Perfectionism and Dispositional Accommodative Efficacy: Predictors of Stress Responses

PSY 4999 Honor Thesis, Advisor: Craig A. Smith & Ashley L. Watts In recent decades, extensive research has supported the association between perfectionism and stress responses, and one potential explanation for the mechanism underlying this association is the relational model of appraisal theory developed by Smith and Kirby (2009). In this theoretical model, another important dispositional characteristic, dispositional accommodative efficacy, was mentioned and suggested to have close relationships with both perfectionism and stress responses. However, neither dispositional accommodative efficacy nor the relational model has been sufficiently researched. Thus, this study systematically examined the impacts of dispositional accommodative efficacy and perfectionism on stress responses and proposed two models, the dual influence model and the full mediational model , to explain their relationships. The result showed that the evaluative concerns perfectionism positively predicted stress responses and dispositional accommodative efficacy negatively predicted stress responses, while the dimension of achievement striving did not significantly associate with stress responses. Since only a weak partial mediation effect of dispositional accommodative efficacy was found in the relationship between evaluative concerns and stress responses, we did not find strong evidence to support either model. This study supplemented the empirical evidence on how disposition influences emotional reactions.In recent decades, extensive research has supported the association between perfectionism and stress responses, and one potential explanation for the mechanism underlying this association is the relational model of appraisal theory developed by Smith and Kirby (2009). In this theoretical model, another important dispositional characteristic, dispositional accommodative efficacy, was mentioned and suggested to have close relationships with both perfectionism and stress responses. However, neither dispositional accommodative efficacy nor the relational model has been sufficiently researched. Thus, this study systematically examined the impacts of dispositional accommodative efficacy and perfectionism on stress responses and proposed two models, the dual influence model and the full mediational model , to explain their relationships. The result showed that the evaluative concerns perfectionism positively predicted stress responses and dispositional accommodative efficacy negatively predicted stress responses, while the dimension of achievement striving did not significantly associate with stress responses. Since only a weak partial mediation effect of dispositional accommodative efficacy was found in the relationship between evaluative concerns and stress responses, we did not find strong evidence to support either model. This study supplemented the empirical evidence on how disposition influences emotional reactions.Thesis completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Honors Program in Psychological Science

“True Beauty”: Hair, Femininity, and Self-Perception

This thesis investigates the significance of hair in women’s lives, with a focus on how hair loss and the choice to cover hair shape perceptions of femininity, beauty, and self-identity. While hair is often dismissed as superficial, it operates as a critical site of meaning. Hair is tied to cultural values, spiritual practices, racialized beauty standards, and emotional well-being. This thesis provides reasoning for why an integrated framework, The Hair-Identity Embodiment Framework, is needed to truly understand hair-related experiences. The Hair-Identity Embodiment Framework combines the biomedical, psychological, sociocultural, and economic dimensions, highlighting the complex interplay between individual experience and structural forces of hair and beauty. Beginning with a theological and historical overview, the thesis explores how hair has long symbolized. It then examines how medicalized understandings of hair loss often fail to address the emotional trauma and social stigma experienced by women. Methodologically, the thesis is based on an argumentative review. The analysis of established literature ultimately calls for a more culturally responsive and emotionally attuned approach in healthcare, public health, and media representations

Adeana McNicholl on How Preta Narratives Constructed Buddhist Cosmology and Shaped Buddhist Ethics

In this podcast, Chris Benda, religious studies and theology librarian at Vanderbilt Divinity Library, interviews Professor Adeana McNicholl about her book Of Ancestors and Ghosts: How Preta Narratives Constructed Buddhist Cosmology and Shaped Buddhist Ethics

Parent-Adolescent Communication: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model within a Family Group Cognitive-Behavioral Preventive Intervention with Families of Depressed Parents

