Most White Americans believe they are not prejudiced people despite evidence suggesting that most people hold and express racial bias. How is this possible? Drawing on research from motivated cognition, I tested whether people engage in motivated reasoning when facing a threat to their unprejudiced self-image. Students in this study were randomly assigned to a control condition or a threat of prejudice condition. Afterward, they read an article connecting either introversion or extraversion to racial prejudice and explained why that relationship might be true. Finally, they answered how well introversion and extraversion traits describe themselves. Although I hypothesized that students would respond by shifting their self-concept away from the traits they believed are related to prejudice, the data only supported this prediction in the control condition. In the threat of prejudice condition, there was no support for the motivated reasoning explanation. In fact, it appears that students were more likely to acknowledge their racial bias in the threat of prejudice condition. Despite the lack of evidence for motivated reasoning, I discuss the implications of this study for maintaining an unprejudiced self-image. / 1 / Aaron James Moss

This study was concerned with the relationships between the concepts of dogmatism, anxiety, and self-ideal discrepancy. In order to measure these relationships, Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale, Cattell's IPAT Self Analysis Form, and Bill's Index of Adjustment and Values were utilized, Sex differences, as measured on the Dogmatism Scale, were also investigated.

The dislocation between the literature on the recovery process from sexual abuse and my clinical experience led me to develop three research questions about the recovery process from childhood sexual abuse: these concern the experience of sexual abuse itself, the process of recovery from the experience of sexual abuse and the difference in recovery process between the participants who received counselling and those participants who did not. I invited ten female survivors of sexual abuse, who received counselling and three female survivors who did not to participant in this study. Each participant had four to eight hours in-depth interview and the data had been analysed according to the principles of grounded theory. I analysed the available literature of recovery process and compared this with the findings in this study. Finally, I developed an account of the process of recovery from sexual abuse according to the findings of this study and comparison with the available literature review. There are three main findings in this study: 1. There were four reasons the participants used to explain why the abuse happened. Firstly, they perceived their family dynamics as a cause of abuse. Secondly, the abusers might use the offensive behaviour to satisfy their emotional needs. Thirdly, the abusers felt curious about sex but the family did not have adequate sex education to satisfy the curiosity. Finally, the abuse was not a physically painful experience for some of the participants so they did not disclose or run away from it. 2. Five systems interact with each other in the process of recovery: (1) The positive and vulnerable parts of the self. (2) Four areas (surviving, issue of self, issue of external world, and integration) of the recovery process. (3) Five outcomes (issue of self, emotions, cognition, sexuality and relations) of the recovery process. (4) Three areas (issues of self, emotions and relations) of unresolved issues. (5) Nine elements (the abuse, family situations, childhood, nature, adulthood, relations, counselling, society's of sexuality, and religions) affecting the above systems. 3. There are different perceptions about the experience of abuse between Group A, who received counselling, and Group B, who did not.

Leisure travel has become an important activity in Taiwan. According to the statistical data of Tourism Bureau, R.O.C., people in Taiwan spent about 280.5 billions on oversea¡¦s traveling in 2003. The number of outbound travelers has grown 40.77% compare with last February. It is obvious that the market of outbound travel is getting bigger year by year. The past research on the subject of travel behavior put emphasis on behavior aspect or satisfaction, there is little research discuss the effect of psychological aspect on purchase decisions. Some foreign research verify that the effect of self-concept congruence on product preference, brand preference, and purchase intension (Sirgy, 1982; 2000). They also extend their research to the area of traveling and discuss how the self-image congruity affects post travel satisfaction (Chon 1992), pre-travel purchase intension, or purchase possibility (Surgy and Su, 2000; Litvin and Goh, 2002; 2003). Based on the self-image congruence theory proposed by Sirgy (1982), and the integrated framework of self-image congruence with travel behavior constructed by Sirgy & Su¡]2000¡^, this research try to analyze if the level of real/ideal self-image congruence relate to the purchase intension of destination choice on four destinations with difference characteristics. The results show that outbound-travel decision makings of natives are affected by the inside congruence coordination of the psychological mechanism. Relationship between self-image congruence and tourists¡¦ purchase intention exists not only in western countries but also in Taiwan. Results also show that self-image congruence is related to purchase intention whether tourists are students or social workers. And toward the four totally different cities, New York, Bali, Rome, and Hokkaido, tourists¡¦s purchase intention is still affected by self-image congruence.

