<p>As an aggregate, American households have shown rising debt levels over the past few decades, yet we do not understand how debt varies within households over time and what factors influence this variation in a meaningful way. To date, household debt appears predominantly as a component of measures of net worth, obscuring heterogeneity in the meaning of debt within a household. Moreover, most studies focusing specifically on indebtedness rely on cross-sectional data. In addition, no cohesive theoretical model exists to account for changing patterns of debt. This dissertation seeks to fill these gaps. Utilizing a variety of methodological approaches and drawing on longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, it adds sociological explanation to a social process that has been previously ignored and under-theorized.</p> <p>First, drawing from literature in economics and sociology, I propose a dynamic, life course model of indebtedness that specifies three mechanisms driving differentiation in household indebtedness: institutional context (period), social heterogeneity, and patterned disadvantage, or structural risk. Second, I use multilevel logistic regressions to explore the association between the hypothesized mechanisms and the likelihood of holding non-collateralized debt. While experiencing negative life course risks increases the likelihood of holding debt, I find that occupying positions of structural disadvantage--being black, being in poverty--decreases the likelihood of holding debt, while having advantages--higher education, being married, holding assets--increases the likelihood of holding debt, pointing to distinct differences in who can access debt to buffer life course shocks and who cannot. Examining the interrelationships between debts and assets further underscores the tenuous economic well-being of the disadvantaged. I find that those most likely to experience negative life events are both less likely to have financial assets with which to buffer these events and more likely to experience constrained access to non-collateralized debt.</p> <p>Third, I employ multilevel linear regressions to examine the association between the proposed mechanisms and three unique indicators of debt burden. I find that many of the standard coefficients included in models of net worth are not significant predictors of the level of non-collateralized, non-revolving debt, suggesting that we know much more about the correlates of income and wealth than we do household debt. Variation in debt burden may be better understood by heterogeneity in non-economic variables frequently not captured in survey research. To better explore this unobserved heterogeneity, I utilize latent class regression models to estimate the early life course trajectories of debt burden for the NLSY79 cohort. I find four distinct trajectories of indebtedness with varying consequences for later life financial outcomes. Overall, I conclude that household debt is nuanced and contextually contingent. More importantly, debt adds to our understanding of long-term stratification processes when studied as a unique indicator of inequality.</p> / Dissertation

<p>When behavior is directed toward activities, people, and experiences that people find most important in their lives, they are engaged in valued living. Given that valued living is associated with well-being, quality of life, and happiness, understanding ways in which value-concordant behavior can be promoted, enhanced, and maintained is of utmost importance. Two studies sought to examine the associations between mindfulness--as a dispositional trait and as developed through training--and valued living. In Study 1 dispositional mindfulness was strongly related to three aspects of valued living: the general tendency for people to understand their values and act in value-consistent ways; directing behavior toward valued activities; and clarity of, action toward, and feelings of success and satisfaction with action toward specific important values. Study 2 compared valued living scores of people participating in a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program to a control group. Mindfulness training was related to increased general valuing processes and value-relevant behavior but was not related to increased clarity of, action, or success or satisfaction with action toward specific values. </p><p>The two studies also explored the mechanisms underlying the relationship between mindfulness and valued living. In Study 1, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, and self-clarity each partially mediated the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and valued living, but decentering did not. In Study 2, change in attention mediated the relationship between group (MBSR or control) and valued living, but acceptance, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, self-clarity, and decentering did not. Lastly, both studies found that valued living mediated the relationship between mindfulness and well-being. Taken together, these findings add to the growing body of literature demonstrating the benefits of mindfulness and highlight the important influence that clearly identifying and behaving in accordance with important values has on well-being.</p> / Dissertation

