<p> Social ventures are organizations created to exploit opportunities for social value creation (Lumpkin et al., 2011; Zahra et al., 2009). In fact, scholars argue that the main distinction between commercial and social entrepreneurship lies in the relative priority given to social wealth creation versus economic wealth creation (Mair &amp; Marti, 2006). Given the increasing importance of social ventures, understanding the internal and external dynamics of such organizations would be beneficial for research and practice. The following three essays explore antecedents, consequences, and strategies of social ventures. </p><p> Essay 1. This essay addresses the need for research concerning environmental influences on social entrepreneurship by specifically focusing on the environmental conditions that affect social venture creation rates. Though some scholars have suggested that entrepreneurs respond to certain socioeconomic conditions by engaging in social venturing activity (e.g. Weerawardena &amp; Sullivan Mort, 2006), compelling empirical evidence is still lacking. A prevalent explanation of social venture creation is the market failure perspective. This perspective holds that social ventures are created to address social issues that the market and the government have failed to deal with effectively (Austin et al., 2006). In this essay, I delve into the market failure perspective to explain social venture creation rates and provide an empirical test at the macro-level. The results in this essay support the market failure perspective by suggesting that social venture creation rates increase with suboptimal economic conditions and high levels of government failure in dealing with social issues. </p><p> Essay 2. Research investigating how social entrepreneurship influences commercial entrepreneurship remains scarce in the social entrepreneurship literature. Following an ecological perspective (Hannan &amp; Freeman, 1977), Essay 2 predicts that social venture creation exerts a negative influence on commercial venture creation, as social and commercial ventures compete for similar resources at the time of founding. Previous research has also suggested that a positive relationship exists, but it has failed to account for the mechanism through which a positive influence may occur. Following the social entrepreneurship and new venture creation literatures, it is proposed that such mechanism is social value creation. That is, social ventures create better environments in which commercial ventures can be created. This effect, in turn, diminishes the negative influence suggested by population ecology. The results strongly support the hypothesized competitive relationship between social and commercial ventures. Similarly, the results suggest that social ventures, in fact, create social value that improves the wellbeing of the region in which they operate. </p><p> Essay 3. Social entrepreneurship scholars have called for research that addresses factors that may lead or prevent failure among social ventures (e.g. Haugh, 2005). Essay 3 examines a series of factors that affect social ventures' failure at different levels of analysis, specifically at the firm- and environmental-levels. Following both Resource Dependence Theory (Pfeffer &amp; Salancik, 1978) and the Resource Based View (Barney, 1991), I propose that nonprofit social ventures engage in strategic actions to ensure the continuous flow of resources. Such actions, in turn, reduce the probability of organizational failure. The results suggested a U-shape relationship between earned income and the probability of nonprofit failure. This relationship holds when the nonprofit social venture generates high proportions of income from unrelated business activities, but becomes an inverted-U when the proportions of unrelated business income are smaller. The availability of financial capital had a similar effect on the relationship. Some concerns are raised regarding one of the definitions of entrepreneurialism in the nonprofit sector. That is, the requirement that nonprofits generate a good proportion of their income from commercial activities. The results suggest that earned income generation is a good strategy to prevent failure among nonprofits, as long as these organizations do not over rely on this source of revenue.</p>

<p> The current study sought to examine the role of traditional values in China and the United States as one of the important social psychological mechanisms through which romantic relationships affect mental health. The work is guided by the Social Structure and Personality framework, focusing on the meaning construction dictated by traditional values in the stress process, while also addressing the structural and cultural origins of meanings. Specifically, I used path models to examine how those internalized values moderate the impacts of romantic relationships on the mental health of Chinese and American college students and also compared the effects across gender and nations with Multi-group SEM method. The results show that traditional values work as a major social-psychological mechanism influencing Chinese students only by exacerbating the impacts of breakups on their depression. In terms of gender and national patterns, the most important finding is that the unconditional main effect of traditional values differs across gender and nations and Chinese women are mostly harmed by those values. The results partially support the theoretical construction and also add to both the meaning studies in the stress process and the substantive research of romantic relationships and mental health.</p>

