Research has demonstrated the importance of early social interactions in the development of self-talk. It does not appear, however, that existing research has examined the relationship between parents' self-talk and the self-talk that develops in their children. This study examined the relationship between self-talk in parents and their college-age children. Results revealed significant relationships between students' and parents' positive self-talk, but not negative self-talk. Marginal relationships were found for self-talk ratios (ratios of positive and negative self-talk). Maternal communication was found to mediate the relationship between students' and their mothers' positive self-talk. Different trends also were noted between genders. Finally, self-talk was related significantly to depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. Overall, results of this study emphasize the relationship between parents' and their children's positive self-talk and the importance of self-talk in psychological functioning. These findings lend promise to the possibility of modifying parents' self-talk and communication as a way to modify their children's self-talk and psychological functioning.

According to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), innovation that accompanies careers in science, technology engineering, and math (STEM) create a driving force in the economy and the creation of jobs, yet many positions remain open due to the lack of qualified individuals to fill them (NAS, 2011). Continuing research and innovation proves to be important, yet not enough students graduate with STEM degrees and enter into STEM careers. Career planning courses for undergraduate students increase student confidence about their abilities to make career decisions (Grier-Reed & Skaar, 2010: Scott & Ciani 2008). Vocational maturity and career decision making skills also improve as a result of these courses (Reese & Miller, 2006; Scott & Ciani, 2008). Although research provides evidence of the impact of career planning courses that are specific to certain disciplines (Heffner, Macera & Cohen, 2006), the need for research exists on examining the role career planning courses have in STEM recruitment and retention. This study aimed to investigate the influence of career development intervention in STEM recruitment and retention efforts by examining career decidedness, career thoughts and vocational maturity. Furthermore, the influence of the class was examined by using demographics such as gender, ethnicity, SAT scores, and algebra math placements scores. The Career Development Inventory (CDI) and Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) provided measures of career thoughts, career decidedness and vocational maturity for this study. The results provided clarity as to the influence of the career planning course. Vocational maturity and career decidedness increase by the end of the career planning course and negative career thoughts decreased. Implications of the findings include counselor education, career development, practice and future research. In a time when billions of dollars are spent on STEM initiative, the iv current study provided an economically viable career development STEM initiative. The research reveals millions are dollars invested into updating lab equipment, purchasing new materials for students, and training teachers. The current study utilized a career planning course allowing students to explore their likes, dislikes, and abilities and how the aforementioned are connected to career interests. This study also provides insight into how the STEM effort can more specifically recruit students who will excel in STEM disciplines.

Among the general Asian-American population, 18 to 25-year-old Asian-Americans and U.S. born Asian-American women have been found to have particularly high rates of suicidal ideation. An important risk factor for suicidal ideation in this population is parenting style/family conflict. Asian-Americans who are the children of immigrants, as opposed to White-Americans and non-American Asians, are often exposed to two different cultures and parenting styles. Researchers have suggested that this leads to a “fractured identity” and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). This study examined STBs in 18 to 25-year-old East Asian-American women. Depression and borderline personality disorder (BPD) severity were examined as mediating variables between family conflict and STBs. East Asian-American women (Asian-Americans) were compared to East Asian international students (Asians) and non-Hispanic/Latino whites (Caucasians). The study aimed to (1) compare the prevalence and severity of STBs, depression, and BPD across ethnic groups, (2) evaluate whether there were cultural differences in the measurement properties of the depression and BPD measures, and (3) compare parenting styles/family conflict and hypothesized pathways to suicidal ideation across groups. Data were collected through an online survey (N = 1,455). Asian-Americans and Caucasians reported similar prevalence of suicidal thoughts and similar depression, BPD, and suicidal ideation severity. There were cultural differences in the measurement properties of several items on the depression and BPD measures. In the serial mediation analysis, the path from ethnic group to family conflict to depression and BPD severity to suicidal ideation severity indicated that Asian-Americans have the most suicidal ideation through this pathway. In the moderated mediation analysis, the indirect effect of family conflict on suicidal ideation through depression and BPD was strongest in Caucasians, followed by Asian-Americans, and then Asians. These results can be reconciled given that Asian-Americans had the most family conflict and resulting suicidal ideation, but the effect of family conflict itself on suicidal ideation was strongest in Caucasians. This study indicates that the prevalence of STBs is higher in young Asian-American women than previously established rates in the general Asian-American population and that family conflict is associated with increased depression, BPD, and suicidal ideation severity.

