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The Fallen
Get PDFThe thesis, Free Association as a Means for Fictional Character Development, is a study of how to use the technique of free association to build a character with a mind, mannerisms, and a physique. The method is a way for an author to draw upon real life people in the past to meld their characteristics and psyches into a well-developed fictional character. The components of this chapter discuss how certain people have influenced the author’s childhood and resultant character building in creative writing. The individual mentioned from the author’s childhood is relevant to the creation of the character in the story The Fallen, which is a work of historical fiction. Following the Artist Statement chapter is the Critical Paper, which examines how free association can help with fictional character building. The role of the Critical Paper is to provide techniques to enable unconscious memories to rise to the surface of the conscious mind when remembering characteristics of real people. After all, without a well-rounded character, there is no plot
Child Sexual Abuse and Mental Health: The Role of Intrusive Thoughts and Spiritual Warfare
Get PDFA number of psychological issues are experienced by individuals who have experienced CSA, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, as well as intrusive thoughts contribute to the perpetuation of the mental health problem. Studies have shown that spiritual practices, such as prayer, meditation, reading the Bible, and reciting scripture affirmations, can improve mental health, improving one’s psychological well-being. Further, intrusive thoughts may be initiated by dark spiritual influences. Despite ongoing research, there is a lack of integration between disciplines of science and biblical truth concerning the impact of immaterial spiritual dimensions on psychological states. To understand intrusive thoughts, one must also explore the point of origination. I conducted eight semi-structured interviews with individuals from a large Christian university who were at least 21 years of age, experienced sexual abuse as a child, identified as a Christian and were not taking any psychotropic or mood-altering medications. Most participants perceived the origins of intrusive thoughts to have been internal (personal trauma response), but some did report them as being external (demonically influenced). This study confirms that spiritual practices such as prayer and meditating on scripture and worshiping promoted healing and emotional stability. A small portion of participants used alternative spiritual practices for healing or protection and reported that cultural influences and lacking a biblical foundation about God facilitated their use. The four prominent spiritual struggles uncovered were divine, demonic, moral struggles and struggles of ultimate meaning. Every participant experienced a spiritual struggle, which suggests this is an important concept to address to bring healing and personal growth. Overall, the Divine Struggles appear to have facilitated the participants to feel a stronger sense of connection to God overtime, had stronger belief in His love for them. The findings align with past research and theory related to CSA and Traumagenic Dynamic Model
An Exploration of Self-Efficacy of Online Dissertation Chair-Only Faculty During the Mentoring Process: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study
Get PDFThe purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the self-efficacious experiences in the dissertation mentoring process for online dissertation chair-only faculty at higher education institutions in the United States. The theory guiding this study was self-efficacy theory. The central research question of this study was: What are the self-efficacious experiences of online dissertation chair-only faculty at higher education institutions in the United States? The examination of the self-efficacious experiences of 11 online dissertation chair-only faculty was explored utilizing a qualitative transcendental phenomenological design. Participating individuals must have held an online dissertation chair-only role in a higher education institution within the United States. Individuals participating in this study shared their experiences through a questionnaire, individual interviews, physical artifacts, and two focus groups. The data was analyzed following Moustakas’s (1994) modified van Kaam data analysis method for phenomenological data utilizing horizonalization, reduction, elimination, clustering, thematizing, identification of themes through validation, and textural-structural descriptions to develop a sense of meaning through describing the essence of the participant experiences. Findings from this study led to three primary themes: variegated expertise, connection development, and idiosyncratic mentorship. Each primary theme hosted three sub-themes further exploring the lived experiences of the participants who described the variegated expertise developed through connection and performance experiences
Deepening Relationships with God at Crosspoint Church through Understanding Covenantal Heritage
Get PDFThis action research project addressed the problem of Crosspoint Church’s members not understanding their heritage as God’s covenantal people, which impeded deep relationships with God. The project designed and delivered a six-week sermon series with small-group discussion guides to help participants deepen their relationships with God through understanding their covenantal heritage. The project utilized a multi-week sermon series that employed a teaching method involving biblical history to show how God’s story continually points toward Christ and is relevant to Christianity. Data were collected using surveys before and after the sermon series and a focus group of small-group leaders. The research indicates that the project’s teaching method was successful in helping improve the church’s members’ knowledge of covenantal history and their relationships with God and one another. The project’s success shows how teaching the Old Testament is relevant to Christianity and critical to improving Christians’ knowledge of God and their relationships with Him. The validation of the project’s teaching method provides pastors with an effective way to teach complex Old Testament topics in relevant and fruitful ways for Christians, allowing pastors to help their congregations grow in their knowledge and relationships with God
Matthew for the Defense: Identifying the Rhetorical Purpose of Matthew\u27s Heptadic Γέγραπται Passages
Get PDFHeptadic formulations are common throughout ancient Near Eastern, Second Temple, and biblical literature. Frequently, heptadic formulations are debated due to the lack of consistent identification criteria. This study identifies a heptadic formulation of γέγραπται passages in Matthew’s Gospel and seeks to evaluate the legitimacy of that heptadic formulation through applying strict identification criteria. Through those criteria, it was discovered that the Gospel of Matthew invites the reader to take notice of numerological data through the genealogy and continues to employ numerology throughout the Gospel. That fact being established, Matthew then employed the γέγραπται formula a total of nine times with a distinct rhetorical effect to advance his central theme of divine sonship. Those nine occurrences break down into a heptadic grouping of dominical formulations and a group of two occurrences employed by Jesus’ primary antagonists. A literary analysis of numerical symbolism of heptadic formulations and dual formulations, when read against Matthew’s broader narrative leads to the conclusion that Matthew composed his Gospel, in part, as an apologetic document which challenged the sham trial of the passion and meant to vindicate Jesus before Matthew’s audience by offering a perfect self–defense of Jesus’ divine sonship from the Old Testament, validated by two witnesses as required by Jewish law
