Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) maintains that children's early experiences with primary caregivers evolve into internal working models which shape beliefs about the availability and responsiveness of others and worthiness of the self. These models, also called attachment styles, guide individuals' emotional and relational behaviors, particularly in times of stress. Research with adolescents and adults has demonstrated that individuals with different attachment styles cope with and adapt to stressful situations in different ways. The present study investigated the role of attachment in the coping and distress levels of 196 adolescents whose parents are living with or have died from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Attachment style was measured as both a continuous variable on the dimensions of anxiety and avoidance and as a categorical variable of four discrete styles—secure, preoccupied, dismissing and fearful When baseline perceptions of parental care and protection, disruption in maternal caregiving, gender, and ethnicity were controlled for, adolescents who had high levels of attachment anxiety were more likely to use all types of coping strategies and have higher levels of mental distress than those with high levels of avoidance or those low on both avoidance and anxiety. Females who displayed a fearful style of attachment (ie., high on both anxiety and avoidance) were less likely to use adaptive coping strategies. Contrary to expectations, securely attached adolescents did not report more adaptive coping strategies than insecures. The use of ruminative and distancing coping strategies partially mediated the relationship between attachment and the level of distress. There was no differential effect of bereavement on attachment styles. Among bereaved adolescents, those who were living independently evidenced more attachment avoidance than those who had a caregiver and those who perceived their caregiver as warm and caring reported less grief than those who did not. Implications, suggestions for future research and limitations are discussed.

A relationship was predicted between identity and depth of involvement in sexual activity. According a theory of identity development, people with weak identities should feel threatened by the empathy and suspension of identity characteristic of deep sexual involvement. In contrast, people with strong identities should feel free to be more deeply involved in sexual activity. Marcia's ego-identity statuses were used as predictors of frequency of nonnormative sexual activities, the reasons for engaging in sexual activities, sexual conflict, and the affective quality of sexual encounters. The Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status was used to assess the identity statuses of 25 female and 19 male sexually active college students. These students then documented their interpersonal sexual behavior over four weeks with forced-choice diary entry forms. Largely consistent with the hypotheses, subjects in the moratorium identity status, when compared to nonmoratorium subjects, showed greater tendencies to avoid deep involvement in sex or with their partner, but also had greater tendencies to express themselves sexually. The exact relations between identity and sexual practices depended on domain of identity crisis. An interview of the subjects designed to assess the subjects' identity statuses in the sexual domain categorized almost all subjects as foreclosed, although most subjects reported changes in their sexual preferences, standards, and behaviors over the past few years. Apparently, sexual identity development does not involve conscious and rational evaluation of alternatives, as is the case for vocational or ideological identity development, nor does sexual identity evolve from declarations of norms by authority figures or peers. The standards of students are based on their emotional reaction to past experience. These emotions draw from the students' beliefs that sexual activity symbolizes either mutual love or mutual debasement. By their actions towards each other, particularly after an episode of sex, the partners approach a consensus on which of these meanings the sexual activity symbolizes. Through this process, students unwittingly socialize each other toward a common sexual standard.

An empirical study was performed to test two explanations of changes in beliefs following from major life events. On the one hand, Cognitive-experiential Self-theory would predict that, in the aftermath of major life events, individuals go through a personal process of adjusting their basic beliefs about self and world on the basis of what they have experienced. On the other hand, script theory and social constructionist thought would predict that the well socialized individual has prior knowledge of the changes in cognition that should accompany any major life event. According to these approaches, when the event occurs, the individual undergoes the very changes he or she already knew one should undergo. Reports of actual and hypothetical experiences of seven major life events by 272 undergraduates indicated that for six of the seven events those who had and had not experienced the event had virtually identical understandings of the effects of the event. For the seventh event, sexual abuse, a coherent pattern of differences between the reports of those who had and had not experienced the event was found. The results were interpreted as largely supporting the script and social constructionist position. The contribution of personal experience to socially held scripts was also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to determine if persons with a history of chemical dependency have personality traits that differ from a norm group and to determine if personality traits are associated with the perceived level of recovery facilitation. Thirty-one subjects volunteered to fill out the research instruments (16 Personality Factor Questionnaire and a Self-Rated Perceived Level of Recovery Facilitation Scale). The results indicated that persons with a history of substance abuse are significantly more cool, shrewd, dominant, and undisciplined in self conflict, than the norm population. The sample population was also found to score more toward the constructs: abstract thinking, suspicious, apprehensive, self-sufficient, and tense. No correlation was found between self-rated levels of recovery facilitation and personality traits.

