The slippery quality of emotional intelligence is ever shifting. As we approach understanding, new experiences add fresh layers of complexity. The narratives I construct address uncomfortable social interactions and the intensity of the feeling born out of them. I am referencing the pain and discomfort of emotional limbo through facial expressions, physical deformities and spatial relationships. In the pieces I create the figures are frozen in the moment of emotional intensity, caught in a problem born out of social conflict. There is no resolution, so they contemplating there lost states.

This study examined the roles of emotion regulation, negative emotional reactivity, callous-unemotional traits, and socioemotional competence (i.e., identity, self-esteem, communication skills, work orientation, empathy) in overt aggression in a sample of detained juvenile offenders. Clusters were formed based on type and level of overt aggression exhibited: reactive, proactive/reactive, and low aggression. The proactive/reactive distinction failed to provide differential relationships with dependent variables when compared to an overall level of overt aggression. Results indicate that adolescents high in overall overt aggression exhibit higher levels of callousunemotional traits and negative reactivity, as well as lower levels of selfconcept and self-esteem when compared to those low in overt aggression. Additionally, youth with high levels of both overt aggression and callous-unemotional traits displayed significantly lower levels of empathy. No significant findings for overt aggression and emotion regulation emerged. Implications for interventions with adolescent offenders as well as future research directions are discussed.

The designer explores how to improve souvenir design in the real market by questioning the issues of authenticity and the need of sustainable strategies. It takes the city of Växjö as a start point for a touristic place and analyses different categories. Through observations and interviews, the issues are confirmed and a design brief is made. Based on theories of product semantics and emotional design, the result from the investigation summarised to suggest guide for souvenir design. The guide is illustrated in a series of videos meant to anyone working in the souvenir industry.

Thesis advisor: Vincent Cho / The purpose of this study was to understand the role of school leaders in supporting teachers as they build relationships with and between students in the classroom. These two important aspects of creating a positive classroom learning environment are necessary for Social Emotional Learning to be successful. This qualitative case study drew upon data from interviews with school leaders, teacher focus group interviews, and redacted teacher evaluations in one school district in Massachusetts. While the role of school leaders in the academic success of students has been explored in the literature, there is less research on the specific actions school leaders take to support teachers struggling with classroom environment issues. This study will explore the actions of school leaders through the lens of three leadership practices: setting direction, developing people, and redesigning the organization (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). The findings highlighted the difference in school leaders’ perception of the capacity of adults versus students to learn relationship building skills. In some cases school leaders were not confident that building these skills was possible and consequently they struggled to provide clear and specific strategies to teachers. The findings also reflect the reactive versus proactive nature of the support teachers received for building relationships with and between students. Recommendations include re-organizing resources to allow for more teacher collaboration, targeted professional development in relationship building and exploration regarding the difference in how student peer relationships were viewed compared to teacher student relationships. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Research indicates a significant rise in child and adolescent mental health difficulties over the past few decades (Mental Health Foundation, 2015). Evidence-based programmes are becoming increasingly favoured as a preventative measure to address these difficulties, given that a large number of interventions delivered in schools have been shown to be effective (Domitrovich et al., 2008). While schools offer an ideal stage for the prevention of mental health difficulties, research suggests that the outcomes of evidence-based programmes are heavily moderated by implementation variability (Durlak, 2015). A key driver of effective implementation and therefore, positive outcomes, is the implementer - who in the case of school-based preventative programmes is almost exclusively the class teacher. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of individual level teacher characteristics on implementation variability in a universal social and emotional learning programme, using data drawn from the evaluation of the PATHS to Success trial (Humphrey et al., under review). A concurrent embedded mixed methods design was used to gain a fuller appreciation of the individual level factors that affect implementation variability. A total of 183 teachers were included in the analyses, who completed surveys regarding their professional and psychological characteristics, as well as their perceptions of and attitudes towards interventions. Data were analysed using multiple regression, including a series of interaction terms. Missing data were addressed by means of multiple imputation. There were twelve focus teachers in the qualitative strand, with interviews conducted to investigate the individual level barriers and facilitators associated with implementation variability. Teachers' interview data was analysed thematically. Results indicated that teachers' characteristics did have an influence on implementation variability, although this varied depending on the aspect of implementation. A series of multiple regression analyses indicated that implementer characteristics accounted for 9% of the variance in the fidelity model, 21% in the dosage model, and 15% in the quality model. No individual predictors were significant, although there were some marginally non-significant trends. There was also no reported increase in the variance across the three models when a series of interaction terms were added. The qualitative interviews aided the clarification of some of the quantitative findings, adding substantial depth to some of the conclusions drawn, with school leadership emerging as a significant factor in the successful implementation of the programme. There were a number of implications as a result of the findings from the current study for researchers, programme developers, and schools in understanding implementation variability at the individual level. Directions for future research are discussed in light of these findings.

This thesis is offered as a series of three studies which applies the 3 + 1Cs relationship model (Jowett, 2007) to the study of the trainer-client interpersonal relationship in structured health-related fitness environments. The proposition that a rewarding and enjoyable working relationship should play an essential role in developing a client s motivation for, and commitment to, exercise is intuitive. However, the conceptual basis of this relationship, along with its determinants and consequences, remains to be investigated in trainer-led exercise settings. By establishing the theoretical suitability of the 3 + 1Cs model for this context, the thesis provides a valid framework for future study of this topic. It addresses a gap in the extant research by investigating whether the trainer-client relationship is a significant social variable which has the potential to promote adaptive motivation towards exercise and psychological well-being. The first study interviewed trainer client dyads to determine how the underlying constructs of the 3 + 1Cs model were expressed in the context of their interpersonal working relationship and to evaluate the applicability of the model. The second study used the code categories generated in the first study to develop and validate a questionnaire designed to measure relationship quality in client-trainer dyads. Evaluation of the structural validity of the questionnaire was used to provide further confirmation of the relevance of the 3C + 1 relationship model to this context. The third study used this questionnaire to investigate some of the antecedents and determinants of the trainer-client relationship in a sample of exercisers. Client perceptions of the trainer s trait emotional intelligence was investigated as a relationship antecedent. The psychological consequences of the relationship were tested using Self-Determination Theory (SDT: Deci & Ryan, 2000) by examining the association of relationship perceptions with need satisfaction, intrinsic and identified motivational regulation and psychological well-being (subjective vitality). The findings of these studies support the conceptual validity of the 3Cs for the study of client-trainer relationships in health-related exercise. The validation of the 12-item Client-Trainer Relationship Questionnaire (CTR-Q) and confirmation of its structural and criterion validity endorses this conclusion. Clients perceptions of their working relationship were found to be significantly and positively related to their perceptions of their trainer s trait emotional intelligence (a relationship antecedent). Relationship quality was also significantly and positively associated with the psychological consequences of psychological need satisfaction. In turn psychological need satisfaction was significantly associated with autonomous motivational regulation and subjective vitality. In conclusion, the thesis has shown that the client-trainer relationship operates as a key social variable congruent with SDT propositions to affect clients motivation and psychological well-being. The effectiveness of this relationship can be influenced by a potentially modifiable personal characteristic of the trainer, namely trait emotional intelligence.

