Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-106). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.A. (Population and Reproductive Health Research))--Mahidol University, 1999.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Anthropology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 7, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-135). Also issued in print.

The effects of anxiety arousal on subsequent sexual arousal were investigated to determine if sexually functional and dysfunctional women respond differentially to pairings of anxiety-evoking and erotic cues. Eight sexually dysfunctional and eight sexually functional women viewed a neutral control (travelogue videotape) or anxiety-evoking (threatened amputation videotape) preexposure stimulus followed by a sexually arousing (erotic videotape) experimental stimulus. A repeated measures design was used in which each subject observed both pairs of preexposure and experimental stimuli. Changes in sexual arousal were measured physiologically with a vaginal photoplethysmograph, and subjectively with a self-report rating scale. As predicted, functional women showed significantly greater physiological sexual arousal than dysfunctional women in both the neutral-erotic and anxiety-erotic conditions. Consistent with previous research, anxiety preexposure significantly enhanced genital arousal relative to the neutral-control stimulus for functional women. Moreover, dysfunctional women also achieved a significantly enhanced rate and magnitude of genital arousal following exposure to the anxiety stimulus. Contrary to the strength of their physiological responses however, both groups rated the anxiety-erotic condition as significantly less sexually arousing. Non-significant correlations between vaginal blood volume and subjective ratings revealed a trend for functional and dysfunctional women to experience enhanced genital arousal accompanied by an inhibited likelihood of acknowledging feeling aroused. These findings contradict the literature on sexually functional and dysfunctional men, and challenge current conceptualizations of sexual dysfunction. The findings suggest that (1) anxiety arousal enhances genital arousal in functional and dysfunctional women, (2) heightened arousal occurs despite contradictory cognitive perceptions, (3) the female sexual response system is desynchronous, (4) functional women do not necessarily process genital cues more effectively than dysfunctional women, (5) the physiological response system is imperative to defining a response as sexual and must be targeted in therapy, and (6) common modes of treatment directed toward increasing parasympathetic response may be counterproductive to the elicitation of sexual arousal. Alternative treatment strategies directed toward response synchrony, sympathetic activation, and cognitive attribution are discussed. A preliminary model of sexual dysfunction in women is proposed, .and discussed in terms of directions for future research. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Juvenile male prostitution is practised world-wide. The fact that it occurs in urban areas of South Africa, has been attested to by media reports since approximately 1985. Nevertheless it is a relatively unknown phenomenon as it has never before been researched in South Africa. This study is the first research project which has been undertaken in South Africa. The aim of the study was to describe an educational psychological approach which was designed to assist those involved in juvenile male prostitution. In this research a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study was implemented. The research was divided into two phases. In the first phase the life experiences of the juvenile male prostitutes were explored and described using exploratory multiple case studies based on numerous sources in order to collect the data. The written data was subsequently analyzed according to Giorgi's phenomenological analysis and Kerlinger's content analysis. Categories which came to light, were used in describing the subjects' life experiences. The validity and reliability of the research were ensured using Guba's model for determining trustworthiness. On completion of the investigation, the research findings were compared with the relevant, available literature, to determine the existence of similarities and differences. At the end of the first phase, a number of themes were identified and were employed as a guide to the formulation of an educational psychological remedial approach. The three areas which were identified as being significant in describing an educational psychological approach were: boys who had run away from home and who were Jiving outside conventional social structures, boys who were living with their families, and boys who were still at school. In describing an educational psychological approach the main focus was directed at those juvenile male prostitutes who were living outside conventional social structures. As three of the four subjects used in the research project filled this requirement, it was decided to implement the programme with one of the subjects in order to evaluate and adapt it, if necessary. Prior to the implementation of the programme the proposed educational psychological approach for therapeutic assistance was submitted to two educational psychologists and a social worker for their appraisal during a panel discussion. Following consultation with this panel of experts, it was decided that too many factors existed which could negatively affect the therapy. These factors were identified as: the absence of social structures, the lack of conditions which would satisfy basic needs, and the absence of social support structures...

