Researchers and clinicians alike have struggled with limited success to understand and treat the most troubled adolescents of our time, those who have been variously described as delinquent, conduct disordered, or aggressive. The very nature of their disruptiveness has sometimes obscured their complex psychological problems, yet psychoanalytic object relations theory provides a rich framework for understanding the interplay of intrapsychic factors and overt symptoms in producing the phenomena of conduct disturbance. The self and object relations of 19 conduct disturbed adolescents were compared to those of 15 nondisturbed adolescents via the analysis of data from the Thematic Apperception Test. Conduct disturbed adolescents demonstrated greater levels of impairment on four dimensions of object relations, measured with the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (Westen, Lohr, Silk, Kerber, & Goodrich, 1985): Complexity of Representations of People, Affect Tone of Relationship Paradigms, Capacity for Emotional Investment and Moral Standards, and Understanding of Social Causality. Impairments in object relations were related to teacher assessments of conduct problems but were unrelated to self-reported externalizing symptoms or relationship problems, suggesting that a combination of objective reports and assessments of intrapsychic relational constructs may be particularly useful in understanding adolescents with conduct disturbances. A model based on observed symptomatology and object relations effectively predicted membership in the conduct disturbed and nondisturbed groups.

Three studies explored people's experience of intense emotion in conflictual and non-conflictual romantic relationships. All studies showed that when subjects reported how they generally experienced emotion in their relationship, people in highly conflictual relationships reported equally intense positive emotion and more intense negative emotion than people in non-conflictual relationships. Study 3 also showed that when subjects described their emotional reactions to specific happy times in their relationship, people in more conflictual relationships reported more love and marginally more idealization of their partners than people in less conflictual relationships. There is some evidence that women in high conflict relationships differ from women in low conflict relationships on certain personality variables. High Conflict women score higher than Low Conflict women on preoccupied and avoidant attachment style dimensions, report a more manic love style, are greater sensation seekers, and report a general tendency to experience extreme affect in all aspects of their lives. The relevance of these findings for increasing our understanding of the formation of emotional bonds in conflictual relationships is discussed.

The purpose of this study was to delineate the role of race in the prediction of at-risk status for pregnancy among Black and White high school females from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Research findings relative to adolescent pregnancy were assimilated into a proposed three factor model of pregnancy risk which included: Knowledge and Attitude toward Sexuality and Childbearing, Current Life Situation, and Opportunity for Sex. A questionnaire was developed to assess risk factors within the structure of the three model factors. The questionnaire examined the social, familial, and personal variables that influence a teen's sexual activity. The questionnaire was administered to 152 high school females aged 14-19. It was hypothesized that: (1) at-risk status for pregnancy was associated with high risk scores on the model variables and factors; (2) Black subjects would receive higher risk scores on the Knowledge and Attitude toward Pregnancy and Childbearing factor than White students and that Current Life Situation and Opportunity for Sex would predict pregnancy status but show no racial differentiation; (3) if the second hypothesis was correct, a differential pattern of pregnancy risk by race would result that could be incorporated into a model that discriminates risk status by race. The scores on the variables were analyzed through the use of: multivariate tests of significance (MANOVA), univariate $F$-tests, and discriminant function analyses. Additionally, factor analysis was used to assess the proposed model and develop new models for specific application. Not all hypotheses were accepted. Pregnancy status was predicted by the first hypothesis with findings reaching significance. On hypothesis 2, White pregnant subjects were more at-risk than other groups followed by Black pregnant subjects, Black never-pregnant subjects and, finally, White never pregnant-subjects. The questionnaire identified differential patterns for each racial group which validated the use of a stepwise discriminant analysis to help discriminate pregnancy risk status by race. The use of discriminant analysis derived variables increased prediction of pregnancy accuracy to 98.48% for Black subjects and 94.52% for White subjects. The need for replication studies and investigations of other racial and ethnic groups is discussed.

