contact with ego-transcendent archetypal energies, the inmates participating in the GRIP program had an opportunity for deep healing and genuine soul-making. </p>

<p> This study utilized a quality of life framework of psychosocial adaptation to explore relationships among college stress, functional limitations, coping strategies, and perceived social suport in adjustment to college among first-year and second-year undergraduate students with disabilities, based on specific hypothesized relations. College adjustment outcomes included: life satisfaction, academic performance, and psychosocial-emotional adjustment to college. </p><p> A nonprobability sample of 103 first-year and second-year undergraduate college students with disabilities participated in the study. Respondents were registered with an office of support services for students with disabilities at a public, four-year university, located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Respondents were recruited by responding to an e-mail requesting participation in an online, web-based survey. </p><p> Eight self-report measures included: (a) Participant Survey (developed by the researcher to collect socio-demographic information, (b) College Stress Inventory (CSI; Solberg, Hale, Villarreal, &amp; Kavanagh, 1993), (c) Disability Functional Limitations Scale (DFLS) (developed by the researcher), (d) Brief COPE; Carver, 1997, (e) Social Support Appraisals-Revised (SSA-R) scale; Vaux et al., 1986), (f) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, &amp; Griffin, 1985), (g) Grade Point Average-Scale (GPA-S; adapted by the researcher from a self-reported grading scale), and (h) Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ; Baker &amp; Siryk, 1999). </p><p> Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational procedures. Bivariate analysis suggested that all predictor variables (i.e., college stress, functional limitations, engagement coping, and perceived social support) were significantly associated with student adjustment to college. Hierarchical multiple regression suggested mostly direct (i.e., main) effects for engagement coping and perceived social support. No interacting role for either engagement-type coping or perceived social support was suggested, except for the following: Engagement-type coping moderated the relationship between disability-related functional limitations (as measured by increased restrictions in the ability to perform daily routines, activites, and life roles) and adaptation to college, as measured by life satisfaction. Analyses of socio-demographic variables revealed significant associations between chronological age, gender, hours employed, and adjustment to college. Lastly, hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed disengagment coping accounting for as much as 53% of the variance in adjustment scores. This result suggested disengagement coping adding significant predictive utility for adaptation-associated college adjustment. </p><p> In light of these findings, counseling professionals may wish to consider the beneficial role of engagement coping in promoting optimal adjustment to college for lower-division undergraduate students with disabilities.</p>

<p> The study sought to examine the relationship between witnessing verbal marital conflict as a child and behavioral anger responses in adulthood. An underlying premise for the study was that verbal marital conflict could be an underlying cause of developmental and behavioral problems in adults who witnessed verbal marital conflict as a child. Previous studies focused on marital conflict in regards to physical conflict, leaving out verbal conflict. One hundred participants, who acknowledged witnessing verbal marital conflict as children, completed the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS; Novaco, 1994, 2003) and the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale (CPIC; Grych et al., 1992). Participants showed average anger responses and sometimes low anger responses, which did not show significant correlation with exposure to parental verbal marital conflict as children. The findings provided implications for future research which included conducting another study with the same research question, but using a qualitative approach to provide in-depth knowledge on exposure to verbal marital conflict as a child and behavioral anger responses in adulthood, while also using a quantitative approach to examine the behavioral effect. It further suggested identifying the need for person-centered intervention, and enhancing models of skill training for handling anger and relationships.</p>

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.113-125).

