The novel manuscript Girl in the Shadows tells the story of two teenage girls whose friendship, safety and sanity are pushed to the limits when an unexplained phenomenon invades their lives. Sixteen-year-old Tash has everything a teenage girl could want: good looks, brains and freedom from her busy parents. But when she looks into her mirror, a stranger’s face stares back at her. Her best friend Mal believes it’s an evil spirit and enters the world of the supernatural to find answers. But spell books and ouija boards cannot fix a problem that comes from deep within the soul. It will take a journey to the edge of madness for Tash to face the truth inside her heart and see the evil that lurks in her home. And Mal’s love and courage to pull her back into life. The exegesis examines resilience and coping strategies in adolescence, in particular, the relationship of trauma to brain development in children and teenagers. It draws on recent discoveries in neuroscience and psychology to provide a framework to examine the role of coping strategies in building resilience. Within this broader context, it analyses two works of contemporary young adult fiction, Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates and Sonya Hartnett’s Surrender, their use of the split persona as a coping mechanism within young adult fiction and the potential of young adult literature as a tool to help build resilience in teen readers.

'Snap Shot' is a Young Adult novel centred around two main characters – 16 year-old Bel and her older step-sister, Diane, who was living in New York on September 11, 2001. The novel begins with a bus crash on a city freeway, and the narrator, who we later learn is Bel, unfolds the story that leads up to the crash. There are many plotlines that run through the novel, narrated in a variety of voices by Bel. She tells the story of her step-sister, who witnessed the September 11 attack from a distance (in Queens). She reveals her sister's story in the weeks following the attack. Diane is inspired by the image of one of the victims of the attack, a woman named Sena. She sees her photo in one of the desperate fliers that popped up around the city after the attack, and recognises a bracelet the woman is wearing as similar to one owned by her mother. Diane acts on an impulsive idea to somehow bring redemption to the family of this woman by creating a false photograph of the bracelet at Ground Zero, but she is detained by the National Guard. This is an incident that leads to her mother's decision to return to Australia to live. Back in Australia, Diane makes contact with her father, who is distant and dishonest with her. Diane asks to see her younger step-sister, Bel, but she is met with strong resistance. It is obvious that she is being kept from her sister. Bel also learns that her step-sister is back, but her attempts to make contact are blocked by her parents. Eventually the two sisters get together, and the younger forms a fascination and powerful admiration for her older sister, who is now a photographer. She takes images of men she has never met and posts them on her website with emotive labels such as 'victim' or 'terrorist'. Bel's fascination with her older sister leads her to want to emulate her. She sets out to take a photograph of a stranger, and stalks a young man for two days, working up the courage to approach him and interact with him. The fact that she wants to interact with her subject creates tension with her sister, who never speaks with her subjects. They argue about Bel's safety and Diane's courage. Bel eventually approaches the young man, Robert, and forms a connection with him. The coming together of these three characters sets in motion an idea, impulsive and provocative, driven by Bel, to create an artificial moment of terror on a bus as a means to shock the passengers and shake them from a 'dream'. This story is told through counter-voices that offer harmony and dissonance, and at times perspective, to the unfolding plotline. There is Shahrazade, an evocation of Bel's imagination, who is the ultimate in the courageous storyteller. Shahrazade uses narrative to divert her audience away from murderous revenge and into empathic connection. There are the short passages depicting the moments in the bus from the points of view of several passengers. There are the chapters where Bel is interrogated by two police officers, who slowly slide from being realistic characters to figments of Bel's overactive imagination. At the beginning of the novel, Bel tells the reader, 'You are witness to a tragedy, but you don’t call it that.' (Bone 2008) By the end, the verdict is left open. Are the three guilty of creating terror on the bus? Was it a tragedy? Is there redemption in the act of telling a story? The exegetical component of this thesis explores the social, literary and political context of the writing of 'Snap Shot'. It is in three parts, predicated on my research enquiry about the nature of the world we now live in post-September 11, a day that was supposed to have changed history. I explore whether there is a consistent and unified narrative that, as members of the public, we are engaging with. I look at the use of fear by the terrorists, and explore how this fear has manifested itself post-September 11. I ask whether there is an ongoing narrative of fear, and if so, what is its nature? How is it perpetuated? How does the public engage with this narrative? And what implications does this have for the writing of 'Snap Shot'? I explore literary and artistic responses to September 11, and explore the role of the artist as provocateur. What are the taboos and sore points that provocative art can touch on when looking at the subject of the world that has emerged post-September 11? The exegesis also explores how fear and terror are communicated, with a particular reference to symbolism and frames. What imaginings emerged from the subterranean consciousness prior to September 11, and what imaginings are at play today? Significantly, I explore what implications this imagination has for communicating an anti-terrorism message within the context of writing 'Snap Shot'. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2008

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Western Australia, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alberta, 2010. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on April 28, 2010). A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of English and Film Studies, University of Alberta. Includes bibliographical references.