Exploring Mental Health, Future Rehabilitation, and Systemic Oppression in Inmates: A Qualitative Study
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of systemic oppression in incarcerated inmates, with a focus on their emotional/psychological experience of systemic oppression and how it impacted their willingness to participate in rehabilitation programs. This phenomenological study used elements of the narrative approach to obtain the common themes that surfaced while communicating with the participants and focused on two areas: systemic oppression and how it affected the mental health of inmates and how it affected their willingness to participate in rehabilitation programs. For this purpose, systemic oppression was defined as systemic power used to control others. To gather all pertinent information, individual interviews of 12 participants (3 were in close relationship with someone who was or is incarcerated and 9 had been incarcerated) were conducted. The participants were asked to share their experiences surrounding systemic oppression in general and then were requested to share their experiences with systemic oppression while incarcerated. NVivo was utilized to analyze the data, and four main themes surfaced: mistreatment, abuse of power, lack of trust, and education. Analyzing these themes provided insight into how inmates’ mental health is impacted by systemic oppression, as well as provide implications toward their willingness to participate in rehabilitation programs. Future research is needed to explore other variables such as demographics, geographical location, religion, and education
A Virtual Group Counseling Study on the Effects of Renewing the Mind, Spiritual Formation, and Engaging in Community on Women Suffering from Social Anxiety Through the Use of the Flourish Curriculum
Get PDFSocial anxiety impacts individuals from every walk of life, gender, and faith background. This project addresses the need for renewing the mind tools to address social anxiety for women. In addition, spiritual formation and the power of connection in community were assessed as essential tools in addressing and overcoming social anxiety. The available research on social anxiety confirms the impact that renewing the mind can have on successfully addressing anxiety at the root by changing one’s thought patterns and beliefs. Spiritual formation is central to this transformation. Nevertheless, biblical tools and curricula that are designed to address social anxiety are lacking. Simple Freedom Prayer Counseling offers many opportunities for clients to grow in their spiritual formation by implementing various biblical tools and spiritual disciplines to overcome various life-controlling issues, including social anxiety. This study implemented the Flourish Curriculum, a six-week virtual group counseling curriculum led by a Master level counselor and applied qualifiable and quantifiable research techniques using client interviews, surveys and the project leader’s observational data. It investigated whether renewing the mind, connections in community, and implementation of spiritual formation tools would positively impact social anxiety symptoms. The results showed that implementation of renewing the mind and spiritual formation tools did have a positive impact on social anxiety markers. The project also includes additional resources for participants to address social anxiety and overall spiritual formation and growth. To provide anonymity, pseudonyms were used throughout the paper to protect the participants
A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Special Educators Working in a Juvenile Detention Center
Get PDFThe purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of special educators working in a juvenile detention facility, and their perceptions of the relation of juveniles with disabilities to recidivism. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences guided this study, as it allows educators to provide differentiated and individualized instruction to incarcerated youth with disabilities. A secondary theory used was Skinner’s behaviorist theory, as educators of students with disabilities implement various behavioral strategies pertaining to the students’ needs. With respect to the purpose and theories, the central research question that guided this study was, “What are educators’ experiences when they implement educational and behavioral supports for students with disabilities in Juvenile Detention Facilities?” As special education requires individualized education programs, Gardner’s theory plays a crucial role in providing all students with an education that meets their individual and specific needs. Data were collected through individual interviews with educators, surveys, and a letter. The data were analyzed with coding and phenomenological reduction to determine themes and the essence of the phenomenon. The findings of this study revealed that although educators value the experiences that they have in this job, they subsequently desire more support in a specific area (i.e., academic or behavioral support, administrative support, outside stakeholder relationships)
Bridge over Troubled Water: Crossing the Bridge between Biblical Confession and Pastoral Practice Regarding Divorce and Remarriage in Unie-ABC Congregations
Get PDFQuite a few pastoral workers within the Unie-ABC perceive a discordance between their churches’ biblical-theological confessions regarding divorce and remarriage and the pastoral practice in which they minister. This could induce tension in which a pastoral worker’s counsel is constrained by the church’s biblical position on these issues. In order to diminish that gap, the purpose of this action research project is to implement a redesigned biblical-theological framework regarding divorce and remarriage in training seminars for Unie-ABC pastoral counselors. The project utilized quantitative data collected through email responses and documents provided by Unie-ABC congregations. In addition, qualitative data was developed from the participants’ feedback during interviews and online seminars, as well as from the researcher’s observations and field notes. Data was collected through survey questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group seminars. The data was then triangulated and compared. The result of the research indicate that the biblical framework can diminish the gap between the Unie-ABC congregation’s theological confession and pastoral practice. The project’s overall success also opens the door for exposing the biblical approach and its pastoral impact to a broader audience within the body of Christ