The Interaction of Temperament and Childhood Sexual Abuse in Predicting Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

This study examined how two of Rothbart's temperament variables (Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981), negative affect and effortful control, along with childhood sexual abuse, (CSA) predict borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. It was hypothesized that increased negative affect, increased CSA, and their interaction would predict BPD symptoms. It was further hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by lower levels of effortful control. Questionnaires assessing effortful control, negative affect, CSA, and BPD were administered to 215 female undergraduates. Structural equation modeling supported the first hypothesis, but not the second. The data indicated that the interaction was specific to BPD when compared to avoidant personality disorder. These results provide support for the theory that temperament interacts with the environment to produce BPD

The effect of media and beauty standards on the body image of women with a visual disability

“The twentieth century has seen a huge upsurge in the importance placed by western society on physical beauty, particularly for women” (Wood “Perceptions of Feminine Beauty,” n.d.). Fashion industries, cosmetics, and plastic surgeries have all flourished on the importance society has placed on physical beauty. Marketing ploys from these industries often show tall, slender, white women who suggest cosmetics, diet regimens, and other beauty enhancements to successfully transform one’s aesthetic. With the fashion and media industries heavy reliance on visuals, there have been a plethora of evaluations conducted to examine the media’s influence on women’s body image. Yet, there has been little research conducted with non-able-bodied women, specifically women with visual disabilities, and the effects that the media has on their self-image. To determine this, I conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews, with six college-aged blind or visually impaired women which focused on their lived experiences and exposure to the media. Recruiting participants through convenience sampling, I interpreted the data based on participants’ race, culture, and other common themes in response to their lived experiences. Results demonstrated participants had a positive self-image; contributors included their family, self, and partners. Keywords: disability, visual disability, body-image, women, medi

A survey of music education programs for senior citizens in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

The purpose of the research was: (1) to describe currently existing community music programs designed for persons 65 years of age and older in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and (2) to examine the capacity in which these programs meet the needs of the participants. The study was intended to provide descriptive information needed to make informed choices about community music programs for senior citizens. Twenty-seven community music programs designed specifically for senior citizens were identified in Mecklenburg County. The music leaders of the programs and the program participants served as subjects in the study. Two questionnaires were constructed to survey the populations: (1) Music Education Programs for Senior Citizens Questionnaire (MPSCQ) and (2) Program Participants Questionnaire (PPQ). The music leaders were administered the MPSCQ, and the program participants were administered the PPQ. The SPSS Cross Tabulation Program was used to analyze the survey data. All possible categorizations and pairwise comparisons of questionnaire responses were made, providing a quantitative description of Mecklenburg County senior citizen community music programs

An intergenerational study of value socialization in a low-income Appalachian subculture

The purpose of this study was to compare two competing explanations for the achievement value socialization process. The sociological explanation assumes that family background influences parent's achievement value orientation and goals for the child which,in turn, influence the child's own achievement values. The parent-child interaction explanation assumes that the parent-child interactional style, in combination with the factors specified in the sociological model, influence the child's academic motivation and goals which, in turn, influence the child's own achievement values. This three phase longitudinal assessment used existing mother-child dyad data from a low-income, rural, white Appalachian sample. The sample included 202 mother-child dyads at phases 1 and 2 and the 202 children at phase 3. Confirmatory factor analysis of measurement models indicated lack of reliability, and lack of convergent and discriminant validity. Observed measures of the parent-child interaction model lacked nomologic validity; however, observed measures of the sociological model generally displayed nomological validity. To improve measurement properties, indicants were converted to single scale measures and measured variables structural models were estimated. Neither theory was adequate in explaining the data

An investigation of personality characteristics and demographic profiles of women and men in management positions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the personality characteristics and demographic profiles of women in upper-level management positions and describe how they differed from men in upper-level management positions and women in middle-level management positions. The participants in the study consisted of 136 upper-level women, 775 upper-level men, 307 middle-level women, and 800 middle-level men who had participated in programs at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina from January, 1985 to September, 1989. A multivariate analysis of covariance was utilized initially, covarying age and time as manager with the personality characteristic data from the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B), and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)indices. Univariate analyses were then performed, after adjustment of means for age and time as manager, to determine differences between groups on the various personality indices. T-tests were performed to test for demographic differences and chi-square analyses determined discrete MBTI indices differences

