This study examines the proposition that retrospective pain reports are based on the level of anxiety associated with the painful experience. Four groups of subjects were formed based on their self-reported state anxiety on the Anxiety Differential concerning the cold pressor task: a high anxiety group, a high anxiety group that received anxiety reduction immediately prior to the cold pressor task, an average anxiety group and a low anxiety group. An important component of the experiment was that all groups experienced less pain than what they had originally expected. The hypothesis predicted that recalled pain would be more closely related to expected pain than to experienced pain, except in the high anxiety treatment group where recalled pain would be more closely related to experienced pain than to expected pain. All pain reports were taken on Visual Analogue Scales. Results indicated that all groups accurately recalled the level of pain they reported experiencing during the cold pressor task. The reduction of anxiety in the high anxiety treatment group did not increase the accuracy of pain recall for the less than expected level of pain as was predicted. Hence, the results did not support the proposition that pain recall is based on the level of anxiety associated with the painful experience. However, all groups did recall more anxiety than they originally reported. The results suggest that accurate recall of the level of experienced pain may not decrease the anxiety associated with the painful experience. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-10, Section: B, page: 4565. / Major Professor: Jack May. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

Recent research in which sleep-onset insomnia has been investigated has emphasized the role of cognitive hyper-arousal, and has led to the finding that excessive worrying and/or problem-solving prior to sleep is associated with delayed sleep-onset latencies. In this study, thirty insomniacs were recruited from the community and assigned randomly to one of three treatment conditions after completing a baseline packet of seven daily sleep diaries and Pre-sleep Arousal Scales (Nicassio et al., 1985). The three treatment conditions were Problem-solving Therapy (n = 10), Progressive Relaxation (n = 10), and a combination of Problem-solving and Progressive Relaxation (n = 10). The problem-solving approach was based on the five-stage model developed by D'Zurilla (1986). The progressive relaxation condition was similar to that found in Bernstein and Borkovec (1973). Treatment was administered for each condition in eight small group sessions over a period of four weeks. The primary dependent measures were the Pre-sleep Arousal Scale and the Daily Sleep Diary, both of which were completed by subjects and mailed to the investigator daily for the duration of the study. / Analysis of baseline correlations revealed significant correlations between baseline sleep-onset latency (SOL) and baseline somatic, cognitive, and overall pre-sleep arousal. The strongest relationship was between SOL and cognitive arousal. Subjects in all three treatment conditions showed significant reductions in sleep-onset latency as a result of treatment. No differences among treatment conditions were found. Improvement was also seen in other sleep variables including number of awakenings, time awake after sleep-onset, morning tiredness, and disturbed sleep. Cognitive arousal, somatic arousal, and overall pre-sleep arousal decreased significantly as a result of treatment, with greater decreases occurring in cognitive arousal than somatic arousal scores. Results were interpreted as largely congruent with previous research emphasizing the importance of cognitive arousal, and theoretical and clinical implications were discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-02, Section: B, page: 1089. / Major Professor: Jack G. May, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

The topic of therapist self-disclosure has elicited much theoretical debate within the psychotherapeutic community. Psychodynamic theories generally argue against therapist self-disclosure primarily on the grounds of interfering with the development of transference reactions. Existential and humanistic theories generally advocate therapist self-disclosure as a powerful way of enhancing the quality of the relationship between therapist and client. The current study chronicles the theoretical debate and reviews the available empirical literature. / The present study, a psychotherapy analogue utilizing 75 female college students, examined the relationship between three forms of therapist self-disclosure and the client's perception of therapist trustworthiness, competence/expertness, attractiveness and willingness to be seen across five therapy sessions. / A 3 x 3 factorial design with repeated measures on the time factor was employed. Audiotaped therapy vignettes were constructed to manipulate three therapist self-disclosure conditions (No disclosure, Present-tense/process oriented disclosure and Past-tense disclosure). Subjects rated the therapist after the first session, the third session and the fifth session. / Results indicated that both the Non-disclosing therapist and Present-disclosing therapist were rated as significantly more trustworthy and competent than the Past-disclosing therapist, overall, while not differing from each other. The Present-disclosing therapist was rated as the most attractive and the most willing to be seen, followed by the Non-disclosing therapist and the Past-disclosing therapist. The ratings of therapist competence, attractiveness and willingness to be seen changed differentially across sessions, with the Present ratings increasing generally, the Past ratings decreasing, and the No disclosure ratings remaining relatively stable over time. / The results suggest that self-disclosure is not a unitary concept, and that a Present-tense/process-oriented style of disclosing was viewed as equally trustworthy and competent as the Non-disclosing approach. However, a disclosing approach entails more unpredictability than a non-disclosing approach. In sum, it appears that self-disclosure is more suited to counseling settings, where the focus tends to be problem solving, consciousness-oriented and the therapy is short term. A non-disclosing approach is seen as more suited to psychotherapy settings where personality reorganization is the goal and the therapy tends to be long term. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: B, page: 1119. / Major Professor: Jack G. May, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

