A qualitative case study traced the evolution of a family-run entrepreneurial organization through six periods of development. The company, with approximately fifty employees, manufactures custom molded rubber parts. The development of the organization was analyzed using two models: Noel Tichy's (1983) technical, political, cultural framework and Cameron and Whetten's (1983) summary model. Tichy's open system model was used as the structure upon which data were collected on eight organizational dimensions. Those data were analyzed using both Tichy's (1983) and Cameron and Whetten's (1983) schema's. Tichy's (1983) framework was used to describe and explain the organization's three subsystems (technical, political, cultural) and their adjustments to uncertainties in the external and internal environments. Cameron and Whetten's (1983) model was used to trace the organization's evolution through four distinct stages of development. Both models were then combined in an integrated format to describe and explain JRW's evolution. This research study found that JRW did evolve through four stages of development from 1975 to 1989. The findings also confirmed that the organization's subsystems (Technical, Political, Cultural) adjusted to events in and outside of the organization during that period. The dissertation concluded with a discussion of the significance of the study and suggestions for future research.

This study focuses on the ways in which age, gender and marriage affect the help and support men and women, widows and wives give informally to family and friends, and to others through formal volunteerism. It is based on personal interviews with a stratified random sample of 324 men and women. Both quantitative and qualitative items were used to assess a number of dimensions of caregiving--number of people helped, hours of care, types and number of group memberships, as well as specific caregiving tasks. While much of this labor goes unnoticed, it is central to the building and maintenance of family and community ties, and reveals ways in which social life is organized around aging, gender and marriage. Both disengagement and continuity characterize the caregiving of men and women. Older adults tend to spend less time, giving fewer types of help, to fewer people they know than do younger adults. But older adults spend as much time volunteering and belong to a similar number of groups--most of which are age-specific--as do their younger counterparts. Among the elderly, both gender and marriage significantly affect whether, what and to whom they give care. Older women are more embedded in caregiving relations than are older men. Yet this embeddedness reflects older women's access and control over caregiving resources, more than a uniquely female ethic of care. Furthermore, marriage both pushes and pulls older women into and out of caregiving relations with both kin and non-kin. Marriage integrates women into expanded networks caregiving to family and volunteer groups. However, in spite of the greater material resources marriage provides, marriage restricts older women's caregiving to non-kin. Wives spend less time, helping fewer friends than do widows. Moreover, competing demands from retired or sick husbands often inhibit wives' volunteerism. Finally, this study points to the importance of linking formal and informal caregiving. The connections between caring for family and friends, and formal volunteerism have important implications not only for public policy intended to increase volunteerism among the elderly, but for theories of gender, marriage and aging as well.

This is a study of the roles of professional and mother as experienced by clergywomen. Research was discussed with reference to work-family role integration and clergy family issues. Sixteen participants were interviewed twice in ninety-minute audiotaped sessions which were later transcribed and coded for prevalent themes. The major themes identified were (1) stresses and challenges, (2) rewards and satisfactions, (3) issues of authority, and (4) issues of nurturance. Results revealed a pattern of stresses and rewards in these dual roles, with rewards outweighing stresses. Rewards included flexibility, variety of work; expertise in balancing multiple demands; new spiritual insights; greater understanding of developmental stages; more acceptance of self and others; and increased sensitivity in counseling roles. Stresses and challenges included expectations of fulfilling multiple roles; difficulty in protecting children from negative experiences; managing rivalry in the congregation; the pace and sense of being always "on call"; seasonal pressures; and financial difficulties. The expression of nurturance was considered the ground of both nurturance and authority. Skills and sensitivities in both roles were thought to be similar. Challenges included dependency needs of some congregants, the need to model emotional and spiritual health and confrontation of the semi-divine expectations placed on clergy. Opportunities identified were the integration of work and family values and the recognition of people's gifts. Authority issues included the challenge to hierarchical models in the ministry and rabbinate, realistic expectations of clerical roles, issues of excersion and extension of authority, and the dilemmas of developing lay leadership. Differences and similarities in extending authority at home and in the family were identified and an emphasis on the connections between authority and nurturance were noted. Methodologically, this study provided an in-depth presentation of significant issues in the lives of clergywomen who are mothers. It was exploratory in nature, and was meant to raise issues and questions for further research. Further research is warranted with different populations of clergywomen in both qualitative and quantitative forms to determine the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications concerning the results of the study are presented for policy recommendations, clergy education and counseling.

