House, home and dwellings - in an Australian context

Theoretical evidence in the behavioural and social sciences has shown the home to be a phenomenon borne of the complex relationship between individuals and their environment. A qualitative assessment of the specific home experiences of 12 case studies is offered to establish an understanding of home within a particular socio-cultural context in Australia. The thesis contends that the affective home has primacy in the home experience.

Women in exercise to music : individual experiences of influences to be slim

This qualitative study explores reasons why women who participate in exercise to music continue to do so long-term. Thirteen women were interviewed. Generational differences of body perceptions were easily identifiable.

Victimological and cognitive scripting study of adult male and female rape

From this exploratory study it appears that the experience of adult rape has many similarities for men and women, but there are additional factors which may account for the adjustment differences and difficulties for and of men.

Stimulus determinants and receptor mechanisms involved in the tactual perception of woollen fabrics

The dimensions of touch sensations were investigated in a series of human psychophysical experiments using woollen fabrics as stimuli and words from the textile industry literature as verbal descriptors of touch sensations. Roughness was shown to be an important dimension and was found to be encoded by two out of the four receptors in the skin that respond to specific frequencies of mechanical vibration.

Stories seldom told

This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored paediatric nurses' experiences of caring for hospitalised children with special needs and their families. Four experienced paediatric nurses were interviewed and the transcripts analysed thematically using a Gadamerian hermeneutic approach.

Transition to parenthood and the conflict of unrealized role expectations

Attempts to evaluate the effects of role expectations on transition to parenthood. Resultant changes in the partnership are measured. Highlights the enormity and complexity of the transition and underlying influences.

Community attitudes to fertility and infertility

Assesses by survey some of the current community attitudes to fertility and infertility with reference to artificial insemination. Indicates that a pronatalist norm is dominant with some reservation in acceptance of artificial insemination by donor.

Biopsychosocial life-span perspective of menopause

Examines the role of biological, psychological and social factors within the individual menopausal experiences of women and the aging process. Sexual function, well-being, role, interpersonal relationships and body image were researched in a series of thre studies in a community sample of women aged 35 to 65 years.

Self-enhancement, self-verification and mood

This study investigated how the quality of heterosexual relationships was affected by individuals views of themselves, their partners and how they thought their partners viewed them. Relationship quality was more affected by mood and by how respondents thought their partners viewed them, than by the reality of their partner's views.

Role of internal cognitive processes and external causal attributions in midlife transition

This project was designed to ascertain the defining attributes of midlife that render it distinct from young and older adulthood. Based on the determined salient factors the Midlife Adjustment Scale was developed and the nature of midlife, that of a transitional period, was established. The scale was then used to assess the influence that perceived control and major life events have on one's adjustment during the middle years.

Red shoes : obsessive and contagious narratives

The fairytale motif of the red shoes continues to fascinate many contemporary authors and artists. What inspires these obsessive and contagious narratives? The raw, unfettered femaleness of the red shoes, reminiscent of the pre-oedipal realm, suggests a means of escaping confining patriarchal conceptions of woman, desire and creativity.

Fractured lives : Australian prisoners of war of the Japanese and their families

Examines how the particular nature of captivity by the Japanese during World War II intensified and complicated the impact, legacy and memory of war for POWs and their families. It presents insights into the experience of the prisoners' wives and how battalion associations protect and promote the remembrance of war.

Expectancy model of disordered eating : a longitudinal study

This thesis proposes a new model of disordered eating and tests it using a longitudinal design. The Expectancy Model of Disordered Eating maintains that dieting and binge eating can best be explained as a predisposition towards avoidance coping which is triggered by outcome expectancies and negative affect or low self-esteem.

Sociometer model of self-esteem : a clinical investigation

This thesis examines the importance of self-esteem, its dominant role in psychological research, and how low self-esteem is implicated in a wide variety of emotional and behavioural disorders. The Sociometry Model of Self-esteem is used to explain the relationship between self-esteem and psychological distress and portrays self-esteem as a guage by which people monitor their level of social inclusion. Four case-studies are presented.

Unique invulnerability for unwanted pregnancy : cognitive or motivational?

The cognitive and motivational explanations of Unique Invulnerability (UI) for unwanted pregnancy (whereby individuals believe that their risk is less than that of the average female) were contrasted. Eight studies were conducted. Contrary to popular belief, it was found that the two different measures of UI (indirect-comparison (ICQ) and direct-comparison (DCQ)) were not equivalent; the findings suggest that while UI tapped by ICQs is cognitive in nature, UI tapped by DCQs is motivational in nature