Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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Role of cognitive shift in resilient adaptation to difficult events

Description
Sometimes difficult life events challenge our existing resources in such a way that routinized responses are inadequate to handle the challenge. Some individuals will persist in habitual, automatic behavior, regardless of environmental cues that indicate a mismatch between coping strategy and the demands of the stressor. Other individuals will marshal…

Sometimes difficult life events challenge our existing resources in such a way that routinized responses are inadequate to handle the challenge. Some individuals will persist in habitual, automatic behavior, regardless of environmental cues that indicate a mismatch between coping strategy and the demands of the stressor. Other individuals will marshal adaptive resources to construct new courses of action and reconceptualize the problem, associated goals and/or values. A mixed methods approach was used to describe and operationalize cognitive shift, a relatively unexplored construct in existing literature. The study was conducted using secondary data from a parent multi-year cross-sectional study of resilience with eight hundred mid-aged adults from the Phoenix metro area. Semi-structured telephone interviews were analyzed using a purposive sample (n=136) chosen by type of life event. Participants' beliefs, assumptions, and experiences were examined to understand how they shaped adaptation to adversity. An adaptive mechanism, "cognitive shift," was theorized as the transition from automatic coping to effortful cognitive processes aimed at novel resolution of issues. Aims included understanding when and how cognitive shift emerges and manifests. Cognitive shift was scored as a binary variable and triangulated through correlational and logistic regression analyses. Interaction effects revealed that positive personality attributes influence cognitive shift most when people suffered early adversity. This finding indicates that a certain complexity, self-awareness and flexibility of mind may lead to a greater capacity to find meaning in adversity. This work bridges an acknowledged gap in literature and provides new insights into resilience.
ContributorsRivers, Crystal T (Author) / Zautra, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Kurpius, Sharon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Emergency Medicine

Description
Poetry has served as my own personal emergency medicine throughout my entire life. Its ability to capture a moment in its entirety has allowed me to fully address my experiences so that I can use them as a source of personal growth rather than let them hinder me over time.…

Poetry has served as my own personal emergency medicine throughout my entire life. Its ability to capture a moment in its entirety has allowed me to fully address my experiences so that I can use them as a source of personal growth rather than let them hinder me over time. For this same reason, I also believe poetry is the perfect medium to capture medical traumas. I based the poetry written in this collection on medical emergencies that I either personally experienced or witnessed firsthand shadowing the paramedics of the Anaheim Fire Department. Having the opportunity to witness medical emergencies from the perspective of first responders emphasized the uniqueness of professions in charge of handling emergency medical situations. One of the most important lessons learned from my experiences is that medical traumas are not rare, and an alarmingly high percentage of people will experience some sort of medical trauma in their lifetime. Therefore, it is incredibly important for people to be prepared to process the traumas and medical emergencies they will eventually encounter. The aim of Emergency Medicine is first and foremost to honor the individuals who are affected by medical emergencies and the first responders/emergency medical personnel who work tirelessly to preserve the lives of their patients. I also hope my poems serve as a reminder of the spontaneous nature of trauma and encourage readers to consider using poetry as a form of both healing and self-alignment. I am incredibly thankful for everyone who helped me complete this collection of poetry, however I am especially grateful for the direction given to me by Dr. Rosemarie Dombrowski.
ContributorsPoe, Campbell Riley (Author) / Dombrowski, Rosemarie (Thesis director) / Foote, Nicola (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05