<p> Personal observations and anecdotal accounts attest that some of the young people in U.S. Latino churches are developing as leaders within their congregations. This seems to come as a result of the organic or less-formalized leadership development dynamics and practices present within Latino congregations, where leaders often develop by being actively involved in leadership actions without necessarily first following a curriculum of study, completing a training program, or fulfilling a set of theological education requirements. In this way, many are acquiring roles and responsibilities by which they actively contribute towards local congregational and community life, and by which they develop as leaders through hands-on experiences. This less formalized leadership development dynamic in Latino congregations has yet to be empirically studied, as a means to further understand and learn from this unique characteristic that can be helpful to the church at large in our search for how to develop the next generation of leaders. Thus, there is a need to identify, describe, and empirically analyze some of the specific phenomena involved in these observed dynamics within Latino congregations that seem to be contributing towards youths&rsquo; leadership development. </p><p> Method: Therefore, this descriptive and explanatory <i>ex post facto </i> study examined key congregational practices within Latino churches and the level of participation young people have in these as a means of analyzing the association of both with leadership development. The study drew on existing data collected through the Chicago Latino Congregational Study &ndash; Youth Survey (CLCS&ndash;YS) of 63 randomly sampled Latino congregations in different Christian denominations: Catholic, Evangelical, Mainline, and Pentecostal. The sample population consisted of 307 Latino youth ages 13 to 19. </p><p> After examining the 104 questionnaire items of the CLCS&ndash;YS for applicability, 23 were selected to analyze youth&rsquo;s religious participation, social service involvement, and engagement in leadership tasks, while controlling for demographic characteristics. Aspects of Positive Youth Development (PYD) theory pertaining to youth leadership development provided a means to select and create the variables studied, which were derived from socioreligious descriptions of Latino congregations that are linked to the aforementioned organic leadership dynamics. </p><p> Results: The data analysis revealed that youth in Chicago Latino congregations have a high aggregate score for both Religious Participation and Engagement in Leadership Tasks, and both scores increase with their age. Although their aggregate score for Social Service Involvement was found to be low, the frequencies of the reported habits, actions, and behaviors regarding Social Service Involvement indicate that a high percentage of youth are involved in volunteering or social service in and out of their local congregation. A significant relationship was also found between youths&rsquo; level of Religious Participation and their level of Social Service Involvement and Engagement in Leadership Tasks, with both scores increasing as their scores in Religious Participation increased. </p><p> The results of the individual survey frequencies served to create a contextual description of socioreligious phenomena present in Chicago Latino congregations, as well as a wider reference into the religious habits of Latino youth. The findings support the observations and anecdotal accounts regarding the level of engagement youth have with organic dynamics for leadership development in Latino congregations. Based on PYD theory, the study also provided a proposed set of variables and measurements by which to approach future studies on this topic. Youth congregants are involved in hands-on experiences such as social service projects and exercising leaderships tasks, and they are also engaging very frequently with their supportive religious community. These are all characteristics of ecological contributing contexts which PYD postulates can potentially contribute towards the leadership development of youth, and their continued contribution as leaders in adulthood (Avolio &amp; Vogelgesang, 2011; Murphy &amp; Reichard, 2011).</p><p>

