BS, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Anger often plays a large role in facilitating aggression. Additionally, the cognitive mechanisms behind anger can play a large role in how anger is expressed. Anger rumination, one of the cognitive components of anger, involves repeatedly thinking about an anger-provoking event and can often increase anger and aggression. Our particular study examined the role of anger rumination in anger and aggression when provoked. We found that provocation did not make participants angry, but it did decrease happiness. However, participants that were provoked were more likely to retaliate against the provocateur. Anger rumination did not moderate this effect right after being provoked, but it did increase negative affect after a ten-minute waiting period. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Committee: Jeffrey Ciesla (Advisor); Shannon Ciesla (Committee Member); Alexander Seed (Committee Member); Timothy Owens (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

The gender gap in American politics, where women increasingly identify as Democrats and vote more than men, has been researched for the last several decades. While a variety of reasons have been put forth, this dissertation suggests a new and additional understanding for why the gender gap persists by examining the way fear and anger mediate the relationship between gender and party affect and voter turnout. Using the ANES 1980-2016 Time Series Dataset and ANES 2020 Dataset, this dissertation finds gender has an indirect effect on party affect and voting behavior through fear and anger, and this effect is a new and growing phenomenon over the last ten years. First appearing in 2012, men and women have different levels of fear and anger, which in turn impact how they feel about the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as voter turnout. Additionally, there is a consistent pattern about the direction of the indirect effect of gender. When afraid or angry, women like the Democratic Party more and the Republican Party less. Furthermore, women are more likely to turnout to vote when fear and anger are directed towards Republican Presidential candidates and less likely to vote if they are fearful and angry at the Democratic Presidential candidates. This article provides new insight to how fear and anger are impacting political attitudes and behaviors in increasingly gendered ways.

Committee: Ryan Claassen (Committee Chair) Subjects: Political Science; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, Marietta College, 2024, Psychology

The present study examined the effect of anger and enthusiasm on politically based discrimination using conceptual theories from social psychology such as social identity theory. Participants (N=108) were randomly assigned to either the anger or enthusiasm conditions. They then read an article detailing information on fictitious presidential campaigns before filling out a survey designed to measure in-group favoritism or out-group discrimination based on American politics. There were no significant differences on out-group discrimination or in-group favoritism based on emotion, though enthusiasm participants did report higher mean scores for in-group favoritism than anger participants. As an exploration we also compared out-group discrimination and in-group favoritism scores based on American political affiliation in which we also found no evidence that suggests any party discriminates more than the other. Due to the nature of the research topic and the limited literature, more research is needed to understand the effects emotions have on politically based discrimination.

Committee: Mary Barnas Dr. (Committee Member); Alicia Doerflinger Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Political Science; Psychology; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Communication

Anger is an unpleasant emotion that most people want to get rid of. Of all the unpleasant emotions, anger is the most difficult to regulate. Many people are advised to “blow off steam” to get rid of anger because it is supposedly cathartic. This belief in catharsis gives rise to the popularity of activities such as “rage rooms” where people break things while wearing protective gear. Most anger management techniques and activities either increase arousal (e.g., venting, jogging) or decrease arousal (e.g., relaxation, meditation). This meta-analytic review tests which type of activity is most effective. A total of 112 independent studies, with a combined sample of 6,266 participants, were included. The results indicate that activities that decrease arousal also decrease anger (g = -0.52, [-0.70, -0.34]), whereas activities that increase arousal also increase anger (g = 0.22, [0.02, 0.42]). Schachter and Singer's (1962) emotion theory proposes that both heightened arousal and negative cognitive labels can contribute to the experience of anger. The results suggest that arousal-decreasing activities are linked to a decrease in anger, regardless of whether they focus solely on arousal (g = -0.32, [-0.63, -0.01]) or a combination of arousal and cognition (g = -0.58, [-0.80, -0.36]). Arousal-increasing activities failed to yield significant effects. The observed effects were stable across the years examined (1982 to 2022) for participants of various genders, races, ages, and cultures. Arousal-decreasing activities were associated with consistently decreased anger in student and non-student populations, in criminal offenders and non-offenders, and in individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. Moreover, these activities influenced the effect when delivered through digital platforms, by trained instructors, research staff or therapists, in group or individual sessions, and in field or laboratory settings. Activities that extended over a longer duration of time (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brad Bushman (Advisor); Duane Wegener (Committee Member); Robert Bond (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Psychology; Therapy