本研究旨在探索香港夫婦根據他們的社會文化背景對自己在婚姻中所遇到性功能障礙的經驗詮釋和主觀視角。當生理性觀點支配我們理解整全的性行為或性經驗時，這種看法甚至於遮蔽我們在個人、關係和社會心理的向度上所表達與「性」方面有關的活動，亦逐漸令性治療的專業範疇顯得不能完善地對應需要而失效，或許更相信有效的治療方法在於去除生理醫學上的病徵，回復正常的性功能；但是，這樣未必有助於改善性生活的質素和箇中關係。因此，本研究嘗試透過被評估有性功能障礙的夫婦，去檢視他們對有關婚姻經驗的詮釋，就此探討性功能障礙在婚姻境況中的意義和重要性。本專題論文會特別考究臨床社會工作在更闊的社會文化脈絡中，要怎樣理解配偶在婚姻經驗中的詮釋，藉以拓展擴大我們對性功能障礙的現象及其呈現的選擇和可能性的理解與考察，從中由病原學的探究轉向去理解性功能障礙在具體境域中所呈現的意義和重要性。 / 本研究採用了解釋主義研究範式的取向，並著重描述性現象學和哲學詮釋學的原則，致力於人與人關係方面的知識和解構配偶在社會文化中所生成的文本。解釋主義者相信人類行為的多樣性、差異性和複雜性；而描述性現象學和哲學詮釋學的原則便提供了知識建構上的策略和理解經驗意義的四個探索向度：理解的脈絡、時間性、自我或身體的理解及與他人的關係。這亦引申到是次質性研究所涉及的概念框架預設。在研究的設計中，應用了深入面談的方式進行：八位被評估有性功能障礙的配偶及他們在異性戀婚姻中的伴侶，同意參與是次研究，詳細描述了他們在婚姻中的有關經驗和性功能障礙在婚姻中的意義及重要性。 / 研究顯示，夫婦們所描述的故事內容包括具體的婚姻生活、在婚姻中所經驗的性功能障礙和有關性功能障礙的意義及重要性的詮釋。綜合概觀八個故事，有七個重要的主題呈現出來：第一、同樣有性功能障礙的夫婦卻在婚姻關係及滿足感上各有差異；第二、夫婦都以互為主觀的看法和透過關係中的互動去描述性功能障礙的獨特意義及其重要性；第三、配偶們沒有在詮釋性功能障礙的病徵上採取生理學的看法，他們反而按社會經濟方面的理解脈絡 (例如：工作壓力、長工時、家庭財政負擔或樓房按揭)、關係上的脈絡 (例如：婚姻關係、配偶間之互動和親友的關係)、時間性的脈絡 (例如：生育的計劃、過往沮喪的經驗和有關的聯想) 去描述自身性生活的困難，較只以純粹生理性的假設更多、更複雜；第四、他們在詮釋性功能障礙的經驗中，都埋下了結構性的時間觀念，或在時間的境域上同時伸展就過去、現在和未來的意識，從而由性交生活的範圍越出到非性交生活的範圍作一連繫，這可與直線的時間觀作一比對；第五、配偶們通常會以他們的生育計劃去解釋性功能障礙在婚姻中的意義和重要性；第六、忙碌的生活或絶少空閒的生活境況往往是夫婦在家庭和社會經濟範疇上的顯著特徵；第七、除性交以外，配偶們經歷和探索了其他可以令夫婦關係和性生活滿足的選擇，例如自慰、愛撫、擁抱、親吻或甜言蜜語。 / 有關本研究的主要成果，它採取了描述性現象學和哲學詮釋學的原則作為質性研究的取向，並以此為基礎邁向一種集合生理、心理及社會性的理解樣式，有助探索關於性功能障礙在婚姻中所呈現的經驗意義，越過並擴展純粹生理學及病原學的觀點，協助建立社會工作就這方面的明確介入方向，為綜合完備的臨床實務作一基礎。此外，更對單一地了解性功能障礙在婚姻中的意義，而忽略它的多樣性現象，作一意識形態上的批判。 / This research aimed at exploring the insiders’ perspectives of the couples towards sexual dysfunctions in marriage according to their own interpretation in the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong. While the biological aspects comprise an integral part of our understanding of sexuality, it has been developing to conceal our views of the individual, relational and psychosocial dimensions of sexual expression that may eventually prove stultifying to the professional field of sex therapy. It may be increasingly effective at removing biomedical symptoms to normal sexual functioning albeit contributing little else to the improvement of sexual life quality and relations. Thus, this research attempted to investigate the marital experience of spouses, who had been assessed with sexual dysfunctions, through their interpretation, whereas the significance of sexual dysfunctions was investigated at dyadic level in marital context. Interpretation of experience in marriage for the spouses of the present study was specific to clinical social work in a wider socio-cultural context. It drove us to expand the horizon of understanding and investigation towards the phenomenon of sexual dysfunction with the concern of human alternatives or possibilities, veering round from etiology to understanding of human significance of sexual dysfunctions in contexts. / This study adopted the interpretive research paradigm with emphasis of the principles of descriptive phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics for attention to the relational aspects of knowledge and the deconstruction of socio-cultural texts of the spouses. Interpretivists believed in multiplicity, diversity and complexity of human behavior, whereas the principles of descriptive phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics furnished epistemological strategies for searching of meanings of the experiences in the dimensions of space (perceived context), time, self (body) and relations (others) that articulated a conceptual framework for pre-understanding of this qualitative inquiry. In this qualitative study employed with in-depth interviews, eight spouses assessed with sexual dysfunctions and their partners in heterosexual marriage had been recruited to provide personal accounts of their marital experience and perceived significance of sexual dysfunctions in marriage. / As results of the study, the stories of the couples showed through their marital life, experience of sexual dysfunctions and perceived significance of sexual dysfunction in marriage. Having examined across the eight cases, seven major themes arose from their interpretations: (a) there were diversified marital relationship and satisfaction for the spouses who had the experience of sexual dysfunctions in marriage; (b) the unique meaning and importance of sexual dysfunction in marriage was described upon the inter-subjective views of the couples through interactive perceptions; (c) the spouses did not adopt a physiological view towards the symptoms of the sexual dysfunctions or rather they interpreted their experience of sexual difficulties in light of socio-economic context (e.g., work stress, long work hour, burden of household finance, mortgage), relational context (e.g., relationship of marriage, interaction with spouse and relationship with friends) and temporal context (e.g., birth plan, past dreary experience and the related association), more than biological given; (d) they interpreted the experience of sexual dysfunction embedded with structural time or in a horizon of temporality stretching through past, present and future, from the sphere of coitus to the sphere beyond coitus that juxtaposed with the linear time concept; (e) the spouses usually interpreted the significance of sexual dysfunction in view of their plan of reproduction; (f) stress arisen from busy life and occupied living condition in household and socio-economic context was a prominent feature of their marital life; (g) the spouses sought alternatives for sexual and relational satisfaction apart from coitus, e.g. masturbation, caress, hug, kiss or sweet words. / For the implications of the study, it had been working towards a bio-psycho-social model with adoption of the principles of descriptive phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics searching for meaning of the experience that surmounted physiological and etiological views of sexual dysfunctions in marriage, and shed light on social work intervention for sexual dysfunction, especially for sake of a substratum of clinical integrative practice. It also made an ideological critique on uni-mode of understanding against the sexual dysfunctions in marriage without consideration of its multifaceted phenomena. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Kwan, Ka Wing. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 485-537). / Abstracts also in Chinese.