No description available.

The war between Iraq and Iran started 1980 and ended 1988. During the war it came approximately 11 811 Iraqi refugees to Sweden. In this essay. I will explore how Iraqi refugees who came in the 1980s have integrated themselves in the Swedish society. To enhance this understanding, I used previous research material presented in the essay but, most importantly, I also used a qualitative method with organized interviews. The interview material consists of 4 individual interviews for 90 minutes each, and all interviewees are highly educated men in the ages of 62-66 years. I structured the interviews in line with 3 framing questions with the purpose to understand how the interviewees’ first time in Sweden was, especially considering potential difficulties of learn the Swedish language; how the interviewees perceived opportunities and challenges in establishing themselves on the employment market; and finally their thoughts and feelings about their own integration. I have used three different models/theories when analyzing the results. Firstly, I used symbolic interactionism as an explanatory model for interpersonal interaction, communication, subjective interpretation of situation and group affiliation. Secondly, I used the postcolonialism as an explanatory model. Postcolonialism describes a power structure that exists in the society where “white” people are perceived as being the superior race while “black” people are perceived as being the subordinate race, which is a legacy from colonialism. Thirdly, I used folkloristic narrative analysis, which helps to understand how people, with the help of stories from the past, position themselves in reality when the story is meaningful.

<p>Martin Heidegger is widely viewed as one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. He is also generally viewed as an irrational metaphysician, as someone who has much to say about Being, but very little of it as making sense. Moreover, his thought is viewed as having very little to say about ethics; that is, the question of how we ought to live. In this thesis I argue that Heidegger's concept of Being is not irrational, and that his thought is primarily ethical. I argue that Heidegger's thought centres around the concept of authentic self -understanding, and that this form of selfunderstanding is deeply linked to solidarity with others and concern for things, what he describes as the care for Being</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an impairing mental illness and has a core component of emotional dysregulation. Evidence suggests the emotional cascade model describes how this emotional dysregulation leads to engaging in risky and life-threatening behaviors, such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Specifically, this model describes rumination as a cognitive component that links the emotional and behavioral dysregulation. The current study aimed to expand the model by investigating how individuals with heightened BPD traits engage in NSSI and in cognitive strategies to cope with their negative affect. Specifically, it was investigated whether behaviors like suicide attempts and cognitions differentiated between those with mild/moderate and severe NSSI. Criterion for severe NSSI was hospitalization or medical care because of NSSI. Participants (N = 292) were screened to endorse a history of NSSI and then self-selected to take a self-report survey through Mturk. Correlations and a binomial logistic regression were completed. Results indicated suicide attempts, BPD symptoms, and anger rumination differentiated mild/moderate and severe NSSI. Evidence reinforces the strong relationships between NSSI, suicide attempts, and BPD. Additionally, it reinforces anger rumination as a potential cognitive mechanism in NSSI. Future research can continue to test this model and include other potential thought processes to increase efficiency in assessment and treatment of BPD and NSSI.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education / Kenneth F. Hughey / This study investigated the impact of a seven-session career intervention in a First Year Experience course on the dysfunctional career thoughts, locus of control, and career decision self-efficacy of underprepared college students. The career intervention was based on the cognitive information processing approach to career decision making (Peterson, Sampson, & Reardon, 1991; Peterson, Sampson, Reardon, & Lenz, 1996; Reardon, Lenz, Sampson, & Peterson, 2000; Sampson, Reardon, Peterson, & Lenz, 2004) and utilized the CTI workbook (Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, & Saunders, 1996b). Participants in the study were full-time freshmen enrolled in remedial academic courses at a small, open-enrollment institution. The study was a Nonequivalent Control Group design with delayed posttest. Ten hypotheses were identified and tested. The Career Thoughts Inventory, the Rotter IE Scale, and the Career Decision Self-Efficacy-Short Form were administered at pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. ANCOVA was used to analyze differences between the mean scores by group for each of the dependent variables. In addition, dependent t-tests were used to examine the differences between the mean scores within group for each of the dependent variables. Results of this study indicated that underprepared students who participated in the career intervention significantly improved dysfunctional career thoughts on all variables from pretest to posttest. Further, improvement in dysfunctional career thoughts was maintained four weeks after the intervention. Significant differences were also found at posttest between the treatment and control groups for CTI Total and Decision-Making Confusion. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between dysfunctional career thinking and locus of control, indicating the participants with higher levels of dysfunctional career thoughts also had a more external locus of control. Locus of control was not significantly different from pretest to posttest in the treatment group; however, locus of control did become more internal following the intervention. At delayed posttest, locus of control of the treatment group was not significantly different from Rotter’s (1966) normative sample while the control group continued to be significantly more external than the normative sample. While career decision self-efficacy was not significantly different from pretest to posttest, students’ scores indicated confidence in their ability to perform career tasks.

