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Integrating Traditional Healing Practices with Cognitive Therapy: Attitude, Preparedness and Perceived Effectiveness among Clients and Therapists
Mental health and well- being has become a serious concern in the Indian health setting. The mental health care has been rapidly increasing. The various approaches involved in mental health has been explored widely in the Indian mental health setting. This research study aims to explore the integrated approach which involves traditional healing practices and cognitive therapy. The aim of this research study is to understand the three main variables attitude, preparedness and perceived effectiveness in clients and therapists while integrating traditional healing practices with cognitive therapy. The traditional healing practices explored in this study are yoga, meditation and mindfulness. The attitude of the clients and therapists towards the integrated approach has been studied. The preparedness of the clients as well as the preparedness of the therapists toward the integrated approach is also the next set of objectives in the research study. The next two objectives have been to study the perceived effectiveness of this approach in clients and therapists. The research study is a qualitative study. The data for the research study has been collected using semi- structured interviews. The data has been analyzed using thematic content analysis. The sample for the study includes 5 therapists and 10 clients who have been involved in this therapeutic approach. The results of the study show that there are two types of attitude clients who have interviewed hold towards the integrated approach. The two types of attitude include positive attitude and apprehensive attitude. The attitude of the therapists towards the approach has been positive and the factors which have led to the positive attitude has been cultural factors, familial background and previous exposure. The apprehensive attitude in clients have been due to the forced participation and past negative experience. The positive attitude of the therapists has been due to prior training and prior positive results. The preparedness and perceived effectiveness observed in therapists and clients have also been studied at length in the research study. The preparedness observed in clients has been due to previous exposure and knowledge and in therapists it has been due to extensive practice and the perceived effectiveness seen in clients. The perceived effectiveness observed in clients have been at three levels. They are physiological well- being, psychological well- being and improved relationships in the family. The perceived effectiveness in therapists have been seen as increased emotional and physical well- being as well as increased competence in the profession. -
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Narrating the City: Calcutta in Raj Kamal Jha???s If You Are Afraid of Heights and The Blue Bedspread
The portrayal of the city in literature is not a recent phenomenon. The city in literature has a history as old as the history of the city itself. This thesis titled ???Narrating the City: Calcutta in Raj Kamal Jha???s If You are Afraid of Heights and The Blue Bedspread??? is an attempt to understand how the city of Calcutta is portrayed in these two novels and how the city affects the people and vice versa. Every narration happens within the coordinates of time and space. Narrative is the representation of movement within the coordinates of time and space. Literary narrative is the literary or semiotic representation of movement within the coordinates of time and space. In the same manner narrating the city is the literary representation of the movement of the city and things in the city both living and non-living within the coordinates of time and space. The introductory chapter places the study in the context analysing the representation of the city in literature. The definition of key concepts and a literature review are done in order to understand the narrative, city and above all the narrating of the city in literature. The second chapter titled ???Calcutta in The Blue Bedspread???, shows how the city of Calcutta is portrayed in the novel The Blue Bedspread. This chapter is divided into different subsections according to the different themes identified. The third chapter titled ???Calcutta in If You are Afraid of Heights??? shows how the city of Calcutta is portrayed in the novel If You are Afraid of Heights. The fourth and the final chapter details the general conclusions derived from the study. Calcutta is narrated differently through these two novels. The Blue Bedspread presents a city of Calcutta which is more of a realistic nature. There is an over emphasis given to the description of the places as the novel is stacked with references to the buildings and places in the city. Thus it becomes a story of the city than the story of a specific person (character) or persons viii (characters). There is a close connection between the city and the people and vice versa. The names of the characters are not mentioned in the novel and this anonymity of the main characters points to the fact that this is a novel about anybody who is influenced by the city, in this case the city of Calcutta. If You are Afraid of Heights is a magic realist portrayal of the city of Calcutta. The characters of the city oscillate between reality and fantasy. This novel is not stacked with references to the places or spaces in the city, even though there are some references to them. The Blue Bedspread is the story of the city being projected through the realistic places and on the other hand If You are Afraid of Heights is the story of the city being projected through the magic realist presentation of the places, spaces and time in the city. -
