ETD@CUA collection: October 2012

The Death of Deliberation: Political Parties, Procedure, and Party in the United States Senate

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Death of Deliberation: Political Parties, Procedure, and Party in the United States Senate Wallner, James Ian A common observation of the Senate today is that it is paralyzed by excessive levels of legislative gridlock. The Senate is currently composed of more ideologically polarized members, and party leaders exercise more influence in the decision-making process by virtue of leading more cohesive political parties. However, the argument that the Senate and, by extension, the Congress are being undermined by rampant obstruction overlooks the fact that the contemporary Senate is still capable of overcoming the differences among its members on measures of significant import without descending into an endless debate characterized by ideological partisanship and irreconcilable gridlock. So while scholarly accounts of congressional decision-making all too often seek to explain why gridlock happens, the more important question, and the one that forms the basis of this dissertation, is why gridlock does not happen. Specifically, I argue that the Senate has developed several patterns of decision-making throughout its history in an effort to maintain its legislative productivity in the presence of procedurally-empowered senators. My primary thesis is that the Senate has developed a new pattern of decision-making called structured consent in order to limit conflict and pass legislation in a polarized environment. According to my theory of structured consent, both the majority and minority party leaders exercise significant influence over the decision-making process by virtue of their leadership positions, which they routinely choose to utilize in order to moderate, rather than exacerbate, the procedural choices of their partisan colleagues. I conclude with the observation that the Senate's ability to produce important legislation in the current environment may undermine the institution's deliberative function. This suggests that while the contemporary Senate may indeed be "broken," it may not be the result of the conditions typically acknowledged in the literature. Put simply, deliberation has succumbed to the Senate's bipartisan determination to avoid gridlock and pass important legislation. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Politics. The Catholic University of America

Foster Parents' Beliefs about Relationship Formation with Adolescents: Scale Development and Initial Evaluation

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Foster Parents' Beliefs about Relationship Formation with Adolescents: Scale Development and Initial Evaluation Rathman, Catherine Anne A new measure of foster parents' beliefs about relationship formation with adolescent foster youth was developed in this two-part study. First, scale items were developed through consultation with foster care experts and review of past qualitative research with foster parents. Second, the psychometric properties of the new measure were tested with a sample of 134 foster parents who currently had a foster child between the ages of 11 and 17 years in their care. Data were gathered through an anonymous online survey. An exploratory factory analysis was used to determine the scale's underlying structure. The Beliefs about Foster Parenting Scale (BFPS) is comprised of four subscales: (1) emotional connection, (2) understanding the child, (3) reasons for misbehavior, and (4) flexible commitment. The emotional connection subscale measures foster parents' beliefs about how quickly and easily a close foster parent-child relationship can develop. The understanding the child subscale measures foster parents' beliefs about how thoroughly they can understand and resolve foster youth problems. The reasons for misbehavior subscale measures foster parents' generalized beliefs about the reasons for foster youth misbehavior. The flexible commitment subscale measures foster parents' beliefs about the importance of monitoring and tending to their own health and well-being. The subscales demonstrated good internal consistency, reliability, and relationships with other measures of parenting behaviors, providing support for their construct validity. The BFPS represents a potentially useful tool for developing a better understanding of foster parents' experiences in caring for foster youth and for improving training and support programs for foster parents. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

The Providential Nature of Politics in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Providential Nature of Politics in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards Neal, Coyle Despite the obvious importance of Jonathan Edwards in American history, scholars have largely ignored his relevance for political thought. To ignore him is to miss a critical component in early American political philosophy and to have a skewed understanding of the subsequent history of revivals and revivalism that have shaped religion, politics, and philosophy in America. This dissertation addresses this oversight. It situates Edwards among American political thinkers and shows him to be an important piece in the American political tradition. This dissertation argues that for Jonathan Edwards politics is deeply historical in nature. He has a strong historical sense that is indistinguishable from his notion of Providence. The dissertation concludes that--in line with his theology, ethics, aesthetics, and metaphysics--the political philosophy of Jonathan Edwards is fundamentally historical and more akin to that of Burke, Hegel, Adams and other "conservative" thinkers than it is to Rousseau, Paine, and other revolutionary thinkers.The dissertation examines Edwards' own writings as well as important secondary sources and interpretations of his work. It uses a traditional hermeneutical technique to systematize his social and political ideas and to draw out implications for political thought from his ostensibly non-political theological and philosophical writings. The first two chapters provide an overview of his life and thought and an introduction to his philosophy of history. The third, fourth, and fifth chapters discuss his views of the human being in terms of the will, affections, and original sin, with special emphasis on Edwards's articulation of identity and "free" will as being historically rooted in an organic and providential relationship with both God and the rest of humanity. The sixth and seventh chapters engage Edwards's doctrines of virtue, aesthetics, and teleology as they interact with the traditional doctrine of justification by faith in the concrete reality of history. The last chapter summarizes the thesis that Edwards's political thought is historical rather than revolutionary. The chapter compares this conclusion to the rather different conclusions drawn by the only previous major work on Edwards's political thought. Finally, the dissertation indicates specific needs for further study of Edwards' political thought. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Politics. The Catholic University of America

