Loneliness becomes more prevalent as youth transition from childhood into adolescence. A key underlying process may be the puberty-related increase in biological stress reactivity, which can alter social behavior and elicit conflict or social withdrawal (fight-or-flight behaviors) in some youth, but increase prosocial (tend-and-befriend) responses…

Objective: Our study conducted a preliminary evaluation of a peer-mentoring group program for college men (Freshmen League). Participants & Methods: We interviewed first-year men who participated in Freshmen League (n = 16) and others who did not (n = 10), asking them questions about authenticity, relationships, masculinity, and community.…

Examined the variability in the development of moral judgment by reanalyzing a set of Kohlberg's data studies on the concept of structured wholeness, a deep cognitive organization unifying different surface judgments given by the same subject. Although the results failed to show total consistency they also show that it is not meaningful to claim…

The need is present for children to "unlearn" to play in a competitive and unsupportive environment and to return to natural and cooperative ways of playing. The advantage of a noncompetitive play structure is that it provides ground where players practice interacting and speaking supportively and appreciatively to each other. Players are then…

A brief review is presented of the structural differences between play, games, and sport activities and the subjective experiences of young participants. Three contexts were examined--spontaneous play, informal games, and organized team sports. Findings suggested that patterns of experiences varied according to the context in which they occurred.…

Several hypotheses have been generated about the functions of mock aggression, including its association with dominance. This paper describes a study that expanded this line of research by interviewing college students about a broad array of mock aggressive behaviors and their contexts, targets, benefits, and functions. The hypotheses were that:…

Designed for students in grades K-3, the program focuses on nurturing individual student growth through sequential class activities that stimulate a positive social climate within the classroom. Based on group process and child development research, the teacher's handbook focuses on skills in the areas of friendship, communication, and…

This paper reports the first results of a three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological…

Explores the impact of a personal development project on the attitudes, behavior, and understanding of British high school students. The study circulated questionnaires to students from nine different locations in two districts. Responses clearly demonstrated that Personal Development Planning results in more appropriate choices being made at key…

Intended for use by teachers on the junior high and high school levels, this curriculum guide, which is one in a series of guides for consumer and homemaking education in Kentucky, outlines four courses in the area of personal and family development. The seventh grade level unit discusses the influence of health habits on personal appearance and…

This book is designed to help people develop an action plan to enhance their situation at work. Part 1 focuses on political behavior at work as a key to advancement. It discusses assessing career setbacks and recovery from them. Subsequent sections focus on the following areas of self-study that are necessary to enable the individual to manage…

This document is a leader's guide for conducting a course in improving self-esteem for mature middle- and upper-class women. After a section on characteristics needed by group leaders and pointers on conducting group discussions, the document contains lesson plans for eight discussion-group lessons. Topics covered during the eight sessions include…

Given the decline in birth rates, which will produce a steep decline in the youth population by 1990, this paper examines the possible effects such a population shift will have on the achievement motivation of children. It is reasoned the increased adult/child ratio could result in either of two possibilities: the greater attention paid to the…

This module contains an instructor's guide and student activity packet that are intended to accompany a slide/tape presentation on human relations in business. The module was developed for use in postsecondary office occupations classes in Texas. The instructor's guide includes general instructions for use in individual or group settings, the…

"Choosing the Future: College Students' Projections of Their Personal Life Patterns" is a machine-readable data file (MRDF) prepared by the principal investigator in connection with her doctoral program studies and her 1986 unpublished doctoral dissertation prepared in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. The…