To understand how genital self-image affects sexual well-being, it is important to consider its influence on sexual function and distress. It is also important to learn what type of genital appearance is considered visually appealing to men and women, and whether genitalia modified by cosmetic surgery are judged as more attractive compared to unmodified genitalia. The present study assessed women’s genital self-image, sexual functioning and sexual distress in order to elucidate the relationship between these three elements of sexual well-being. Additionally, genital photographs were presented to men and women in order to assess conceptions of female genital attractiveness relative to surgical status (i.e. before and after). Four hundred and seventy-six women (M age=24.38) completed online questionnaires to assess genital self-image, sexual satisfaction, functioning and distress. The female sample along with 429 men (M age = 27.47) also reviewed pictures of pre- and post-surgery genitalia and rated them on levels of attractiveness. The Female Genital Self-Image Scale, the Relational Concern and Personal Concern subscales of the Sexual Satisfaction Scale – Women, and the Female Sexual Functioning Index were administered. Genital self-image was positively correlated with functioning variables including arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain, and negatively correlated with sexual distress. Men rated unaltered and altered genitalia as more attractive than women; older participants rated unaltered and altered genitalia as more attractive than younger participants, and men and women of all ages found altered genitalia more attractive than unaltered genitalia.Women with positive genital self-image experience higher levels of sexual functioning and lower levels of sexual distress. Female genitalia modified by genital cosmetic surgery are considered more attractive regardless of age and gender. / text

”Between normal and abnormal” is a qualitative literature study about adults with Aspergers syndrom. The study aims to understand how a person with Asperger syndrome understand himself. The study is built around two issues. These are; how does a person with Aspergers syndrom describe himself and how does the diagnos influence the self-image. The study interpreted four autobiographical books written by individuals with Asperger's syndrome based on a social constructive and social psychological approach. There is a risk that people who do not have the right or enough information about what an Asperger Diagnosis involves misunderstand the individual. This increases the risk that individuals with Asperger's syndrome may be devalued or get expectations of themselves that will be difficult to achieve. This may in turn have implications for self-esteem and self-perception. The results demonstrate that all writers feel that they are misunderstood, failed and different. The comparison is made with the "normal" and the feeling of being different gives a negative association. However, it also appears that when the diagnosis is obtained, there is a change in their understanding of the difficulties and life experiences they have. The feeling of being different gets a more positive association when their behavior becomes more legitimate, and there arises a sense of being part of the Asperger group which strengthens their self-esteem. Understanding themselves as deviant and odd change to a feeling of being normal though normal in a different way. This is also confirmed by other research (Larsson, 2007). The study also demonstrates that there is a dilemma between being the diagnos and being ones own person with ones own personality.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study attempts to demonstrate the process of diminishing egocentricity, which appears to be central to the individual's evolving capacity to be in relation to the other, in the developing early-to-middle adolescent. It examines the widely accepted developmental theories that view egocentrism and cognitive maturation as being functions of subject-object differentiation. While egocentrism is acknowledged among developmental psychologists to occur, this study attempts to describe the still unarticulated understanding of the change process of diminishing egocentricity, its particular constitutive parts, their nature and function. As the field of developmental psychology has been by itself insufficient to the task of illuminating these processes, a psycho-philosophical mixed study is undertaken in a secondary analysis of A.C. Petersen's (1998) Adolescent Mental Health Study, 1978-1990 longitudinal data collected on early adolescents and followed-up in late adolescence and early adulthood. Existential phenomenology and G.W.F. Hegel's (1977) dialectical method inform the study's theoretical reframing of the problem of diminishing egocentricity in early-to-middle adolescence. The study utilizes CAQDAS, close reading method, grounded theory, and hermeneutical analysis to examine the narrative responses of 45 subjects to Petersen's (1998) study's Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents (SIQYA) in the qualitative analysis. The quantitative portion of the study makes use of Individual Growth Modeling (IGM) to analyze Petersen's (1998) full sample of SIQY A respondents as confirmation or refutation of the qualitative analysis. In addition to successfully arriving at a phenomenology of diminishing egocentricity that demonstrates the importance of a more authentic and integrated dialectical methodology than previously used in developmental research, the study's findings promote a critical retooling of concepts believed to be essential to our understanding of cognitive development generally and shown here to be relevant to diminishing egocentricity in particular, including abstract and concrete thinking qualities/capacities, object permanency, object relations, and subject-object-differentiation. The reframing of the current youth crisis in this more fully developed and unified theoretical (psychological/philosophical) system suggests that a greater emphasis on distinctively social experiential education/opportunities and skills-based activities in schools and therapeutic settings may provide one course for meaningful corrective action. Further study to create an integrated approach to experiential opportunities that promote social cognition is recommended. / 2031-01-02

