<p> This thesis seeks to explore the effects of food and food focus on the cognitive phenomenon of boundary extension (BE). BE occurs when people are asked to remember pictures. It is an error of commission that takes place within milliseconds and results in people reporting the picture they previously saw with wider boundaries than it actually had. Although much research points toward the automaticity of this effect, other studies indicate that picture characteristics and individual differences among participants can moderate BE. To test for how pictures of food and the individual difference of food focus impact boundary ratings, participants completed the Power of Food Scale as a measure of food focus and then rated pictures pairs depicting food and nonfood objects for how close-up or far away the second image in each pair (i.e., target pictures) was as compared to the first. They also gave a confidence rating for the boundaries they reported. BE was measured using four picture conditions: two involving identical pictures (i.e., close-close and wide-wide) and two involving non-identical pictures (i.e., close-wide and wide-close). As predicted, participants produced boundary ratings indicative of BE. Less expected was that participants reported target food pictures as closer than target nonfood pictures when the first member of the picture pair was shown at a wide angle. As for the individual difference of food focus, follow-up analyses revealed that participants with high food focus showed greater BE than participants with low food focus in response to food pictures; however, this difference was only found to be significant for identical trials. It could be that people with high levels of food focus automatically engage in higher levels of food avoidance such that the boundary extension pattern is exaggerated. Potential clinical implications for the findings as related to eating disorders are discussed.</p><p>

<p> This thesis explores schizophrenia from a depth psychological and neuropsychological perspective with the goal of contributing to understanding the experience of schizophrenia and improving its treatment, thereby helping to relieve the helpless feelings of both people in the counseling room. It addresses the research question: How can schizophrenia be explained as a metaphor for the experience of an inability to tolerate the conflicting dichotomies between The Real and The Imaginary? Using an alchemical hermeneutic methodology, the research weaves together the author&rsquo;s clinical work with Lacanian theory, the work of psychoanalyst Darian Leader, Jungian analyst James Hillman&rsquo;s concept of pathologizing, and the trauma theory of Donald Kalsched. Drawing on these theorists and current neuroscientific findings, the author works toward an equilibrium between the conscious and unconscious mind in a dialogical process of finding and giving meaning to the experience of schizophrenia through metaphors and the alchemy of language.</p><p>

<p> This study used consensual qualitative methods to explore the lived, embodied experiences of intuitive entheogen dance experiences (IEDE) in women. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. The specific primary aim of the study was to investigate the following research question: What is the lived experience of IEDE, and how can this experience be understood through a psychological perspective? Secondary aims explored the following questions: (a) How does one arrive at IEDE? and (b) What meaning and purpose comes about the experience of IEDE? Six participants were interviewed about their experiences with IEDE. Thematic analysis revealed a somatic nature of the entheogenic experience with thorough illustrations of how the spiritual experience is felt directly through the body. The findings amplify Jung&rsquo;s understanding of the psychic dimension with the somatic dimension and how these two dimensions might be further integrated and bridged. The results suggest that the body has an inherent widsom and the whole mental health of the person cannot be fully explored and healed without considering the body. It is important for psychotherapists to begin to understand that the body is learning about spirit and psyche through it&rsquo;s physical expression and that this learning remains in memory in the physical body. Further research would help support and explore the potential for the healing of trauma using movement and altered states of consciousness, explore how the body is the shadow and how unconscious material first becomes lost in the body and then also how it is integrated into the self through movement and through alteres states. Further research could also explore archetypes and complexes within an IEDE, diving deeper into personal, cultural, and primordial themes.</p><p>

<p> According to Pollock and Van Reken (2009), Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are individuals who have lived a significant amount of time in countries other than their passport country during their developmental years prior to repatriating. While TCK identity and identity development have been studied (Schaetti, 2000), there is a dearth of research that examines their racial identity development. This is unfortunate particularly for White United States American TCKs who have spent time in non-White countries, as their racial identity begins in a very different setting than the setting they enter upon repatriation. This author wishes to understand the White TCK experience of race, as it may not conform to current racial identity models (Helms, 1993; Sue &amp; Sue, 2009). It is this author&rsquo;s hope that if White TCK racial experience can be understood, it will be possible to educate White TCKs, their families, and their educators. This in turn may better prepare them for the experience of repatriation. In addition, just as many TCKs find comfort in learning that they develop specific traits and identities due to living across cultures (Pollock &amp; Van Reken, 2009; Schaetti, 2000), they may find comfort in having their racial experience normalized.</p><p>

