Browsing by Author "Sara, Mary Linda S."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Experiences of an LDS Spouse when her Partner used Pornography: a Phenomenological Study
    Buhler, Brandon Michael (Virginia Tech, 2008-09-04)
    Pornography is becoming more and more accessible to society and the pornography industry brings in billions of dollars each year. Research is now starting to focus on the effects of pornography use within the marital context. The effects on the spouse of the pornography user are beginning to show that pornography use can be damaging to marriages, how one views one's partner and how one views oneself. Within the LDS Church, pornography has been considered a violation of their beliefs about chastity and moral cleanliness. With the rise of the use of pornography within the membership of the LDS Church, it is important for the ecclesiastical leadership of the Church and clinicians alike to understand the experiences of LDS spouses of pornography users. One LDS woman, married 18 years, white, participated in a 60 minute interview. Using a qualitative method and phenomenological lens, this study explores what is like for a married woman in the LDS Church to find out that her husband is viewing pornography, and being in direct violation of the Church's stance on sexual cleanliness. Themes found include emotional/psychological processes, spiritual processes and trying to make sense of these two processes in tandem. Aspects of the LDS Church that were not helpful were identified as well as aspects of the LDS Church that were helpful are outlined. Advice for Church leaders (local and general) was provided and advice for clinicians that may work with couples that find themselves in this situation is described.
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    An exploratory study about the impacts that Cybersex (the use of the Internet for sexual purposes)is having on families and the practices of marriage and family therapists
    Goldberg, Peter David (Virginia Tech, 2004-04-16)
    The number of people who access the Internet has increased considerably over the past decade. The use of the Internet for sexual purposes (Cybersex) has begun to get the attention of clinicians as more and more families are affected. However, to date little research has been conducted to determine how much of a problem Cybersex is. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which marriage and family therapists are seeing clients who have had Cybersex related difficulties. A questionnaire was mailed to 500 randomly selected clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Thirty four percent of the sample responded. The results indicated that most of the respondents are seeing clients with Cybersex issues and the number of clients has been increasing over the past two years. The partners and children of Cybersex users were identified most often as the ones who came for therapy. Those who came with Cybersex as a secondary problem and individuals with Cybersex problems were identified less often. Although most respondents felt prepared to diagnose and treat adults with Cybersex problems, a half felt unprepared to diagnose and treat children. Most of the respondents reported that the required courses they took in College were not helpful in preparing them to diagnose and treat Cybersex related problems.
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    Longitudinal Study of LDS Men Reconciling Conflicting Religious and Sexual Identities
    Reynolds, Daman Dale (Virginia Tech, 2010-09-22)
    This qualitative study is an exploration of the ways individuals experience and reconcile seemingly incompatible sexual and religious identities. The experience of espousing a religious identity which prohibits homosexuality while simultaneously being attracted to others of the same gender is not uncommon. This phenomenon and how individuals navigate it is poorly understood. Though it is often mentioned in existing literature, few if any studies highlight conflicting identities as the core conflict for this population. No existing studies apply identity theories to the phenomenon. For this study data were taken from two points in time, over nearly four years, from four participants. Results from survey 1 and survey 2 were compared for insights into the process of reconciliation. Results were also compared to two strains of identity theory (Stryker and Burke, 2000) to identify applicability of said theory to this phenomenon. Participants all report a conflict between sexual and religious identities. Relatively minor shifts in how they conceptualize and make meaning of their experiences are observed. All experienced a deepening of their understanding and relationship with self and God. Some report aspects of therapy that were helpful/unhelpful to them in this process. Also included are strengths and limitations of this study, implications for future research, and application of findings to a clinical setting.