Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Study Describing The Counseling Practices Of The Pastors In The Pacific Northwest Conference Of The Free Methodist Church, Jere' Slingerland Howell

Dissertations and Theses

The study was designed to determine the general knowledge of counseling techniques and procedures by pastors . The research was in no way designed to make value judgments on t he effectiveness of pastoral counseling or the appropriateness of techniques utilized by counseling pastors. It has provided a general overview of pastoral counseling within a specific population.

Oregon's Struggle Toward A Comprehensive Plan For Children's Mental Health Services: A Historical And Political Process, Kristin Angell

Dissertations and Theses

Practicum focusing on the history of the planning and development of children's mental health services in Oregon, with special emphasis on the training of pediatricians and how pediatricians address children's mental health issues. Offers a detailed look at the legislative processes surrounding mental health program development, as the heightened role that referrals play in how treatment is identified and administered.

The Black Elderly Volunteer, Sandra E. Gonzales

Dissertations and Theses

The present study represents an attempt "to seek out one possible subgroup of the black elderly population--the volunteer. Black elderly volunteers are a puzzled about but largely unknown group. Very little systematic research has been done on this subject. Recently there has been an increased interest in volunteering among the elderly population as a whole, as social welfare planners seek new ways for the aged to find fulfillment and enjoyment. It is felt that volunteering can offer prestige, feelings of usefulness and other gratifications that may be lacking in the aged person's life.

Economic Coping Patterns Of Chinese Foreign Students In Portland State University, Kim Bik Au

Dissertations and Theses

The nature of this study is exploratory. It aims to explore the financial situation and the resources which students can use to cope with their problems. The primary purpose is to obtain a clearer picture of the situations of certain Chinese foreign students, to help those who intend to study abroad with their budgeting and planning. A secondary aim is to draw the attention of authorities concerned to improve or expand services to foreign students who already have overwhelming adjustment problems and who still have to carry the additional burden of pressure from restrictive regulations.

The Negative Effects Of Divorce On The Behavior Of Children, David Hawkins, Karen Lloyd

Dissertations and Theses

Our study is concerned with the effects of filing for divorce on the behavior of children. We are interested in the adjustment of the child to the changes which occur during separation and divorce, and we maintain the attitude that the lives of children are affected in some way when a marriage or family unit dissolves. A generally accepted belief is that divorce produces negative consequences in the lives of children as shown in their behavior. However, recently a number of studies have suggested that divorce need not be a negative experience, at least to the degree most people feel …

A Survey Of Myths Concerning The Crime Of Rape, Marilyn Hammon, Joyce Jerabek, Michèle Mairesse

Dissertations and Theses

In view of the proliferation of recent publicity on the topic of rape via the news media and popular publications, the researchers decided that a study concerning rape would be timely and informative. An examination of the literature resulted in the discovery that there were only two principal studies published. These were by John MacDonald, Rape Offenders and Their Victims, 1971, and Menachem Amir, Patterns in Forcible Rape, 1971. Other sources invariably used the results of these studies as a basis for their comments and conclusions. The recurring emphasis on the commonly held myths (as described later in this study) …

The Use Of Dance As A Tool For Personality Integration, Barbara Throckmorton Rankin

Dissertations and Theses

This study is exploratory in nature. The material was highly individualistic and subjective, so I have deviated from the traditional empirical research approach. My purpose is to grasp what kind of person was attracted to attending a dance workshop. How does Halprin’s use of dance assist people in learning about themselves? What kinds of information do people learn about themselves through her dance process? What techniques does Halprin combine with the medium of dance to get results? Are people enhanced, or better integrated by the Halprin process? Finally, my intention was to be stimulated by the Halprin process to explore …

A Study Of Requests For Voluntary Admission To Oregon State Hospital, Julie Kern, Jeanne Miller, Alice Plummer

Dissertations and Theses

This study was undertaken in February and March of 1975 in order to provide in depth analysis of those seeking hospital admission. It is a descriptive study of requests for voluntary admission to Oregon State Hospital. Special care was taken to incorporate the study in such a way that the current admitting procedures would not be rearranged or changed in any way.