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2022, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

The literature on motherhood is dominated by topics on the roles of attachment, prenatal care, and childrearing. Research on the negative effects of motherhood is typically described in terms of postpartum depression (PPD) or postpartum mood disorder (PPMD). However, anger is a prominent component in motherhood, which may not be seen through the criteria of PPD or PPMD. Additionally, angry mothers conflict with the mythos of the Good Mother. In this phenomenological study, the thematic structure of mothers' experience within the first year of their newborns' life are examined. Data from interviews with seven women who were four to ten months postpartum were analyzed for thematic similarities and variance. In this study, the four themes emerged from the mothers' experiences within the context of expectation that was evident in both the mothers' own perception as well as the perception of others' expectations. The identified themes emerged from Merleau-Ponty's existential grounds as follows: The first was the visceral nature of motherhood, both physically and mentally. Four subthemes emerged, including the Intensive Labor of Motherhood, Motherhood is Hard, Loss of Control, and the Language of Anger. The second theme noted the Changes Surrounding Motherhood, where ideas emerged about the temporal nature of how women become mothers, such as the suddenness of that transition and when mothers begin to “get their lives back.” Three subthemes emerged surrounding Identity, Transition into Motherhood, and Grief. An interesting secondary subtheme of Older Motherhood also arose around the theme of transition. The third theme emerged around the Connection to Others about the support systems and how those near and far supports undergird their experiences as mothers. A subtheme arose of Loneliness and Isolation with a secondary subtheme of Lack of Information, with a tertiary subtheme of Looking for Support, and Comparison. The final theme was about the Pressure and Expec (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael J. Toohey (Committee Chair); Michael Sakuma (Committee Member); Sandra P. Thomas (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Public Policy; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Organizational Behavior

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how emotions create, maintain, and/or disrupt the institutional logics of whiteness, patriarchy, and elitism, as well as to examine how women CEOs navigate, enable, and/or disrupt these systems of power. Drawing on insights from 36 semi-structured interviews with 24 women CEOs of nonprofit organizations in the U.S., this intersectional qualitative study is comprised of three papers: Paper 1 utilized an abductive grounded theorizing approach to explore how Latina and Black women CEOs experience gendered racial gaslighting. I found that through sensegiving and sensebreaking tactics, people with White or proxy privilege center and uphold whiteness via emotional manipulation—in ways that attempt to sow seeds of doubt in Latina and Black women CEOs, and to influence the sensemaking and meaning construction of others around them. Paper 2 utilized an intersectional narrative analysis to explore how Latina, Black, and White women CEOs experience being the target of anger. I found that when women CEOs enact their leadership in White and/or androcentric spaces, their leadership claims are met with rejections and organizational identity regulations weaponized in hegemonic, subjectifying, and coercive ways that enforce white supremacist, patriarchal, and elitist expectations of deference and ideal woman worker/leader ideals. Paper 3 utilized critical discourse analysis to explore how whiteness and elitism influence the allocation of care in the workplace. I found that espoused organizational values of care and the practices of happy talk are derailed through white apathy in ways that mystify practical solutions and approaches to DEI, position whiteness as inevitable and normative and Black/Brown marginalization as unavoidable, and limit/block Latina and Black women CEOs and the communities of color they serve. Based on my findings, I propose that gendered racial gaslighting, intersectional manifestations of anger, and w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Diana Bilimoria PhD (Committee Chair); Melvin Smith PhD (Committee Member); Banu Ozkazanc-Pan PhD (Committee Member); Jamie J. Ladge PhD (Committee Member); John Paul Stephens PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Management; Organizational Behavior

