No description available.

While much is known about the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on women in adulthood, little is currently known about their self-care efforts. Given the paucity of research on self-care for survivors, particularly those who are also mothers, and the potential importance of self-care for both themselves and their children, the main goal of the present study was to explore these women’s perceptions and practices of self-care. A grounded theory approach was chosen for this exploration as it provided a sensitive and open-ended methodology which garnered an in-depth understanding of self-care for survivor mothers. The current study combined classic grounded theory (GT) research methods with photovoice methods to explore self-care from the perspective of CSA survivor mothers. Analyses of interview and photograph data from 14 survivor mothers resulted in an original basic social process for understanding how these women care for themselves, feel better, and engage in healing in the context of past violence and trauma. Complex interactive behavioural patterns were identified that recreated a whole self out of damaged fragments; these were conceptualized as “reconstituting a damaged self”. This basic social process was comprised of three main stages, including: emotional de-paining, safetying, and authenticating and returning to self. Several substages within each of these main stages were also identified. Findings were discussed in relation to four theoretical frameworks. Future research directions and clinical implications for this neglected population were suggested. Reconstituting a damaged self can be a long process for sexual abuse survivor mothers involving taking small safe steps, for the most part, on one’s own.

While much is known about the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on women in adulthood, little is currently known about their self-care efforts. Given the paucity of research on self-care for survivors, particularly those who are also mothers, and the potential importance of self-care for both themselves and their children, the main goal of the present study was to explore these women’s perceptions and practices of self-care. A grounded theory approach was chosen for this exploration as it provided a sensitive and open-ended methodology which garnered an in-depth understanding of self-care for survivor mothers. The current study combined classic grounded theory (GT) research methods with photovoice methods to explore self-care from the perspective of CSA survivor mothers. Analyses of interview and photograph data from 14 survivor mothers resulted in an original basic social process for understanding how these women care for themselves, feel better, and engage in healing in the context of past violence and trauma. Complex interactive behavioural patterns were identified that recreated a whole self out of damaged fragments; these were conceptualized as “reconstituting a damaged self”. This basic social process was comprised of three main stages, including: emotional de-paining, safetying, and authenticating and returning to self. Several substages within each of these main stages were also identified. Findings were discussed in relation to four theoretical frameworks. Future research directions and clinical implications for this neglected population were suggested. Reconstituting a damaged self can be a long process for sexual abuse survivor mothers involving taking small safe steps, for the most part, on one’s own.

Local Food Systems (LFS) is a relatively new concept in geographical and planning research. Academic, professional, and public interest in LFS is in part a reaction against the social, environmental, and economic effects of a dominant Production Agriculture paradigm (Lyson, 2004), and growing concern with the potential impacts of climate change on the food supply (Ostry, Miewald, and Beveridge, 2011). While there is a growing public and policy interest in making transformative change in LFS, there is a lack of theoretical work that addresses how change processes in food systems occur. In this study, a classic Glaserian grounded theory research project investigated the subject area of local food system planning. The primary research goal was the development of a theory grounded in the experience of practitioners, elected officials, and members of the public. The emergent theory, called Transformative Incrementalism (TI) describes the social process underlying planning initiatives focused on achieving significant (transformative) change in local food systems. The data for this research project are drawn from interviews with 29 elected officials, public stakeholders, and planning staff in five communities with local food system initiatives. In addition, 10 member checking interviews were also conducted. The core category identified in the emergent TI theory was Power, with Values, Praxis, and Outcomes being other main themes. From this research, Power could be defined as the ability, through authoritative and non-authoritative influence, to have an effect on a person, process, action, or outcome. Values act as sources of power to the extent that they motivate and drive the actions of individuals and groups. Praxis includes activities designed to create, use, and maintain power, such as building relationships with other people that will give ongoing support for food planning initiatives. Outcomes include broader system and social changes resulting from local food system planning processes and activities. The main findings from this dissertation underscore the fact that the role of power has been largely ignored in the planning literature (Friedman, 2011; Flyvbjerg, 2012; Assche, Duineveld, and Buenen, 2014). Power is the main driver of change; therefore, a lack of understanding about what power is and how it operates would seem to compromise the ability of planning efforts to be effective. This research identifies and illustrates the interrelationship between the political, public, and bureaucratic spheres of actors, and examines how values, praxis, and outcomes are pivotal to transformative change in food planning initiatives. Transformative change is achieved through a long process of incremental efforts (programs, policies, and actions) by actors within the public, political, and bureaucratic groups whose values and beliefs converge and align over time. The incremental efforts are intended to support a transformative change goal. / Graduate

No description available.

Background: Psychological perfectionism, from a clinical perspective, started to be a topic of interest for cognitive behavioural clinicians at the beginning of the 1950s. Whilst many studies have identified perfectionism as a pivotal motivator in different conditions of neurosis, the exact nature of its interactions remains unclear. In the research community there is still a debate as to whether there is such a thing as good perfectionism, and there remains no consensual theory of psychopathological perfectionism. Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate why the nature of the phenomena remains a contentious issue, and to develop a robust theory of psychopathological perfectionism, within a cognitive behavioural framework, which will find general acceptance. From the literature review this appears to be the first qualitative study to develop such a theory. Method: Substantive grounded theory was developed within a framework of methodical hermeneutics which, it is argued, is capable of generating formative theory. 20 volunteers who came forward in response to advertisements became participants in semi-structured interviews using a post classic qualitative methodology, from which emerging data became the basis of categories leading to the development of the theory, and functions of the phenomena. Results and Conclusions: The study sets out reasons why there remains an impasse amongst researchers and clinicians about the condition of psychopathological perfectionism. A parsimonious theory of pathological perfectionism has been developed, the constructs of which are just necessary and sufficient to describe the condition. The developed theory makes a contribution to theories proposed prior to 1990 and to contemporary research. However as with all theories it is necessarily provisional, so that its usefulness is in need of further research and development. Psychopathological perfectionism has only two constructs, namely a demand to achieve perfectionism in at least one idiosyncratic sphere, which is in response to a core schema of conditional worth. A number of symptoms or functions of psychopathological perfectionism have also been identified, and there are suggestions as to how the condition develops and is maintained to the detriment of the sufferer. The study synthesizes over fifty years of theory and research into the phenomena. The developed theory and its symptoms or functions have important implications for clinical interventions, training, and for further psychological and psychosocial research. These implications are discussed.

This study generates a metatheory of interpersonal violence from an initial qualitatively highest scoring academic literature item and theoretically sampling over 200 additional literature items using classic grounded theory methodological analysis and synthesis. Danger emerged as the main concern of those experiencing interpersonal violence. Safetifying from interpersonal violence through the socio-psychophysical process of Phasic Protective Sequencing emerged as the resolution of the main concern. The metatheory of safetifying emerged in four parts: 1. The first was the socio-structural process of endangering with interpersonal violence through the interaction of the people and the elite resulting in endangerment (danger). 2. Danger precipitates the socio-psychological process of safetifying before interpersonal violence which involves awarenessing, setting up, and evaluating. 3. If the person is attacked, it precipitates the psycho-physical process of safetifying during interpersonal violence including resiliencing, finishing, and victoring. 4. The aftermath of an attack or the avoidance of an attack precipitates the psycho-social process of safetifying after interpersonal violence including reclaiming, relinquishing, and achieving. The metatheory of safetifying was shown to contribute uniquely to the field of interpersonal violence, to many related theories, and to have potential for therapeutic application. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)