Essentially the study asks the questions:

• Who makes self-requests for hospitalization?
• Where do they come from? When? How do they get there? Why do they come?
• What is the history of their contact with other community agencies for …

The Proposed Community Involvement Activities Of The Multnomah County Department Of Public Safety : A Descriptive Study, Vertis Williams, Leearthur Madison

Dissertations and Theses

Serving in the capacity of Sheriff's interns during the time the decision had been made to implement Neighborhood Team Policing, the writers of this study propose to participate in evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the project. However, due to the size and complexity of such a task--and the time restrictions placed upon completion of this study--the boundaries of this research will be limited to those of providing descriptive data on the performance of project activities as they relate to the achievement of the objectives of Goal 1 of the Neighborhood Team Policing Project: Improved police-community mutual involvement and problem-solving.

A Holistic Approach To Social Work Education, Lynda M. Wright

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis examines social work education from a broad perspective, examining aspects of stress (empathy, self awareness, needs of students, needs of professionals), trends in graduate education and the mind-body-spirit connection from other fields, specifically Hatha yoga, Gestalt Therapy, Aikido, Meditation and other modes of treatment.

Securing Services For The Older Population : A Training Manual For I And R Workers, Catherine M. Nemmert

Dissertations and Theses

This manual is written as a self-training guide on the elements of Information and Referral (I and R) service and on the process of providing I and R to the older population. The manual attempts to build a useful framework for methods of providing I and R service. The manual is directed at workers who are providing I and R services to the elderly. It is intended to serve as an orientation guide on the basic elements of I and R service and as a "how to" guide for methods and techniques of service provision. The new worker should find …

A Study Of Counseling At Reed College, Martin Shawn Fisher, Mark Masterson

Dissertations and Theses

The main purpose of the study was to develop information which would be useful to the counselors of the Reed College Counseling Service in their practice. Specifically, information was sought on the outcomes of one to one counseling sessions. The aim of the inquiry was to determine some of the dynamics and results of individual counseling with Reed students. The goal was to discover information about successful and unsuccessful counseling sessions which would benefit the counselors in the provision of their services.

A review of the literature on outcome research in psychotherapy suggested that focusing the study on the treatment …

A Model For Teaching Small Group Skills In A Laboratory Setting, Larry Ferguson, James Reavis

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research practicum is to present the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model for teaching small group skills. This model was designed for a class in small groups that the authors of this paper taught at Portland State University in the School of Social Work. In designing this class, the authors were concerned with goals somewhat different than the more traditional goal of imparting knowledge about groups to the learner. The main goal of this class was to teach to students skills in working with small groups. This approach required developing a knowledge base about small …

Need Assessment Methodology, Gerald A. Burns, Janet S. Putnam

Dissertations and Theses

A need assessment is a systematic process of determining community needs through the comparative analysis of people, problems, and services. Although need assessments of some form have existed since biblical times, it has only been within recent years that their use in social planning has become prominent. This is attributed to the increasing belief in the necessity of pertinent data to make decision-making responsive to community needs.

Ten basic issues should be considered in designing a need assessment, These are: 1) Purpose; 2) Decision-making context; 3) Agency resources; 4) Scope; 5) Future studies; 6) Staff roles; 7) Data collection; 8) …

Residential Treatment Of Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents, Rosemary Brown Sutherland

Dissertations and Theses

This study was requested by Dr. Ira B. Korman, Administrator, Woodland Park Mental Health Center. Woodland Park Mental Health Center currently provides a program of short-term evaluation and crisis care for adolescents. The staff there find it is difficult to locate suitable out-of-home placements for certain of their adolescent patients concluding hospitalization. Their concern for this group of hard-to-place patients has led to this inquiry, the purposes of which are to (1) assess need, (2) design a residential program, and (3) consider the feasibility of its implementation.