<p> Polyamory is a type of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) in which participants engage in multiple simultaneous romantic and often sexual relationships with the knowledge and consent of all involved. CNM practitioners in general, and polyamorous people in specific, appear to be highly stigmatized due to their relational practices, and to frequently encounter CNM-related discrimination, harassment, and violence (DHV). Conceptualizing this dynamic via minority stress theory predicts that this stigma and DHV will lead to negative mental health outcomes for polyamorous individuals. However, recent research has begun to identify possible sources of resilience and strength within polyamorous populations, which may ameliorate these negative effects, as well as enhance satisfaction with CNM and quality of life. This study investigated these hypotheses in a sample of 1,176 polyamorous American adults utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). Two structural models were proposed and tested, one for polyamorous resilience and one for polyamorous strengths. Four constructs were assessed as potential resilience and strength factors: mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, a positive CNM identity, and connection to a supportive CNM community. Results indicate that CNM-related minority stress was positively related to increased psychological distress, such as higher self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms. Mindfulness was found to have both direct and moderating effects on the relationship between minority stress and psychological distress, such that higher mindfulness attenuated the negative impact of minority stress. Cognitive flexibility also displayed direct and moderating effects, but in the opposite than predicted direction. Regarding polyamorous strengths, mindfulness was found to positively impact overall satisfaction with CNM as well as life satisfaction. In addition, greater connection to a supportive CNM community correlated with having a more positive sense of CNM identity, which in turn was related to higher satisfaction with CNM. Overall satisfaction with CNM was related to greater life satisfaction. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed, with an emphasis on improving cultural competence for clinicians working with this unique and under-served population.</p><p>

<p> This study explored how middle managers experienced and responded to role ambiguity after they transitioned from previous roles well understood by the individuals and their role sets to new or redefined middle manager roles in high knowledge-based organizations (HKBO) that had undergone planned organizational changes. The study found that even in HKBOs where knowledge workers are the predominant workforce and change is constant, organizational change had significant negative impacts on middle managers. Their role transitions were found to be difficult and of negative valence when their preferred work role identities were challenged when in-role expectations were changed or by their new role requirements, which were often unclear, conflicting, or overlapping with other roles, leading to role ambiguity. Actions taken to resolve the sources of ambiguity such as the exercise of autonomy and working closely with their bosses to clarify expectations were ineffective without the support of the greater organization. Individuals found these impacts to be unsettling and to require significant identity work to redefine their work role identities. The key finding was that while externally they presented a work role identity that was accepted by their role set as consistent with the new role, internally they rejected that identity and maintained their preferred work role identity. This dual condition was seen to be persistent, indicating that these alternative identities can co-exist through construction of a coherent identity narrative that reconciles the differences and justifies the maintenance of the preferred work role identity while exercising a different role. Future longitudinal studies could explore how HKBO knowledge workers and middle managers are able to maintain this duality of work role identity and for how long. Also, for those who have successfully transitioned to new preferred work role identities, studies could assess how new learning was involved and how identity narrative was employed.</p><p>

<p> In seminary education (other than perhaps in a Catholic seminary), the concept of the dark night is rarely examined, if ever. Therefore, a seminary-trained Protestant pastor may well enter into the dark night of the soul without any warning and without any understanding about what is happening. Unfortunately, the pastor who has never heard of this phenomenon may discern this gracious work of God in his or her life as a personal mental problem, such as a form of depression, or even a spiritual failure on their part. Thus the pastor may enter into a crisis of faith in their pastoral service and thereby miss the benefit of the experience. </p><p> The modern Christian psychologists researched in this study fail to answer the question, &ldquo;Why do bad things happen to good people?&rdquo; The biblical theology presented by Saint John of the Cross does answer that question, providing a sufficient and satisfying understanding of why troubles do indeed arise in everyone&rsquo;s life. This researcher&rsquo;s hypothesis is that many pastors are largely unaware of the teachings of Saint John of the Cross and are very unaware of the biblical theology of the purpose of sorrow and suffering. Thus when sorrow and suffering come into their lives and ministry, their leadership effectiveness in pastoral ministry is negatively affected. This study attempts to validate that hypothesis.</p><p>

<p> The aim of this study was to explore how clinical social workers use computer-mediated intervention, as well as, how they incorporate, if at all, the social justice framework in their practice. A qualitative dominant mixed method design using a phenomenological approach was used. The 28 participants in the sample were recruited using purposeful, convenience sampling with criterion and snowball-sampling techniques. The sensitizing concepts of computer-mediated intervention and social justice were measured using the Internet-based Survey including the self-developed questionnaire C<i>omputer-mediated Intervention and Social Justice</i> and the <i>Social Justice Attitudes Subscale </i> (Torres-Harding, Siers, &amp; Olsen, 2012). More in-depth data was acquired through <i>semi-structured interviews,</i> which were conducted through video or telephone conference. The findings suggest that a foundational commitment to social justice plus the increased use of technology within clinical practice contribute to the promotion of social justice.</p><p>