Posttraumatic Growth Among Parent Survivors of Suicide

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Posttraumatic Growth Among Parent Survivors of Suicide Moore, Melinda Marie Posttraumatic Growth Among Parent Survivors of SuicideDespite the burden of suicide in the United States and anecdotal clinical opinion that this cause of death creates a unique form of grief among those left behind, there is a dearth of research on those who are bereaved by suicide. There is some limited evidence that "suicide survivors" may be at higher risk for posttraumatic stress disorder or prolonged grief. Growing theory in the positive psychology literature suggests that trauma, such as suicide bereavement, may also promote growth within the confines of distress, referred to as posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth is a construct of positive psychological change that occurs over five domains: relating to others, new possibilities, personal strength, spiritual change, and appreciation of life. Previous research has suggested that reflective rumination predicts posttraumatic growth and that it occurs closer to the traumatic event than farther away. However, posttraumatic growth and variables that may contribute to or undermine it, such as demographic variables, rumination subtypes, prolonged grief, resilience, personality factors, and mood states have not been previously studied in survivors of suicide. The present study investigated posttraumatic growth and these variables among a convenience sample of 154 parents bereaved by the suicide death of their child within two years. Multiple regression analyses revealed that resilience inversely predicted posttraumatic growth scores. Resilience also inversely predicted posttraumatic growth factors of relating to others and new possibilities. Contrary to predictions, neither reflective rumination nor prolonged grief predicted higher posttraumatic growth scores. Additionally, posttraumatic growth did not correlate with any of the variables assessed. Additionally, there were not any significant differences in posttraumatic growth scores for those who met criteria for prolonged grief and those who did not. The overall posttraumatic growth scores of the parents in the present study are also low compared to parents bereaved by other causes of death, suggesting that posttraumatic growth may occur later in the course of suicide bereavement. Implications for future research are discussed. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

"Through Humility the Path to Godliness Ascends on High": St. Augustine's Challenge to Modern Thought on Humility and Greatness

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"Through Humility the Path to Godliness Ascends on High": St. Augustine's Challenge to Modern Thought on Humility and Greatness McInerney, Joseph John "Through Humility the Path to Godliness Ascends on High": St. Augustine's Challenge to Modern thought on Humility and GreatnessJoseph John McInerney, Ph.D.Director: Joseph E. Capizzi, Ph.D. "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk 14:11). Few thinkers in the Christian tradition place greater emphasis on this Gospel principle than Augustine of Hippo. Augustine asserts that humility is the key to one's salvation and is the foundation of a person's greatness. Humility plays no such role, however, in the thought of classical or modern philosophers. The moral theories of Aristotle, Plotinus, Hume, and Nietzsche espouse little relation between humility and moral excellence or propose a view of that relationship in which humility is opposed to greatness. The purpose of this study is to detail the moral principles various thinkers use to approach the ideas of humility and greatness, thus demonstrating the manner in which each author comes to a particular conclusion regarding the relationship between the two principles. The focus of the study will be upon Augustine's conception of humility and greatness, as his understanding is unique in the positive value it attributes to humility in its relation to human excellence. Following an introductory chapter, the second section of the study describes classical conceptions of humility and greatness, investigating the views of Aristotle, the Stoic school of thought, Cicero, and Plotinus. The following three sections are devoted to the principles in which Augustine grounds his view of humility and greatness and a description of the relationship itself. Section three examines the scriptural and philosophical presuppositions that form Augustine's view of the relationship. The fourth section investigates the relation of humility to Augustine's understanding of morality. Section five details Augustine's explicit presentation of the relationship between humility and greatness. Following the description of Augustine's thought the sixth section examines the presentation of humility and greatness in the works of David Hume and Friedrich Nietzsche. The seventh and final section provides a concluding analysis on the basis of Alasdair MacIntyre's methodology for comparing rival theories of moral enquiry. The study concludes that Augustine's position regarding the importance of humility to human greatness provides significant resources to the understanding of greatness lacking in authors who neglect or repudiate that importance. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America

