Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

M.A. (Clinical psychology) / A plethora of psychological research on the topic of divorce exists. The impact of parental divorce on the children, however, is much disputed in this literature. The present study‟s aim was to attempt to clarify this dilemma by describing the unique experiences of four adolescent males whose parents divorced when they were at a very young age. A qualitative research design was followed. Data was collected in the form of face-to-face interviews or „conversations‟ with the four respondents. Verbatim transcriptions of these conversations were then explored systematically from the hermeneutic tradition in order to understand the distinctive experiences of these four boys, from the time of their parents‟ divorce to the present. The findings from this exploration are in the form of various themes that were extrapolated from the transcriptions and clarified with reference to the existing findings in the literature. In addition, consistent with the hermeneutic tradition, co-construction of meaning was enhanced by the symbolic use of selected paintings. In summary, this study offers a description of four adolescent males‟ personal experiences of their parents‟ divorce, with the supplementary use of imagery and art in order to further enrich their subjective and often poignant narratives.

A number of investigations have been conducted to examine social cognition and psychopathology among adolescents, yet little is known about the social cognitive reasoning of adolescents identified as having severe behavioral disorders. The purpose of the present study was to explore the social cognitive reasoning of adolescent boys with behavioral disorders in comparison to their peers without behavioral disorders. Group differences were examined with respect to epistemic reasoning and the dimensions of adolescent egocentrism. In addition, the relation between social cognition and social relationships was investigated. Finally, the relation between social cognition and psychopathology was explored. Thirty-one adolescent boys with behavioral disorders and 32 of their peers without behavioral disorders (matched forage, race, and SES) participated in the study. All participants were individually administered measures designed to assess epistemic reasoning, imaginary audience and personal fable ideation (i.e., invulnerability, omnipotence, personal uniqueness), and personal-intimacy and groupintegration with peers and family. In addition, boys with behavioral disorders completed a measure of internalizing, externalizing, and total problem behaviors. Teacher-ratings of problem behaviors were also completed for each participant in the study. Results revealed that adolescent boys with behavioral disorders were lower in epistemic reasoning than were adolescent boys without behavioral disorders. Groups were not found to differ with respect to imaginary audience or personal fable ideation. For boys with behavioral disorders, no relation was found between social cognition and social relationships. In contrast, for boys without behavioral disorders, personal uniqueness was negatively related to group-integration with peers and omnipotence was positively related to group-integration with family. Social cognitive reasoning was found to predict self-reported problem behaviors for boys with behavioral disorders and teacher-re ported problem behaviors for boys without behavioral disorders. Overall, these results suggest the importance of epistemic reasoning in understanding the relation between social cognition and psychopathology. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The study examined the relationships between subjects' degree of alienation and descriptions of their behaviors. The subjects were 42 male, senior students at Benson Polytechnic High School who attended one of two required social science classes. Benson High School is an all male, technical high school which admits students from all parts of the City of Portland, Oregon. Alienation was defined as a syndrome of feelings consisting of apathy, distrust, pessimism, cynicism, and emotional distance. The degree of subjects' alienation, as defined, was measured by the Multiple Alienation Measure devised by Dr. Laurence J. Gould. Subjects' were thereby divided into three alienation groups: high alienation, moderate alienation, and low alienation. School personnel described subjects' behaviors by selection of descriptions from a questionnaire. Two counselors described subjects' engagement in extra-curricular activities in terms of (1) whether they were inactive, (2) active in sports or other extra-curricular activities only, or (3) active in both sports and other extra-curricular activities. Two teachers described subjects' involvement in their social science classes in terms of (1) whether they did well in assigned work and did extra work, (2) did well in assigned work only, (3) or did not do well in assigned work. The vice-principal described the conduct of subjects in terms of whether they were (1) well behaved, (2) had problems that were handled in the classroom, (3) had problems for which they were sent to the office and, perhaps, suspended once, or (4) had problems for which they had been suspended more than once. A positive relationship was found between the degree of alienation and the degree of conduct problems as described by the vice-principal. This relationship was significant at the .05 level by a chi-square test. No relationships were found between the degree of alienation and extracurricular activities and behavior in social science classes. However, the alienated were described by teachers as either unmotivated or very motivated students. A tendency for the alienated to be described by the extreme statements concerning activities also appeared. The findings of the study were interpreted by a theory developed in the introduction and in the concluding chapter of the thesis. The theory presented the alienation process as an interaction of the individual and his social world in which difficulties in the formation of identity result in a tension expressed by the feelings measured as alienation by the Multiple Alienation Measure. The tension gives rise to intense and, often extreme attempts to explore the social world in order to establish identity, or to a lapse into apathy. The greater conduct problems of the highly alienated was seen as a result of the intense activity of the search for identity. The highly alienated subjects' tendency to be either very good or poor students was seen as an intense, and therefore, extreme drive to resolve alienation tension by embracing the student role or by rejecting it.

The aim of this study is to report selected perceptions and attitudes of adolescents placed in the “attention home” at Hood River, Oregon, as an early aid towards improved understanding and treatment, and program assessment.