The motivation of students to learn is one of the most investigated topics in education. Abu Asba (2007) and Assor (2005) have tried to understand the basic factors that enhance motivation and how both teachers and students can benefit from enhancing the motivation to learn. There has been no research that has contributed to the study of motivation in Israeli Arab high schools. The main purpose of the current study was to examine the processes elicited by a counselling intervention designed to enhance motivation, to improve self-image, school climate and student-teacher achievements of high-school students. Thirty students from five 10th grade classes and thirty-five teachers participated in the study. One of the research aims was to formulate a strategy teachers can use when attempting to motivate their students. The study found that it is difficult for teachers to arouse students' intrinsic motivation to learn in a cultural and educational system where motivation to learn is extrinsically controlled. The study also found that motivation to learn increased after students and teachers participated in a counselling intervention program. When students' motivation to learn was elicited, student engagement with the learning processes was enhanced. The findings showed that student and teacher motivation grew and developed when student and teacher self-images improved. Strategies to improve teacher and student self-images included the implementation of teacher training on the subject of learning styles and on the use of relevant instructional styles and the training of educational teams to address teacher and student motivation.

It is the intent of this study to investigate an aspect of the accuracy of first impressions and the stability of attitudes formed on the basis of these impressions. The study of first impressions and their influence on behavior is one aspect of the general topic of person perception.

One of the many attempts to solve problems that plague America's schools is the implementation of uniform dress code policies. Those who favor uniforms contend that uniforms will increase attendance, enhance academic achievement, and improve classroom environment. Prior research studies ( Behling, 1991; Hughes, 1996; and Hoffler-Riddick, 1998) on the effects of mandatory school uniforms have been inconclusive in their findings. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of mandatory uniform dress codes on student attendance, student achievement, and teachers' perceptions of classroom environment in two middle schools. The dependent variables were student attendance, student achievement, and teachers' perceptions of classroom environment. The independent variables were gender, race/ethnicity and time/years of teaching experience. Descriptive statistics and Analyses of Variance were used to analyze the data. Repeated Measures Analyses of Variance was used to analyze the attendance data in School A for three consecutive years. Analyses of Variance was used to measure the attendance and achievement data in School B for two consecutive years. A self-report questionnaire was designed to measure teachers' perceptions of the impact of uniforms on four domains of classroom environment: student attendance, student behavior, student achievement, and students' self-image. Three-way Analysis of Variance was used to analyze the data collected from the questionnaire. The results of this study determined that there were no statistically significant differences in overall student attendance or achievement in School A. There were improvements in student achievement in School B after the change in dress to school uniforms. There were inconsistent differences between race/ethnicity and gender with respect to attendance after uniform implementation in schools A and B. Absences increased in School A after the second year with uniforms. Student achievement improved for students in School B, but showed no change in School A. Based on the results of the Uniform Survey administered to teachers in both schools, the perception of classroom environment after uniforms was generally positive. Teachers overwhelmingly supported the uniform policy, but they were inconsistent in their opinions of the overall impact on classroom environment. Teachers in School A felt that student achievement and student self-image improved after the implementation of school uniforms, but they saw no improvements in student attendance or behavior. Teachers in School B felt that student attendance declined after the first year of uniform implementation; however, they felt that there were improvements in student behavior, student achievement, and student self-image. Future research should examine the impact of mandatory uniform dress codes on school climate, students' self-esteem, and the perceptions of parents, students and members of the community. / Ed. D.