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2021, College of Sciences and Health Professions

Emotional reactivity has been commonly studied through the discrete emotion approach model (DEA) that categorizes emotions as singular unique experiences (sadness, fear, disgust, anger, etc.). Reactivity to a discrete emotion is related to the contextual relevance of the emotional elicitor, and thus, may result in variable reactivity profiles across different age groups. While prior research has typically associated older age with sadness and younger age with anger, there may be contextual subtypes within these discrete categories that are more or less relevant to either age group. Characteristics of older age are associated with themes of loss (death, diminished physical ability, etc.); therefore, we predicted older adults would be equally or more reactive to loss-based sadness compared to younger adults. In contrast, we predicted younger adults would have greater reactivity to failure-based sadness, as younger adulthood is associated with themes of resource competition. As prior research has found older adults to be less reactive to interpersonal conflict compared to younger adults, we predicted younger adults would be more reactive to frustration-based anger. Lastly, we predicted older adults would be more reactive to violation-based anger, as older adults may be more embedded in their moral values compared to younger adults. In this study, 49 younger adults (Mage = 20.00, SD = 2.26) and 51 older adults (Mage = 66.00, SD = 4.94) were asked to relive and verbally describe an emotional memory associated with subtypes of anger and sadness. Emotional reactivity was recorded through self-reported ratings on distinct emotion categories. Results revealed a significant age difference in emotional reactivity to violation-based anger. No other significant age differences were found. The findings from this study suggest that aging and emotional reactivity may be determined by contextual relevance within discrete emotions. Future research could potentially investigate emoti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eric Allard PhD (Committee Chair); Conor McLennan PhD (Committee Member); Katherine Judge PhD (Committee Member); Jennifer Stanley PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Aging; Cognitive Psychology; Experimental Psychology; Gerontology; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Dating violence, including physical, psychological, and sexual violence, is a prevalent and detrimental occurrence among college students. Although research has consistently shown a link between alcohol use and dating violence, not all college students who become intoxicated then become violent toward their dating partners. Therefore, there are likely other variables that impact the strength of the relationship between acute alcohol intoxication and dating violence. This is consistent with theoretical perspectives explaining the relationship between these two factors; and theoretical consideration also calls for the examination of these factors in a dyadic context. Therefore, this investigation endeavored to examine the moderating role that individual difference factors, specifically trait mindfulness and anger management, have on the relationship between alcohol and dating violence perpetration in college couples. Archival data from a 60-day daily diary study was used to ascertain whether the relationship between proximal alcohol use and dating violence perpetration varied in strength in individuals and couples depending on levels of trait mindfulness and anger management. Results indicated that couples' conjoint mindfulness interacted with alcohol use to predict physical aggression perpetration, such that the alcohol use increased the odds of physical aggression perpetration for couples with low, but not high, conjoint mindfulness. Additionally, couples' conjoint anger management interacted with alcohol use to predict sexual aggression perpetration. Specifically, this relationship was strongest for couples with high conjoint anger management. No other interactions were significant. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.

Committee: Wymbs Brian PhD (Committee Chair); Gidycz Christine PhD (Committee Member); Anderson Timothy PhD (Committee Member); Burgess Susan PhD (Committee Member); Shorey Ryan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

In Spring 2018, popular North American Buddhist teacher, Noah Levine, was accused of sexual misconduct. In the short time between the surfacing of these allegations and findings from the Against the Stream ethics board, several Buddhist teachers responded in Levine's defense through a neutral posturing of “waiting to find out” the truth. This paper examines these teacher responses, asking the questions: “Which Buddhist concepts are mobilized in responding to sexual violence?” and “Which sexist beliefs influence Buddhist teacher responses to sexual violence in American Buddhist communities?” Grounded in black and Indigenous feminist scholarship, I analyze dharma talks, blogs, and statements of support from Levine and adjacent Buddhist teachers. I focus on specific use of Buddhist doctrines to reinforce white patriarchal power, particularly the concepts not-knowing mind, non-duality, and equanimity. I find these teachers ask their communities to “wait and see” whether these allegations are true, with the unspoken assumption they are not. I assert these responses use Buddhist teachings to uphold white men's innocence by using racialized logics and sexist tropes to downplay and delegitimize the experiences of women survivors. I argue that these responses uphold white men's supremacy within Buddhist communities, and conclude that a feminist response to allegations of misconduct requires centering survivors of sexual assault.

