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<p>This thesis investigates the perception of 'difference' which results in the stratification of people within the North American evangelical church. In order to develop this understanding, the experiences of excluded persons are explored carefully by attending to narratives of the elderly, those living with disability, the divorced, widows, the homeless, and others who have endured the pain of rejection. Such persons are made to feel as if they have no voice. By articulating the felt experience of the excluded this thesis gives voice to the hidden dimensions of alienation which occur even in the church. Alienation is explored as a core theological motif with the aim of developing a pastoral theology of community which enables a reorientation of ministry to the excluded. In the course of argument the thesis explores a theology of alienation. This provides the theological context for the narratives of exclusion which illuminate the reality of loneliness-a core dimension of exclusion. Employing the revised critical correlation method the thesis concludes by offering a pastoral theology of community which calls for effective approaches to the ministry of inclusion.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

School exclusion during adolescence, namely suspension, expulsion, and drop out, has a number of immediate and long-term consequences for youth. Among these consequences are an increased likelihood of engaging in delinquency and risk of incarceration. Recent research has coined this process the “school-to-prison pipeline,” and while substantial evidence portraying the negative effects of school exclusion exists, much of this evidence overlooks important antecedents to exclusionary school punishment. Employing a developmental life course (DLC) framework, this dissertation applies a social control model across adolescence to evaluate how youths’ bonds to school influence school misbehavior and delinquency and contribute to suspension, expulsion, and drop out. It also expands on prior research that considers the consequences of school exclusion by evaluating this experience’s effects on employment, postsecondary education, and romantic relationships as youth transition into young adulthood, and considers how these age-graded sources of social control contribute to continued offending and incarceration. Importantly, using a diverse sample of 1,216 first-time juvenile offenders, this dissertation explores how these processes differ across race/ethnicity through multi-group structural equation modeling. Findings reveal partial support for the application of a social control model to the school-to-prison pipeline. Bonds formed to mothers in early adolescence are shown to positively influence the formation of a strong bond to school. Strong school bonds, in turn, reduce the likelihood that youth engage in school misbehavior and delinquency. Bonds to school are indirectly related to school exclusion and dropout through school misbehavior and delinquency. These negative events—school exclusion and dropout—increase the likelihood that youth offend in young adulthood, with dropout also increasing the risk of incarceration. While support for prosocial bonds in young adulthood acting as turning points is limited, individuals who are employed are less likely to experience incarceration. The multigroup model indicates that these relationships do not vary across race. Examining the school-to-prison pipeline under a unified lens allows for multiple intervention points. Implications for policy are discussed at each stage of the model and include targeting youths’ relationships with parents early in adolescence, engaging youth in school to promote strong bonds and discourage school misbehavior and delinquency, and implementing strategies to reengage youth who are excluded from or drop out of school. / Criminal Justice

This study aimed to investigate employee inclusion in the recruitment process in organizations operating in the public sector, and the role of employees in the decision- making process.The empirical research is based on six qualitative interviews with both leaders/managers and ordinary employees, who have the experience of either organizing or being involved in the recruitment process. Inductive approach was applied to compare the research findings with the theoretical frame of the thesis. The results of the study show that employees are being involved in the recruitment process and have given the opportunity to give inputs and different perspectives throughout the process. Though, the ordinary employees experience being excluded from the decision-making process, because the power of decision making is given to the leaders/management. It also became apparent through the research process, that some employees are reluctant and avoid being included in the recruitment process. The developed framework could be applied in organizations either as an inspiration or supplement or be used in future research. Employee inclusion in the recruitment process is rarely identified in the previous studies, therefore this study is filling the gap that is found in the previous literature.The author of this study suggests future researchers to examine employee exclusion from decision making or investigate employee reluctance, by applying different methods: mixed method, documents, interviews and so forth.

Ensamhet är ett stort och komplext samhällsproblem som upplevs i alla åldrar. Trots detta är ämnet tabubelagt och någonting som många inte pratar om. Upplevelsen av ensamhet kan infinna sig både i bristen på fysisk närvaro av andra och i närvaron av andra. Att känna sig ensam i sociala sammanhang kan vara en smärtsam upplevelse och ett av de mest förekommande sociala sammanhangen är med vänner. Därför är synen på vänskap relevant att lyfta i diskussionen om ofrivillig ensamhet. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att utforska individers upplevelser av ofrivillig ensamhet i vänskapssammanhang. Den inriktar sig på att beskriva olika typer av ensamhet, orsaker till ensamhet, syn på vänskap samt åtgärder mot ensamhet. Studien använder sig av socialpsykologiska teorier om ensamhet, sammanhang och självbild för att tolka respondenternas upplevelser. 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes i Skaraborg med vuxna i åldern 39-59 år om deras upplevelser av ensamhet. Resultatet visar att ensamhet kan upplevas på olika sätt där ensamhet bland andra är den mest upplevda typen av ensamhet. Studien identifierade även att ensamhet orsakas av utanförskap sedan barndomen och att ett stort socialt nätverk var önskvärt för att fylla behoven om socialt umgänge. Den främsta efterfrågade åtgärden mot ensamhet var samhällsinsatser. / Loneliness is a wide and complex societal problem experienced in all ages. Despite this, the subject is taboo and something that many people do not talk about. The experience of loneliness can appear both in the lack of physical presence of others and in the presence of others. Feeling alone in social contexts can be a painful experience and one of the most common social contexts is with friends. Therefore, the view of friendship is relevant in the discussion of involuntary loneliness. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore individuals' experiences of involuntary loneliness in the context of friendship and focuses on describing different types of loneliness, causes of loneliness, views on friendships and measures of loneliness. The study uses social psychological theories about loneliness, context and self-image to interpret the experiences of the respondents. 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted in Skaraborg with adults aged 39-59 years old about their experiences of loneliness. The result showed that loneliness can be experienced in different ways, where loneliness among others is the most experienced type of loneliness. The study also identified that loneliness is caused by exclusion since childhood and that a large social network was desirable to fulfill the need of social interaction. The main requested measure against loneliness was community interventions.