The age-old question persists: Does an agency operated treatment program contribute significantly to a child’s personal development and adjustment following release from the institution? Since it is the agency’s responsibility to weigh the needs of the disturbed child and provide appropriate services according to those needs, their basic question--whether residential treatment or another mode of treatment is more effective--remains unanswered and, in many instances, uncontested. If residential child care benefits the disturbed child, which characteristics of that agency are conducive to the improvement of the child’s behavior and re-adaption? The following study will attempt to isolate such characteristics. We will provide behavior samples of twenty-one emotionally disturbed children before, during, and following treatment at The Parry Center. These behaviors are presented descriptively, and will relate to prior environmental influences (adjustment to home, school, etc.); treatment factors (those conducive to behavior change, those detrimental); and post-residential success. We will also compare these descriptions with The Parry Center’s recent research study: Eighteen Boys…A Descriptive Follow-Up Study (June 10, 1970.).

Kunskapen om TV- och datorspelmissbruk bland ungdomar är idag väldigt begränsad. Stillasittande/fysisk inaktivitet, som TV- och datorspel ofta innebär och som kan innebära negativa konsekvenser, blir allt vanligare. En semistrukturerad intervjustudie har genomförts på sju män i åldersgruppen 17-29 år i syfte att undersöka drivkrafterna bakom mäns spelbeteende i tonåren. Dessutom har information om spelmissbruk bland ungdomar inhämtats av fyra yrkesverksamma inom spelområdet. Detta samt kopplingar mellan TV- och datorspel och spel om pengar har gjorts p g a bristen på forskning om TV- och datorspel. De före detta spelmissbrukarna har kategoriserats som fritidsspelare och spelproblematiker (som lyckats sluta missbruka spel på egen hand), samt spelberoende, som fått avstå helt från spel för att få ett slut på sitt missbruk, medan övriga än idag kan spela i måttlig och ytterst liten mängd. Verklig och upplevd kontroll över sig själva och omgivningen har varit viktiga determinanter för informanternas spelmissbruk. Anledningarna till att de slutade/minskade på spelandet är att de i huvudsak tappade intresset för spel (dock inte helt), fick andra prioriteringar och/eller inte ville få återfall där de återgår till sitt gamla missbruksbeteende. Spelandet har haft en funktion som flykt från en problematisk livssituation, vilken med tiden endast förvärrats för de spelberoende parallellt med missbruket. Även upplevelsen av direkt, tillfällig tillfredsställelse har varit en stor drivkraft samtidigt som det har lett till spelmissbruket. Det tidsödande fritidsintresset fick konsekvenser på den psykiska och fysiska hälsan och beteendet, utvecklingen, relationer till närstående, familjesituationen, skolgången, den sociala etableringen samt den socioekonomiska situationen, vilket sammanfattningsvis ledde till att informanterna utvecklade en ohälsosam och ofta destruktiv livsstil. / The knowledge of computer- and video game abuse and addiction among young people is very limited today. The sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity that computer- and video games often involve can have negative consequences, and are becoming more common. A semi-structured interview was conducted on seven men between the ages of 17-29 in order to examine the driving forces behind men’s gaming behavior in their adolescence. In addition, information about game abuse among young people was gathered from professionals in the area of computer- and video games. This and links between computer- and video games and gambling have been made due to the lack of research on video and computer games. The former video game addicts have been categorized as recreational players, game problematics (who by themselves managed to stop abusing games) and game addicts, who have completely abstained from gaming to put an end to their addiction, while the others still play moderately and very little today. Actual and perceived control over themselves and their environment has been important determinants for the player’s former addiction. The reason why they stopped/decreased the gaming is essentially because they lost interest in games (not completely though), got other priorities and/or did not want to relapse and return to old problematic behavior. Gaming as an escape from a problematic life situation was a common feature among the addicts. The situation for the game addicts only worsened with time along with their game abuse. Although the experience of direct, incidental satisfaction has been a major driving force, it simultaneously led to game abuse. The time-consuming leisure activity had consequences on the mental and physical health, behavior and social development, as well as on the relationships to relatives, family situation, school attendance, social establishment and socioeconomic situation. To sum up, the informants developed an unhealthy and often destructive lifestyle because of the game habits.

No description available.

Using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire this study attempted to determine what differences exist between 58 male adolescents in foster care and their peers in the normal population and to establish if there are specific characteristics of the adolescent's background or foster care experience that are related to specific domains of self-image. Characteristics from foster care history included number of placements and length of time at the current placement. The individual background characteristics included were race, educational achievement and age. Foster care youth had lower family self-image and emotional health and higher social self-image when compared to the normative popUlation. When compared separately to the normative population, white youth had higher than normal moral self-image and sexual attitudes and lower scores on family relations and emotional health. Black youth had higher social self-image scores. Lower scores on several domains of self-image were associated with being younger, being white, having lower academic achievement, having more placements, and staying at the current placement for a longer period of time. The implications of these findings for foster care placement decisions are discussed. / Ph. D.

Lack of academic success among Black male students has become a focus of educational debate. Concerned educators have led the search for effective models of intervention and prevention. Current literature indicates that positive interaction with adult male mentors in the educational. setting might foster academic success among Black male students. This study investigated the effects of a mentor program on the academic success and self concept of selected Black males in the junior high school. A mentor program was implemented in an Alexandria, Virginia junior high school. Based upon teacher and administrator referral, 50 students who might benefit from participation in a mentor program were identified. Twenty-five students were randomly assigned to the treatment group and participated in the full mentor program. The control group of 25 students was monitored. Eleven city agency and school staff members served as mentors to the experimental group. / Ed. D.