Committee: Shannon Winnubst (Advisor) Subjects: Gender Studies; Religion; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2018, Psychology - Clinical

Numerous investigations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)'s psychophysiology have been conducted since the inception of the disorder as a mental health concern. Through these investigations, a distinct physiological profile has emerged that characterizes the experiences of trauma-exposed individuals who develop PTSD, suggesting a theory of autonomic rigidity. These studies often explored this theory through measures of cardiovagal activity or skin conductance, although rarely are these methodologies combined to form a complete understanding of the autonomic system through separate and combined branches. Through these investigations, the overwhelming majority have solely targeted the hyperarousal and re-experiencing symptoms that are often thought to characterize PTSD by employing fear-based and/or trauma-related stimuli, such as a startle response paradigm or trauma script. Further development and study of the symptoms that characterize PTSD have found other negative, non-fear-based symptoms, such as externalizing behaviors and anhedonic behaviors, are similarly important in diagnostic assessment of the disorder; however, there have been few physiological investigations of non-fear emotional states related to these diagnostic behaviors within PTSD. The present study aimed to contribute to this gap in literature by employing a mixed within- and between-subjects design to examine the effect non-fear negative emotional stimuli on trauma-exposed individuals with PTSD symptoms, compared to healthy controls. Two film clips targeted to elicit anger and sadness, respectively, were selected from a previous attempt to compile a standardized series of emotionally-evocative film clips (Gross & Levenson, 1995). Data were collected from an undergraduate college sample at a Midwestern University, with a final effective sample size of N=64. Within-between ANOVAs were conducted on each of the three dependent variables, heart rate variability, tonic skin conductance level, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jon Elhai PhD (Committee Chair); Jason Levine PhD (Committee Member); Matthew Tull PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2018, Psychology