This prospective study attempted to assess whether deficiencies in social behaviors are antecedents, consequences and/or residual effects of an episode of depression. This study was part of a larger investigation of the relationships of college roommates. Subjects and their roommates (138 pairs) were placed in one of six groups based on the subject's diagnostic status (as determined by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia and the Research Diagnostic Criteria) at the initial data collection point (Time 1) and at the second data collection (Time 2). The groups formed by this procedure were a previously depressed group, a currently depressed group, a new cases group (who experienced their first episode of depression at Time 2), a relapsers group (who had experienced at least one episode of depression prior to Time 2), an other-disorder control group, and a normal control group. The seven measures used in this study may be grouped into two domains: measures which use the self-report of the subject or the roommate (Interpersonal Checklist, self-esteem, and the Impact Message Inventory) and measures which involved an observer's rating of the subject's behavior (verbal and non-verbal behavior, Interpersonal Checklist and interpersonal style). It was found that the currently depressed group, the new cases group, and the relapsers group manifested increased distrustful behavior and low self-esteem relative to the normal controls. Thus, it appears that increased distrust of others and low self-esteem may constitute a "depression-prone" interpersonal style. However, due to the lack of results on the observer-rated measures, the implications of the results for the interpersonal theories of depression are viewed as tentative, and a more critical evaluation of these theories must await replication of the current findings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: B, page: 1120. / Major Professor: Jack E. Hokanson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The purpose of this study was to examine the main hypotheses of Lewinsohn's (1974, 1975) behavioral theory of depression, with primary focus on the temporal relationship between positive reinforcement and depression. Ninety-eight college students (targets) and their dormitory roommates were followed longitudinally over the course of an academic year. Three times during the year, each target and roommate were brought into the laboratory for data collection sessions in which they filled out questionnaires and engaged in a 30-minute conversation about their relationship which was video-taped for subsequent behavioral analysis. At each session the target was given a structured diagnostic interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia; Endicott & Spitzer, 1978) and a Research Diagnostic Criteria (Spitzer, Endicott, & Robins, 1978) diagnosis to determine group assignment. Additionally, each pair kept weekly records of their activities between sessions. The primary analyses compared targets who were not depressed initially but became depressed during the year (n = 27) with targets who remained free of psychopathology (n = 43) and with targets who manifested some type of nondepressive psychopathology (n = 16). Data taken before any targets became depressed was analyzed, and the results showed that targets who subsequently became depressed initially reported receiving a lower amount of positive reinforcers from their entire group of friends, relative to controls. Additionally, targets who became depressed and had a history of depressive episodes (n = 10) reported that activities with friends were less enjoyable, relative to controls. No differences were observed between groups on: availability of potential positive reinforcers to targets, amount of positive reinforcers targets received from either roommates or from the general environment, or target's / social skill. Several exploratory analyses were also conducted. These findings only partially support Lewinsohn's theory of depression. A number of possible explanations for these equivocal findings were discussed, and several suggestions for modifications to theory and for future research were made. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-03, Section: B, page: 1128. / Major Professor: Jack E. Hokanson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

This study examined the functional relationships among cognitive appraisal, coping processes, and their short-term outcomes within a stressful context for law enforcement officers. The subjects were 203 officers from North Florida who voluntarily completed a questionnaire. / The variables investigated were primary and secondary appraisal, coping, and encounter outcome. Primary appraisal referred to individuals' evaluations of encounters with respect to their significance for well-being. Secondary appraisal referred to the subjects' assessment of their own coping resources in relation to the task at hand. Coping referred to those cognitive/behavioral efforts individuals used to manage demands appraised as stressful. Encounter outcome referred to the subjects' judgment of the degree to which the situation was resolved successfully. / Five separate analyses were conducted using one canonical correlation analysis and four regression analyses. / From the canonical correlation analysis three significant roots emerged, suggesting that the primary and secondary appraisal variables were related to coping responses. / A multi-variate regression analysis revealed that a significant relationship existed among the primary appraisal, secondary appraisal, and coping response variables. / The data indicated that when law enforcement officers thought they had sufficient resources to change a stressful encounter they tended to accept responsibility and engage in confrontive coping behaviors. When they appraised their resources as inadequate, they embarked on different coping pathways that were less directive and designed to minimize their affective reactions. Successful encounter outcomes were associated with positive reappraisal coping and also when the losing respect for others appraisal was not at stake. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-10, Section: B, page: 4764. / Major Professor: Harman D. Burck. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

The intergenerational transmission of physical child abuse was addressed by examining the relationship between 121 male adolescent delinquents' self-reported childhood experiences with physical discipline and the intensity of the discipline they endorse for children. Childhood experiences with physical punishment were assessed through the frequency with which adolescents were punished by their parents and the magnitude of resulting injuries they had received. Endorsement of discipline was defined both by intensity of physical punishment and by intensity of any punishment, irrespective of form. The influences of sex and perceived rewardingness of the administrator of the harshest physical discipline were also examined, along with subjects' attributions for the punishment they had received. / Adolescents were asked to choose the discipline they (a) would use and (b) would feel like using in response to a series of parent-child scenarios in which the child was misbehaving. A statistically significant, but small, relationship was found between the magnitude of the injuries subjects reported having received as a result of punishment and the intensity of punishment they endorsed: Subjects who had received physical injuries were more likely to indicate that they would administer intense discipline to their children. / Similarly, a small, but statistically significant, interaction of frequency of punishment and sex of the disciplining parent was found: Adolescents who reported having been physically punished frequently by their fathers were more likely than those punished by their mothers or those not frequently punished to indicate that they would feel like using intense physical punishment with their own children. / None of the attributions had any utility for predicting adolescents' endorsements of punishment, but did suggest that adolescents generally perceive their parents' punishment as justified and well-intentioned. / Overall, the results of this study do not provide strong support for postulations based upon social learning theory or theories of moral development regarding the role of early disciplinary experiences in predicting adolescents' current attitudes toward punishment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-10, Section: B, page: 4766. / Major Professor: Wallace A. Kennedy. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-06, Section: B, page: 2834. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-06, Section: B, page: 2828. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-06, Section: B, page: 2833. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.