<p> Many people with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) report lingering symptoms that cause difficulties in everyday functioning as well as interpersonal communication. These changes are likely due to cognitive and emotional processing changes following injury. The association between personality and executive functioning (EF) is an emerging field with a small but growing body of research. Overall, that research has suggested that there is some relationship between personality, cognition, and emotional factors. Existing research exploring the interaction of personality and EF has tended to sample populations without executive dysfunction. Not all individuals with mild TBI are reported to have enduing cognitive and other impairments, but a recognized proportion report ongoing problems&mdash;i.e., the so-called &ldquo;miserable minority&rdquo; described by Ruff et al. (1996). </p><p> A sample of 19 veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) was recruited from Sierra Nevada Healthcare System. Consistent with past research, veterans were tested for personality using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory-3 and executive functioning using three measures: DKEFS Color-Word, DKEFS Verbal Fluency and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. </p><p> Significant associations were found between Neuroticism and Inhibition, Agreeableness and Inhibition as well as Openness and Updating. Findings are consistent with common persistent symptoms following TBI: decreased energy reserve, headache and increased sensory overstimulation. Findings support using NEO assessment measures in clinical assessment to describe daily functioning in common language to make targeted recommendations. Future research in different TBI populations (moderate, severe, polytrauma) could strengthen findings. It is also recommended that the NEO measures are used to measure response to treatment.</p><p>

<p> Substance use and abuse are detriments to both the individual and society as a whole. Religiosity and spirituality are complex, multi-layered concepts that are important to explore as protective factors against substance use and important factors that curtail individuals from drug use, motivating them to enter into substance abuse treatment. The data on religious/spiritual attitudes and preferences and on the use of different classes of substances were collected from a national sample. Spearman correlations indicated that drug use recency, lifetime use, and seeking substance abuse treatment correlated with religiosity/spirituality factors. All correlations were relatively weak but significant; thus, the null hypotheses were rejected. Other factors may play an important role in individuals&rsquo; use of substances or their decision to undergo treatment. This study has implications for future practice, as the findings imply that the treatment for substance use should consider a holistic view of individuals. Incorporating holistic perspective into the treatment and programs to prevent lifetime use of substances and promote successful drug treatment could be more effective compared to non-holistic approaches. </p><p>

<p> Current literature suggests secure attachment and forgiveness are positively correlated. However, to date, the relationship of adult attachment, forgiveness, and generativity has not been explored. In this current study, middle-aged adults, ages 45-80 from the George Fox University Alumni were surveyed to explore attachment (anxious and avoidant), generativity, and forgiveness. Since generativity is a prosocial trait, synonymous with altruism, suggesting one&rsquo;s selfless service and concern for the well-being for others, it is predicted that generativity will have a positive relationship with forgiveness, and secure attachment. Further, multiple regression statistics were used to explore which of the independent variables (anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and generativity) has the greatest effect on the dependent variable of trait forgiveness.</p><p> Results indicated that there was a medium positive relationship between forgiveness and secure attachment, between generativity and secure attachment, and between forgiveness and generativity. Multiple regression found that each of the independent variables (anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and generativity) were significant predictors of forgiveness with anxious attachment being the strongest predictor of forgiveness</p><p>

<p> A workplace critical incident is any event which disrupts or impacts the functioning of a business, e.g., death of an employee, downsizing or robbery. Critical incident responders (CIRs) are specially trained licensed mental health professionals who respond to workplace critical incidents as support to both the employees and the business organization through applied crisis theory and as a business continuity resource. The goal of a workplace response is to return employees to their pre-crisis level of functioning. CIRs are required to become certified in a multi-component crisis intervention technique. Prior to this study, no data existed regarding how closely CIRs adhered to intervention models or what theoretical frameworks informed their practice. This study sought to understand, from the perspective of the workplace CIR, what practices they employ and why. The design was a two phased, sequential, mixed method explanatory design. Phase one was a quantitative internet based survey (n = 110) and phase two was a qualitative phone interview (n = 12) designed to enhance the understanding of phase one results and provide rich data on the experiences of workplace CIRs. The conceptual frameworks for this study were theories of crisis, crisis intervention and constructivism. The results found that CIRs demonstrate autonomy in deciding which interventions to apply during a response. Type and nature of the crisis as well as timing of response from the event influenced the CIRs&rsquo; approach. CIRs are informed by brief treatment modalities and even though CIRs have limited understanding of the phrase business continuity, they still provide the services. CIRs described modifying Mitchell&rsquo;s CISD Model to address the needs of civilians in the workplace. Primary activities are assessing, normalizing and educating. Results will further the understanding of critical incident response and enhance the current best practice models.</p><p>

