Jane Austen was the first English novelist to see the witty woman as a central figure in comedy. In this she draws from a tradition that had been inaugurated in English drama by Shakespeare. The figure had assumed a related though somewhat different manifestation in the vastly different theatrical conditions that produced Restoration Drama. . This tradition is resumed and introduced into the novel by Jane Austen, who corrects in doing so, some of the changed attitudes to wit in women engendered by the amiable and sentimental traditions of the eighteenth century, both in the novel and in drama. Having established some issues in the tradition of the witty woman in Jane Austen, I then discuss those issues with reference to two other novelists in the nineteenth century to examine the transmutation of this tradition through a century of change. Thackeray's Becky Sharp and Meredith's Clara Middleton and Diana Warwick are also crucial, as witty women, to the comic content of the hovels in which they appear. The tradition revolves around a female figure of liveliness, vivacity and charm. She is outspoken and critical, and concerned to proclaim her independence. She is shrewd in her assessment of men, and a critic of convention rather than victim to it. She possesses thus the capacity to be the focal point of a comic social order that functions as critic, if not corrective, by representing an alternative order to the outside world; She is engaged in a dialectic of wit most often with her male counterparts, and by this means sexual differentiation within the comedy becomes less significant than intellectual differentiation. The attitude of her creator towards a woman who is witty in the above sense, is well illustrated by her role in the action of the comedies. For where her wit is presented as a moral virtue, it is an avenue to her complete maturity, instead of an obstacle to it. Of the latter case, v/e have two examples in this thesis - Jane Austen's Mary Crawford and Thackeray's Becky Sharp. Becky, in her aspect as social climber becomes both a comment on her society and an example of the flexibility inherent in the figure of the witty woman in the 1840s. As a late century exploration of. the figure in comedy we have examples in George Meredith. Clara Middleton in The Egoist exemplifies the connection between the comic Muse and the witty woman. Diana in Diana of the Crossways is both an interesting portrayal of the type in comedy of manners, and symptomatic, in her aspects as 'New Woman', of the tensions in comedy of the 1880s.

<p> The themes of crime and justice have captured the attention of Americans for decades. These themes are frequently portrayed in Hollywood films. While these stories capture the attention of Americans, both young and old, they propagate messages about what justice is, how it should be accomplished, who should serve it, and who is worthy to receive it. These messages have important implications for how Americans come to understand the American criminal justice system and its procedures. Reflective of lived experience, films about crime and justice have often drawn upon the victimization of women as an exigency for telling tales about justice as related to females. <i>The Bounty Hunter</i> (2010), <i>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</i> (2011), <i> Les Mis&eacute;rables</i> (2012), and <i>Safe Haven</i> (2013) are analyzed using ideological criticism to reveal their ideological constructions of justice for women, what subject positions these films interpellate female audience members into, and how women, as interpellated by these ideologies, should engage in the criminal justice system.</p>

<p> Eating disorders are one of the most prevalent and life threatening mental health disorders in the United States today. Most recent statistics estimate upwards of 24 million people in the United States alone are suffering with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, among others. Recovery from the disorder is poorly defined and often focuses on physical and behavioral changes, however typically does not explore psychospiritual dimensions of recovery. This constructivist grounded theory study sought to uncover a psychospiritual dimension of recovery through exploring the nature of the experience of self-compassion in those who reported sustained recovery from an eating disorder for over 3 years. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 21 women, honoring the cocreative process of meaning-making, guided by the assumption that social reality is multiple, processual, and constructed between researcher and participant. The constructed theory, <i>Self-Compassion Spectrum of Recovery,</i> consists of 9 sequential categories: broken; outside in influence; power and independence; embodiment; self-compassion as action/core experience; recovery through the lens of self-compassion; worthy of healing; healing and wholeness; and self-love. The findings illuminate how the body and embodiment play a central role in recovery along with self-compassion by creating movement toward worthiness, self-integration, and self-love. This study seeks to further advance clinical knowledge in defining recovery beyond the focus on behavioral changes toward whole-person, transformational recovery that is inclusive of body, mind, and spirit.</p>

<p> One in every three women are victims of domestic violence. The social phenomena of intimate partner violence has been classified as an epidemic due to its impact on political, economic, social, and health development of human female populations. Research frequently questions mental health professionals&rsquo; ability to properly assess domestic violence severity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the level of DV severity, PTSD, self-esteem, and therapists&rsquo; minimization in female victims of DV. A total of 40 female victims of DV responded to the survey either online or on paper. The survey consisted of four measures and was administered in English or Spanish. Seven hypotheses were tested using the SEM path analysis, but none of them were supported. A close examination of the responses to the minimization scale revealed that half of the participants reported that their therapists minimized the need for law enforcement and courts to get involved in domestic violence situations. The need for further training in domestic violence treatment and addressing such subtle minimization is discussed. Major limitations of the study included small sample size and sample recruitment from DV shelters. Factors potentially contributed to the small sample size were explored. Suggestions for future qualitative research to explore and understand victims of domestic violence experience of minimization by mental health providers as well as quantitative research to develop and test a DV training program were discussed. Keywords: domestic violence minimization, PTSD, domestic violence, intimate partner violence.</p>