<p> Due to being at risk for a number of unfavorable environmental factors (Barcons, Abrines, Brun, Sartini, Fumad&oacute;, &amp; Marre, 2014), adopted children have an increased likelihood of developing social, emotional, cognitive, and attachment issues (Rushton, 2010). Whether adopted domestically or internationally, adopted children are at risk for experiencing socio-emotional difficulties (Dalen &amp; Theie, 2014; Vandivere, Malm, &amp; Radel, 2009; Vandivere &amp; McKlindon, 2010) that can stunt the child&rsquo;s ability to effectively regulate their emotions and connect with others. Adoptive parents may find it difficult to emotionally connect with adopted children who are experiencing socio-emotional difficulties (Dalen &amp; Theie, 2014). </p><p> Adoptive parents can aid their adopted children in learning how to connect emotionally and regulate difficult emotions through <i>emotion coaching </i> (Gottman, Katz, &amp; Hooven, 1996). Emotion coaching is a construct based in a parent&rsquo;s meta-emotion philosophy (PMEP), which is defined as parents&rsquo; thoughts and feelings about their own emotions as well as their child&rsquo;s emotions. Emotion coaching is one of the four PMEPs and is considered the ideal PMEP. Emotion coaching parents accept and validate all of their children&rsquo;s emotions, and views their children&rsquo;s emotional expression as an opportunity to connect with them and teach them how to manage challenging emotions. Researchers (e.g., Ellis, Alisic, Reiss, Dishion, &amp; Fisher, 2013) has shown that children of emotion coaching parents have higher levels of emotion regulation than children of parents with less ideal PMEPs. But how do parents develop their thoughts and feelings about their own emotions and their children&rsquo;s emotions? Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969) may lend some answers to this question. </p><p> Attachment Theory emphasizes the importance of emotional attunement between the mother and infant when developing secure attachment: the ability to form intimate relationships with others (Bowlby, 1969; Gus, Rose, &amp; Gilbert, 2015). According to Attachment Theory, an individual cannot respond to others with empathic attunement unless they have secure attachment (Bowlby, 1969). The very act of emotion coaching seems to require high levels of emotional attunement between mother and child. Bowlby (1969) emphasized the importance of the mother as a primary attachment figure, and so this study will be looking at the adoptive mother&rsquo;s attachment and PMEP. </p><p> Although researchers (e.g., Cowen, 1996; Chen, Lin, &amp; Li, 2012) have made connections between Attachment Theory and PMEP in biological families, they have not yet explored these constructs in adoptive families. Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how adult attachment may or may not influence adoptive mothers&rsquo; PMEP and how adoptive adult attachment and PMEP may or may not influence adopted children&rsquo;s ability to emotionally regulate and attach to their adoptive parent. Because the ideal PMEP is emotion coaching, the researcher measured this type of PMEP only. Adoptive mothers completed questionnaires assessing their attachment, level of emotion coaching, and their view of their child&rsquo;s ability to emotionally regulate. </p><p> Utilizing Pearson&rsquo;s pairwise correlations, the researcher analyzed the relationships between the adoptive mothers&rsquo; level of emotion coaching and her attachment; the relationship between the adoptive mothers&rsquo; level of emotion coaching and her child&rsquo;s emotion regulation skills; and the relationship between the adopted mothers&rsquo; attachment and her child&rsquo;s emotion regulation skills. The researcher discovered that there was a statistically significant negative relationship between emotion coaching and adult attachment; a statistically significant positive relationship between emotion coaching and emotion regulation; and statistically significant positive relationship between attachment and lability. Finally, the researcher utilized a regression analysis to discover that the adoptive mothers&rsquo; level of emotion coaching acted as a mediator between the adoptive mothers&rsquo; attachment and the adopted child&rsquo;s level of emotion regulation. These findings indicated that emotion coaching is an effective method of aiding adopted children&rsquo;s ability to emotionally regulate. Furthermore, the findings indicated that even if an adoptive mother is struggling with attachment, if she is able to learn emotion coaching, she may still have a positive effect on her adopted child&rsquo;s emotion regulation development.</p><p>