No description available.

D.Ed. / Prostitution among girls shows a steady increase world-wide as well as in South Africa. The assumption is that girls who are involved in prostitution are not able to actualize their full potential. This necessitates the therapeutic assistance of an educational psychologist and therefore implies that the aspects that curb personality growth must be determined and redressed. Information regarding the effect of prostitution on girls is inadequate, due to the fact that in South Africa no research has been undertaken to explore and describe the life-world of girls involved in prostitution. Two questions define the research problem, namely what does the life-world of girls involved in prostitution look like and how information in this regard can contribute to an approach for the educational psychologist in handling this problem. The study aims at exploring and describing the life-world of girls involved in prostitution and of using this data to generate a conceptual framework for prevention and intervention regarding prostitution among girls. This qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research focuses on the life-world of six girls involved in prostitution. The research is conducted in two phases. Phase one represents the exploration and description of the life-world of the six respondents and during phase two this data is used to generate a conceptual framework for the prevention and intervention regarding prostitution among girls. During phase one the data is collected by making use of explorative mutiple case studies. The data is analised by using the phenomenological approach of Giorgi and the content analysis approach of Kerlinger. Available literature is used to compare and complement the data. The themes found through analysis of data emphasise aspects of prostitution, the girls' educational, scholastic and financial situations as well as labile emotions about themselves, their involvement in prostitution and the future. Phase two consists of compiling a conceptual framework, using the above mentioned data. Attention is focused on methods for stabilizing family relationships, scholastic progress and negative emotions as well as ensuring personal empowerment and ego strengthening to enable the girls to break their dependancy on this negative lifestyle. This research contributes to a better understanding of girls involved in prostitution and suggests a more inclusive approach to the prevention and intervention regarding prostitution among girls.

Thesis (M.S.W.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-146). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.