Cultural Constraints and Empowerment: A Study of Kudumbashree in Kerala
Women empowerment occupies the centre of discussions of social development and is carried by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). It continues to be highly debated and contested. Different scholars have defined empowerment in a different ways depending upon the contextual variations. The study seeks to present varied theoretical perspectives on empowerment and reinforce them with current empowerment practices in Indian settings. Based on relevant literature on empowerment, an attempt has been made here to examine the definitions and its cultural and contextual variations. This provides a linkage between theory and practice of empowerment in Indian society. An ethnographic study of Kudumbashree, a women organization in Kerala is been carried out where the contextual variations of empowerment is covered. Women empowerment has multiple implications for patriarchal surroundings and has possessed problems in re-engaging with structural inequalities like caste and class identities of women. All these create a plethora of problems to Indian society and empowerment among women helps in solving and eradicating such problems. Hence the study attempts to find out how Kudumbashree negotiates the contextual and structural issues of women empowerment. The problems faced by women tend to increase day by day and studying topics likes these helps in minimizing it thereby providing a better understanding about the concept of women empowerment. The researcher concludes the study by mentioning the contextual and dynamic variations of empowerment. There is no universally accepted definition for empowerment where it varies according to the subjective locations of individuals. For instance; empowerment for a woman in a scheduled caste or lower caste women varies to that of upper caste women. -
Spectroscopic Studies of Galactic Field Be Stars
Be stars provide excellent opportunity to study circumstellar disks. But the disc formation mechanism of classical Be (CBe) stars- the Be phenomenon- is still poorly understood. This can be understood by studying CBe stars in various locations like clusters and fields. Spectra of Be stars show interesting emission lines of different elements like hydrogen, helium, iron, oxygen calcium, etc. These emission lines are valuable indicators in providing information about the circumstellar disks of Be stars. In the past several decades various aspects of Be stars have been studied. But literature review clearly indicates the need of further studies to frame a consolidated picture about Be phenomenon in CBe stars. It is found that especially, the region ?????? 7500 - 8800 ??? is a less studied, and thus poorly understood area in Be star research. But this area shows some interesting features like emission lines calcium, iron, oxygen and Paschen series. So, here we have studied a sample of 118 field CBe stars taken from the catalogue of Jaschek & Egret (1982) and whose medium resolution spectra were obtained in ?????? 3800 ?? 9000 ??? region during December, 2007 to January, 2009 with the 2.1-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT), located at Hanle, Ladakh, India and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore. In this thesis, we present three works which investigate the disc properties of our 118 program Be stars by studying their spectral line features, focussing primarily on the less explored ?????? 7500 - 8800 ??? region. Firstly, we have analyzed the less studied Fe II 7712 ??? emission line for our stars to understand the possible Fe II line excitation mechanism in CBe stars. Our work predicts that Ly???fluorescence may be the possible Fe II line excitation mechanism in CBe stars. Secondly, we have studied the Ca II triplet emission lines for our stars and have developed a new technique for deblending Ca II components from their counterpart Paschen lines, thus providing a more efficient way to analyze Ca II lines. Analyzing Ca II lines through this technique, we suggest that the gas producing these lines is optically thick. This leads us to predict that Ca II lines may be an indicator of binarity in Be stars. Lastly, we have estimated the Balmer decrement values, D34 and D54 for 81 of our sample stars to shed light on opacity effects in Be star disks. Our work confirms the disc transient nature of Be stars through epoch-wise D34 and D54 variation study and also suggests that Be star disks are optically thick. -
Perception of Anticipatory Psychological Contract: A Study among Post Graduate Students
Psychological Contract is the the unwritten contract between employer and employee, representing mutual expectations, beliefs, and obligations. The concept is popular among the HR managers as it is based on managing employment relationships. In order to best align the requirements of the organization and employee, the Human Resource manager has to be cognizant of this unwritten ???contract???. Like all relationships, it is important to shape and understand it starting from recruitment, through talent management and finally the employee exit. High volume campus recruitment still forms a key strategy among companies in growing markets, segments. Hence the understanding of this employment relationship begins with prospective employees who are the final year students. This study talks about the employment beliefs, & future employment relationships of final year students as an ???anticipatory psychological contract??? and includes promises that the future employee wants to make to their employer, along with the obligations they expect in return. Additionally, the long-term Career expectations of