<p> Ethnic identity is a major component of the psychological development and well-being of adolescents and adults. In the United States, immigrants are often tasked with balancing their minority culture and a dominant White American culture. This study used the two-dimensional Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) Model to illustrate progression toward an integrated ethnic identity, in which individuals identify with and integrate their minority ethnic group and the dominant group. An integrated identity is achieved at the Integrative Awareness status of the R/CID Model. Individuals at this status are found to possess more psychological resources to cope with psychosocial crises as compared to other statuses (i.e., Conformity, Dissonance, Resistance and Immersion, Introspection). </p><p> The Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) dataset was used to identify three patterns of ethnic identity over ten years, with each pattern capturing varying proximity to an Integrative Awareness status. Participants were all children of immigrants, either 1.5 or second generation immigrants themselves, and had self-identified their ethnic identity at two points over ten years. Each self-identification was categorized as (1) American, (2) Racial/Panethnic, (3) National Origin, or (4) Hyphenated, and was representative of a particular status in the R/CID Model; that is, American was representative of &ldquo;Conformity,&rdquo; Racial/Panethnic of &ldquo;Dissonance,&rdquo; National Origin of &ldquo;Resistance and Immersion,&rdquo; and Hyphenated of &ldquo;Integrative Awareness.&rdquo; Next, a participant&rsquo;s change in self-identification over ten years was labeled as either a change Toward Integrative Awareness (e.g. from American to Hyphenated), a change Away from Integrative Awareness (e.g. Hyphenated to American), or Static (i.e., no change in self-identification). Toward Integrative Awareness, Away from Integrative Awareness, and Static were the three patterns of ethnic identity development. </p><p> Direct discriminant analyses were conducted on a group of participants (n = 2,528) from the CILS dataset to test whether discrimination experience, knowledge of native language, self-esteem, level of education, importance of ethnic identity, and family cohesion distinguished between the three patterns of ethnic identity development. Results revealed two discriminant functions, which in combination, significantly differentiated the three patterns. Correlations between the predictors and ethnic identity development patterns for all children of immigrants in the sample were evaluated. Of all the predictors, discrimination experience had the strongest relationship with the ethnic identity development patterns when the entire sample was considered. Children of immigrants who experienced more discrimination across ten years tended to move Toward Integrative Awareness. The contribution of predictors in distinguishing between the three patterns varied by gender in that both discriminant functions significantly differentiated the patterns for women but not for men. There was also variation across generational status with discriminant functions being significant for 1.5 generation immigrants but not for second generation. No such variation was observed among Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and White racial groups. Results provide insight into the normative ethnic identity development of immigrants and suggest a need for more research and theories that highlight the nuanced experiences of female immigrants and 1.5 generation immigrants. </p><p>

<p> This thesis examined the extent to which rape-supportive attitudinal self-other differences (SODs) predicted college men&rsquo;s willingness to intervene as bystanders in potential situations of rape and sexual assault. The study also assessed the extent to which masculine gender role stress (MGRS) moderated this relationship. The online survey study included 33 undergraduate male students at a large state-sponsored university in southern California. Participants were asked for their attitudes and beliefs about masculinity, rape, and sexual assault, as well as the degree to which they would be willing to intervene against rape and sexual assault. Additionally, the survey asked participants how supportive of rape they thought to be the average male student on their campus. Results from OLS regression indicated that rape-supportive attitudinal SODs significantly predicted participants&rsquo; reported willingness to intervene, such that those with higher SODs reported lower willingness. Results from hierarchical linear regression indicated that MGRS had no moderating effect.</p><p>

My research is a study of the perspectives of resilience by survivors of domestic violence (DV) in three Aboriginal communities. The Executive Directors (EDs) of the women's shelters on these reserves were interviewed, as well as three DV survivors who were identified by the EDs. The meanings articulated by interviewees is intended to provide educators and those in anti-violence efforts with an increased understanding of resilience as defined by Aboriginal DV survivors. The interpretations that were voiced are different from those that are understood according to prevailing Western tradition. Among Aboriginal populations, internally-derived perspectives of resilience, I contend, are foundational in developing curricula aimed at reducing DV and its traumatic manifestations. DV is often deceptively and simplistically construed as the conduct and dynamics of two people within a home. However, my investigative study that includes a comprehensive literature review, exposes the fallacy of this assumption as it pertains to Aboriginal communities: DV has historic origins that are strongly grounded in colonialism. DV is, as well, socially constructed in power hierarchies that sustain patriarchal supremacy, and a devastating social and psychological plague in all reserve communities. My research recognizes that community-based interventions in Aboriginal communities can only be effectively operationalized with the knowledge of the intricacies of colonialism as they pertain specifically to DV. Drawing on traditional beliefs and community principles such as meaningful participation, integration of cultural and spiritual practices, recognition of historical injustices by colonizing forces, consensus-derived decision-making involving women and youth all help inform educational offerings about the actionable content and delivery of resilience teachings. Keywords: Aboriginal, colonialism, domestic violence, resilience, well-being