<p> Chaucer bases the marriage in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale on the ethical and social systems of the medieval merchant class, yet criticism of the marriage and the wife&rsquo;s extra-marital transaction especially, often falls squarely in the realm of ecclesiastical, moral ideology. A moral reading of the mercantile-based Shipman&rsquo;s Tale presupposes that an accommodation can be negotiated between the mercantile and the ecclesiastical. I argue that Chaucer&rsquo;s construction of marriage in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale allows for no accommodation. Chaucer creates a purely mercantile marriage that relies upon the ethical standards of business to determine its strength. This thesis examines the intersecting ecclesiastical and mercantile terms within the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale. Chapter one examines the assertion that money perverts the marriage of the wife and the merchant. To refute these claims I examine the medieval church&rsquo;s views on marriage, the Pauline &ldquo;marriage debt,&rdquo; adultery, and the conflicts within this ideal as they relate to and inform the marriage of the wife and merchant. The marriage between the merchant husband and his wife in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale is strengthened by its adherence to mercantile ethics, and stands as a legitimate partnership, not as a perversion. In Chapter two I focus on the determination that the wife in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale is &ldquo;unfaithful, aggressively self-centered, and mercenary.&rdquo; The particular assertion of &ldquo;mercenary&rdquo; interests me, since it is based on attempts to calculate a financial exchange rate in order to accuse the wife of over-selling herself to the monk. If the wife over-sells her body then she reaps a usurious profit, a practice condemned by both ecclesiastical and secular fourteenth-century courts. I analyze terms and financial transactions specific to usury and find that the wife conducts an ethical trade based on fourteenth-century mercantile law. She trades her body for the amount of currency the market will bear, therefore she is free from the charges of mercenary over-selling and moves out of the shadow of her merchant husband and into the role of independent merchant. In Chapter three I confront the &ldquo;redemptive innocence&rdquo; extended to the merchant husband and the refusal to extend such redemption to the wife. I investigate the specific mercantile terms related to the bill of exchange model used by both the husband and wife in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale, in order to show that the wife in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale is an ethical merchant in her own right and therefore worthy of the same &ldquo;redemptive innocence&rdquo; offered to her husband. I conclude that the merchant&rsquo;s marriage typifies the medieval mercantile business model, that ecclesiastical marriage ideology is incongruent to this business model, and that the wife&rsquo;s movements must be evaluated under the terms of mercantile ethics. I find the wife in the Shipman&rsquo;s Tale to be an ethical merchant and an exemplary participant in the mercantile marriage provided by the text.</p>

<p> The population of older adults living longer and healthier lives is increasing. As age increases, the likelihood of single status increases. Without someone to offer peer intimacy, loneliness becomes a factor for decreased well-being. Research is needed to gain insight into later life romantic love and commitment to offer support for those seeking companionship, love, and intimacy to live more generative and robust later lives, ameliorating the physical and emotional effects of loneliness. Women are more likely to be alone in late life and research is needed to explore experiences with the phenomenon of love in later life from their perspective. This study employed a qualitative transcendental phenomenological methodology, gathering data from interviews, observations, and documentation in order to provide an interpretive description of all the women in the study with the shared experience of love and commitment to a new partner in later life. The study offers insight to families, caregivers, community service providers, and medical professionals supporting the partnership needs of older women. The results also provide a voice for late life women, an underrepresented population in research and literature, who choose love and commitment in later life.</p>

<p> Body image dissatisfaction is a significant and painful issue for women, that comes with high costs that include physical and emotional health, self-esteem, and economic impact. There are few interventions that have helped. Current research indicates meditation can help. This research advances that research to shed light on whether Mindfulness Meditation (MM) and Innate Compassion Training (ICT), a form of Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) from the Tibetan tradition, can help build self-compassion and improve body image. One hundred eighty-six women were recruited and received one of three meditation interventions (MM, ICT, BI/Control) to determine whether (a) MM, ICT, or BI/Control improves the five outcomes measured; (b) MM and ICT improve the five outcomes more than BI/Control; and (c) ICT improves the five outcomes more than MM. Women were recruited to complete all measures as a pre-test, randomized to participate in online MM, ICT, or BI/Control conditions, and asked to complete all measures in a post-test after completion of intervention. In all conditions, all outcomes improved from pre-test to post-test. MM and ICT did not improve outcomes more than BI/Control, and ICT did not improve outcomes more than MM. In conclusion, all conditions improved outcomes, so it is likely that meditation could have a positive impact on body image satisfaction. Due to attrition, we were unable to generate enough power to test for group differences, which should be remedied by future research.</p>