High-Tech industries in Taiwan realize that employees with professional knowledge and skills are the core advantage to competition, therefore implement so call Strategic Human Resource Management(SHRM). Recently, ¡§high performance work practices(HPWPs)¡¨, one of SHRM, becomes more and more emphasized. It is one of management systems that help employees to get needed competences through commitment, involvement, and incentives and to enhance the contributions to organization. However, are employees in high performance work organization feeling well-being? The purpose of this study is to realize the relevance of these two variables, and also if mediating variables, work motivation and work-family balance, work. Literatures about HPWPs are all about the outcomes of organization, however, this study emphasizes on individual with mediating variables, work motivation and work-family balance. Questionnaires was adopted for this study and 301 valid samples are collected from individuals in high-tech industry. Through statistics analysis, the main results are as below: 1. HPWPs separately have partial positive effect on work motivation, work-family balance, and well-being. 2. HPWPs have positive effect on work motivation and this work motivation mediates the effect of HPWPs on well-being. 3. the positive effect of HPWPs on well-being is mediated by work-family balance.

This study aims to describe the quality of life of Turkey in comparison with the European Union Member States including the other candidate countries Bulgaria and Romania. The main question in the study is to determine where Turkey stands in terms of quality of life domains in the membership process to the European Union. For this aim, &ldquo / The European Quality of Life Survey&rdquo / that has been launched in 2003 including 28 countries in Europe has been used. The survey consists of eight life domains including different objective and subjective indicators to measure the quality of life in these countries. The findings revealed that although Turkey displays similar patterns with the other candidate countries, it lags behind the European Union Member States in most of these eight quality of life domains.

ABSTRACT THE DETERMINANTS OF LIFE SATISFACTION IN POST-SOVIET AZERBAIJAN Galip, Hilal MSc., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Dr. Adnan Ak&ccedil / ay September 2007, 99 pages The study aims to investigate main determinants of life satisfaction in newly independent country, Azerbaijan. Taking into consideration of local and cultural characteristics of the region, this research will give the opportunity for making cross-cultural analysis to understand subjective well-being of people living in the country in transition. Moreover, it provides deeper interpretation of daily experiences of people in different fields of life compared to Soviet period. In the survey, 1030 households were selected according to multistage cluster sampling and face to face interviews were conducted with those families. In addition, fifty in-depth interviews were applied to people who are coming from different social backgrounds. All macro societal changes influences subjective well-being of the Azerbaijani people and the further analysis of data will help to taking picture of the society and individuals in a closer perspective. Within this framework, this paper attempts to figure out the quality of life in Azerbaijan from the eyes of Azerbaijani people.

The aim of the present study was to investigate: (a) self and age related differences in time perspective and future time orientations / (b) age differences in adaptive self-regulation / and (c) the contribution of future and self orientations and adaptive self-regulation to well-being. A questionnaire consisting of measures concerning future outlook and time perspective, adaptive self-regulation, self-construals, goals and subjective well-being variables was administered to 404 adults (191 young, 128 middle-aged, 85 older). Also, short structured interviews about time, future, end of life and age were conducted for descriptive and exploratory purposes with nine individuals, three individuals from each age group. On the basis of the results, it was concluded that, (1) older adults had less open and planful, but more anxious future outlook than younger adults, and middle-aged adults had a time perspective more like older adults&rsquo / (2) there is a difference in the content of the goals reported by each age group, and total number of goals reported by older adults was lower than the number of goals reported by young and middle-aged adults / (3) for all age groups, balanced type (i.e., related-individuated, as defined by the Balanced Integration and Differentiation, BID, model) individuals had the most favourable future outlook, and only balanced-type individuals at young, middle and older ages did not differ from each other in terms of having the most favourable future outlook / (4) balanced type individuals reengaged into other goals more than the unbalanced type individuals when they were faced with an unattainable goal / (5) goal reengagement increased with having more open future time perspective, and the contribution of open future time perspective to goal reengagement was much more for middle-aged and older adults than younger adults / (6) self orientations, future time perspective and goal reengagement contribute to well-being, and contributions of future time perspective and goal reengagement to well-being after the contribution of self orientations were considerable only for young and middle-aged adults / (7) gender was not found to have a significant effect on goal reengagement and well-being, but women had slightly more anxious and fatalistic future attitudes than men.