students, in conjunction with their Work values was also explored, to understand their interrelationship with the anticipatory psychological contract. This interrelationship has gained importance in organizational psychology, organizational behavior, and HRM where there is an opportunity for practical application. In this study, the respondents' expectations were measured through the collection of inputs on pre-employment beliefs from final year postgraduate students soon to be part of their respective industry???s workforce. The independent variables identified from the review of literature were career strategy and work values. As part of the study, these variables were tested for correlation, and multiple regression was done to understand the impact of career strategy and work values on anticipatory psychological contract. The results proved that a significant relationship exists between the dependent variable (anticipatory psychological contract ) and independent variables( career strategy and work values). Managing psychological contract is an advantage for employees and employers whereby, both can understand the expectations of the other to prevent breach or violation of the contract. Maintaining a positive contract ensures job satisfaction, commitment and talent retention. This study is significant as the expectations during the pre-employment stage affect the psychological contract even after organizational entry. Understanding contributions to the organization and what employees receive in return are also about managing the psychological contract. This study is also aimed at employers in redesigning their recruitment & talent management strategies. The outcomes of strong HRM strategy based on psychological contract are high employee motivation, productivity, and controlled attrition rates. The study also explores the formation and transition of psychological contract from university to workplace. Lastly, the study aims in exposing the expectations of the younger generation, future workforce. The absence of a longitudinal study is a limitation which would provide the longer term view of the concept. -
Synthesis, Characterization and Studies of Hydrazine Based Polyfunctional Ligands and their Metal Chelates
Eight new hydrazine-based zinc (II), copper (II) complexes were synthesized by reacting Zn (OAc)2.2H2O and Cu(CH3COO)2 with N'??(3,5-dibromo-2-hydroxy benzylidene) benzohydrazide (H2L1) and N'??(3,5-dibromo-2-hydroxy benzylidene) nicotinichydrazide (H2L2) respectively. The synthesized complexes were characterized by CHN analyses, IR, UV and 1H NMR. Based on these studies, square planar and octahedral geometries of the metal complexes were revealed. The synthesized metal complexes named [Zn(H2L1)2](OAc)2, [Zn(H2L1)Py](OAc)2, [ZnL2]2, [ZnL2Py], [CuL1]2, [CuL1Py], [CuL2]2 and [CuL2Py]. The formed metal complexes were investigated for DNA binding studies by fluorescence and UV spectroscopy using calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and DNA cleavage studies against pBR322 DNA. Both the ligands and their corresponding metal complexes showed the ability for binding to DNA through intercalation/ electrostatic binding. -
Optimized Handoff Strategy for Vehicular Ad-hoc Network based Communication
The dissertation titled ???Optimized Handoff Strategy for Vehicular Ad-hoc Network based Communication??? is the compilation of all efforts taken and tasks completed in order to implement an optimal handoff method in Vehicular Ad-hoc Network communication.Wireless communication technologies have been improving exponentially. Ad-hoc networks can form a network of wireless nodes anywhere and they are not bound by the limitations of a static infrastructure. This enhances the ability of mobile nodes to communicate with each other even in situations where a defined architecture is absent. Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) has its applications in dynamic environments that involve nodes with high mobility. The nodes frequently move between the coverage areas of different access points. This increases the chance of link breakage and new link formation in communication network. Handoff is a process that helps in transferring the session details between one access point to another whenever the node is about to move away from a currently serving access point. Many handoff methods have been proposed but a majority of them utilize just a particular attribute of a network to employ the channel selection process. This process of network selection would be skewed as other attributes of a network play important roles in improving its overall efficiency. Multiple Attributes Decision Making (MADM) methods make use of different attributes in order to perform the network selection process. Use of MADM methods help in selecting optimal access points that can provide services to the nodes for a longer duration. In the proposed system, MADM methods have been utilized to modify existing protocols in order to optimize their approach for handoff operations. Various scenarios involving vehicular nodes and different access points have been considered in order to improve the efficiency of the proposed system across applications. The proposed handoff mechanism follows a proactive approach where the target access points are selected before the mobile node reaches the edge of its coverage area. This leads to a seamless transition of the communication channels. Based on the client/access point information stored in the data log, optimal access points which are situated along the direction of the node???s movement can be selected. NS2 and SUMO have been implemented to simulate mobile environments that accommodate handoff operations. -
A Study on Popular Naga Cuisine and Its Representation on Instagram
Food is a very sensitive topic as it is the representation of culture that shapes identity such that any flaw in representation could result in identity confusion or identity clashes. Food culture and its meaning varies from one culture to another. Also, very often one will notice that a cuisine which is a delicacy for a community could be a taboo or unacceptable for the other. India is known for its rich diverse culture, which includes geography, lifestyle, food habits, biodiversity and more. It is commonly seen that dominant food are often presented as the national cuisine while relegating others to the margins or erasing them altogether. A society is dynamic in nature, which goes through constant social issues too. But while the society strives to solve or seek for a solution to the conventionally defined social problem it fails to count in the misrepresentation of food culture as an issue that results in identity crisis. The dependency on media has increased tremendously such that a personal opinion and views about a subject are shaped by the sources that are readily available at their convenience in the form of social media. Today the concept of food gram that is the combination of Food and Instagram is a very popular trend among netizen. Instagram is an online photo-video sharing application where popularly in these context users post food images of what they eat, with whom and where. Whereas for professional based account it is seen as a marketing forum. The representation of food culture on social media is seen as an advantage and a challenge. The food culture of the Naga Tribes of Nagaland, Northeast, is the core of the study. It aims to understand the dominant tribal representation of Naga food and seek to understand how these representations on Instagram shape perceptions about the Naga population. The researcher has adopted a theoretical framework of Representation and Semiotics. A triangulation method approach has been applied for the study in analyzing Instagram post that is hash tagged, #nagacuisine from the month of July and August 2018. How Instagram as a medium represent Naga food and how it shapes an identity for the Naga population is what this study will seek to understand. -
Determinants of Charitable Giving of Employees in the Organized Sector: A Case Study in Bengaluru Urban District.
The study aims at identifying the determinants of charitable giving among working professionals who are into white collar jobs in the organized sector in Bengaluru urban district. The study also tries to understand the effect of Income and Non-Income factors that could affect decisions made by individuals towards charitable donations. The study captures charity donations in terms of money, time and gifts, based on its objectives; the focus is on monetary donations. Thus, based on the various available models based on demographic variables and attitudinal factors, the study has developed a comprehensive function that that includes both demographic and attitude related factors that could predict the charity behavior of an individual and in this case it is the working professional. The population includes all the white collar jobs and the sample size was 132 respondents. This includes both charity givers and non-givers. The sampling technique used was purposive random sampling and data was collected through questionnaire method and the questionnaire begins with an introductory question seeking if the respondent have made any donations in the last 12 months and based on their answer they are directed towards the three sections such as section A, B and C for those who said yes to the question and B and c for those who said no to the question. Section A is about the charity activities of the respondents, B is about the demographic details and C measures altruism, prestige, care and other attitude related factors using a 5 point Liker scale. Factor analysis was made used for the purpose of model testing. However, prior to the model testing, bi-variate and multi-variate exploratory analysis was done using cross tabulation in SPSS and python to understand the association between variables used in the study. To further clarify and conclude the relationship and strength of association between variables, Pearson???s Chi square was conducted. Based on these results most of the demographic variables seem to have positive relationship with charitable giving and few had partially negative relation with the incidence of giving. For example Gender, where being male have less chance of making charitable donations. Religion has no impact on the likelihood of making donations. viii Certain other variables such as age, education level and income have a positive relationship with charity giving. In other words as age, income, level of education are higher, the chances of making monetary donations increases. From the results of exploratory bi -variate analysis, certain variables were removed and were not part of factor analysis towards testing the model. The results of factor analysis shows that charitable giving (monetary) is the function of three factors namely benevolence, socioeconomic status and warm glow giving and thus it proves the model developed by the study. Thus the major determinants or predictors of charitable giving (monetary) are benevolent behaviour, socioeconomic status and warm glow giving. -
Perceived organizational support, employee engagement and organizational commitment among millennials