<p> The obesity epidemic continues to be a major concern in the United States. The World Health Organization reported that 1.4 billion adults were either obese or overweight. African American (AA) women have the highest incidence of obesity worldwide. The obesity rate among AAs has continued to rise over the past 2 decades. The problem is that AA women prepare and consume high caloric foods that contribute to obesity. This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions that obese AA women have about altering how they prepare soul food to make it a healthier soul food. The empowerment model and the health belief model were used to frame this study. Data were collected using a non-probability purposeful sampling strategy. The sample for this study consisted of 4 focus groups with 6-7 obese AA women (<i> n</i> = 25) who prepare and consume high caloric soul foods and have a body mass index of 30 and above. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative analysis and NVivo 11 computer software. It was found that obese AA women were willing to alter their traditional soul food preparation only if it tastes good. It was also found that participants would maintain new healthier eating behaviors depending on the taste, availability of recipes to use, low cost of healthy ingredients, accessibility of the ingredients, learning how to substitute various herbs and spices, and amount of food waste. Barriers that could limit participation in an intervention designed to develop healthier eating habits were identified as ignorance and laziness, transportation issues, lack of motivation, lack of education, lack of time, no incentives, and bad reviews.</p><p>

<p> Mediation offers an increasingly popular way for disputing parties to work together toward resolving their conflicts, yet there are few studies of the actual voiced interactions between mediation parties and experienced mediators. This research project studied 10 face-to-face interpersonal mediation sessions involving 34 participants. The study provides in-depth and multidimensional understanding of how experienced mediators assist disputing parties in refraining from or moving beyond the futility of blamescaping, toward cooperating on mutually acceptable resolution of their conflicts. (<i>Blamescaping</i> refers to verbal blaming behaviors, including accusations in the form of scapegoating.) </p><p> Findings from initial data analysis, employing the Voice-Centered Relational method&rsquo;s Listening Guide, showed that experienced mediators were able to help disputing parties by interceding and interposing in a variety of co-implicated ways related to the form, process, and content of mediation discourse. These ways emerged as strong patterns, and include cooperation coaching, encouraging short opening statements, interrupting blamescaping, supporting focus on the future rather than the past, mutualizing statements, avoiding criticism of the parties, frequent use of questions, and parties echoing mediators. Through a second level of in-depth data analysis and interpretation, those patterns of interpositions and intercessions were found to be consistent with each of three conceptual lenses: Ren&eacute; Girard&rsquo;s mimetic theory of conflict, genre analysis in conflict resolution, and narrative mediation praxis. </p><p> Implications of how the research findings can serve as a resource for conflict resolution practitioners, mediator training and continuing education, and applied mediation ethics are discussed. Recommendations for ways the mediation profession can support additional research, along with suggestions for future research studies, also are provided. </p><p>