<p> Identifying adolescents at risk for re-offense, specifically among a predominately Hispanic population, is rarely empirically examined (Cintr&oacute;n, 2006). The Hispanic population comprises the largest minority population in the United States, and accounts for over 60% of the population in Nueces County (US Census Bureau, 2011). The purpose of this study was to explore the boundaries and utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Version 2 (MAYSI-2) through its subscales, specifically in a predominately Hispanic population. A binary logistic regression was conducted to explore the extent to which MAYSI-2 subscale scores, demographic variables, and offense information predict re-offense. </p><p> A sample of 884 adolescent offenders from Nueces County was utilized to examine factors that are predictive of recidivism. The regression analysis included all offenders from the year 2010. A listwise deletion was conducted to remove offenders with multiple offenses, and missing MAYSI-2 scores, or missing data. Data were collected ex-post facto and analyzed using a hierarchical logistic regression. </p><p> The results of the logistic regression indicated all three domains (MAYSI-2 subscale scores, demographic variables, and offense information) were statistically significant predictors of juvenile re-offense. Three of the MAYSI-2 subscales, Alcohol/Drug Use, Angry-Irritable, and Somatic Complaints, were significant predictors of re-offense. Additionally, six of the demographic variables were found to be predictive of recidivism: juvenile age, number of siblings, Hispanic adolescents, gang affiliation, type of school, and legal guardian. Significant variables identified as predictive of re-offense from the offense information included misdemeanors and prior violent offenses. </p><p> Overall, each of the three domains provides statistically significant contributions to the prediction of the dichotomous dependent variable, re-offense. The most powerful contribution for predicting juvenile recidivism is from the demographic variables, age and legal guardian (i.e., coming from a home with an absent biological parent). The results of this study imply that personal interactions with offender may be more helpful than psychometric measures at identifying adolescents at risk to reoffend. Although attempting to categorize adolescents merely based on demographic information can result in biases, and steoreotyping, the information can be used to identify risk factors that may impede an adolescent's success. Identifying adolescents that present with characteristics indicating higher risk for re-offense, can assist clinicians in developing treatments.</p>

<p> This study examined the propensity to engage in Organizational Retaliation Behaviors (ORBs) when perceiving organizational injustices in a group context. Situational scenarios were developed that incorporated distributive, procedural, and interactional justice and were administered to 211 individuals, along with a measure of the propensity to engage in ORBs directed towards group members and group leaders distinctly. Moreover, an individual's degree of narcissism was also assessed to explore its relationship to one's propensity to engage in ORBs. Analysis of Variance revealed a strong relationship between the condition exemplifying injustice and ORBs, in addition to a higher tendency of expressing ORBs towards group members when compared to group leaders. Furthermore, narcissism did not significantly impact the degree to which individuals expressed their propensity to engage in ORBs.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a potential psycho-education group for trans gender and gender variant (TGV) adolescents in need of services based on the most recent literature. A search for a funder was conducted using the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership Library and the local LGBTQ Center of Long Beach. The grant-funded support group will target TGV adolesents age 13 to 17 in need of resources including, but not limited to a safer environment, social and medial transition support, legal aid, and mental health support. The goals of the project include increased support, increased mental health, and increased community outreach. The actual submission and funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the thesis project. </p>

<p> Although there is an extensive literature on women who are overweight, obese, or suffer from eating disorders, less is known about women who are at a healthy weight yet who are attempting to lose weight. To learn more about the psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns of such women, this study analyzed data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA-II). We compared these women with two groups of women: (a) those who are at a healthy weight but who are not attempting to lose weight and (b) overweight women who are attempting to lose weight. We employed numerous variables including BMI, depression, anxiety, academic performance, exercise, and diet strategies in these comparisons. In terms of psychological health and weight-related behavior, healthy women attempting weight loss are more similar to overweight women who are attempting weight loss than they are to healthy women who are not attempting to lose weight. We found comparatively high rates of depression, anxiety, and academic difficulty among our target population. Based on our findings and the relevant literature, we recommend that university health officials provide weight-related educational information to female students in an effort to promote psychological well-being and healthy weight practices.</p>

<p> The transition to late-capitalism in the U.S. has generated extensive societal change. This paper examines the intersection of three of these changes: the transition to a consumer-oriented economic and societal model, the increase of economic insecurity experienced by individuals and households and the heightened emphasis on a short-term orientation in individual decision-making. A review of literature from the fields of Sociology, Economics and Psychology describes differing understandings of how individuals react to the heightened economic insecurity that households experience under late-capitalism. Within mainstream Economics', theoretical and empirical work suggests that individuals respond to insecurity by reducing spending and maximizing long-term financial well-being. However, recent work by theorists such as Zygmunt Bauman and Richard Sennett suggest that the proliferation of risk that occurs under late-capitalism weakens individuals' ability to anticipate future risks and leaves them vulnerable to society's emphasis on short-term thinking. </p><p> In response to these two interpretations, I analyze differences in the effect of household employment insecurity on consumer behavior over time. Part one of the analysis is a descriptive evaluation using six years (1980-2005) of General Social Survey data and compares levels of perceived job insecurity across demographic and occupational groups, while controlling for occupation-specific unemployment levels. Results show that perceived insecurity increased during this time period, regardless of individual characteristics however, members of traditionally 'secure' groups had lower initial levels of perceived insecurity and sharper growth such that, by 2005, levels of job insecurity are not well predicted by demographic or occupational characteristics. </p><p> The second part of this study analyzes data from BLS' Consumer Expenditure Survey. A two-level regression model for repeated cross-sectional data decomposes the effect of occupational characteristics, the unemployment rate and time on households' spending in nine expenditure categories. Models include interaction effects to assess changes in the effect of occupational characteristics over time. Results suggest that occupational characteristics weakened as predictors of spending behavior during this time series, especially in 'long-term oriented' categories (e.g. housing, education). However, the presence of an earner in a high insecurity occupation is significantly associated with increased spending on 'short-term oriented' good and services.</p>

