Thesis (Ed. D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1988. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-05, Section: A, page: 1292. Adviser: Leonard Grob.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2001. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-01, Section: B, page: 0543. Chair: Christopher A. Capuano. Available also in print.

<p> This study represented an examination of the social issue of increasing female aggression in the State of Connecticut and has clarified a predictive relationship among internal locus of control, pathological narcissism to include contingent self-esteem, self-sacrificing self-enhancement, hiding the self, devaluing, grandiose fantasy, entitlement rage, and the four manifestations of female aggression that included physical and verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. </p><p> Aggression perpetrated by young adult females has been problematic in terms of the direct cost to society through injuries or damage sustained, increased displacement, or negatively affected social circumstances of children as collateral damage created by sanctioning of the female parent. As a learned response, children emulate the aggressive values and behaviors of those adults both as a defensive coping strategy, as well as the multi-generational perpetuation of aggressive behavior as a learned behavioral choice. This study was conducted in Connecticut with a selective participant group of 174 self-reported adult females, aged 18&ndash;35, with histories of having been legally sanctioned for aggressive behavior. Participants were solicited through a receptive social service agency, The Connection, Incorporated and the social media network, Facebook. The data generated in this quantitative study were analyzed utilizing multiple and stepwise linear regression analyses; statistically significant, predictive relationships among the variables, internal locus of control, pathological narcissism, and female aggression were identified and measured independently, as well as in different groupings. The various combinations of internal locus of control and components of pathological narcissism were each more predictive of each of the specific forms of female aggression.</p><p>

<p> This thesis examines the psychosocial and cultural factors behind body modification practices of breast augmentation, female circumcision, and foot binding in order to understand the growing trend of cosmetic surgery. Body modification is examined through the lens of Albert Bandura&rsquo;s social learning theory using hermeneutic methodology that analyzes quantitative and qualitative data. Cross-cultural research on breast augmentation, female circumcision, and foot binding provides insight into how body modification practices are internalized through observational learning. The findings demonstrate that women are faced with social pressures to conform to physical ideals that often require modification of the body. Bandura&rsquo;s theory of self-efficacy provides insights into how women can exercise choice, personal agency, and self-direction to guide personal decisions pertaining to cosmetic surgery within the context of social pressures.</p>

<p> As the workplace has diversified with the inclusion of women and minorities holding positions throughout all levels of the organization hierarchy, the question remains if gendered racism exists in the 2014 workplace for women managers with minority group background. Gendered racism, described by Philomena Essed in her 1991 book, <i>Understanding Everyday Racism: An Interdisciplinary Theory,</i> is a unique female experience due to their race and being a woman. Visible at this intersection of race and sex, women of color may experience the sexist and racist stereotypes dually assigned to women and minorities. This research provides a qualitative view of the experiences of gendered racism using Moustakas' transcendental phenomenology method. Data were collected from eight women who self-identified as Hispanic (<i> n</i>=2) and Black (<i>n</i>=6). All the women with the exception of one were college graduates, managers in an organization of 50 or more employees, between the ages of 35 to 62 years old. The study findings validated the experiences of gender racism in the workplace through the lived experiences of women interviewed. The women revealed their experiences with gendered racism, which affected their workplace interactions with others, manifest psychological stressors, and tainted the vision of themselves. Additionally, all of the women developed coping skills to combat gendered racism, which allowed them to pivot their careers to higher levels in their organizations. The emerging themes revealed from the study's participants experiences of gendered racism are psychological effects, feeling discounted, acceptance or justification, disrespect, and self-confidence. This research provides a phenomenological description of the lived experiences of the gendered racism and the impact of these experiences in the workplace as reveal by women of color.</p>

<p> Through the use of artistic-creative methodology and alchemical hermeneutic exploration, this production thesis examines the creation of images and the process of dialoguing with them as a therapeutic tool, helping to heal and empower female trauma survivors. By acknowledging and interacting with images from the unconscious, one may begin to reintegrate split or dissociated parts of the Self, ultimately leading to the reunification of psyche. Drawing upon the theories of Jung, depth psychology, and expressive arts therapy, the author presents her personal journey toward healing, selfexpression, and empowerment, which involves active imagination and dialogues with created images. The production, two original paintings, illustrates the process of accessing the unconscious through interaction with images as a way of making meaning and healing from trauma, splitting, and dissociation. Using these ideas, mental health clinicians can gain an additional modality for the successful treatment of trauma survivors. </p>

<p> Media outlets perpetuate an ultra-thin feminine ideal which has been linked to body dissatisfaction among women (Lew, Mann, Myers, Taylor, &amp; Bower, 2007). The present study focused on the inclusion of warning labels, similar to those in cigarette ads, on advertisements. Previous research indicates that these labels might have a protective factor for women's body satisfaction, but results are inconsistent (Slater, Tiggemann, Firth, &amp; Hawkins, 2012; Tiggemann, Slater, Bury, Hawkins, &amp; Firth, 2013). The purpose of this study was to resolve inconsistencies from past research and extend the findings to Women of Color (WOC). Participants of this study included 161 female college students at a Midwestern university. Results indicated that warning labels may serve to decrease body dissatisfaction within both White Women and WOC. Implications for practice were also discussed.</p>

<p>This thesis is a heuristic exploration, from a depth psychological perspective, of the relationship between shame and authentic voice for fatherless daughters living in a patriarchal culture. Literature is reviewed related to a definition of shame and understanding its etiology and psychological effects. Through a depth psychological analysis of the author&rsquo;s personal experience of abandonment by her father, the path toward healing shame is revealed as the capacity to be vulnerable enough to tell one&rsquo;s whole story in the presence of a loving and compassionate witness. This profoundly courageous act is what leads a fatherless daughter from a place of a silenced voice in the face of shame to a place of empowerment through sharing her authentic voice and moving toward psychological liberation. </p>

<p> The Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center (SBARC) in Pembroke Pines, Florida is a residential center where women live with their children while receiving treatment for a variety of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues and while participating in mandatory parenting classes. Unlike most women's residential treatment centers, which address only the woman and her problems, SBARC treats the mother-infant/child dyad. I designed and created a database to examine the data previously available only in the paper client records of over 800 women who received treatment at SBARC from 1995 through 2010 in a previous project. This nonexperimental, retrospective explanatory study (Johnson, 2001; Johnson &amp; Christensen, 2014) analyzed that newly digitized historical data to examine the efficacy of the SBARC treatment with respect to three key variables: dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression (<i>N</i> = 268). Correlational analysis (MANOVA) of the three variables showed significant results, which suggest that reductions in maternal anxiety and maternal depression may be related to increases in the quality of the dyadic attachment. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) found significant increases in dyadic attachment and decreases in maternal anxiety and maternal depression. The results of this nonexperimental study support the need for future research via controlled studies to determine the relationships among these key treatment variables. Grossmann, Grossmann, and Waters (2005) and others claim that improvement in dyadic attachment improves outcomes for children. Dodge, Sindelar, and Sinha (2005) and others also believe that reductions in maternal depression and maternal anxiety may result in better outcomes. The results of this study suggest that there is value in combining these two perspectives so that measurements of dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression inform future program offerings and treatment plans. The multi-disciplinary foundation of attachment theory and its rich offering of systemic and relational therapy approaches provides what I believe may be an effective blend of treatment options supported by useful empirical measures that can greatly enhance and expand professional competencies of Marriage and Family Therapists involved in clinical practice with similar at-risk populations.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2675. Adviser: Jasna Jovanovic. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-72) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.