Rapid attentional shifts to threatening objects are very important for survival. Angry faces and Black faces are two types of widely studied threatening information in that anger usually signals potential attack and Black people are stereotypically associated with crime. However, most studies have examined the processing of this information in foveal vision. How they are processed in the visual periphery has rarely been explored. To address this, Study 1 investigated whether angry faces, a type of threatening information, could be more accurately extracted than non-threatening happy faces with schematic (Experiment 1) and real faces (Experiment 2) in a visual crowding task. In the study, a target face (happy or angry) either appeared alone in the visual periphery or was crowded by four faces of the same expression. Participants were instructed to determine whether the target face was happy or angry. Results showed no difference in the recognition of an angry versus a happy face when the face was presented alone in both experiments. When the target faces were surrounded by other faces (i.e., when they were crowded), however, angry faces showed an overall advantage over happy ones. Study 2 employed the same paradigm to examine whether Black faces which are often processed as threatening in some cultural contexts were more efficiently recognized than White faces when they were crowded in the visual periphery. The same pattern was found: Black faces were recognized easier than White faces when they were crowded; whereas no difference in ease of recognition was found when faces were uncrowded. Together, the first two studies showed an anger advantage and a Black race advantage, which may reflect a biased attentional allocation towards threatening information. These results may also suggest that threatening and non-threatening faces can be equally recognized in less attentional demanding conditions whereas threatening faces are recognized preferentially in more attentiona (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leonard Jay Smart (Committee Chair); Vrinda Kalia (Committee Member); Kurt Hugenberg (Committee Member); Aimin Wang (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2018, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Adolescent anger, aggression, and violent outbursts are social problems significantly affecting each of us. Individual therapeutic management of pathological anger is treated in various ways depending on practitioners' theoretical orientations and competency levels. Popular psychological individual and group therapies addressing anger and aggression in adolescents focus primarily on cognitive-behavioral techniques that manage anger's symptoms. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies often require clients to self-identify emerging antecedents of anger without assistance; such therapies employ predetermined strategies to assist the client to emotionally de-escalate prior to an angry or aggressive episode. However, cognitive responses to an emotional upheaval stemming from an emergence of anger can annul the sensitivities and awareness required to prompt desired or predetermined de-escalation technique commencement. A physiological antecedent of anger is an increase in heart rate, identifiable with a personal heart rate monitor. The use of a systematic continuous heart rate biofeedback technique in antecedent anger management could not be found in the publishable research prior to this study's development. This empirical mixed methods multi-case study evaluated the efficacy of routine heart rate self-monitoring to enhance the identification of anger's antecedents in adolescents and subsequently diminish their expressions of anger and aggression. Five adolescents participated in the study; they regularly monitored their heart rates and paired them with their fluctuations of emotional states. Using objective assessments completed by the adolescent participant, homeroom teachers, and parents, the researcher measured five baselines. During post-treatment interviews the adolescents, teachers, and three parents provided their perceptions of the therapy process. Individual and cross-case analysis of the objective and subjective data reinforced the hypothesis (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mark Russell Ph.D (Committee Chair); Steven Curtis Ph.D (Committee Member); Elise Murrowchick Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Early Childhood Education; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Mental Health; Middle School Education; Multicultural Education; Physiological Psychology; Psychobiology; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Quantitative Psychology; School Counseling; Social Psychology; Social Work; Special Education; Teacher Education; Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Political Science

Once a frontrunner of democratization in post-communist Europe, Hungary is backsliding. The 2010 election left the country with an unstable and polarized party system, and the population is quiescent as the Fidesz government dismantles the institutions of liberal democracy. Indeed, support for the very idea of democracy is weaker today in Hungary than it was at the transition. Democracy, it turns out, is not seen to be the only game in town for many Hungarians. Why would experience with democracy fail to yield support for the ideals and norms of democracy? Why do party systems in the young democracies of East Central Europe (ECE) remain highly volatile? Answering these questions requires attending to voters' experiences with and feelings towards their democratic systems. This dissertation examines the emotional dynamics of political behavior in Hungary, revealing high levels of popular disgust towards politics driving an active rejection of competitive multiparty politics and engendering democratic backsliding. I show that policy constraint from the European Union limits the ability of mainstream political parties in post-communist Europe to differentiate themselves from one another concerning many of the key policy issues most important to voters. This leaves elites with little maneuvering room to make programmatic appeals, increasing the likelihood that they will leverage the power of populist outrage –-- a discourse of alleging real or imagined moral transgressions by political competitors –-- to differentiate themselves from competitors and inspire political action. Where this vitriolic discourse elicits anger it causes participation in the form of protest voting, thus explaining persistent party system volatility. However, this constant stream of vitriol often elicits disgust. This powerful emotion causes a visceral avoidance of politics that undermines the accountability mechanism at the heart of democracy and explains rising disaffection from democrac (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Goldie Shabad PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Irfan Nooruddin PhD (Committee Chair); Anthony Mughan PhD (Committee Member); Kathleen McGraw PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2015, Psychology - Clinical