This research was a case study using the methodology of participant observation, and examined the effects of a specialized supervision and training model used with multidisciplinary staff in the Children' s Partial Hospital Program, affiliated with Elmcrest Psychiatric Institute of Portland, Connecticut. Three distinct supervision and training sessions were designed, implemented, and evaluated by the researcher and participants in the study as the primary data source. Prior to the implementation of multidisciplinary sessions, participants shared their experiences and perceptions about supervision in the program through a survey questionnaire and individual interviews. The three weekly supervision and training sessions were then developed based on the ideas generated by this information. For 6 months, the three sessions were observed and participants interviewed. Information was also gathered through three large group evaluation interviews with participants when sessions were designed, at the midpoint, and at the end of the 6-month period. Examination of program documents and written assessment instruments were used to provide another means of evaluating the efficacy of sessions, and experiences of participants. The findings highlight clearly those aspects of sessions that contribute to an effective level of communication and collaboration among professional groups, and those which impede a productive level of team functioning. While all three groups were designed to include representatives from each discipline, the process of supervision and structure of the three sessions were very different from one another. The nature of leadership in the program and during each session was the major factor that influenced the interactions among participants, and the functioning of the multidisciplinary team. There were widespread differences among supervisors in experience, training, and philosophical beliefs related to the process of supervision. As a result, supervision was carried out according to the idiosyncratic style of the supervisor, and participants considered some sessions to be more useful than others. The relationships among team members were organized in discipline-centered and compartmentalized groups. Hierarchical conflicts appeared to contribute to the dichotomy, which in part was related to the infrequency of interactions among professional groups, rather than differences in theoretical orientation. Despite the conflicts among disciplines, striking similarities were reported by participants within different groups when describing features of positive relationships. This research, which appeared to be the first study of clinical supervision and training with multidisciplinary professionals in a child- and family-centered program, included discussions of research design problems, elements to include in designing and implementing supervision and training programs and recommendations for further research.

This study was an exploratory investigation into the impact of men's psychotherapy groups on men's abilities and experiences of relating intimately with other men. Ten men who had participated in such groups for a minimum of six months were interviewed about changes in their perceptions of intimately relating with men within and outside their groups. Drawing on two bodies of literature, one describing gender role conflict, and the other describing close relationships, it was hypothesized that men would experience reduced gender role conflict if they were aided in developing skill in intimately relating. "Self-in-relation" theory, deriving from the women's development literature, was discussed for its usefulness in understanding mutuality in relationships and gender differences in orientations towards relationships. A Mutuality Typology including the steps, components and benefits of mutually relating was developed and refined by this study, and used in the data analysis. It was found that men's psychotherapy groups can have a significant impact towards helping men develop skills in relating mutually, experience mutuality with other men within the group, shift in their orientations towards valuing, pursuing and maintaining intimate connections with other men, and improve their relationships with men and women outside their groups. Results indicated that increases in the experience of mutuality and in abilities in relating intimately with other men contributed to reductions in relational avoidance, isolation, alienation and negative comparisons with other men and gender role norms and increases in self-esteem, self-acceptance and empowerment in relating with others. The results suggested that there is a strong relationship between reported changes in the experience of mutuality and relational abilities and reported shifts towards greater connection with other men. The results also suggested that there is a strong relationship between reported changes in orientations and relational abilities and the stage of group development described by the men in the study. Much data describing those events and conditions that facilitated changes in men's relational abilities and orientations was also reported. That data generated numerous, potentially valuable implications for the forming and running of men's psychotherapy groups. Implications for further research were also discussed.

<p> Neuromodulatory systems originate in nuclei localized in the subcortical region of the brain and control fundamental behaviors by interacting with many areas of the central nervous system. Much is known about neuromodulators, but their structural and functional implications in fundamental behavior remain unclear. This dissertation set out to investigate the interaction of neuromodulators and their role in modulating behaviors by combining methodologies in computational modeling, game theory, embodiment, pharmacological manipulations, and neuroinformatics. The first study introduces a novel computational model that predicts how dopamine and serotonin shape competitive and cooperative behavior in a game theoretic environment. The second study adopted the model from the first study to gauge how humans react to adaptive agents, as well as measuring the influence of embodied agents on game play. The third study investigates functional activity of these neuromodulatory circuits by exploring the expression energy of neuromodulatory receptors using the Allen Brain Atlas. The fourth study features a web application known as the Allen Brain Atlas-Drive Visualization, which provides users with a quick and intuitive way to survey large amounts of expression energy data across multiple brain regions of interest. Finally, the last study continues exploring the interaction of dopamine and serotonin by focusing specifically on the reward circuit using the Allen Brain Atlas. The first two studies provide a more behavioral understanding of how dopamine and serotonin interacts, what that interaction might look like in the brain, and how those interactions transpire in complex situations. The remaining three studies uses a neuroinformatics approach to reveal the underlying empirical structure and function behind the interactions of dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine in brain regions responsible for the behaviors discussed in the first two studies. When combined, each study provides an additional level of understanding about neuromodulators. This is of great importance because neuroscience simply cannot be explained through one methodology. It is going to take a multifaceted effort, like the one presented in this dissertation, to obtain a deeper understanding of the complexity behind neuromodulators and their structural and functional relationship with each other.</p>