<p> The global hegemon, the United States encompasses roughly 57,000 to 63,000 of the roughly 45.8 million slaves present across the world today (Walk Free Foundation 2016a). This dissertation research uses the theoretical lens of Human Security as a unique approach in that it is people-centered, focusing on the individual, rather than the more traditional theories in international relations that emphasize the state as the central actor. This dissertation focuses on the understudied area of human trafficking into and within the United States. More specifically, the objective of this research examines the movement of trafficked persons via air and details actions to be taken to combat human trafficking. </p><p> Although the world relies upon aerial commerce to enable globalization and interdependence, these same transportation systems and flows that carry persons and goods for legal commerce and trade can also be used as an avenue for illegal commerce, including trafficking of human. Thus, the researcher surveyed aviation personnel in various sectors of the industry, government organizations, non-government organization and victims/survivors via an online survey platform and utilized social media to reach potential survey participants. The sample size used for this study was 10,065 and the study received 578 participants. </p><p> The data collection procedures and results used in this dissertation were designed to identify gaps in security safeguards that further enable human trafficking via aircraft. The author presents strategies that can be adopted to reduce, if not eliminate, human trafficking into and within the United States via air. The researcher identified eleven opportunities for future research and discusses the limitations. The studied reveals seven key findings: definition of human trafficking is not known in totality, the level of human trafficking awareness, the number of human trafficking cases identified, the characteristics of the typical respondent, aviation sectors place a slightly different areas of emphasis of human trafficking that is understudied, understudied areas of human trafficking were different than that of the typical respondent, and the absence of human trafficking regulations and training. Finally, the study introduces a comprehensive-holistic human trafficking training curriculum entitled, &ldquo;Operation Safe House: Human Trafficking Training for Aviation Professionals.&rdquo;</p><p>

<p> Environmental sustainability is an extension of the concept of sustainability that focuses on the importance of understanding the interconnectivity between natural and socio-economic systems without compromising resource capacity. In this study, it is incorporated into a framework that applies to the sustainable development of small counties in the South Texas region of the Eagle Ford Shale. </p><p> The research involved a qualitative approach through the distribution of a questionnaire to a surveyed sample of Texas residents from Gonzales and Karnes counties. The purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain the expressed perspectives of residents regarding the impacts of shale development on their quality of life. These locations of interest were selected because of the different levels of shale development they experienced. Aspects of quality of life were analyzed as indicators of the survey responses to open and closed-ended questions. Participants described and scaled variables regarding impacts, benefits, and notable changes they experienced from the development of shale resources in their counties. Content analysis was used to obtain results relevant to developing the conceptual model for environmental sustainability proposed in this study. Findings showed that the sample of participating residents highly identified with socio-economic interests compared to environmental interests, considering that when the study was conducted shale oil and gas production was in decline as a result of fallen global energy prices. </p><p> In this study the terms sustainability and sustainable development were used interchangeably, while development was addressed in a broad sense, referring to the overall improvement of quality of life.</p><p>

<p> Social paradigms establish narratives that dictate society. Film, as a form of public pedagogy, mirrors social narratives on screen and instructs society how to view others and think about the world. Diverse individuals and groups view the world differently based on their environment and development. When individuals view film content, their unique perceptions support their understandings of the film content. Without dialogue and reflection, particularly with people with different worldviews and backgrounds, inaccurate, incomplete, and harmful information that is exhibited on screen may continue to influence one&rsquo;s view of society. One way for dialogue to occur is through social media, which can expose individuals from diverse backgrounds to each other. This transdisciplinary inquiry theorized, &ldquo;How might conversations on social media impact the social consciousness among viewers of dystopian films?&rdquo; The literature review underscored why film and dystopian literature are significant and how social media&rsquo;s prevalence as channels for communication can spark intellectual debate, which links to public pedagogy, with the aim of developing social consciousness. The research was composed as a dystopian fiction novel, using fiction-based research, because fiction, like film, disseminates social narratives. Dystopian literature and film&rsquo;s plots typically center on social critiques, and are socially conscious in nature. Critics often debate these types of works because of opposing ideologies. Other topics of debate include identity politics surrounding the subtext of fiction and film, casting in film, and governing social dynamics that influence the film industry, such as White supremacy. Unlike with film that has visual representations on screen, readers often have to use mental imagery to interpret and understand fiction writing. When in dialogue with others, individuals can reflect on their projections and interpretations. The fiction incorporated the concepts of the literature review and Urie Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s (1978/2005) bioecological systems theory of human development. This theoretical framework as the foundation of the fiction-oriented research demonstrated how environments, such as social media, influence one&rsquo;s view of the world.</p><p>