Browsing by Subject "relationship"
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Item The effects of childhood sexual abuse on adult male attachments in close relationships(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Altman, Daniel RaynerOver the past two decades society has become more aware of the prevalence and impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). While society has become more aware of this problem, there is still much that remains unknown. This is evident especially in regard to the effects of CSA on adult males. There are several reasons for this; one such reason is that males who come to therapy are rarely asked about sexual abuse histories. However, the effects of CSA are often quite severe for males. One area particularly affected is adult close relationships. Attachment theory offers a way to conceptualize how people interact in close relationships. In this study, the influence of CSA on adult male relationships was examined. Seven hypotheses examined were that males who were abused by a male, males who were abused for a longer period of time, males who were abused at an earlier age, males who perceived little support from their family with regards to the abuse, males who were abused by a family member, males who were abused more frequently, and males who were abuse more severely would be more likely to have an insecure attachment than other males. These CSA characteristics were measured by the Childhood Sexual Experiences Questionnaire and the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ). Although limitations to this study make it difficult to reject the null hypothesis and to make statements that these results reflect the population, findings generally confirm the stated hypotheses.Item Transtheoretical Model of Change with couples(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Schneider, William JoelThe Transtheoretical Model of Change is intended to be a general model of change that can be applied to many populations and domains of change. However, most of the studies that have investigated this model have focused on addiction-related topics or on individual psychotherapy. The current study explored whether this model's predictions applied to couples and their readiness to change their relationship. Data from two samples were collected. The first sample consisted of 65 volunteer couples recruited from the community. The second sample consisted of 55 couples that participated in a 9-week relationship enhancement seminar. Factor analyses of questionnaires designed to measure the stages of change and processes of change predicted by the Transtheoretical Model of Change did not produce the hypothesized factors. In general, use of change processes did not predict change in relationship satisfaction. However, there was some evidence that wives' use of change processes had more impact on relationship satisfaction than did husbands' use of change processes. Couples at higher stages of change tended to experience greater improvements in marital satisfaction than did couples at lower stages of change. Couples with partners at similar levels of readiness to change did not experience greater improvements in marital satisfaction than did couples at dissimilar levels of readiness to change. In general, couples using the processes of change that matched their stage of change did not experience greater changes in marital satisfaction. However, as predicted by the Transtheoretical Model of Change, use of consciousness raising processes was less helpful for couples at higher stages of change than for couples at lower stages of change. Reasons for the failure to support many of the claims of the Transtheoretical Model of Change are explored and suggestions for future research are provided.Item Understanding the Team Dynamics of an Executive Virtual Team(2011-10-21) Riley, Ramona LeonardOrganizations of all types are now able to operate in virtual capacities through time, space, and distance across multinational boundaries; therefore, geography no longer limits business functioning. In fact, many corporate executives and boards employ virtuality in their work regimen. Therefore, organizations employ virtual executives to work teams with ideal skill sets to effectively persevere and complete tasks through distance, space, and time. The purpose of this study was to identify and yet understand the experiences of executive multinational, virtual board members working as a team in a virtual environment. Through this research the virtual dynamics of the virtual team have been studied, prodded, purposely mismatched, and weaved together to understand the culture of the virtual environment in which the team members interact and perform duties. With this particular board, there has been a history of previous work experience or exposure in some capacity; however, it has no great impact on their interaction and work with the entire board. In this study, an exploratory look at the experiences, perceived team dynamics, and strategies used to successfully function as a virtual team are highlighted from a qualitative perspective. The purpose is to describe the individual perspectives of how a multinational executive virtual team best works. The findings of this study reveal that there are many ways to communicate utilizing technology, but the objective for this virtual team is to be multidimensional in use. That means that honest communication is necessary for the board to perform at their optimal level. Therefore, the theoretical framework is based on team performance as a teamwork process-based construct which depends on communication, relationship, and trust to add success for virtual teams The framework results in three step process for team flow and success i.e., the importance of face-to-face meetings; advantages of virtual teaming; and challenges of virtual teaming to result in virtual team performance dependent on the team having communication, relationship, and trust present.