Mental Illness Among Chinese In The United States: Myth Or Reality?, Alex C. N. Leung

Dissertations and Theses

Several mental health professionals have suggested that Chinese in the United States as a group are less subject to mental disorders than other races. Whereas other investigators have also indicated that due to the influences of cultural conflict and racism, Chinese in the United States are under greater emotional distress than members of the host society. When stress from these sources becomes too great, mental health problems are frequently the result.

The purpose of this library research thesis is to review the available research works related with Chinese Americans mental health problems in the hope of seeking answers to the …

Relationships Between Sex Role, Empathy And Anxiety, Charles M. Fantz

Dissertations and Theses

Recently Sandra Bem, a psychologist at Stanford University has written about the importance of developing a conception of mental health which is free from culturally imposed definitions of masculinity and femininity. She believes that defining certain behaviors as appropriate only for women and other behaviors as only appropriate for men is restricting and debilitating for both sexes. This sex-typing of behaviors has led to masculinity being associated with assertiveness and dominance, pragmatism, problem solving and task orientation, and a concern for one's individuality, whereas femininity is associated with emotional sensitivity and concern for the welfare of others, the seeking of …

A Validity Study Of Select Symbol-Referent Relationships Using Semantic Differential Ratings, Stephen Willard

Dissertations and Theses

The present research was conducted in order to develop a method useful for measuring the meaning of symbolic material. Using this method an investigation was conducted to test the validity of several personality theories which ascribe meanings to select symbols.

A summary of the major personality theories dealing with symbolic material was conducted . Each theory was briefly presented with a discussion of the methods employed to determine the meanings of symbols. A set of symbol theory considerations was presented which would suggest the necessary components of an objective investigation attempting to be a validity test of symbol meanings predictions.

A Profile Of Women Volunteers, Vana O'Brien

Dissertations and Theses

Volunteerism has been the subject of much controversy in the last few years inasmuch as it is so often identified as a women's issue. Many areas, previously considered the rightful domain of women, have come under scrutiny as women question the value of their participation in “feminine activities.” As stereotypes are examined, fictions are explored and facts determined so that these former stereotypes can be reviewed in a new light. Many persons are becoming familiar via the popular media with these stereotyped roles (i.e., woman as “Good Mother”) , and learn that, for example, “good mothering” is not a monolithic …

A Specialized Child Protective Service Unit, Paul O. Powers, Bonnie J. Vance

Dissertations and Theses

The North Portland Branch in Region 1 of the State of Oregon Children's Services Division had at the time of this study the only specialized Child Protective Service unit, where all protective service workers are under one supervisor, in that region. The supervisor and casework staff of the unit requested the study in the Spring of 1975. The purpose of the study was to provide a descriptive analysis of the unit 's time and effort on case activities. Through this analysis the research sought to give an overview of what is involved in Working with protective service cases and underscore …

Attitudes Of Women Toward World Hunger, Judith L. Kidd

Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of women toward the world food crisis, their roles, and the roles of their countries in its possible solutions. The data is based on a questionnaire administered to women from thirty countries who attended the International Women's Year Tribune in Mexico City, June 19 to July 2, 1975.

Male Client Expectations Of Female Therapists, Phyllis Whitman Heims, Susan Annette Ofstad

Dissertations and Theses

This practicum intends to explore the existence and nature of male client expectations of female therapists. The underlying assumptions of this study include: (1) clients have expectations; (2) sex roles exist in society; and (3) the sex of either the therapist or the client is a variable in the therapeutic situation.

To carry out this study it is necessary to pursue the following tasks. The first step will be to define possible client expectations of therapists. Using this information, a questionnaire will be developed to verify the existence of these expectations. In addition, the questionnaire will hopefully indicate whether these …

A Study Of The Relationship Between The Adolescents' Knowledge Of Laws And Their Attitudes Towards The Police, Barbara Mccallum

Dissertations and Theses

Crime in the United States has risen at an alarming rate in the last few years and along with it, juvenile crime and delinquency. Society has had a difficult task trying to deal with this increased juvenile crime. Whereas the destructive, antisocial adult can be placed in prison or jail away from society, we are generally reluctant to institutionalize youth in such a manner. Rather, the feeling is that there is still hope for teenagers who commit crimes, that the community rather than institutions can and should be primarily responsible for trying to prevent and/or rehabilitate delinquents.

