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<p> Although numerous studies have identified the buffering effects of different coping strategies in stress and health research, few studies have considered the influence of cultural factors such as allocentrism (degree of collectivism). The present study examined whether the collectivistic coping strategies of support (support from racially similar others, support from experienced others, support from family) and avoidance (forbearance, fatalism) were associated with perceived and physiological stress levels, and whether allocentrism influenced this relationship, among a sample of low-income mothers. Results showed that higher use of support from family and lower use of avoidance coping were associated with lower levels of perceived stress and lower morning cortisol. Among women high in allocentrism, those who used support from experienced others had lower levels of perceived stress. These results contribute to our understanding of the role of culture in stress-coping research and how culture influences our physiological stress reactions.</p>

<p> Research demonstrates that cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) predicts hypertension and contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, social support can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. People with high levels of trait displaced aggression (TDA) aggress against innocent individuals, such as family and friends, thus pushing away important sources of social support. The current study was the first to manipulate social support and look at the interaction of TDA, provocation, and social support on CVR and displaced aggression. Contrary to expectations, social support did not moderate the effect of TDA on either systolic blood pressure (SBP) or displaced aggression. However, among provoked participants, those who received social support displayed significantly less displaced aggression than those in the no social support or no interaction control conditions. Implications of these findings for reducing aggression are discussed.</p>

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / US national security strategy calls for the use of military force to shape cultures beyond US borders. However, the relationship between the use of force and changes in cultural processes is poorly understood. Operationalizing culture as socially transmitted behavior, and treating culture systematically using open systems theory, best allows us to understand the perils and prospects of acting upon culture with force. In particular, this thesis explores the narrative and storytelling dimensions of culture, offering a theory of story that can be used to drive innovative counter-terrorism strategies and structure general principles for prevailing in the "story war." Using case studies from the British Iraqi Mandate on the failure to treat culture systemically and from Hizballah on the generation of surrogate consciousness and alternate identity, the analysis derives general guidance for strategists and policymakers concerned about the force and culture equation. It can be used to generate new research programs in counter-terrorism (such as exploring the neural mechanisms undergirding radicalization), fill in gaps in intelligence collection and analysis, and pave the way for modeling and simulation of the force/culture interaction for the purposes of planning good effects-based operations. / Outstanding Thesis

<p> Pediatric oncology patients and siblings are a population at-risk for negative psychosocial outcomes due to the various procedures, treatments, late effects, and family-based stressors associated with pediatric cancer. Pediatric oncology camps were designed to creatively address psychosocial gaps experienced by this steadily increasing population. Literature focusing on psychosocial adjustment of pediatric cancer patients and siblings is generally mixed or inconclusive, although there is some evidence suggesting increased psychosocial adjustment following camp participation. Research focusing on levels of perceived social support is limited. Although campers report social support as a main benefit of oncology camp participation, most studies are exploratory and yield inconsistent findings regarding demographic differences. In order to understand the effects of an oncology camp intervention on levels of psychosocial adjustment and perceived social support for pediatric cancer patients and siblings, an archival data set collected at a pediatric oncology camp (<i>N</i> = 64) was analyzed. There were 30 patients and 34 siblings in the sample, 37 females and 27 males, and with a mean age of 11.84 (<i>SD</i> = 2.89). Participants completed the Children&rsquo;s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Social Adjustment Domain (SA) from the Child Behavior Checklist &ndash; Youth Self-Report at three time points. Data was analyzed using repeated measures MANOVAs and results indicated that psychosocial adjustment increased significantly for adolescent females but not for other demographic groups. Additionally, perceived social support was found to increase for adolescent females but decrease for adolescent males, although other demographic groups did not appear to experience significant change over time. Strengths, limitations, and areas for future research are addressed as part of the discussion. </p>

Numerous research studies have offered evidence that I-sharing (perceived subjective similarity) facilitates interpersonal connection (e.g. Huneke & Pinel, 2016; Pinel, Long, Landau, Alexander, & Pyszczynski, 2006; Pinel & Long, 2012). Despite this research, no interventions currently exist to foster I-sharing between individuals, thereby leaving interventionists and others unable to utilize I-sharing to nurture authentic connections. The current dissertation takes an important step in the direction of developing usable interventions based on I-sharing research. Specifically, I examine the effectiveness of a technique designed to foster I-sharing genuinely between individuals. Building on I-sharing theory, which specifies that people most confidently believe that they I-share when they react simultaneously and identically to the same stimulus (Pinel et al., 2006), I randomly assigned participants either to experience novel, emotionally-arousing stimuli that provoke predictable reactions in a context in which participants could also experience each other's in-the-moment subjective experiences (the Fostered I-sharing condition), or in a condition in which they could not fully experience each other's experiences (the comparison condition). To investigate whether I-sharing also proves effective for people who see themselves as dissimilar on an important self dimension, I also manipulated perceived value similarity of the other participant prior to the I-sharing intervention. Participants either learned of an unshared value, learned of a shared value, or did not receive any value information. Results showed that the I-sharing intervention significantly increased feelings of subjective similarity, but only increased liking and interpersonal behavior when participants also initially learned that they shared a similar value. I discuss potential explanations for results, and means of intervention improvement.

<p> Non-monogamous partnerships were vulnerable to jealousy and envy, although aspects that contributed had not been described. This qualitative phenomenological study examined jealousy and envy in non-monogamy using equity theory. The purposive sample drawn from Loving More Nonprofit, and 19 participants were interviewed. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo for Mac using the modified van Kaam method. Study results included four major themes for research question 1: (a) agreements reduced jealousy, (b) boundary violations increased jealous, (c) communication mitigated jealousy, and (d) time allocation fueled jealousy, and three minor themes: (a) willingness to end problem relationships, (b) acceptance and reframing mitigated jealousy, and (c) NRE fueled jealousy; and three minor themes for research question 2: (a) challenges to partner choices fueled by envy, (b) resources allocation influenced by envy, and (c) self-comparison to metamours magnified by envy. Implications of themes were that agreements were used by the non-monogamous to manage jealousy and enhance equity perceptions but when boundary violations related to jealousy occurred and boundary turbulence and distrust often resulted. When jealousy arose the non-monogamous relied on communication strategies, such as acceptance and reframing and willingness to end relationships to preserve existing relationships through reciprocal altruism, and to mitigate jealousy and rebalance equity due to concerns of scarcity. Additionally, self-comparison to metamours&rsquo; attributes stimulated envy and appeared to magnify jealousy. Recommendation for professional practice included the importance of agreements for non-monogamous relationship maintenance, use of equity to manage boundaries, and the role that boundary turbulence plays in perceptions of fairness. Recommendations for further research included (a) a replication of the current qualitative phenomenological study using participants from outside of organizations to include a more diverse a sample to explore consistency of themes across a broader demographic of non-monogamous people (b) a quantitative descriptive study to operationalize jealousy and envy, (c) a quantitative correlational study to assess relationships between agreements, boundary violations and jealousy, and (d) a qualitative multiple case study to explore explicit versus implicit agreements.</p>

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<p> Stay-at-home fathers, male primary caretakers of their children, represent an emergent form of fatherhood challenging gendered stereotypes related to breadwinning, caretaking, and parenting. This study explores, from a social constructionist and feminist perspective informed by critical men&rsquo;s studies, social psychology, and psychoanalysis, how stay-at- home fathering is socially constructed across gendered everyday social spaces and places. More specifically, the focus is on how the social dynamics within the everyday spaces and places of these men are shaped by cultural stereotypes and gendered interactions. Nine White, middle-class, college-educated, heterosexual stay-at-home fathers taking care of at least one child under the age of 12 and married to a breadwinning wife were interviewed. The transcribed interviews were coded using an inductive thematic analysis applying a narrative methodology. A typology of five social spaces and places is proposed and theorized. Each gendered space and place identified is associated with distinct affective experiences by the stay-at-home fathers and gendered social dynamics that oppress, affirm, or validate the men&rsquo;s identity as male caretakers. The gendered stereotypes of &ldquo;The Hero,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Pervert of the Playground,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Unwelcome Intruder,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Man Among Men,&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Communal Father&rdquo; are proposed. Conceptually, gender dualism, the repertoire of possible male caretaker identities, and the challenges of embodied masculine caretaking are discussed. Stay-at-home fathers struggle with documented loneliness and social isolation; the findings presented have important clinical implications for counselors and therapists working with stay-at-home fathers. </p><p> <i>Key words:</i> stay-at-home father, identity, loneliness, isolation, stereotype, social interaction, gendered space, social geography, public spaces, private spaces, social dynamics, social constructionism, doing gender, masculine care, emergent masculinity, playground, playgroup, volunteering. </p>