Bowlby’s (1973) theory of adult attachment was used to provide a theoretical framework for the present study, which examined the relationship between adult attachment and depression. Social support, self-esteem, and optimism were proposed as potential mediating factors. Two competing models were designed and tested to investigate relationships among variables. Models were determined a priori based on theoretical and empirical literature. In the primary model, adult attachment was proposed to influence depression both directly and also indirectly through social support, self esteem and optimism. Alternately, in the second model, additional paths were added from social support and optimism to self esteem. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the fit of the two models to the data for the present study. Hypotheses of the study were that insecure attachment styles would correlate with negative outcomes, including dissatisfaction with social support, low self-esteem, pessimistic life orientation, and depressive symptoms. The hypothesized relationships among variables were supported by the data. Specifically, adult attachment directly influenced social support, self-esteem, and optimism; adult attachment indirectly influenced self-esteem through social support and optimism; finally, attachment, social support, and optimism indirectly influenced depression through self-esteem. In the discussion section, implications for theory and practice, methodological limitations, and directions for future research are provided. Results of the study conclude that attachment style has the potential to significantly influence many different areas of life functioning, including satisfaction with social support, self-esteem, levels of optimism, and depression. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Distributed Leadership is often considered an optimal form of leadership to improve student achievement. The challenge though is that previous research on distributed leadership has often described what distributed leadership is as opposed to what distributed leadership's impact on student achievement might be. Since leadership has an indirect effect on student achievement, exploring organizational factors that may have a more direct impact on student achievement is important. Academic optimism describes teachers' perceptions of the staff's collective efficacy, the trust experienced between teachers, and between teachers and administrators, and the extent to which academic press (high expectations) is evident in the school. Academic optimism is an organizational factor that improves student achievement according to previous research. This thesis examined patterns of distributed leadership and their correlation to academic optimism. Further I examined the impact that academic optimism has on student achievement. By surveying 2122 teachers in 113 schools in a large school board in south-central Ontario, I determined that planfully aligned distributed leadership had a significant correlation to academic optimism but academic optimism did not have a significant correlation to student achievement. Rather, academic press, one of the variables within academic optimism, did have a significant correlation to student achievement in language and math. This study concluded that planfully aligned distributed leadership mediated by academic press had a significant impact on student achievement.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2008. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science." Under the direction of Daniel R. Czech. ETD. Electronic version approved: May 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-49) and appendices.

Thesis--Leipzig. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in psychology)--Washington State University, December 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 10, 2009). "Department of Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-37).

Issued also as inaugural dissertation, Breslau. / "Literatur-verzeichnis": p. [266]-273.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 91 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 46-51).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toledo, 2010. / Typescript. "Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Psychology." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Title from title page of PDF document. Bibliography: p. 46-52.

Thesis--Leipzig. / Includes bibliographical references.