Positive communication between parents and adolescents is important for healthy psychosocial development. Extant literature examining the links between communication and psychopathology is limited by cross-sectional designs, inconsistent definitions of key constructs, and self-report assessments of parent-adolescent communication. By contrast, behavioral observation offers an objective, systematic method for assessing communication. The current study examined cross-sectional, longitudinal, and bidirectional associations between observed communication and psychopathology among a high-risk sample of youth and parents with a history of depression in the context of a cognitive behavioral preventive intervention. Participants included 180 adolescents (M = 11.46 years) and one of their parents enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. Communication composite scores for parents and adolescents were created with codes from The Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales at baseline and six-months post intervention. Youths’ anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed with the Youth Self-Report, and parents’ anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression and Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively. Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) data analysis was implemented utilizing an R analysis program, “APIM_SEM.” APIM models evidenced a significant parent actor effect, such that better parent communication was associated with lower parent anxiety/depression symptoms at baseline ( = -0.21, p = .02). There was also a significant parent partner effect, such that greater parent communication was associated with fewer adolescent anxiety/depression symptoms ( = -0.23, p = .01) at baseline. Results from a longitudinal APIM model did not find any significant actor or partner effects between communication and anxiety/depression symptoms (ps > .05). There were significant within-person actor effects, whereby greater symptoms and better communication at baseline predicted greater symptoms and better communication at 6-month follow-up for both parents ( = 0.55, p = <.001) and adolescents ( = 0.58, p = <.001). Finally, there was a significant adolescent partner effect, such that greater adolescent symptoms at baseline were associated with fewer parent symptoms at 6-months ( = -0.18, p = .02). Results suggest significant cross-sectional dyadic associations between parent communication and parent and adolescent anxiety/depression symptoms. Additional research is needed to understand the unexpected association between greater adolescent symptoms and fewer parent symptoms

ER-phagy Drives Conserved, Age-Related Remodeling of the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Promotes Longevity

Public health advances have significantly reduced early life mortality, enabling humans to live longer than ever before. As we age, however, a progressive accumulation of molecular damage drives homeostatic failure and chronic disease, thus increasing the disease burden in our rapidly aging society. Targeting the underlying mechanisms of aging itself can mitigate disease progression, reduce late-life morbidity, and promote longer, healthier lives. Evidence increasingly highlights endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction as a key factor in aging. Because ER function is determined by its specialized morphologic subdomains, this dissertation investigates the central hypothesis that remodeling of ER structure-function is an upstream event in the aging process, which may serve as a target for healthspan and lifespan interventions. The first part of this dissertation reviews the fundamental roles for inter-organelle communication in aging. The ER has long been recognized as a central regulator of cellular homeostasis, and the recent identification of its myriad organelle contact sites enhances its relevance to the aging process. The second part of this dissertation demonstrates that selective degradation of the ER, or ER-phagy, drives ER remodeling in early aging. Across eukaryotes, aging is associated with a significant loss of ER mass, shifting ER function from proteostasis to lipid metabolism. We identify TMEM-131 as a novel ER-phagy receptor and demonstrate that aging tissues utilize specific pathways to regulate ER-phagy, which likely serves a proactive, protective response in younger animals. Finally, we show that ER-phagy is required for lifespan extension in yeast and C. elegans. These findings establish declines in ER structure-function as a critical factor in aging and longevity, suggesting that manipulating ER morphology via ER-phagy could provide new longevity paradigms

Lessons Learned in the Age of Political Polarization: A Case Study of Five Independent Schools

Leadership Policy and Organizations Department capstone projectWe are living in an age of political polarization and nowhere has it played out more publicly in the United States than within education where schools, classrooms, and campuses have become the battlegrounds for deep divisions around any number of controversial topics, the mismanagement of which can have steep consequences for educational institutions and their leaders. Being informed by years of quantitative research on the topic within the independent school sector, this qualitative research study provides a front row seat to the inner workings of five independent schools and their experiences leaning into the important work of managing political polarization. The findings are groundbreaking and extremely informative for all those who lead in educational spaces and beyond including 1) how political polarization is impacting the experiences of students, teachers, and school leaders in independent schools, 2) ways in which schools are changing their programs or policies in response to the recent social and political environment, and 3) how schools are meeting the needs of students, teachers, and school leaders. Beyond insightful and captivating stories from the experiences of these schools, this paper includes the introduction of the Helvey Power-Expression Paradigm, which is the first of its kind, a visual representation of the inverse relationship of power differentials that exist between school leaders, teachers, and students within a school community and the impact that has on each of their freedom of expression in schools. Finally, the research suggests three recommendations to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), culminating in a proposed Principles of Good Practice: Leading Through an Era of Political Polarization.Peabody College of Education and Human DevelopmentDepartment of Leadership Policy and Organization