The purpose of the current study is to investigate how global and local thinking styles affect psychological well-being among undergraduate students. A total of 372 (213 females and 159 males) students at Middle East Technical University participated in this study. The qualitative data were gathered via self-report questionnaires including Scales of Psychological Well-Being, Thinking Styles Inventory and a demographic information form. To be able to determine the differences between psychological well-being due to global thinking and local thinking scores as well as gender, ANOVA was held. The results revealed a significant difference between high and low scorers of local thinking in terms of psychological well-being when the global thinking style was low. In addition, the findings indicated that for higher levels of psychological well-being individuals need to adopt one of the styles and report higher levels on that adopted style. On the other hand, the statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between high scorers of global thinking and low scorers of global thinking on psychological well-being. Additionally, no significant difference found between high scorers and low scorers of local thinking in terms of psychological well-being. Upon the examination of gender related findings, it was found that females reported higher levels of psychological well-being compared to males while males reported higher levels of global thinking than females did.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of gender, relationship status, romantic relationship satisfaction, and career commitment in three components of subjective well-being, namely life satisfaction, negative affect, and positive affect among senior university students. The sample of the study was composed of 400 (172 females, 228 males) fourth grade students from five faculties of Middle East Technical University. The participants were administered four instruments, namely Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), and Commitment to Career Choices Scale (CCCS). Three separate simultaneous multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictive power of the independent variables that are relationship status, romantic relationship satisfaction, the dimensions of career commitment that are vocational exploration and commitment and tendency to foreclose on the independent variables that are positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that gender, relationship satisfaction, and vocational exploration and commitment significantly predicted life satisfaction of the students. In addition, results yielded that romantic relationship satisfaction, vocational exploration and commitment, and tendency to foreclose significantly predicted negative affect of the students. Finally, vocational exploration and commitment and relationship status were significant predictors of positive affect of students.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relation of mother daughter relationship to well- being of the daughters with respect to self-esteem and life satisfaction. The sample was consisting of 426 female university students from Ankara and Kirsehir with a mean age of 21.62 (SD= 2.35). The scales which were used in that study are Adult Daughter Questionnaire (MAD) (Rastogi, 1995), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, &amp / Griffin, 1985). Adult Daughter Questionnaire (MAD) (Rastogi, 1995) has been used to measure the current mother-daughter relationship. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) has been used to measure global self esteem, and The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin, 1985) has been used to measure the global life satisfaction. The canonical correlation analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between the mother daughter questionnaire&rsquo / s subscales ( connectedness, interdependency and trust in hierarchy) and the two indicators of well being namely life satisfaction and self-esteem. The results of the study showed that the three indicators of the mother-daughter relationship (connectedness, interdependency, and trust in hierarchy) and the two indicators of well being (self-esteem and life satisfaction) were interrelated. In other words mother daughter relationship is positively related to life satisfaction and self esteem of the daughters.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of cinematherapy and its interaction with subjective well-being levels on self-perception and its dimensions. Additionally, the study aimed to select cinematherapy movies in accordance with self-perception dimensions, and their therapeutic functions. Moreover, the role of cognitive-emotional identification beside similarity identification was investigated. Three conditions were constructed by clinical and non-clinical samples consisted of 34 participants aged between 15 and 18. Clinical cinematherapy condition was composed of 10 out-patient psychiatric participants, and 24 high school students were assigned to non-clinical cinematherapy and control conditions. Cinematherapy conditions received 3-session cinematherapy intervention in which viewing and elaboration of cinematherapy movies took place. Control condition watched episodes of a documentary with no elaboration part. According to results, in pre-treatment measures, clinical sample had more negative self-perception and self-concept scores in scholastic competence, physical appearance, and global self-worth than non-clinical sample. Additionally, clinical sample had lower levels of subjective well-being than non-clinical sample. As a result of cinematherapy application, athletic competence positively changed in non-clinical sample. Besides, cinematherapy positively affected self-perceptions of participants with low levels of subjective well-being in clinical sample. For participants with low subjective well-being levels in non-clinical cinematherapy condition, athletic competence increased while global self-worth decreased. According to identification results, cinematherapy conditions had higher similarity identification scores than control condition and non-clinical cinematherapy condition had higher fictional involvement scores than clinical cinematherapy condition. The applications and findings were discussed in terms of sample characteristics and cinematherapy procedures.