Past work has linked psychological trauma to problems in romantic relationships and to the quality of social attachment in clinical populations and adult married couples. Little work has focused, however, on late adolescent dating relationships or community samples. Further, no studies have evaluated the extent to which specific behaviors mediate the relation between trauma and relationship quality. The current study evaluated the relation between trauma and relationship quality in a sample of 199 18-21 year-old opposite-sex dating couples. This study also evaluated whether secure base behaviors (i.e., attachment processes) partially mediated the relation between psychological trauma and couples' ratings of perceived relationship quality. While the mediating model was not supported, the relation between trauma and relationship quality was supported in this sample. This finding extends previous work with adult married relationships and clinical populations by demonstrating that higher levels of trauma exposure and symptoms in a community sample of late adolescent couples is associated with negative perceptions of relationship quality. Future directions for developmentally sensitive approaches to the study of trauma and relationships are discussed.

Purpose of the study. Although the use of intuition has been ongoing throughout history and documented in the literature, we do not really know how people actually experience and use their intuition, and consequently there is little information about how to nurture and develop the process. The purpose of this study is to discover how intuition is accessed, used, confirmed, understood, nurtured, and developed. The nature, process, and experience of intuition are explored in order to create a better understanding of this way of knowing. Personal narratives elicit information about how one knows intuitively, responds to and utilizes this information, and develops this inherent ability. Methodology. A qualitative research method was employed to initiate an exploratory, phenomenological investigation. In the traditional approach of the cognitive anthropologist, in-depth interviews were conducted as carefully guided conversations to allow the participants to fully express and explore their own experience, world views, and belief systems. From the interviews, profiles were constructed and subsequently examined by using the technique of content analysis. Information, presented in the profiles, was qualitatively analysed and interpreted to identify domains of understanding and specific dimensions of the intuitive experiences. Results and conclusions. Seven dimensions of the intuitive experience were identified as significant areas of interest and concern. Examining the dimensions of access, response, use, confirmation, meaning, development, and constraints provided the format to compare and contrast the participants' experiences, understandings, and beliefs. The themes of trust and source of intuitive information were elucidated. The full experience of intuition as a gestalt was explored to better understand the essence of the intuitive experience. The participants articulated many ways they use intuition, identified ways they nurture it, and speculated about ways they can further develop it. The participants gained expanded insights into their own process and experience, while generating information that has far reaching implications for further study. They found intuition intrinsic in developing interpersonal relationships, communicating caring, reaching meta-levels of understanding, making decisions, and creating meaning. Sometimes surprised, they spoke of the pervasive use of intuition at the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of awareness.

Research in human factors engineering has recently begun to focus on the role of computers and powerful graphics display technology as a means for enhancing the information processing abilities of the human decision maker. This experiment evaluates different display formats (ranging from an integral polygon display to a separable digital display) for presenting system data in a process control task that requires diagnosing system state. The effect of both system state uncertainty and data reliability on classification performance (response time and accuracy) across the different display formats are explored. System state uncertainty was manipulated by creating instances within each system state that systematically vary from the system state prototype. Data reliability refers to the diagnosticity of each of four system cues. Highly significant performance differences emerged across the different display formats, uncertainty and data reliability conditions. Perhaps even more noteworthy, however, were the findings relating to individual differences in classification strategies used by operators across all display conditions. These findings are important for human factors engineers to consider when making display design recommendations for process control environments where operators must integrate system data to make diagnostic decisions.