This study has investigated the thoughts and the emotions concerning climate change among children. The main purpose of the thesis is to study how the children cope with the threat of climate change and if they see it as something concerning their on lives. The theoretical roots of the study are to be found within appraisal theory, social representations, coping and self-efficacy. The children who are included in this study are 12-13 years old and live in the western part of Sweden. The data collection is based on the interviews with 27 children. The interviews have been thematically analysed and the aim was to get a deeper understanding of how the children think and feel concerning climate change. In the analysis four main themes emerged which focus on: how the children perceive and relate to climate change, the contexts in which the children face the discussions on climate change, how they cope with the emotions that are awakened and how they feel that they can influence issues related to climate change and the environment. It can be stated that the results have many nuances. The majority of the children see climate change as something abstract and distant that doesn’t affect their own lives. Regarding the future of the planet the children express both hope and worry, but also ambivalence. They mean that we, the humans, have the decision in our hands. The children meet the discussion of climate change in different places like: in media, in school, at home and through own experiences. They use several different strategies to cope with their emotions; problem –focused coping, emotion-focused coping and meaning-focused coping. Most of the children feel that they can affect the environment positively through small, simple everyday actions, bur there are also children that feel that there is nothing they can do. The children’s own experiences affect how they think and feel regarding climate change It can be concluded that many of the interviewed children are involved in issues concerning the environment and climate change and that they possess knowledge that adults don’t have, but also that climate change must be transformed into something tangible and seen as a personal responsibility for a change to occur.There, the community, the adult world and the school have a great responsibility

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pedagogue´s thoughts about and which strategies the pedagogue´s use to make the digital notepad work as an language development tool in preschool´s daily activities. The study has three questions 1) Which conditions do the pedagogue´s need to be able to use digital notepads as a language development tool in preschool´s daily activities? 2) In which occasions can the digital notepad be used as a language development tool in preschool’s daily activities? 3) What advantages / disadvantages do pedagogues see when using the digital notepads as a language development tool in preschool´s activities. The study was performed in two various preschool’s in two separate municipalities in the middle of Sweden, were three preschool teachers, from each preschool where interviewed by using semi-structured interviews. The results from the interviews showed that the digital notepad under several occasions can be used as a language development tool in preschool´s activities. The respondents saw many advantages and few disadvantages when using the digital notepad as a language development tool. The digital notepad becomes and works as a language developing tool as long as the respondents, have an exploring and challening approach while using the notepad with the children. While education, learning time, pedagogue’s attitude and approach was considered important strategies/preconditions which are needed/contributed for the digital notepad to work as a language development tools in preschool’s daily activites. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka pedagogernas tankar om och vilka strategier som pedagogerna använder för att lärplattan kunna fungera som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet. Studien har tre frågeställningar 1) Vad behöver pedagogerna för förutsättningar för att lärplattan ska kunna användas som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? 2) Under vilka tillfällen kan lärplattan användas som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? 3) Vilka fördelar/ nackdelar ser pedagogerna med lärplattor som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? Studien genomfördes på två olika förskolor, i två skilda kommuner i mellersta delen av Sverige. Där tre respondenter ifrån varje förskola intervjuades med intervjuformen, semistrukturerad intervju. I resultatet framgick det att lärplattan under flera tillfällen kan användas som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet och att respondenterna ser många fördelar och endast några få nackdelar med lärplattor som ett språkutvecklande verktyg. Lärplattan blir och fungerar som ett språkutvecklande så länge respondenterna tex är medupptäckande, utforskande och utmanande som pedagog. Även utbildning, vägledning, tid, pedagogernas inställning och förhållningssätt ansågs vara viktiga strategier/förutsättningar som behövdes finnas/tillföras för att lärplattan ska kunna användas och fungera som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet.