Senior Theses

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Browsing Senior Theses by Subject "Abortion -- Public opinion -- Sex differences"

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    Object relations theory and gender differences in abortion attitudes
    (1993) Kurland, Jessica
    The psychological bases of abortion attitudes were examined using a combination of descriptive variables and projective measures. Subjects (n=80) were students at a small liberal arts college who completed a questionnaire consisting of demographic information, the Bern Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), items from the Kalin Sex-Role Inventory, a verbal adaptation of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and a series of questions regarding sexual history and attitudes toward abortion. Attitudes toward abortion were found to be related to sex and gender conservatism. There was a link between a subject's view on abortion and the object relational dimension of subjectivity, recognition, and differentiation. Relationships were also found between abortion attitudes and religiosity, and the issues that motivate attitude formation. The findings support the value of research that combines descriptive and psychoanalytic variables in order to probe the depth and complexity of attitudes toward abortion.
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    Object Relations Theory and Gender Differences in Attitudes Towards Abortion
    (1993) Dukes, Virginia
    Abortion attitudes were studies within a framework of feminist object relations theory. 80 subjects from a small coeducational college participated. Attitudes were assessed by a questionnaire containing: background information, Bem sex role inventory, Kalin sex role ideology measure, an abortion attitude inventory, and an adapted form of the Thematic Apperception Tests. There was a link between sex and abortion attitude, traditional ideology, and verbal TAT response. Abortion attitude was also related to primary issue used to determine their attitude, and verbal TAT response. The findings suggest that the psychoanalytic theory of object relations can inform our understanding of attitudes towards abortion.