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-34).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2003. / Title from title page screen, viewed October 12, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Roberta Seelinger Trites (chair), Karen Coats, Janice Neuleib. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-236) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2003. / Title from title page screen, viewed October 17, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Jan C. Susina (chair), C. Anita Tarr, Cynthia A. Huff. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-184) and abstract. Also available in print.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-12-21Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:34:47Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ferreira_eagr_dr_assis.pdf: 2031874 bytes, checksum: 15332841c37e6b6646de44d6ac7ece9d (MD5) / O trabalho é resultado de uma pesquisa, desenvolvida durante três anos, direcionada para o ensino de literatura e para a formação do leitor no âmbito escolar. Como objetivo geral, buscouse refletir sobre como se forma o leitor e como vão se articulando escolhas e preferências por determinados autores e determinadas obras. A partir do desenvolvimento dessa pesquisa, pôde-se realizar um levantamento do repertório de obras lidas, no período de 1998 a 2000, por alunos de 5ª, 6ª e 7ª séries, em três modalidades de leitura – opcional, proposta pela professora, e opcional entre uma série de obra(s) de autor(es) indicado(s) pela professora –, bem como diagnosticar quais são as consideradas por eles como atraentes. Entre as consideradas mais atraentes, analisou-se nesta tese a obra Harry Potter e a pedra filosofal, de J. K. Rowling, que obteve o maior índice de aceitação entre as obras pertencentes à modalidade de leitura proposta pela professora. A análise, pautada pela estética da recepção, objetivou detectar o horizonte de expectativa dos alunos, por meio da recepção da obra. Concomitante às obras eleitas pelos alunos, desenvolveu-se um trabalho embasado nos princípios construtivistas, voltado para a leitura de textos diversos de diferentes autores, com o objetivo de lhes possibilitar a ampliação de seu horizonte de expectativa. Para tanto, trabalhou-se com o conceito de leitor estético, privilegiando, como metodologia de leitura, o ato de ler como exercício de comparações artísticas e culturais que o texto carrega. / This work is the result of an investigation, developed for three years, targeted to the literature teaching and to train the reader in the school environment. As a general objective, with this work was searched to reflect on how the reader is trained and the choices and preferences are articulated by certain authors and certain works. From the development of this research, it was able to realize a survey of the repertoire of works read from 1998 to 2000 by students in the 5th, 6th and 7th grades, as well as diagnosing which works are attractively regarded by them. Among those considered the most attractive, it was examined in this thesis the work Harry Potter and the philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling, elected in the modality: reading proposed by the teacher. The analysis, based on the aesthetic reception, aimed to detect the horizon of the students’ expectation, by means of the work reception. Concomitant to the works selected by the students, it was developed a work based on the constructivist principles towards reading of several texts by different authors in order to make them to broaden their horizon of expectation. For that, it was used the aesthetic reader concept, privileging, as the reading methodology, the reading act as an exercise of artistic and cultural comparisons which the text brings in itself.

Background: In Sweden, approximately 800 young adults between 16-30 years of age are affected by a cancer disease. Studies has shown that this is not only the medical treatment that affects how patients live with their cancer, but also how their psychological health are affected. When a young adult gets a cancer diagnosis can thoughts about the disease, death, changed body image, loss of fertility etcetera be particularly disturbing and anxiety evoking. To achieve good health and quality of life, care and good relations between patient and nurses are important. Aim: The aim of the literature study was to: 1) Examine young adults experiences of a cancer disease, 2) Experienced need of support from healthcare professionals and 3) Experiences of psychosocial support from nurses during and after treatment. Method: A literature study where qualitative articles were searched through the database Pubmed. 10 original articles out of a total of 27 articles were included because they met the inclusion criteria and were either medium or high quality. Results: The analysis revealed nine themes based on the three questions; attitudes and emotional reactions related to the disease, changed perception of identity, positive aspects of the disease, post-treatment reactions, support from family and friends, support and adaptation within health care, informative support, personal and emotional support and participation and trust. The need for information from healthcare professionals was particularly prominent, especially on the topics of sexuality and fertility. The importance of obtaining information in a manner that is easy to understand was highlighted. The majority of young adults experienced positive support from nurses which made them gain confidence, trust and joy. Conclusion: Young adults have an increased need for continuous information and guidance during and after treatment. Nurses need to be better at communicating, which would contribute to increased understanding and provide security for the patient in order to feel better mentally. Nurses have an important role in providing advice and information in areas which the patient lack knowledge in.

xiv, 116 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The family of origin plays a pivotal role in the career development process. The purpose of this study was to better understand the role of both family social status and family process (e.g., parenting behaviors) in the career development of young adults. Social status was measured using both a traditional, objective index (Socioeconomic Index) and a more recently developed subjective measure (Differential Status Identity Scale). Family process was examined using the variables of perceived and enacted family support. A model capturing the relationship among these variables was proposed based upon Social Cognitive Career Theory, with career decision-making self-efficacy and career-related outcome expectations serving as the social-cognitive outcome variables. A path analysis was conducted to explore the fit of the model and the relative contributions of the status and process variables to the career development outcomes. Participants were 279 male and female undergraduate students, aged 18 to 22 years, from 2- or 4-year community colleges, colleges, and universities. The sample was randomly split into a calibration sample and a validation sample. The hypothesized model was modified based on results with the calibration sample, and a multiple group analysis was used to test for model invariance across the two groups for the revised model. The results of this study suggest that both family of origin social status and family support influence career development outcomes. Specifically, results indicated that the influence of family status, enacted family support, and perceived family support on outcomes was primarily indirect; these variables operated through subjective status. Results also indicated a moderate, direct relationship between subjective social status and career decision-making self-efficacy. The findings suggest that prevention and intervention efforts should focus on both increasing family support and increasing access to the other types of resources implicated in shaping subjective status. Additional implications for both research and practice are discussed. / Committee in charge: Ellen McWhirter, Chairperson, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Krista Chronister, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Christopher Murray, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Jocelyn Hollander, Outside Member, Sociology