<p> There has been much debate in the Christian Church concerning the biblical roles of women. Complementarians continue to argue that females are never permitted to hold leadership positions in the Church over men. Yet, patriarchy in the Church continues to ignore the vast biblical evidence that women served in every level of church leadership in the first and second centuries of the Christian Church, instructing both men and women in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Some may argue that female leadership is not a "salvation issue", but to continue to silence the voices of half of the Christian Church is to ensure that the truth of the Gospel releases at half the speed. When the Bible is interpreted correctly, considering historical analysis and proper context, one will find that Jesus Christ broke the curse of patriarchy in the Church and sought to give women an equal place of authority among their brothers in Christ. Throughout scripture women served as pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets, and apostles. The Apostle Paul himself named Junia, who was a female apostle. Since apostles were considered the highest official position of leadership in the church, we can be sure that Paul was not promoting patriarchy in his more controversial writings concerning women. This thesis attempts to put Paul's writings into proper context and demonstrate that the entire New Testament not only supports female leadership, but praises it.</p>

<p> This study argues that the veneration, romanticization and projection of the feminine in depth psychology is problematic. Depth psychology claims that the masculine and feminine principles exist as archetypes in the collective unconscious. It also claims that these principles are not attached to men and women, yet it coopts imagery that represents the principles in ways that identify them as such, as well as describing certain modes of thinking or acting as definitively masculine or feminine. Specifically, the claim that the masculine principle dominates conscious life results in positing the feminine as a powerful unconscious force, leading to an interpretation of it as transcendent or numinous, revered as a principle needed to heal psychic damage from the overreach of the masculine in patriarchy. This veneration leads to the feminine being romanticized as a panacea for sociocultural ills and projected onto women as carriers of this healing potential. </p><p> This dissertation employs philosophical and depth psychological theories highlighting the relationship between truth, history, myth and fiction to challenge mythopoetic narratives of the feminine and their effect on perceptions of women. Specifically, it uses James Hillman&rsquo;s concept of healing fiction to demonstrate how narratives that result from mythopoetic collusion between psychological fictions are believed as true, and when applied retroactively, are used to reframe historical personal and cultural experiences. The study critiques the comingling of women and the feminine and the resultant essentializing of women by analyzing depth psychology&rsquo;s anima theory, matriarchal and Goddess mythology popularized in the twentieth century, the conflation of women, nature and the feminine in the ecology movement, and narratives implying women&rsquo;s obligation to use the feminine to heal the world. </p><p> The findings of this study call for the lived experience and potential of women to be recognized and valued above fantasies about the feminine. They also suggest that depth psychology&rsquo;s insistence on the masculine/feminine polarization contributes to patriarchal ideology. Finally, they identify the feminine as a psychological fiction that helps the psyche navigate through the sociocultural complexity of patriarchal culture. Keywords: the feminine, healing fiction, women, patriarchy</p>

<p> Throughout the centuries, Mary Magdalene has occupied a unique position within the religious history of the West as the woman who has carried the collective Shadow of Christianity. In every epoch, Mary Magdalene stands at the crossroads of cultural tension and psychological paradox, holding countless images, projections and societal concerns, inspiring millions of acts of devotion and masterworks of art and music.</p><p> This dissertation explores the mythology of Mary Magdalene from her earliest appearances as the faithful witness, disciple and apostle in the New Testament and apocryphal gospels through her later legends as a prostitute, contemplative hermit, princess and priestess, with particular attention paid to artistic and musical portrayals. I suggest that the emerging composite portrait of the 21st century is a healing image of wholeness that integrates all four aspects of the female psyche articulated by Toni Wolff (the Hetaira, Mother, Medial and Amazon) and that Mary Magdalene points the way to a reclamation of the sacred feminine and a reinvigoration of spiritual life.</p><p> Magdalene as an icon and mirror of cultural transformation is evident in recent contemporary classical music works, particularly in Mark Adamo's opera <i>The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.</i> My experiences as resident mythologist for the San Francisco Opera during the world premiere of this work form the basis for my observations of the enormous transformational impact of images and stories of Mary Magdalene drawn from the apocryphal gospels and Gnostic tradition. Magdalene as woman who embodies <i>anthropos</i>, or full humanity, has become a catalyzing bridge for individual personal development and communities of diverse scholars and seekers.</p><p> This dissertation culminates with a multimedia dramatic production inspired by Medieval mystery plays. <i>The Passion of Mary Magdalene</i> interweaves Taize chants, instrumental music of Estonian composer Arvo Part, traditional Christian hymns and my original compositions with a text drawn from both the Canonical Gospel and the <i>Gospel of Mary</i> and includes images taken from pilgrimages to Mary Magdalene sites in France. </p><p> Key words: Magdalene- Christian spirituality- Gnostic-Sacred Feminine- Toni Wolff- Carl Jung</p>