The number of human service professionals who are migrating from Puerto Rico to the United States increased since the 1970's, and intensified during the 1980's (Petrovich, 1983; Turner, 1982). Among these professionals there are many psychotherapists who come to work in community mental health centers with poor and low income Puerto Rican migrants. The literature on cross-cultural psychotherapy, however, has virtually overlooked the possible effects on therapy of differences in social class when both parts of the therapeutic dyad are Latinos. This study explored the perceptions of twelve Puerto Rican psychotherapists who migrated from Puerto Rico to the U.S. primarily during the 1980's about how their own condition as migrants and the differences in social class between themselves and their clients affect the therapeutic relationship. Using a qualitative research approach, data was gathered through a structured open-ended interview. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with Puerto Rican psychotherapists who work in mental health centers in Massachusetts primarily with poor and low income Puerto Rican migrants. A grounded theory model guided the data analysis in the pursuit of similarities, differences, and patterns among respondents. All interviewed therapists identified significant differences between themselves and their Puerto Rican migrant clients related to social class, including differences in values, belief systems, and general lifestyle. Furthermore, it was found that the concept of migrant is negatively charged in the understanding of interviewed therapists, and it was difficult to match a self-perception as a professional with that of a migrant. It is concluded that the differences identified by interviewed therapists between themselves and their poor and low income Puerto Rican clients in the context of migration makes the therapeutic situation a "cross-cultural" one for all practical purposes, despite the fact of being from the same national origin. Consequently, it is recommended that social class be acknowledged as a highly significant variable in the therapeutic relationship, regardless of nationality of the parts involved. Training about the importance of social class issues in therapy is strongly recommended, both at the level of graduate schools and at the level of employment recruitment.

The literature contains a distinction between iconic causal relations as because he studied hard, he got a good grade and evidential causal relations as in because he got a good grade, he studied hard. The current research presents a theoretical analysis of the of these two categories and introduces a third category, the deductive causal relations as in because grading a paper is a subjective process, the teacher made some mistakes. It is argued that iconic causal relation is a relation between two actual, specific events and requires gap-filling inferences. Evidential and deductive relations are inferential and they represent a relation between evidence (in evidential) or a premise (in deductive) and a conclusion, hypothesis, or belief that the reader reaches depending on the evidence or premise. A series of 4 experiments were conducted to verify the predictions derived from the characteristics of each type of causal relations. Experiment 1 showed that deductive relation is a distinguished category that is more difficult than the iconic relation but easier than evidential ones. It was also found that adding an epistemic marker (e.g., I think) facilitated the interpretation of deductive and evidential relations but harmed the iconic relations. Experiments 2 and 3 tested the hypothesis that inferential, non-directly observable events such as those expressed in future tense or in psychological state verbs are more consistent with inferential relations (because they have to be inferred) than the events expressed in past tense or action verbs. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 showed that state verbs and future tense reduced the difficulty associated with inferential relations. Experiment 4 investigated the effect of the presupposition-assertion distinction on iconic and evidential relations. It was found that while the distinction is context-dependent in iconic relations, the main clause is preferred to be the presupposed in evidentials. The results were discussed in terms of the conditional nature of deductive relations and its being based on general, enabling conditions rather than upon real causes. Finally, a processing mechanism was suggested on the basis of the current results.

<p> This thesis draws on Jungian psychology, neuroscience, ecopsychology, and cosmology to explore the role of the imagination in facilitating individuation at personal and planetary levels. Employing the methodology of organic inquiry, it is proposed that our imaginative faculties be revisioned as extensions of an exquisitely creative universe. The potential of engaging these streams of creative energy through active imagination is explored, particularly their capacity to heal trauma by integrating dissociated neural nets into the mainstream flow of the brain. It is suggested that this movement toward internal psychic wholeness may be mirrored in the external world as we step into right brain, imaginal, embodied modes of being. The thesis investigates whether such a holistic lens may allow us to see through the destructive Western myth of humanity&rsquo;s separation from nature, enabling us to reconnect at a profound level, to our one and only life support system, the Earth.</p>

The object of this thesis is to consider the conceptions of Dissociation and Repression with a view to determining in what way, if any, the processes are related to one another. These two conceptions have played a part of unrivalled importance in modern psycho-pathology, but no satisfactory attempt seams to have bean made to determine the exact nature of their relationship to one another. The conclusions reached in this thesis regarding their relationship constitute, so far as the writer is aware, an original contribution to the subject.

<p>It was not known if and to what extent there was a relationship between the degree to which community college students believed that learning was enhanced when teachers tailored instruction to individual learning styles and student perceived academic locus of control (PAC). Learning styles theory and locus of control theory formed the theoretical framework for this quantitative correlational and descriptive study. Two research questions guided this work: (1) Is there a relationship between the extent to which community college students believe that learning is enhanced when teachers tailor instruction to individual learning styles and student PAC? (2) To what degree do community college students believe that learning is enhanced when instructors tailor their teaching to students&rsquo; individual learning styles? The population for this study included a convenience sample of 145 students enrolled in at least one class at a large community college. The Revised Trice Academic Locus of Control Scale was used to measure students&rsquo; PAC, and Dekker et al.&rsquo;s (2012) Neuromyth Survey was used to measure students&rsquo; belief in the learning styles myth. A point-biserial correlation analysis was conducted to answer the first research question, and descriptive statistics were used to answer the second research question. The results of the study showed that students strongly believed in the myth of learning styles (<i>N</i> = 138) but found no significant relationship between this belief and student PAC (<i>r_PB</i> = 0.010, <i>p</i> = .906). The findings of this study added to the literature on learning styles, PAC, and neuromyths and resulted in several implications for students and educators. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: neuromyths, learning styles, perceived academic locus of control (PAC) </p>

<p> The history of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is visited in this dissertation, as well as different types of equestrian therapy programs that are being used in a variety of settings. Although there is limited research available regarding these types of studies, the research that does exist promotes an awareness and need for different therapeutic treatments, while acknowledging and promoting the benefits of equestrian psychotherapy. The purpose of this applied research study was to develop a proposed EAP school-based intervention program designed to work as a collaborative therapeutic program, using mental health workers, school personnel, and other paraprofessionals, working with children with emotional and behavioral disorders, in rural community public school settings. An evaluation of the program's efficacy by validity judges concluded that this program is potentially effective for working with these populations in this setting.</p>

<p> Key concepts in liberation psychology describe the treatment and regard for children in public school: oppression, colonization, hegemony. This study asked whether public education is experienced as oppressive, creating students who are colonized. Through a frame of liberation psychology and a depth psychological perspective, the study examines whether children are systematically "civilized" by the dominant adult population. Is the indigenous child&mdash;the child born with unique intelligence, knowledge, and desire to learn&mdash;systematically stifled within the existing educational paradigm? </p><p> Findings revealed that several practices at the Middle School enhanced learning, personal empowerment, self-esteem, and happiness, and were termed Liberatory. Most significant was whole-child value, where nonacademic strengths, intrinsic worth, and creativity were valued. Mutual, positive, connected relationship between teacher and student was primary, enhanced by trips outside of school with faculty, emphasizing character and life lessons. Acceptance permeated the peer environment. </p><p> Practices at the public High School, referred to as Oppressive, contributed to alienation, separation, fear, boredom, and disincentive to learning. Focus on right answers on tests encouraged memorization/forgetting, paradoxically described as "academic" by students, and creativity was not valued. Students cited teacher overwhelm as the main reason for the absence of connected relationship between educators and students. Judgment permeated the peer environment. </p><p> Participants were 10 females between 18 and 20 years old who attended a private middle school that practiced humanistic, whole-child learning, and a public high school in Santa Barbara, CA. A Likert survey asked 25 identical questions regarding experience of both schools, followed by in-depth interview highlighting the difference between the subject's experiences of both schools. Using hermeneutic data evaluation, Findings fell into 4 strong themes at 2 poles of experience and practice: Liberatory and Oppressive. </p><p> There was 1 significant exception to the clear pattern in Findings: a teacher within the Oppressive system used Liberatory practices effectively. Simple changes like respect, care, listening, and personal connection could increase learning and happiness in school.</p>