<p> Colonial legacies affect neocolonial experiences of conflict in the 20th and 21st centuries. A critical and comprehensive appreciation of the global "war on terror" reveals terrorism "from above'" (state-sponsored terrorism) as a growing issue in the international community. Further, women's varied experiences within communities of resistance are often undermined, ignored, or maligned within formal research on conflict and peace. Liberation psychologists are called to align with oppressed, marginalized, and suffering communities. To this end, this work explores the experience of women political prisoners of the Irish conflict for independence from Great Britain. A qualitative critical psychosocial analysis was used to understand the phenomenology of women's political imprisonment through the firsthand narratives of Republican women imprisoned during the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland. The intention of this study was to 1) provide an analysis of power and its connection to social conditions, 2) to provide a psychological analysis of how oppression may breed resistance in communities struggling for liberation, and 3) to explore the gendered experience of Irish women political prisoners. The results indicated that political imprisonment may be understood as a microcosm of oppression and liberation, and the subjective experience of political prisoners may glean insights into how communities develop critical consciousness, organize politically, resist oppression, and meaningfully participate in recognizing their human rights. Additionally, this research challenged the exclusion of women's voices as members of resistance movements and active agents in both conflict and peace building and challenged the failure to investigate state-sponsored terrorism, or terrorism from above.</p>

<p>Colorblind racial attitudes are described as the denial or minimization of race and racism (Neville et al., 2000), which may silence accounts of racial discrimination and lead White Americans to ignore their racial privileges, ultimately supporting and reproducing racial inequality in the US (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). Alarmingly, colorblind attitudes are the dominant racial ideology among White Americans (Lewis, 2004), and inform the way White adults talk to their children about race (Schofeild, 2007). The current study explored the development and maintenance of Whites&rsquo; colorblind attitudes, using ideas from Stephan and Stephan&rsquo;s (1985) theory of intergroup anxiety, Helm&rsquo;s (1995) theory of White racial identity, and concepts underlying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes et al., 2006). Informed by these theories, the study examined the roles of interracial anxiety and psychological flexibility in Whites&rsquo; colorblind racial attitudes. </p><p> Participants were 323 White American adults, consisting mostly of females from the Midwest. The study hypothesized that Whites&rsquo; level of interracial anxiety with Blacks would predict their level of colorblind racial attitudes. The study also hypothesized that Whites&rsquo; level of psychological flexibility, or their ability to remain present with unpleasant experiences without defense, would moderate the relationship between interracial anxiety and colorblind racial attitudes. </p><p> Results indicated that Whites&rsquo; interracial anxiety with Blacks did not significantly predict their colorblind racial attitudes, and that psychological flexibility did not moderate the relationship between interracial anxiety and colorblind attitudes. Results did reveal that psychological flexibility was related to colorblind attitudes, indicating that Whites who reported lower levels of flexibility also reported higher levels of colorblind racial attitudes. </p><p> Results support the notion that psychological flexibility may play an important role in Whites&rsquo; racial attitudes. Specifically, White Americans with high levels of psychological flexibility may be less likely to engage in avoidance or denial when they experience unpleasant thoughts and feelings related to race, allowing them to actively process and integrate racial information, ultimately leading to increased racial awareness. Findings suggest that research and theory on racial attitudes should consider incorporating psychological flexibility in the future, and that diversity interventions focused on increasing psychological flexibility may be beneficial for promoting attitude change. </p>

<p> Interpersonal communication is essential for developing and maintaining relationships. Strong interpersonal relationships undergird communities by facilitating their formation and supporting their maintenance and growth. This study explores the effect of training in Empathic Dialogue, a system of communication based on Nonviolent Communication, on the interpersonal communication skills of nine participants. The participants were interviewed prior to attending two three-hour training sessions, and again between one month and three months after the sessions.</p><p> Before turning to the empirical study, I make sense of the theoretical strengths of this position. First, in order to argue that Nonviolent Communication constitutes a virtue, I outline Aristotle's definition of virtue and the process by which one develops virtue. I then introduce the theory of McDonaldization, based on Max Weber's theory of rationalization, and apply it to interpersonal communication. Finally, I review Nonviolent Communication based on the dimensions of McDonaldization, the results of which support my contention that Nonviolent Communication opposes McDonaldization.</p><p> I present my finding that Empathic Dialogue had a positive impact on the research participants' communication skills. I then address these findings through the lens of Aristotle's virtues and McDonaldization. Finally, I consider wider implications of these findings on the development of sustainable communities. </p>