As the growing body of literature draws on various theoretical perspectives of ambidexterity - an organization’s ability to balance both exploration and exploitation activities - an important stream has emerged that focuses on the role of leaders in the development of ambidexterity. This thesis is seeking to advance knowledge on how SME leaders engage in ambidextrous leadership to respond to the complexities of innovation and improve employee’s innovative behaviors as well as overall business performance. Using survey generated data from 98 SMEs, the first paper reveals that opening and closing leadership behaviors predicted employee explorative and exploitative innovation behaviors respectively above all control variables. The combination of both leadership behaviors also predicted employee ambidexterity. A significant revelation was that the effect of ambidextrous leadership behaviors on employee innovation behaviors is mediated by adaptive/flexible leadership behavior. The second paper investigates the association of potentially relevant antecedents: personality traits, emotional intelligence, adaptive/flexible leadership, transformational leadership and transactional leadership to ambidextrous leadership behaviors (including opening leadership behaviors and closing leadership behaviors). With the exception of personality traits which showed no relationship to ambidextrous leadership, the other independent variables showed varying relationships to ambidextrous leadership. Using a qualitative methodology (interviews), the third paper explores ambidextrous leadership behaviors in female entrepreneurs in relation to gender-role identity. Our findings from semi-structured interviews with 14 female entrepreneurs in Wales reveal that female leaders in our study are mostly androgynous and ambidextrous. Our results demonstrate that female entrepreneurs have little or no consideration for gender stereotypes in performing their leadership duties. Rather, greater focus is placed on demonstrating their competence using traits and leadership behaviors that drive goal accomplishment including the integration of stereotypic masculine and feminine leadership behaviors as considered necessary. Additionally, we observe that the choice of leadership behavior/trait that is emphasized at any point in time is contingent on contextual or situational demands of work as well as individual competencies of the entrepreneur. Overall, this thesis highlights theoretical and practical implications for ambidextrous leadership. Further, it provides steps towards effective understanding of ambidextrous leadership development and practical applications. This thesis indicates that ambidextrous leadership is important for SMEs seeking to enhance employee innovative work behaviors.

The aim of the study was to explore the process and practice of leading change in residential child care and assess the efficacy of ‘emotional containment’ in this context. Residential child care in Ireland is experiencing significant change. Change is an emotional experience for staff and leadership is named as pivotal in organisational change. However, there is gap in the literature because leadership and organisational change theory does not fully fit with the relational nature of residential child care. The study is responding to this gap in literature and employs a qualitative case study to explore the impact of organisational change on residential child care, strategies used by leaders to manage the emotional impact of change and identify what practices support emotional containment. Central to the study was a nine-month observation of a child care organisation (Liffey View). Funding reductions in response to austerity emerged as the change event having the greatest impact, strategies to manage funding cuts (team restructuring, reductions in salary) evoked emotions of loss, despair and anger towards external funding bodies. In fact, austerity challenged the very survival of Liffey View Children’s home. The findings highlight how emotional containment supported the organisation to manage the impact of austerity. Containment is linked to the capacity of residential leaders to hold and work with emotion, providing structures (e.g. team meetings) that allow teams to make sense of emotion and finding ways to influence relationships with funding agencies. However, containment on its own is not sufficient to lead change, learning gained through containment needs to be linked to action and the theory of emotional containment is enhanced by integrating thinking from leadership and strategy. A framework integrating thinking from emotional containment and wider management theory is offered as a tool for leading change and for leadership development in residential child care.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Literature on the experiences of psychology students is limited, particularly in the South African context of previously disadvantaged institutions. More specifically, not much is known about levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and coping during higher education training. Successful academic performance depends on adherence to EI criteria, including accurate acknowledgement of, and responses to emotions in others, efficiently negotiating relationships and directing one’s motivations towards explicit goals. Coping refers to the constantly changing cognitive and behavioural responses that attempt to manage internal and/or external stressors. This study aimed to understand the relationship between emotional intelligence and coping, and tested the hypothesis that higher levels of emotional intelligence will be associated with higher levels of coping. It adopted a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey research design. The sample included 114 students who were enrolled in the psychology third- year and honours programmes at the University of the Western Cape at the time of the study. A purposive, convenience sampling method was used, and data was collected using a self- constructed demographic questionnaire (DQ), the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES), and the Ways of Coping Scale (WOCS). The Statistical Software Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Correlational analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were applied. Ethical stipulations included that participation was voluntary, the identity of respondents was kept anonymous, and confidentiality was respected. The findings indicated that there was no significant relationship between EI and coping. Conversely, it was found that students who worked while studying displayed increased levels of EI, and those who intended to further their studies on master’s level, utilised higher-level coping strategies. Recommendations are therefore that further studies include actual measured abilities to complement the self-report instrument used in this study.

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