Crafting one’s brand to fit: an exploration of Black female principals’ construction and navigation of their leadership identities

African American female school leaders have a great responsibility and complex task before them. Not only are they charged with managing and improving schools, leading and empowering staff, and ensuring that the students under their care find academic success, they must also do this while managing their identity and navigating through various gender and race related social constructions. School leaders have multiple selves such as the identities they use when dealing with parents, district personnel, colleagues, students, etc. Effectively managing these selves is imperative to their successfulness as a school leader. This study examines how African American female principals construct and craft their leadership identities. Using the theoretical framework of critical race theory and black feminist thought, it discusses in depth the challenges Black females face based on their race and gender. This study also details their need to prove themselves and to change perceptions related to the stereotypes that plague women of color. It provides insight about how these women navigate and shift their identities in order to find and maintain success in their work spaces. This study recognizes that African American women are doubly marginalized; however, it appreciates their efforts to succeed despite the hurdles they face. The stories and voices of these women are seldom heard in the context of educational leadership and this study attempts to fill that void. Six women were selected and interviewed for this qualitative study which sought to answer the following questions: How do African American female principals construct and navigate their leadership identities? How do Black female administrators describe their experiences with identity navigation and shifting in terms of personality, behavior, and physical appearance? How do they use identity navigation and shifting to fit their work spaces? Also, this study uses autoethnographic data obtained from the author's own interview data, a daily log of events, excerpts from a reflective journal, relevant emails, and memories coupled with interview data from the six administrators to create a composite portrait illustrating a week in the life of a Black female school principal. In order to follow the tenets of critical race theory, the author's and the participants' authentic voice was honored through the use of powerful narratives and a composite counter-story. Themes that emerged related to the need for African American women to prove themselves professionally and to portray an image and identity that dispelled myths and negative perceptions related to their gender and/or race. Shifting strategies that are used such as changing communication styles, appearance, and behaviors are discussed. Concluding thoughts, implications for future research, and recommendations for educational practitioners are also presented

Millennial Mountaineer: The Reconfiguration of Literary Appalachia in the Works Of Pinckney Benedict, Chris Offutt, And Charles Frazier

The specific focus of this thesis is on three novels emerging from what I argue is the latest period, or era, of “insider” Appalachian fiction: Pinckney Benedict's Dogs of God (1994), Chris Offutt's The Good Brother (1997), and Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain (1997). Significantly, these works celebrate (for lack of a better word) an untamed, violent, “backwards” (in the sense of refusing the dictates of mainstream American society) vision of the region. While this fictional vision has antecedents drawn from the several previous eras of Appalachian-themed fiction, Benedict, Offutt, and Frazier reinterpret and re-contextualize the very traits that provide a negative stereotype of the Appalachian region and its people. That is, they take the attributes that consistently define the “other” of mainstream American values: violent inclinations, refusal to embrace mainstream ideological/moral imperatives, and resistance to progress—and transform them into a positive, “heroic” or, more correctly, “anti-heroic” vision of the region that proudly offers an almost militant counterpoint to their correspondingly negative vision of mainstream America. Such realignment of symbols confirms Anthony Harkins' point in Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon: “Although the hillbilly image has remained relatively unchanged, the meaning of these representations and the word itself have continuously evolved over the past century in response to broader social, economic, and cultural transformations in American society.” In this “postmodern” age of shifting, composite identities, popular culture is experiencing a pronounced change in what it views as an ideal hero and an ideal world. Recent popular reinterpretations of the American hero emerging in film and print validate the positions of these Appalachian writers and their works within a larger American context. Such revision of what constitutes a literary (or cinematic) hero may help to explain the general popularity of such works as those examined here