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, further investigation of the DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) model is needed given the recent publication of DSM-5 and minimal amount of empirical investigation as of yet (Elhai, Miller, et al., 2012; Friedman, Resick, Bryant, & Brewin, 2011; Koffel, Polusny, Arbisi, & Erbes, 2012; Miller et al., 2012). Second, I investigated the moderating effect of anger between specific latent factors of PTSD and somatic and non-somatic depression. Comorbidity rates between PTSD and major depression run as high as 48-55% (Elhai, Grubaugh, Kashdan, & Frueh, 2008; Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, & Hughes, 1995); these striking rates give rise to the importance of the present study. No studies to date have investigated anger as a possible moderator despite the high prevalence of anger in individuals with PTSD and depression independently. The present study was conducted using University of Toledo undergraduate students. Following a prescreen questionnaire, subjects completed the following measures online within a secure web platform: demographics questionnaire, the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire (SLESQ), iii the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and the Dimensions of Anger Reactions (Bremner, Southwick, Darnell, & Charney). For the analyses, two confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted to investigate model fit for the DSM-5 PTSD model and the PTSD dysphoria model. In addition, three moderation analyses were conducted to investigate (1) if anger moderates the relationship between PTSD's dysphoria factor and somatic depression, (2) if anger moderates the relationship between PTSD's dysphoria factor and non-somatic depression and (3) if anger moderates the relationship between PTSD's hyperarousal factor and somatic depression. Results and implications are discussed.

Committee: Jon Elhai (Committee Chair); Jason Levine (Committee Member); Thomas Fine (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2015, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Attachment patterns, which tend to be stable over time, are passed from one generation to the next. Secure attachment has been linked to adaptive social functioning and has been identified as a protective factor against mental illness. The parents' state of mind with regard to attachment—as measured with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (Main, Goldwyn, & Hesse, 2002)—predicts the attachment classification for the infant in Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Earned-secure individuals have overcome negative childhood experiences to achieve a secure state of mind in adulthood. Earned security, like continuous security, strongly predicts infant security in the next generation. Preoccupied anger is one of the main constructs measured in the AAI that may lead to classification of an insecure, preoccupied state of mind. The current study was an analysis of the narratives of eight individuals whose AAIs indicated mild to high scores for preoccupied anger. All of these individuals have spent considerable energy and resources in grappling with negative childhood experiences. Participants were interviewed regarding how their feelings changed over time and what, if any, events contributed to how their feelings changed. For most participants, the emergence of sustained subjective anger was reported in late adolescence, or even adulthood. Those whose transcripts were judged earned-secure at the time of the study were associated with narratives that indicated progressive gains in Hoffman's (2008) stages of empathy and Perry's (1968) scheme for intellectual and ethical development. Reappraisal was identified as a key emotional regulation strategy that contributed to security. Supports for executive function also featured as important factors in the attainment of therapeutic goals. Attachment researchers may be especially interested that Hoffman's stages emerged as a possible link between metacognitive processes for earned- and con (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patricia Linn Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Alejandra Suarez Ph.D. (Committee Member); Judith Glass-Collins Ph.D., R.D.T., T.E.P. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Families and Family Life; Health; Health Sciences; Individual and Family Studies; Mental Health; Neurosciences; Personal Relationships; Personality; Personality Psychology; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Social Psychology; Social Work; Spirituality; Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Psychology/Clinical

Despite burgeoning interest among researchers in the psychology of emerging adults, very little research has explored the helpful or harmful psychosocial and R/S coping strategies emerging adults employ as a means to cope with non-marital romantic relationship dissolution. This study longitudinally examined the role of psychosocial coping methods, religious/spiritual appraisals, and religious/spiritual coping methods in the long-term adjustment of emerging adults to non-marital romantic breakup. One-hundred and thirteen undergraduate university students completed measures at Time 1 about their experience of the breakup of their most recent mutually exclusive non-marital romantic relationship, and they completed follow-up measures one year later at Time 2. Principal component analyses were conducted to ensure that psychosocial coping methods and religious/spiritual coping methods were appropriately grouped into helpful versus unhelpful categories for the post-breakup context with this particular sample. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that participants' psychosocial coping methods at T1 were longitudinally associated with some areas of post-breakup adjustment and growth at T2. In addition, regression analyses indicated that sacred loss/desecration appraisals of the breakup at T1 and religious/spiritual coping methods at T1 were longitudinally associated with some areas of post-breakup adjustment and growth at T2. Finally, mediation analyses highlighted that religious/spiritual coping resources mediated longitudinal links between T1 sacred loss/desecration appraisals of the breakup and T2 adjustment and personal growth. This study is the first of its kind to provide longitudinal evidence that religion and spirituality are relevant to emerging adults' adjustment to non-marital breakup.