The Development, Affect Regulation, and Style of Pulling of Trichotillomania

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Development, Affect Regulation, and Style of Pulling of Trichotillomania Mattu, Ali The present study aims to contribute to the growing body of Trichotillomania (TTM) literature by evaluating the role of three important developmental variables - age of onset, current age, and duration of illness. This study also evaluates the utility of an affect regulation model of TTM and the influence of style of pulling. All participants were drawn from users of the StopPulling.com website, an interactive Internet program for TTM. A total population of 1,523 users was recruited. Aggregate data on multiple episodes of hair pulling from 597-609 participants who completed a baseline assessment (pre-intervention) were used in this study. The sample had an average age of 29.7 years, the majority was female (94%), Caucasian (87.2%), and U.S. residents (87%). Pearson's product moment correlation, T-tests, and multiple regression were used to evaluate hypotheses involving relationships between variables and determine key predictors of TTM symptom urge severity. Findings indicate the most important factor in predicting the urge severity of TTM was the duration of illness. Negative affect before pulling and style of pulling also predicted urge severity. Adults (aged 18 and older) reported more negative affect before pulling than youth (aged 17 and younger). As duration of illness and age increased, participants reported less positive affect during hair pulling. Positive affect after pulling was related to a focused style of pulling while negative affect after pulling was related to an automatic style of pulling. An earlier onset of TTM was related with more focused pulling while later onset was associated with more automatic pulling. Research and treatment implications of these findings are discussed as well as limitations of this study. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

An evidece based aplication of Guided Imagery and Its Impact on Resilience and Stress in Military/DOD nurses at risk for PTSD-A Pilot Project

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An evidece based aplication of Guided Imagery and Its Impact on Resilience and Stress in Military/DOD nurses at risk for PTSD-A Pilot Project Jenkins, Margo Youngberg An evidence based application of Guided Imagery (GI) and Its Impact on Resilience and Stress in Military/DOD nurses at risk for PTSD-A Pilot ProjectMargo Youngberg Jenkins, DNPDirector: Janice Agazio, PhD, CRNP, RNPurpose: The purpose of this EBP pilot project was to implement GI in a population of military nurses who care for wounded or ill service members and to determine the feasibility of implementation at a large military treatment facility.Design: The study design for this evidence based practice pilot project was a pretest/post-test intervention feasibility study. Methods: Each participant completed a perceived stress scale (PSS)-10, the RS10 and the PTSD 7-item screen before and after the GI intervention. Upon completion of the PSS, the RS10 and the PTSD Scale, each participant participated in three GI sessions. Each guided imagery session lasted no more than 30 minutes and was administered from a pre-recorded compact disc. The sessions were administered by the PI at a location on each unit. Each session was separated by no less than one day and not more than 72 hours since the previous GI session. All GI sessions were completed in one month by each participant. Nurse participants were asked to refrain from practice of the GI technique between sessions.Results: A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum Test revealed a statistical improvement in resilience (z=-2.938, p<0.003, r=0.54) and perceived stress (z=-2.990, p<0.003, r=0.54) and a reduction in PTSD symptoms (z=-3.219, p=0.001, r=0.59) following the participation in the GI sessions. Conclusion: GI can be translated into an intervention for improved resilience, improved stress management and deceased risk for PTSD symptoms for military nurses in the occupational setting.Key Words: post-traumatic stress disorder, resilience, guided imagery, stress and nurses Degree awarded: D.N.P. Nursing. The Catholic University of America

Christology and Discipleship in John 17

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Christology and Discipleship in John 17 Hera, Marianus Pale Jesus' prayer in John 17, known as "Jesus' High Priestly Prayer," is significant for its literary context, and it is rich in theological content. It brings Jesus' farewell speech to its climax and anticipates his glorification in his death on the cross. Although historical approaches often consider this passage to be a later addition, its content is truly Johannine. It presents Jesus as the Son who is sent into the world to reveal the Father to the world. It also illumines John's understanding of authentic discipleship. Consequently, John 17 is rich in its teaching on discipleship as well as in its teaching on Christology. The theme of discipleship in John has received significant attention in the last four decades. However, as the first chapter of this dissertation shows, the relationship between Christology and discipleship in the Johannine narrative in general, and in John 17 in particular, has not been sufficiently investigated. This dissertation explores the relationship between discipleship and Christology in John 17, i.e., how discipleship has its basis in the Gospel's Christology, and how the christological teaching of the Gospel leads to authentic discipleship. In the second chapter, a narrative reading of selected passages from chapters 1-12 shows John's tendency to present christological teaching that leads to teaching on discipleship. The reading of these passages also identifies the elements that indicate the christological character of Johannine discipleship. The third chapter of this dissertation deals with the literary context, the text, and the structure of John 17. This chapter shows that throughout the Farewell Discourse John presents his christological understanding of Jesus as a basis for his message about discipleship. The exegesis of John 17 in the fourth chapter confirms that John's teaching on Christology and discipleship are intimately interrelated to each other. All the elements that indicate the christological character of discipleship are on display in John 17. The dissertation concludes that Christology, which is the center and heartbeat of John's thought, is not an end in itself but leads to discipleship. The twofold message of Christology and discipleship is a distinctive Johannine trait. Degree awarded: S.T.D. Biblical Studies. The Catholic University of America