Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-97).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: p. 292-268.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 229-237).

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-238) and index.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Disappointments in romantic relationships can have distressing and prolonged cognitive, emotional and behavioural effects. This study explored such disappointments in the form of betrayal, rejection and the accompanying beliefs, emotions and behaviours using the Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy theoretical framework. A theory-building positivistic case study design was implemented. Five participants completed a quantitative measure of REBT beliefs, the Shortened General Attitudes and Beliefs Scale, and participated in a semistructured interview. The experience of a romantic betrayal or rejection elicited greater irrational than rational beliefs, and more dysfunctional than functional outcomes (emotions and behaviours) for each participant. The implications for clinical practice are discussed using the REBT theoretical framework.

No description available.

This study presents the results from an exploratory study that measured 71 African American males' attitudes toward marriage, their ideal marriage partner, and their attitudes toward African American women.

This thesis demonstrates how the film High Fidelity successfully adapts the book through both point of view and the sound track to reveal Rob's narcissism and his growth as a character.

The phenomenon of age-disparate relationships between younger men and older women is relatively under- researched and therefore open to misunderstanding. The common assumption is that the younger men enter these relationships with a view to benefiting in terms of money or material goods. This qualitative study explored the experiences of five young men from around Pretoria who are in relationships with older women to understand their motivations for entering into those relationships and their experiences in the relationships. The in-depth interviews were thematically analysed and themes that emerged indicated that, unlike what has previously been found among young women who are in relationships with older men (namely that the young women are often coerced and therefore do not have much power in their relationships), the young men entered the relationships willingly and rely on cultural norms that allow them to navigate and negotiate their roles in the relationships. It is therefore recommended that age-disparate relationships not be discouraged; instead, interventions should focus on assisting young people develop agentic power in such relationships. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Self-enhancement is a process by which individuals misperceive themselves by viewing themselves in a positively biased manner. Past research indicates that self-enhancement can have both positive and negative effects on romantic relationships. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the role of self-enhancement in unmarried dating couples (N = 124 couples; 248 individuals) with respect to conflict, dyadic adjustment, causal and responsibility attributions, and possible moderators between self-enhancement and dyadic adjustment. The results are organized in four sections. First, I found a curvilinear relationship between participant self-enhancement and conflict. At very low and very high levels of self-enhancement there were increased levels of conflict. Second, participant self-enhancement was positively associated with positively associated with increased participant dyadic adjustment, but there was no relationship between participant self-enhancement and partner dyadic adjustment. Third, there was no relationship between participant self-enhancement and causal and responsibility attributions. Fourth, forgiveness and commitment did not moderate the relationship between self-enhancement and dyadic adjustment; however, there were main effects for both forgiveness and commitment - both forgiveness and commitment were positively associated with dyadic adjustment. I conclude by discussing limitations, areas of future research, and implications for counseling.