Research examining personality trait profiles for adolescent offenders is scarce. The occurrence of juvenile acting-out behavior is on the increase. This study was a pilot to explore means of scores for personality traits. This project looked at the means of responses of 60 delinquent adolescent males to a self-report personality questionnaire, the Comrey Personality Scales. Most members of this multi-cultural Sample were gang-related and were charged with felonies. They were sent to VisionQuest, a juvenile placement. The average age was 17 years 3 months. The means for this group were significantly different from the norms of the standardization sample. The obtained mean score on each trait continuum was discussed. The results suggested serious discouragement and emotional disturbance in these children. Suggestions for use of the profile to identify at-risk youth prior to delinquent activity were made.

Childhood sexual abuse has many long term impacts upon women. Abuse can impact the area of self-schemas including possible selves and self-efficacy. Adult women who had not been sexually abused as children (n = 36) were compared with adult women who had been sexually abused (n = 17). The Possible Selves Questionnaire and The Self-Efficacy Scale were used to determine impact of past abuse. Women with past abuse had higher negative now selves when compared to women without abuse but also had greater probable positive selves. No difference was found for self-efficacy. There was a significant correlation between self-efficacy and possible selves. However, very little correlation was able to be obtained from this sample for abuse factors with possible selves or self-efficacy.

The purpose of this research was to explore concepts and perceptions in the area of visual resource management via geographic information systems. A scenic assessment of Interstate 17 was conducted, then a digital database was built for a subset of the study area. Theoretical frameworks were explored and expanded. Review of the current literature resulted in a methodologically alternate conceptual model which utilized spatial analysis. After checking for issues of validity and accuracy, data visualization products were developed which aided in understanding the procedures and results. The results showed that given the readily available data an automated scenic assessment was not currently feasible.

<p> Factor H is a newly identified phenomenon which describes a constellation of attributes of the new graduate nurse reflecting personality traits, intellectual abilities, and clinical judgment. In a previous pilot study conducted by this researcher nurse managers and experienced Registered Nurse (RN) preceptors described characteristics demonstrated by new graduate nurses demonstrating Factor H and the new graduate nurse's ability to transition quickly and successfully into the RN role in the acute care environment. There is currently no instrument available to measure this phenomenon. The specific aim of this research was to develop and psychometrically test a scale designed to identify the presence of attributes of Factor H in the new graduate nurse. The Sims Factor H Assessment Scale (SFHAS) was developed and piloted with a sample of one hundred one new graduate nurses within three months of completing the their nursing program at one of three nursing schools in central and south central Indiana. Evidence of content validity was demonstrated through the use of the Content Validity Index conducted with a panel of four experts. Evidence of face validity was demonstrated through interviews with a group of new graduate nurses, nurse managers, and experienced RN preceptors. Principle Axis Factoring with Varimax rotation was used to demonstrate evidence of construct validity and the scale was found to have a single component which was identified as nursing personality. Evidence of criterion-related validity was demonstrated utilizing analysis of the SFHAS and the criterion scale for personality traits (NEO-FFI). Evidence of internal consistency reliability was demonstrated through analysis of inter-item correlations, Cronbach's coefficient correlations, and item-total correlations. Test re-test reliability using interclass correlation was also conducted to demonstrate stability of the scale. The SFHAS was found to be reflective of nursing personality and not general mental ability or clinical judgment. Use of the SFHAS will allow organizations to evaluate the nursing personality of the new graduate nurse for fit into the work environment. Further study is recommended to gain clarity around the attributes which support successful transition of the new graduate nurse into practice in the acute care environment, also known as Factor H.</p>

<p> Clothing serves as material evidence of the mental space we occupy. My designs are inspired by the man-made landscapes that surround me and I apply those patterns to the landscape of the body.</p><p> Like graphic design, fashion is a medium employed to convey messages and ideas. It is an expression of identity that is established through color, form, pattern and texture. My work seeks to synthesize human geography with graphic design in order to clothe the body and thus, fabricate identity.</p>

Objectives. This thesis aimed to examine a series of personality and cognitive factors as prospective predictors of suicidal thinking and psychological distress. A secondary objective was to examine any causal relationship between rumination and attentional biases. Method. In order to achieve the above objectives, a series of four studies were conducted. Studies one and three were prospective studies, using analogue samples, to examine the role of personality and cognitive factors in distress and suicidal thinking. In addition, study one also investigated the effect on attentional bias of manipulating rumination. Study two was an experimental study in which two different methods of manipulating attentional bias were piloted. The final study in this thesis employed a clinical sample of general hospital parasuicide patients to investigate whether relationships between personality and cognitive factors were replicable in a clinical population. Results. The personality and cognitive factors understudy were investigated within a research framework to examine their interactive effects. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed a number of moderating and mediating relationships between these personality and cognitive factors to prospectively predict both suicidal thinking and psychological distress. In addition, rumination was found to have a causal influence on positive attentional bias. Conclusions. Evidence from this thesis links personality and cognitive factors to both suicidal thinking and psychological distress in a series of moderating and mediating relationships. These are discussed in relation to the possible theoretical and clinical implications.