<p> People with insomnia overestimate how long it takes to fall asleep and underestimate the total amount of sleep they attain. While memory is normally decreased prior to sleep onset, this decrease is smaller in insomnia. Insomnia generally and the phenomena of underestimation of sleep and greater memory prior to sleep area associated with arousal including cortical, autonomic, and cognitive arousal. The goal of the present study was to simultaneously examine arousal across these domains in relation to memory and accuracy of sleep estimation. </p><p> Forty healthy adults completed baseline measures of sleep, psychopathology, and memory, then maintained a regular sleep schedule for three nights at home before spending a night in the sleep laboratory. On the night of the sleep laboratory study, participants completed measures of cognitive arousal, were allowed to sleep until five minutes of contiguous stage N2 sleep in the third NREM period. They were then awoken and asked to remain awake for fifteen minutes, after which they were allowed to resume sleeping. For the entire duration that they were awake, auditory stimuli (recordings of words) were presented at a rate of one word per 30 seconds. Participants slept until morning, estimated how long they were awake and then completed memory testing, indicating whether they remembered hearing each of the words previously presented along with an equal number of matched distracter words. </p><p> Memory was greatest for words presented early in the awakening, followed by the middle and end of the awakening. High cortical arousal prior to being awoken was associated with better memory, particularly for the early part of the awakening. High autonomic arousal was associated with better memory for the late part of the awakening. Cognitive arousal was not associated with memory. Longer duration of sleep prior to being awoken was associated with better memory for the middle of the awakening. Better memory at baseline was associated with better memory, specifically in the middle of the awakening. Contrary to expectation, memory for the awakening was not associated with accuracy of the perceived length of the awakening. </p><p> The present study found complementary associations between cortical and autonomic arousal and memory for an awakening from sleep. This suggests that decreasing arousal in both domains may reduce the discrepancy between subjective and objective sleep in insomnia. This also suggests the initial magnitude of decrements in cognitive performance after being awoken are related to deeper proximal sleep initially, while speed of improvement in cognitive performance is related to longer prior sleep duration.</p><p>

<p> As care for the elderly continues to be a significant social concern, this study examines the experiences, gratifications, and frustrations of adult children suffering from a mental illness and become the primary caregivers of their aging parent within the home. In addition, the study explored the role of trauma as part of the adult children's decision to become the primary caregivers of their aging parent. Adult children and their aging parents were of Jewish descent and currently residing in a large metropolitan area. A total of 9 adult Jewish children, 6 males and 3 females, were recruited from a non-profit, community-funded social service agency for this qualitative study. The nine participants were asked to complete a short demographic questionnaire, asked general background information, and were administered a semi-structured caregiving interview. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology.</p><p> The major themes that emerged from this qualitative study provide insight into the adult child's experience as a caregiver with respect to their caregiving responsibilities, additional assistance from outside agencies or individuals, issues related to mental health and wellness, positive and negative aspects of the caregiving role, religion, and loss. Minor themes that emerged in the data were developmental task achievement and the impact of legal difficulties on the experience of caregiving. The results indicate that the adult child's role as the primary caregiver likely fulfills a purpose in this mentally ill adult child's life. There seems to be a relationship between the adult child's lack of normative development within the life cycle and adopting the role of caregiver. This role is also influenced by other factors such as trauma/stress, social constriction, parenting style, lack of support, and co-dependency between adult and child. Therefore, this study was able to provide a greater understanding of the factors that contribute to the trend of mentally ill adult Jewish children taking on the caregiver role for their aging parents.</p>