Committee: Annette Mahoney (Advisor); Kenneth Pargament (Committee Member); Anne Gordon (Committee Member); Karen Benjamin Guzzo (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Pastoral Counseling; Psychology; Religion; Religious Congregations; Social Psychology; Spirituality; Theology; Therapy; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2014, Curriculum and Instruction: Special Education

Elementary students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit aggressive behavior, causing disruption of the classroom-learning environment. Disruptive students are at risk of being removed from the classroom and being excluded from valuable class time. Remediating and reducing aggression in students with ASD requires intervention strategies to address social, communication, and anger management skills. The study examined the effectiveness of the Aggression Replacement Training (ART) (Glick & Gibbs, 2011) in reducing verbal and physical aggression for nine students with ASD. ART teaches students to use effective communication and anger management techniques to prevent conflicts, maintain self-control, and manage stressful situations in an appropriate manner. ART is a 10-week program, and was implemented with three groups of students with ASD using a multiple baseline across groups study design. The study used visual inspection of data to determine if the ART program decreases levels of aggression in students with ASD. The purpose of the study was to decrease frequency of verbal and physical aggression and increase prosocial skills. Results of the study found ART to be an effective intervention for reducing verbal and physical aggression in elementary students with Autism. All participants also demonstrated acquisition and increased use of social skills.

Committee: Edward Cancio PhD (Committee Chair); Laurie Dinnebeil PhD (Committee Member); William McInerney PhD (Committee Member); Ronald David PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Early Childhood Education; Educational Psychology; Elementary Education; Neurosciences; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Special Education; Teacher Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Psychology

The purpose of this research is to better illuminate a vulnerable narcissist's daily emotional life. In two studies, participants completed self-report questionnaires before writing an essay on their adjustment to college. In Study 2, a manipulation of self-relevancy was added to this writing task. After rating their own performance on the writing task, participants received either negative or satisfactory feedback. They then rated their essay again and reported their current emotions. Lastly, in Study 1 participants completed extra process measures while in Study 2 they completed an aggression measure. Across both studies, it was found that feedback which disconfirmed vulnerable narcissists' self-reported performance ratings led to greater emotionality. Study 2 showed this was especially true when the performance was personally relevant. Specifically, shame was higher when personally relevant feedback was mismatched with self-ratings of performance. Anger and/or aggression were also higher when a mismatch occurred but were uninfluenced by self-relevancy. Furthermore, vulnerable narcissists' attempts to disqualify the importance of interpersonal feedback led to greater shame in the end. The discussion addresses the conceptual and practical implications of these findings.

Committee: Jennifer Crocker (Committee Chair); Russell Fazio (Committee Member); Patrick Carroll (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Social Psychology

Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2013, Psychology

Due to divine struggles' (i.e., struggles with God) links to poor well-being, studies have begun to identify their predictors, such as perceptions of God. Studies have also shown that relationships with God and parents tend to be similar. The current study aimed to expand upon these prior studies by exploring both parental and divine qualities' predictions of two divine struggles—disappointment/anger toward God, and religious fear/guilt. Parent characteristics, perceptions of God, and divine struggles were assessed among undergraduates (N = 185). Use of multiple parent measures enabled systematic examination of parental qualities beyond the brief measures of previous studies. This study suggested that perceived parental Warmth and Commitment, Facilitation of the relationship, and Negativity were associated with anxious attachment to God and divine struggles. Anxious attachment to God mediated parental factors' predictions of divine struggles. Maternal factors tended to eclipse paternal factors. Negativity and sometimes Warmth and Commitment overshadowed Facilitation.

Committee: Julie Exline Ph.D. (Advisor); Sandra Russ Ph.D. (Committee Member); Amy Przeworksi Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Psychology; Religion; Social Psychology; Spirituality