<p> The present study examined factors for priestly commitment and the relationship between priestly commitment and well-being of Catholic priests and seminarians. While evidence for the effectiveness of assessment in identifying the suitability of applicants to the priesthood and evaluating the general psychological health of priests and seminarians has been well documented, the effectiveness of assessment in predicting commitment to the priesthood remains under question. This study addressed such an issue by identifying the individual and sets of factors for priestly commitment using a sample of 120 priests and 52 seminarians. </p><p> Through Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses, the present study examined the extent to which demographic factors (e.g., age and vocational status), social factors (e.g., parental environment, family religiosity, and religious experience), psychological factors (e.g., big five personality traits, defensiveness, gender characteristics, and loneliness), and religious factors (e.g., religious orientation, religious coping, spiritual support, sacred view of the priesthood, and relationship with bishop/superior) affect priestly commitment. And, through Multiple Regression, this study examined a correlation between priestly commitment and well-being. </p><p> The results indicated that, when demographic, social, and psychological variables were controlled, an increased level of agreeableness, defensiveness, masculinity, intrinsic religious orientation, sacred view of the priesthood, and relationship with bishop/superior were associated with an increased level of affective commitment, whereas the increased level of parental care, extraversion, and loneliness were associated with a decreased level of affective commitment. Parental overprotection, extraversion, and loneliness positively correlated with thought of leaving the priesthood, whereas masculinity, sacred view of the priesthood, and relationship with bishop/superior had negative correlations. Extrinsic religious orientation had a positive correlation with continuance commitment. In contrast to the previous studies, demographic variables were insignificant. The study also found indirect effects of religious variables on the significant correlations between parental care and affective commitment and between agreeableness and affective commitment. </p><p> Specific to well-being, this study found that affective commitment was positively correlated with affect balance, psychological well-being, and religious well-being, while continuance commitment and thought of leaving the priesthood had negative correlations with psychological well-being. Finally, thought of leaving the priesthood was correlated negatively with affect balance.</p>

<p> Mass shootings that end in suicide at public venues such as schools have become shockingly frequent. In many cases the attackers have left communications indicating envy and bullying as the source of their rage. With healthcare becoming more universally available and the U.S. Surgeon General&rsquo;s focus on bullying as a national healthcare issue, the mental health community would be remiss in failing to adequately address bullying behavior and its effects at this time. Relational aggression is a particular type of bullying that relies on surreptitious gossip and the willingness of participants to accept roles of victim or bully. Using hermeneutic phenomenology, this thesis creates a depth psychological model for exploring the intrapersonal and interpersonal bully&ndash;victim dynamics in relational aggression through the use of the stories of Cinderella and Arachne. The findings demonstrated how archetypal defenses maintain the bully&ndash;victim dynamic and the difficulties in and importance of perspective taking in its resolution.</p>

<p>Social cognition is a comprehensive term used to describe knowledge and skills that are applied to social situations and skills used to understand others. These skills include emotion perception, problem solving, executive functioning, and self-cognition. This study investigated the effectiveness of specific intervention strategies on social cognitive skills. The intervention strategies included activities for abstract thinking, emotion competence, Theory of Mind (ToM), and self-regulation of behaviors. Currently, little research exists to describe evidence based effective intervention strategies to improve social cognitive skills. The retrospective case study was completed with a female participant who was 11-years, 3 months old at the time of intervention. Data recorded from 20 intervention sessions was analyzed to determine the effectiveness of employed social cognition intervention tasks. Results indicated improvements in abstract thinking during a Mystery Box activity. Additionally, results showed the participant made improvements in her understanding of social cognition through use of social vocabulary and self-monitoring. Findings from the present study concluded that using concrete vocabulary for social concepts can improve an individual?s social communication skills.

Previous research has indicated few victims of dating violence seek help for abuse or violence experienced at the hands of a dating partner, a failure that has led to rising healthcare costs and unreported crime. Attachment theory and the social support network orientation model have been used in understanding differences in attachment style and help-seeking behavior among individuals seeking help for medical and psychological problems, but the differences in these variables among victims of dating violence have not been examined. The purpose of this quantitative web-based study was to examine differences in type of abuse or violence experienced, attachment style, and help-seeking behavior between collegiate male and female victims of dating violence in heterosexual and same-sex relationships. A sample of 149 collegiate males and females involved in heterosexual and same-sex relationships completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), and the General Help Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ)/Actual Help Seeking Questionnaire (AHSQ) to measure the effect of the independent variables, gender and sexual orientation, on the dependent variables, type of abuse or violence experienced, attachment style, and help-seeking behavior. The results of the MANOVA and chi-square analyses revealed: (a) no significant effect between one's gender and sexual orientation and type of abuse or violence experienced and style of attachment, (b) male and female victims of dating violence in same-sex relationships were less likely to seek help from formal sources than male and female victims in heterosexual relationships, and (c) type of actual help secured is independent of help-seeking behavior. The results of this study demonstrate a need for social change in the way victimization by dating violence is perceived and may aid helping professionals in developing culturally sensitive screening tools to identify and assist a population who might not otherwise seek help.