From Patterns to Pathways: Configurational Analysis of Client Management Practices – A Co-Occurrence and CAM Framework Application

Leadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThe ALL IN Company is a boutique consultancy that supports small businesses and nonprofits in strengthening recruitment and retention through its proprietary Five-Star Hiring System. The purpose of this study was to examine how the organization could codify and scale its client-management practices—spanning marketing, onboarding, and engagement—without sacrificing the relational personalization that defines its brand. Using a sequential mixed-methods design grounded in the Configurational Approach to Marketing and probabilistic co-occurrence analysis, the investigation integrated CEO interviews, employee surveys, client and proxy-client survey data, and testimonial/document analysis collected between August and October 2025. Findings show that reliability, transparency, onboarding clarity, and perceived organizational fit consistently co-occur as the configuration predicting satisfaction, retention, and advocacy, leading to recommendations for implementing a lightweight CRM backbone, standardizing onboarding, formalizing transparency practices, conducting brand-alignment audits, and institutionalizing ongoing engagement rhythms to support sustainable, scalable growth

Designing for Transformation: A Formative Evaluation of an Executive Leadership Development Program to Foster Adaptive Leadership

Leadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThis capstone project conducted a formative evaluation of a 900-employee, member-owned financial institution's Enterprise Leadership Development Program aimed at executives. The evaluation generated actionable insights and recommendations to enhance program design and implementation, focusing on the relevance to leadership needs, sustained support mechanisms, transformational learning, adaptive leadership principles, and a robust evaluation framework. To deepen understanding of current leadership development dynamics, relevant theories were explored, including Transformational Learning Theory, Adaptive Leadership Framework, and the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model. A mixed-methods approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data through surveys, interviews, and document analysis, provided evidence-based insights. Findings confirmed the program's alignment with strategic priorities while identifying opportunities for improved cross-functional collaboration and ongoing leadership growth. The evaluation highlighted the importance of personalized support, such as Individual Development Plans (IDPs), mentorship, and peer networks for effective skill application. Recommendations emphasized the need for embedded learning and digital tools to enhance accessibility, thereby providing a structured approach to reinforce leadership development, foster organizational integration, and sustain transformation. By refining program design, leaders can acquire critical competencies and effectively drive enterprise-wide change

The Role of Motivation and Prior Knowledge in the Illusory Truth Effect

Repeated exposure to false claims increases their perceived accuracy, a cognitive bias known as the illusory truth (IT) effect. Incorporating the framework of the Motivation and Opportunity as Determinants (MODE) model, a 2 × 2 mixed design with 668 participants tested the effects of motivational instructions (motivated vs. control) and repetition (repeated vs. novel) on perceived accuracy of false trivia claims that are commonly known. We hypothesized that participants with the motivation cue would rate repeated (easy) false claims as less accurate than the control group, which was not exposed to the motivation cue. Results showed a robust main effect of repetition, with repeated claims rated as more accurate than novel claims, regardless of condition. No effect of condition was observed, indicating that our motivational cue was insufficient to disrupt reliance on fluency-based judgments, even when individuals had accessible prior knowledge. These findings highlight the persistence of the IT effect and underscore the challenges of addressing misinformation. Implications for interventions, such as enhanced motivational strategies and structured feedback mechanisms, are discussed

“SEE US… SPEAK LIFE INTO US:” TEACHER TURNOVER AND JOB EXPERIENCE IN FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS

Leadership Policy and Organizations Department Capstone ProjectTeacher turnover continues to be a significant issue facing American public schools today, particularly those with a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students. In our mixed-methods exploration of Fulton County, a large school district surrounding Atlanta, Georgia, we employed multilevel logistic regression to analyze the relationship between teacher and school characteristics and turnover from the 2022-23 school year while simultaneously conducting structured interviews with educators employed at a variety of schools throughout the district about their work experiences and career plans. Our results suggest that levels of administrative support, student discipline, faculty community, and teacher autonomy are key school-level working conditions that impact teacher turnover decisions, and that those conditions tend to be better at low-poverty schools. We also identified differences in how teachers at low poverty and high poverty schools conceptualize their role, and how a lack of time is a significant stressor for teachers at all schools. More research is needed to explore the relationship between these attitudes and stressors and teacher turnover.Peabody College of Education and Human DevelopmentDepartment of Leadership Policy and Organization