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<p>The study aimed to understand and advance the dynamics that influence psychological aggression. Psychological aggression can be defined as, verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm another person mentally or emotionally, and/or control another person. In our society, the occurrence of psychological aggression in relationships is far more tolerated then physical aggression, but the effects can be more long term and harmful. The study hypothesized that an individual’s level of differentiation of self--a person’s ability to differentiate between feeling and thinking in times of stress--and their gender have a role in the severity of psychological aggression. The study was approved by IRB and using an online survey through MTurk asked participants about experiencing and perpetrating psychological aggression in their romantic relationships. The study had 192 participates in the multiple regression analyses, who provided some support that the level of differentiation of self and severity of psychological aggression, experiencing and perpetrating, have a negative significant relationship. Gender was found to not impact the relationship between differentiation of self and severity of psychological aggression. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions for research were addressed. </p>

Mental health professionals in all settings work with clients who are affected by trauma. Traumatic events expose mental health professionals to the negative psychological and emotional impact of witnessing and listening to client stories. Vicarious trauma is the emotional consequence of this empathic engagement with clients. The purpose of this correlational study was to identify predictors of vicarious trauma in mental health professionals that had not been studied before. The theoretical framework guiding the study was the Bowen family systems theory and the construct of differentiation of self. A regression analysis was conducted with a purposive sample of 83 licensed or certified mental health professionals from community counseling agencies in the Midwest. Five research questions were evaluated using multiple regression analysis and determined that subcomponents of differentiation of self (i.e., emotional reactivity, I position, emotional cutoff, and fusion with others) predicted vicarious trauma. An additional regression analysis showed that vicarious trauma was best predicted by 2 subcomponents of differentiation of self; emotional reactivity was the most significant predictor followed by I position. By identifying characteristics in mental health professionals that predict vicarious trauma, counselor educators and supervisors can better educate, train, develop programs, and advocate for the emotional welfare of mental health professionals in the field.

Based on the theoretical framework provided by Balanced Integration Differentiation (BID) Model (mamoglu, 1998 / 2003) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci and Ryan, 1985), this study aimed to explore possible determinants of Turkish employees&amp / #8217 / subjective (i.e., life satisfaction) and psychological well-being. Previous SDT research demonstrated that autonomus causality orientation and perceived autonomy supportiveness of context predicted need satisfaction at work and in turn, employee well-being (e.g., Baard et al., 2004 / Ilardi et al., 1993). BID Model was tested in a work setting for the first time. Different from SDT research, relational aspects both as a form of self orientation and a contextual characteristic (i.e., perceived relatedness supportiveness) were included in this study, along with individuational orientation and perceived autonomy supportiveness dimension, to explore their possible influence on well-being. Three-hundred-eighty-three employees (154 women and 229 men) from various public and private sector organizations participated in the study. Onehundred- ninety-two of them were from public sector organizations, whereas 191 of them were from private sector organizations. Relational and individuational self orientations directly predicted need satisfaction and psychological well-being, whereas relational orientation directly predicted life satisfaction. Need satisfaction also predicted both types of wellbeing. Furthermore, relational orientation predicted both autonomy and relatedness supportiveness of work context and in turn, predicted need satisfaction and well-being in public sector organizations. Furthermore, individuational orientation predicted autonomy supportiveness and relational orientation predicted relatedness supportiveness and in turn, predicted need satisfaction and well-being in private sector organizations. The findings were discussed in terms of relevant literature.

In the present study the overarching aim was to investigate the relationship between commitment, self-differentiation and pride in undergraduate university students with the view to achieve a better understanding of the extent to which identity-related factors such as self-differentiation and pride as a self-relevant emotion may shape the strength of commitments in a higher education setting. Findings of the study may contribute to the literature on the psychology of academic commitment by distinguishing it from academic engagement (Baldwin & Koh, 2012) and by broadening the study of commitment to include identity-related constructs in the development of academic commitment (Lord, Diefendorff, Schmidt & Hall, 2010). I argue that a well-differentiated self is relevant to academic commitment because it may provide coherency and consistency in commitments. Academic commitment was operationalised as the extent to which students experience their studies as a source of satisfaction and meaning, the extent to which they have invested resources in their studies, and the quality of alternatives available (Rusbult, Martz & Agnew, 1998). I examined self-differentiation in terms of the ability to take an I-position in the absence of Emotional Reactivity, Emotional Cutoff and Fusion with Others (Skowron & Friedlander, 1998). Authentic pride was described as a self-relevant emotion consisting of two dimensions, namely Authentic and Hubristic pride (Tracy & Robins, 2007d). The Meaning Maintenance Model (MMM) as discussed by Heine, Proulx & Vohs (2006) was the conceptual framework that guided the study. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was asked for the implementation of a questionnaire that consisted of demographic factors, the Academic Commitment Scale (ACS), the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI-R) and the Authentic and Hubristic Pride Scales (AHP). A pilot study was conducted to test the new Academic Commitment Scale’s reliability and construct validity. A one-stage random cluster sampling method was used to complete a sample of undergraduate students from two faculties at the same university. Results of the main study were reported in Chapter 4 and a discussion of findings and conclusions, as well as the contribution, limitations and recommendations for future research were addressed in Chapter 5. Findings of the study indicate that commitment as an identity-level construct, related to identity-related constructs such as differentiation of self and pride, can be utilised in a higher education setting to differentiate between high performance students and students at risk of failure. The results can thus assist policy makers, lecturers, educationists and psychologists to achieve a better understanding of the factors underpinning academic success on the one hand and student dropout on the other hand, in order to develop appropriate support programs. A main feature of the study was the development of a new scale to measure commitment in an academic context. The Academic Commitment Scale was created based on an adapted version of the Rusbult et al. (1998) Investment Model. Meaningfulness was added as a fifth subscale which turned out to be a strong predictor of academic commitment. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

This study seeks to explore students’ subjective and collective experience of an experiential family therapy module within the Clinical Psychology Masters training programme. It looks at the perceptions of nine trainee therapists who used genograms and family sculpting to present their family of origin. The study takes place after the completion of the practical internship year with the purpose of exploring relevant emotional, cognitive, social and therapeutic effects of this module. A literature survey reveals that the use of genograms and family sculpting during training has received little research interest as most studies have primarily focused on their use during therapy with clients and in supervision. There is a scarcity of literature available that pertains directly to psychologists themselves and their wider social context. An exploratory review has been made to supplement the literature and pertains to experiential programmes in training in general and the psychologist’s self in training. The epistemology that directs this research falls within a postmodern frame. The experience is viewed from within the broad systems perspective. This approach acknowledges the dynamic and recursive interactions which occur between and within systems, and permits a broad perspective to be taken that is inclusive rather than exclusive. A qualitative research design was selected as it lends itself particularly well to the study of the ‘lived realities’ of people within their context and allows the information gained from the study to guide the research process. Semi-structured open-ended in-depth interviews were used as they allow for greater freedom and fewer restrictions regarding direction for the participant. A thematic analysis was carried out in order for the central themes of the experience to emerge. These themes were discussed extensively and integrated with the literature available. The multigenerational family presentation seems to create greater awareness of patterns and roles and these insights have a pervasive impact in many contexts. Understandably, the trainees feel emotionally overwhelmed as they become both observer and observed, viewing their interaction from a third-person perspective. This awareness of process results in a loss of spontaneous response and initial debilitation which is associated with feelings of loss and isolation. The self-exploratory behaviour gives rise to a reflexive reconstruction of self as a result of the access to new meanings regarding the dynamics and relationships within the family system, which enhances understanding of the complex interplay of systems, and ultimately facilitates the processes of integration, repair and resolution. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Bowen Family Systems Theory’s (BFST) concept of differentiation of self has the ability to contribute to the self-development of the therapist, and is considered the technique of this theory (Kerr & Bowen, 1988). Emotional intelligence is an essential skill for Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs), as it provides the ability to accurately perceive, express, and evaluate emotions in one’s self and others to facilitate thought, and the regulation of emotions in order to enhance emotional and intellectual growth (Salovey & Mayer, 1997). This study explored the lived experiences of Marriage and Family Therapy students who studied BFST and related those experiences to concepts of differentiation of self and emotional intelligence. This qualitative study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to gather, process, and analyze the essence of students’ experiences. This process included semi-structured open-ended interviewing of six doctoral students, transcribing, and analyzing the data in accordance with IPA. This study led to the outcome of the coined term differentiated intelligent emotion. The findings of the study produced nine themes: (1) BFST impact on clinical work, (2) BFST impact on personal development, (3) Differentiation of self, (4) Emotional intelligence, (5) Anxiety, (6) Nuclear family emotional process, (7) Multigenerational transmission process, (8) Triangulation, and (9) Individuality and Togetherness. The findings suggest the study of BFST resulted in awareness and an increase in the differentiation of self supported by an increase in emotional intelligence. This led to improvements in personal development, professional development in therapeutic relationships, anxiety, nuclear family functioning, multigenerational transmission process, detriangulation, and sense of individuality. This study contributes to the existing training and development literature concerning MFT’s in terms of their differentiation of self and emotional intelligence. The research presents implications for future research, clinical practice and training.

Much of the current academic literature on the practice of homeschooling has revolved around the individual academic, social, and psychosocial outcomes of homeschooled youth. As such, the relational and systemic implications of homeschooling have been neglected in the current body of research, thus leaving the practice’s long-term outcomes on family and relational functionality up to heuristic assumption by homeschooling families and the general public. The current study sought to address this gap in the literature by introducing a family systems perspective to the assessment of homeschooling families and homeschooler’s relational functionality. Comparisons between homeschooled (<i>n</i> = 145) and non-homeschooled (<i>n</i> = 147) adults found that, after controlling for demographic differences, homeschooled adults reported that their families had higher levels of unbalanced Enmeshment and Rigidity, along with lower levels of unbalanced Disengagement, than non-homeschooled participants within the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Functioning. Homeschoolers also displayed greater levels of Differentiation-of-Self in the domains of Emotional Reactivity and I-Position taking than non-homeschoolers. These results, however, were found to be closely connected to homeschooled participants’ reports of how many years they were homeschooled, the degree of structure in their homeschooling environment, as well as the strength of several different common rationales they believe motivated their family to choose to homeschool, with certain factors emerging as significant predictors of whether homeschoolers reported a more functional family environment and higher Differentiation-of-Self. The clinical and research implications, limitations, and future directions for studies of this kind, are discussed.

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