In the fall …

The Impact Of Ssi On The Social Security Administration: An Intraorganizational Study With Interorganizational Ramifications, Patricia A. Parker

Dissertations and Theses

In 1974 a revolutionary new income maintenance program was implemented in the United States. It was revolutionary in style because it provided a federalized income floor for the elderly, blind and disabled, previously provided for under various federal, state, and local welfare programs. The program was called Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. The Social Security Administration, a long-standing institution in the financial community because of old age, survivors and disability insurance (OASDI) benefits, was chosen to administer 551. SS represented a new innovation for the Social Security Administration who had never before had to provide non-work-related benefits to indigents. In …

Effects Of Increased Fuel Costs On Households In A Low Income Neighborhood In Portland, Oregon, Ora Allen, Betty Heald

Dissertations and Theses

This study is made up of two parts which explore some of the effects upon individual households making up a sample of a low income neighborhood in Portland. The first section in Chapter II presents a survey of sample households in our identified area, securing personal information given by adult members along with their responses to questions concerning effects on their budgets and the adaptations they have made to reduce the cost of fuel. The second section compares costs of fuel for January, February, and March of 1975 with the same months of 1974 for another sample in the same …

Social Work Continuing Education Needs Assessment Study, Mary Lou Timme

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the needs assessment study was to obtain current, accurate, concrete information on the continuing education needs and preferences of selected social service practitioners. In addition, the intention was to gather information that could actually be used in planning and continuing education offerings by the Portland State University School of Social Work Continuing Education Coordinator.

The No-Fault Dissolution Of Marriage Act In Oregon: A Study Of Its Effect On Selected Factors, Dennis Arthur Armstrong

Dissertations and Theses

In October of 1972, the Dissolution of Marriage Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) became a part of the law and judicial practice of the state of Oregon. The Act represents a significant change in Oregon's law. It also represents a significant evolutionary development in the 'attitude of the legal community toward the process of divorce or as it is now termed, dissolution of marriage.

The Act was a response to extensive criticism from professionals and from the public. The problem is the legislators were not sure of the effects of the Act and now that it is in …

A Methodology For Determining Mass Movement Susceptibility For Land-Use Planning, Vern Walter Cimmery

Dissertations and Theses

Land-use planning takes into consideration geologic hazards in order to protect both life and property. One type of geologic hazard is mass movement. Mass movement is a collective term for the downslope movement of mass units of debris e.g., bedrock, soil, and subsurface material, resulting from the influence of gravity and involving transporting media such as ice, snow, water, and air. As population increases, further pressures are placed on existing land use. Many areas once considered unsuitable for development due to steep slope or other physical characteristics are now experiencing problems. These areas, due to their physical characteristics, can be …

Social Problems And Collaborative Planning: Toward A Theory And Model Of Social Planning, Marjorie M. Ille

Dissertations and Theses

The concern of this dissertation is planning theory and practice; its purpose is to make planning more responsive to the problems of the city. The premise that the study is built on is that social planning must be in harmony with the nature of its subject matter, and that social problems is its subject matter. The supposition is that if we grasp the nature of social problems and build planning theory and practice on these insights, planning efforts will be more relevant and more effective.

The approach is a theoretical one; social problems are the starting point. After urban problems--and …

Leadership Styles And Staff Satisfaction In Four Nursing Homes: Implications For Service Delivery, Carol Nightengale

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of four nursing care facilities in Portland, Oregon in 1975-1976, which examines the relationship between leadership style and staff satisfaction, leadership style and patient satisfaction,and staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction.