A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Lived Experiences of Former Adult Drug Users’ Sobriety Journey After Graduating from a Faith-Based/Spiritual Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of former adult drug users and their sobriety journeys after graduating from a variety of faith-based or spiritual drug and alcohol recovery programs. The research included a systematic review and narrative synthesis of existing literature on faith-based and spiritual recovery programs to address the gap concerning the lived experiences of former users and an evaluation of the strategies and techniques vital for facilitating recovery. The guiding theoretical framework CHIME-D delineated the essential definitive characteristics such as connectedness, hope, identity, meaning of life, empowerment, and overcoming difficulties that help support drug abstinence. The study sample was 16 male and female participants who had been sober for about 1 year. The data collection process incorporated dispensing surveys to collect various demographics and conducting semi-structured interviews. The analysis involved examining the implications of a seven-stage process. This process entailed examining the interview transcripts, condensing codes, identifying similarities and differences in the data, and establishing themes. This study included phenomenological reduction and bracketing to endorse validity and credibility. This study resulted in generating practical implications that diverse treatment programs can use to help promote drug abstinence. The results indicated that faith-based principles and CHIME-D components, particularly connectedness, hope, God and faith, and understanding personal triggers, have been instrumental in promoting long-term sobriety outcomes

Witchcraft, Demons, and Spiritual Death: An Apologetic for the Bible\u27s Prohibition Against Witchcraft

This paper attempts to apologetically defend the Bible\u27s intolerance against witchcraft and other related activities that are prohibited in the Old Testament. It does so by showing that Witchcraft and other related activities gets one involved with demonic entities. It shows how demonic entities are deceitful, and how they are actually the ones behind the power of witchcraft. The paper starts by studying the history of ancient witchcraft, which is something that is useful for understanding the witchcraft of today. It then builds a profile of demons. The paper shows what demons physically do and what they attempt to get people to believe. The paper, in chapter 3, then shows that witchcraft involves signs of demonism, the signs of which were enumerated in chapter 2. The way that the paper attempts to prove its thesis is through library analysis, namely it uses an evidentiary argument based on case studies. Lastly, the paper deals with potential apologetic pushback in the last chapter

A Relationship Between Education and Recidivism with Individuals Under Federal Supervision in the Western District of North Carolina

The police, courts, and corrections generate the criminal justice system. Each department strives to achieve the same outcome: reducing recidivism rates. Unfortunately, the incarceration rate continues to increase, and U.S. prisons are overcrowded, making recidivism a critical issue. Previous research indicates that individuals who attain higher education while incarcerated are less likely to recidivate and more likely to secure employment than those who lack education. This study is designed to examine the relationship between education and reducing recidivism rates in the Western District of North Carolina. Specifically, this study is aimed to determine if former inmates who earned a higher education are less likely to recidivate after being released from the prison system. The methodology of this study is a quantitative, exploratory approach using archived data. The data was collected from an accessible governmental database of individuals on supervised release in the Western District of North Carolina. Specifically, the data was collected from two specific government resources: Post-Conviction Risk Assessment (PCRA) and the Probation and Pretrial Services Automated Case Tracking System (PACTS). The data collected consisted of two parts: the education level of former federal inmates currently on supervised release in the Western District of North Carolina and if new arrests, violations, or revocation have been reported throughout their supervised release

Occupational Hazard of Policing: A Phenomenological Study of Moral Injury Among Law Enforcement Officers

The concept of moral injury is relatively new, and most of the attention has been aimed at military veterans. Moral injury is perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. While awareness has increased in recent years, research on moral injury among law enforcement officers is limited. On average, during a 20-year career, police officers are exposed to 700 critical incidents, while average citizens may witness two. Law enforcement officers struggle with job burnout, depression, and suicide. Most law enforcement mental health studies focus on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), vicarious trauma, depression, anxiety, and related physical injuries. This study explored how potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) might contribute to officers’ perception of moral injury. PMIEs related to law enforcement duties include suicide-by-cop, officer-involved shootings, and other critical incidents. The participants selected for this study were police officers in the United States with at least five years of patrol experience and who have experienced PMIEs. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews to explore officer perceptions during and after PMIEs. A hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of participants’ stories identified seven themes: (a) potentially morally injurious events, (b) occupational hazard of policing, (c) effects of experiencing PMIEs, (d) experience of disillusionment, (e) risk and protective factors, (f) attempted resolution of moral dissonance, and (g) advice they would give other law enforcement officers. Understanding participants’ experiences related to PMIEs provided valuable insight into recognizing occurrences of moral injury and may aid in the development of practical responses to support those who experience moral injury

Workplace Conflict: Its Nature, Peculiarities, and Prevention

Workplace conflict can arise from negative attitudes, lazy coworkers, and stress. In most cases, conflict can be instigated by managers, supervisors, colleagues, or the employer\u27s inability to meet specific demands or provide necessary resources. The aftermath of workplace conflict can be detrimental, destructive, and expensive when it escalates. Conflict can be a significant source of stress at work. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of participants in regard to the nature of conflict, motivational tools, and strategies for conflict prevention. This study was directed by theoretical frameworks, including post-positivism, dual concern theory, social cognitive theory, conflict management theory, and servant leadership theory. Thirty-three diverse participants participated in a semi-structured interview process during which they shared their lived experiences. The responses were analyzed for recurring themes within the phenomenon. The study identified eighteen themes related to workforce conflict in the public sector, all of which have previously been observed in the private sector but had not been studied in the public sector. However, some themes were notably absent, such as bullying. Seven themes pertained to the nature of conflict: supervisor\u27s negative attitude, job-related stress, hostile work environment, lazy coworkers, communication culture, unethical behavior, and inadequate resources. Additionally, three themes emerged regarding the impact of employer motivation on employees: trust-building, reward systems/recognition, and performance reviews. Eight themes were found for best strategies for preventing conflict: forgiveness and apology, acknowledgement of misunderstanding, professionalism, mediation, collaboration, negotiation, effective communication, and training

Worldview and Moral Injury: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study on Behavioral Health Providers’ Descriptions of Moral Injury

The concept of Moral Injury continues to gain research traction in the helping professional fields. Researchers continue to debate different components of Moral Injury. Defining, assessing, and treating Moral Injury captures much of the psychological literature. Despite this, standardized holistic conceptualization and treatment have yet to be realized. Worldview influences all aspects of every endeavor in human life. As such, this qualitative exploratory multiple case study from a Christian post-positivist position explored how Department of Defense or Veteran Affairs behavioral health providers’ worldview influences their descriptions of the construct of Moral Injury, its morbidity, and how behavioral health providers choose to intervene. This project was guided by case study principles originally presented by Yin (2018), based on holism theory and worldview theory (Haynes, 2009; Koltko-Rivera, 2000), and used the conceptual understanding of Moral Injury presented by Jinkerson (2016). Data was collected through surveys, journaling, and interviews. I used Codebook Template Analysis to analyze the data. Worldview cluster beliefs were shown to potentially influence behavioral health providers’ descriptions of MI construct, morbidity, and treatment. A discussion of the findings and their implications, as well as advisement for future research concludes this report

Religiosity and Dating Relationships: How Individual and Dyadic Religiosity Influence the Dating Relationship Quality Among Indonesian Dating Couples

The study is a replication of the previous study conducted by Aragoni et al. (2021) to follow up on the future direction of the study by replicating the study within a new population of Indonesia. Research on how religiosity influences marital quality has been widely addressed, but little research has been conducted on the population of dating couples. Collectivism and religiosity are strongly embedded within the culture of Indonesia, which influence how Indonesian people view interpersonal relationships. Thus, the present study is critical because it addresses how much religiosity influences dating relationship quality among Indonesian dating couples. Religiosity as an independent variable is assessed on two sub-variables: individual religiosity and dyadic religiosity. Dating relationship quality as a dependent variable is measured by three sub-variables: relationship satisfaction, commitment, and negative interaction. Each sub-variable will be measured using appropriate scales in the form of online surveys. The study has a total of 84 participants and it uses a cross-sectional, quantitative approach. The data is analyzed using a multiple linear regression method to determine the relationship between the religiosity variables and the relationship quality variables. The findings suggested that there was no significant association between individual religiosity and relationship quality among Indonesian heterosexual dating couples. On the other hand, there was a significant association between dyadic religiosity and relationship quality among Indonesian heterosexual dating couples as measured by relationship satisfaction, commitment, and negative interaction. The analysis suggested that dyadic religiosity was a more influential predictor than individual religiosity in predicting relationship quality in our samples. Future research should consider conducting the study using a qualitative method and narrative analysis, exploring the moderating effect of individual religiosity on the relationship between dyadic religiosity and relationship quality, and conducting the study with different types of populations (e.g., homosexual communities or Indonesian diverse cultural groups and tribes)

Scared Straight: Investigating the Psychological and Moral Dimensions of Horror

This research examines the psychological and moral dimensions of the horror genre through qualitative analysis, with particular emphasis on its potential to convey ethical and spiritual meaning. While often dismissed as mere entertainment, horror frequently engages with profound questions of morality, fear, and the human condition. This study argues that horror, especially in its psychological, apocalyptic, and religious forms, serves as a vehicle for moral instruction and reflection. By tracing thematic developments from the 1970s to contemporary expressions of the genre, the research identifies a resurgence of interest in spiritually charged narratives. The findings suggest that horror can play a significant role in cultivating a gospel-driven society, offering insights into human nature and the consequences of moral transgression. The study contributes to broader conversations about the role of literature in ethical formation and cultural discourse

An Examination of Maternal Messages Given to Academically Successful African American Undergraduate Males by Their Single Mothers

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of successful African American undergraduate males from single-parent homes, and the maternal messages that contributed to their academic success and resilience. Research shows that African American males face an icreased risk of academic underachievement, particularly those raised by single mothers. The participants consisted of African American undergraduate males who grew up in a single-parent home headed by their mother. For the purpose of this study, academically successful males were defined as males enrolled in a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, maintaining good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. The analysis of data collected from the individual, semi-structured interviews in this qualitative phenomenological study revealed four prominent themes. The four themes: Parental Challenges and Socioeconomic Barriers, Maternal Influence on Academic Motivation, Resilience and Overcoming Adversity, and Support Systems and Community Engagement, all provided an understanding of the experiences that influenced the academic success and resilience of the participants. The findings of this study revealed that the impact of maternal messages conveyed by single mothers significantly influenced the academic achievement of African American males and should be further investigated

Keeping the Faith: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Christian Educators Working in a Public Elementary School

Spiritual growth and development are pivotal aspects of a Christian’s life journey. A Christian worldview to include consultation with scripture and prayer helps to support the morals and values necessary for such growth. American public-school systems have adopted a secular worldview which is devoid of creationism and His truth. With an increase in attrition rates and reported job-related stress among public school employees, a deeper understanding is needed to better understand current trends. This study focused on the lived experience of Christian educators working in a secular school system. Quantitative research was conducted investigating the impact of prayer, stress and attrition rates among educators. This qualitative phenomenological study broadened the scope of understanding pertaining to Christian educators’ experiences. Psychological research such as this study adds to prior secular research by giving consideration to Christians maintaining their spiritual core values while emersed in a secular institution