This study investigated the relationship of family factors to writing anxiety in college students. Starting from the premise that context should be considered in exploring causes of writing apprehension, this study questioned whether correlations could be made between aspects of family environment and the presence of writing anxiety. Participants in this study were drawn from a pool of undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The initial sample included 298 students (244 females and 54 males) and ranged in age from 18 to 40. The initial sample of 298 were given two measures: the Daly-Miller Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) (1975) and the Rudolf Moos Family Environment Survey (FES) (1975). Given the results of the WAT, students were divided into four groups: (1) women with high writing anxiety (n = 20); (2) women with low writing anxiety (n = 20); (3) men with high writing anxiety (n = 12); and (4) men with low writing anxiety (n = 12). These groups were matched for verbal SAT scores. A correlation matrix was constructed using writing anxiety, verbal SAT scores, and the ten subscales of the FES. Factor analysis and stepwise multiple regression were performed. In addition, structured interviews were conducted with four participants. Results of factor analysis yielded three factors labelled as follows: (1) Family Solidarity, which included the variables active-recreational orientation, intellectual- cultural orientation and cohesion; (2) Tolerance of Difference, which included the variables control, independence and expressiveness; and (3) Organization. Through multiple regression it was found that SAT plus three family factors accounted for 16% of variance in the writing apprehension scores. Qualitative findings from the interviews supported the empirical results pointing to the conclusion that the combination of cohesion and allowance for differentiation was an optimum environment for low writing anxiety. Results also supported the importance of combining qualitative and quantitative methods, as information from the interviews amplified empirical findings and helped to define the relationship between cohesion and allowance for differentiation. Directions for future research include more specific exploration of the relationship between allowance for differentiation and writing anxiety. In addition, the finding that context is a factor in writing anxiety indicates the importance of investigating correlations with other contexts as well, such as teaching styles and curricula.

This study examines the social and economic determinants of fourteen to seventeen year-olds in the contemporary U.S. Data derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and the National Commission on Children's 1990 survey of U.S. families were used to assess whether teenagers' employment may be viewed as the interplay between demand factors, which govern the availability of appropriate jobs for teenagers, supply factors, which govern their willingness and ability to work, and social constraints, which mitigate the effects of the proposed model. The results indicate that teenagers are a key reserve labor force usurped by adult workers when jobs are in short supply.

Comparatively little is known about the scientific, psychological, or social issues surrounding children adopted from China and their parents. The goal of this study was to seek out links that might exist between the background of adoptive parents who had adopted children from China and their motives in adopting these children, and to explore the influence of the parents' childhood backgrounds on the way they parent, the changes in relationships within and outside the family after the adoption, and the developing importance and meaning of the adoption to the parents. I used a qualitative research design to look at the real experiences of American parents who had adopted children from China. I used a topical life history method using in-depth interviews. I also used a second interview to follow up on the questions I still had after the first interview. In addition, I used questionnaires to get basic background information (please see attached Appendix (C). I interviewed twenty American parents in ten families who had adopted children from China. The condition for inclusion in this study were: (1) The families had a prior, established relationship with me and resided in the New England area of the U.S. (2) The adopted child had to be a female from China. (3) The child must have resided in the U.S. by the age of 12 months. (4) Each family must contain two legal parents. At the time of the interviews, these children ranged in age from infancy to middle childhood. In this study of ten families, results were both expected and unexpected in light of the literature on parenting and adoption. Analysis of the interviews with the parents yielded six major themes: (1) Parents' descriptions of their own childhood family structure and childhood experiences; (2) Parents' expectations, prior to and during the adoption experience, for the adoption to improve the family unit; (3) Changes in the parents' relationships after the adoption; (4) The adoptive parents' expectations of the adopted child; (5) The most challenging experiences of the adoptive parents; and (6) the meaning of the adoption for the parents.

The purpose of this dissertation is to look at the problem of teen pregnancy and parenting on a national, state and local level. When dealing with the local level, the study will deal with the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP), Cambridge, Massachusetts. The first purpose of the study was to look at the research and literature on the topic of teen pregnancy and parenting to better understand the extent, magnitude, and issues surrounding this problem. The goal of the study was to contact participants of APP at Cambridge Rindge and Latin. The study utilized an author developed questionnaire and one-to-one interviews to gather research on the APP. With the results of the questionnaires and the interviews, many factors were found to have impacted on these pregnant and parenting teens, including family constellation, marital status of the parents of the respondents, marital status of the respondents, age dating was initiated, age sex was initiated, fear of sexually transmitted diseases, methods of birth control, age at birth of first child, planned/unplanned pregnancy, completing high school, employment, and relationship with baby's father. The first purpose of the study was to look at the problem of pregnant and parenting teens at a national, state, and local level. Research substantiated the need to help pregnant and parenting teens and this confirmed the need for the APP in Cambridge. The second and most important part of the study was to determine whether or not the APP was effective. The questionnaires and interviews confirmed this. The third purpose of the study was to determine whether Cambridge needed to do more in the area of teen pregnancy and parenting. There are various area that need improvement, but finances are a major issue. The fourth purpose of the study was to determine whether the APP and the First Steps Day Care could be replicated in other communities. There has been a great deal of interest demonstrated in these two programs, but there must be a commitment of not only money, but also of people to make the programs work.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between experiencing parental divorce as a child and cognitive schemas of primary relationships as an adult. Four questions were of interest: is there a significant relationship between experiencing parental divorce as a child and adult attachment style? Do women with parents who divorced during their childhood describe their relationships with their parents in different ways than those whose parents stayed married? What, if any, are the differences between the romantic relationships of young women whose parents divorced when they were children and those whose parents are still married? And fourth, what role does conflict play in attachment style and relationship expectations? Each of the first three questions has been, to varying degrees, examined by previous research. This study, then, is an effort to replicate and integrate those diverse findings and to consider the additional role of conflict. Subjects were 196 female undergraduate students at a large state university and at a small private college. A measure of interpersonal schemas was used to determine expectations of, and stated satisfaction with, relationships during adulthood. Retrospective and current conflict between and with parents was measured as well. Adult attachment measures, adjective lists and questions about mental models were used to elicit further information about experiences and descriptions of relationships. Women whose parents divorced when they were children did not differ significantly from those with married parents on the measures of attachment or in their descriptions of their mothers. They were also equally likely to be in a romantic relationship and to describe their romantic partner and the relationship in positive terms. However, women with divorced parents were much more negative about their fathers. Attachment style was usually related in different ways to each of the measures in this study, suggesting that parental divorce and attachment have somewhat independent effects on adult relationships. The strongest finding of this study was that increased levels of conflict between parents during childhood is a stronger predictor of decreased satisfaction with current relationships with both mothers and fathers than parental divorce itself. Additionally, conflict with each parent during childhood was the strongest predictor of satisfaction with the current relationship with that parent. Attachment was the factor which most significantly predicted satisfaction with romantic partners as an adult, although the regression equation with the greatest amount of predictive validity for that relationship also contained parental divorce as a factor.

This is a qualitative study which seeks to understand how five welfare mothers who attended community college perceive this experience has impacted upon their lives. This study examines via in depth phenomenological interviews and life histories how attending community college changed the women. The individual interviews took place over an eighteen month period. The participants met each other for the first time in a focus group which was held after all the interviews. Using symbolic interactionism as the framework for understanding the process of how the women incorporated the community college experience into their lives, the study found that (1) there was a significant life event that led the women to the community college; (2) initially, the women had great difficulty integrating the community college experience into their lives; (3) that they identified with their professors rather than the other students, and (4) that they became emotionally independent only after achieving a sense of being connected to community college and being accepted as individuals. For each one of them, it was the first time in her life that she was encouraged to have her own thoughts and opinions. In addition, the study found that for most of the participants, the community college experience is an on-going process which continues to affect them. Furthermore, the impact of the college experience affects them beyond their original goal of obtaining viable employment to enable them to "get off welfare". It affects them in the way that they approach their world, how they raise their children, relate to their families, husbands, co-workers, bosses, friends, and lovers. Furthermore, how each now perceives herself as an individual is affected. This study provides insight into the experience of these women and what approaches a community college might implement to facilitate the experience of the student who is also a welfare mother.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Joyce A. Baptist / The Chickasaw represent one non-reservation bound American Indian tribe whose experiences of family life, historical trauma and resilience has not been fully understood. Therefore, this study sought to identify the qualities common to Chickasaw families, Chickasaw families' experiences of historical trauma and the factors that contribute to Chickasaw families' ability to persevere under adversarial circumstances. Using in-depth phenomenological interviews with nine (N = 9) three-generation minimum Chickasaw families, four central themes emerged that answered the four research questions. The first theme, "Chokka-chaffa' Nanna Mó̲́đma Ímmayya/The Family Is Everything" indicated that Chickasaw families were a heterogeneously complex system with a natural orientation toward the family unit itself, whereby the families valued emotional closeness, warmth and affection, quality time together, praise, respect and openness. Families were involved with one another and were active participants in strengthening their own families and communities. Families were prideful of family members' accomplishments and valued extended kin and spirituality. Further, families were confronted with challenges, but showed an ability to "bend, but not break," often citing the very same qualities, such as involvement, pride and an orientation toward family, as contributing to their ability to solve problems and keep the family unit intact. The second theme, "Impalahá̲mmi Bíyyi'ka/They Have It Really Bad," indicated the families experienced historical trauma by mourning the loss of land, language, culture and identity and that losses went unacknowledged by their non-Native counterparts and were ongoing, thus expecting to affect younger and future generations. The third theme, "Chikashsha Poyacha Ilaa-áyya'shakatí̲'ma/We Are Chickasaw, and We Are Still Here" indicated that despite hardships, families saw resilience as a trait found within their Chickasaw heritage. Maintaining a positive outlook, a spirit of determination, a fierce loyalty toward family members and a close connection to the Chickasaw Nation further contributed to families' resilience. The fourth theme, "Hooittapila/They Help One Another" indicated that resilient qualities were passed in a multidirectional pattern throughout all generations of family members, whereby family members from all generations supported and uplifted one another. Also discussed are the study's strengths and limitations and the clinical and research implications for Chickasaw families.