Millennials (born between 1981-2000) are drastically different from any other generational cohorts, with their high education level, technological skills, social networking, self-confidence and always teeming with energy, which makes them excellent team players, unlike the previous generations who preferred to work on their own for long hours. Millennials, having grown to constitute a considerable proportion of the workforce and will continue to grow to represent more over the next 20 years, desire for immediate result and speedy advancement, which has led to perceiving them to be impatient and inconsistent. Hence, retaining them has become one of the top managerial priorities. Millennials are prone to frequent switching of jobs which is why they are attributed with the character of job-hopping. Of all the generations in the work force, Millennials are found to be less consistent in their workplace relationships which calls for the purposeful need for cultivating positive relationships with them at workplace. Organizational commitment is evidently one such gesture of an employee, towards positive and long-term relationship with the organization, as a committed employee stays with the organization and this can be brought about if the employees realize that they are being supported well by the organization. Hence, the perceived organizational support plays a pivotal role in work place relations. Another construct in the employeeorganization relationship is, which has a decisive role to play, is Employee engagement. Thus, this study intents to examine how perceived organizational support is related to organizational commitment where employee engagement mediates the relation between the two variables. An empirical study has been done, whereby carrying out a survey among 402 millennial employees across various companies in the information technology sector, as this sector experiences the rush of millennials more, compared to other traditional industries. And it was found that there is a vi significant relation that existed among perceived organization support and organizational commitment and employee engagement and organizational commitment as well. Employee engagement also turned out to be partially mediating the relationship between POS and OC. This study, done to find the relation between the three important constructs in organizational behavior and human resource management, and also to find out the difference in the variation of these three constructs based on the demographical factors, is the first of its kind to be done, among Millennials -
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Preparation and Application of Nanoparticles and Core-Shell Nanoparticles of Transition Metals
There is an increasing need for the development of environmentally viable, economically effective, highly active and renewable catalytic systems for the various applications in the industrial field. The demand for the decolorisaion of synthetic dyes using bioremediation methods has been in a decreased mode due to its lower decomposition rates. Hence in recent years the decomposition of these organic colorants considered to be a worldwide need. The term nanocatalysis has gained huge importance in recent years due to its selectivity, higher activity, and productivity compared to their bulk materials. The nanosize, shape, and large surface to volume ratio provide unique properties to the nanomaterials. The principles of green chemistry are mainly relies on the development of catalytic systems that work similar to nature. Nanocatalyst combines both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and provides rapid and selective chemical transformations with high yield and easier separation of catalyst at the end of reaction. In this work we have synthesized various metal doped magnetite nanoparticles (Ferrite nanoparticles-NdMxFe3-xO4 where M (Mn, Co, Cu, Ni)) by precipitation and hydrothermal method. The one objective of this work was to check the photocatalytic application of prepared ferrite nanoparticles for the heterogeneous photo-Fenton degradation of MB and Rh B dyes. Each dye was degraded separately under visible light and dark with the assistance of neutral pH and H2O2, in order to shows the improved activity of catalysts under visible light. The degradation experiments using the photo-Fenton systems (Fe2+/H2O2/Visible light) suggested that, the highest degradation rate was 97% for MB and 81% for Rh B within 4h and the used catalyst was NdFe3-xCuxO4, a good photo-Fenton catalyst. . We have also tried the synthesis of core- shell nanoparticles using NdFe3O4 nanoparticles with the help of polyethylene glycol as dispersing agent. The synthesized samples were characterized by various techniques like, XRD, XPS, SEM and TEM. -
Exploring the Dream Pattern among the Nightshift Workers
Globalisation led to the increase in technology and development of multinational companies in the developing countries. This development has caused the increased need for working round the clock and the only option for such a need is different shifts in the companies. Nightshift workers are increasing day by day, but many times, people forget the health and sleep effects caused by the nightshift. One such impact is the altered circadian rhythm, which is very important for proper functioning of the body and a good sleep. Freud put forward that dreams occurring during sleep serve as the guardian of sleep. Dreams are the reflections of the waking life. This altered circadian rhythm can have an impact on waking and sleep life of the nightshift workers. This qualitative study is to find the dream pattern among the nightshift workers and to find the frequency in dreaming among this group. This study is conducted with nine nightshift and nine dayshift workers, dream journal was used to collect the dreams from the participants. Also, semistructured interview was done among the nightshift workers for in-depth understanding on their sleep habits and dream pattern. The dream patterns among both the groups are similar but there are dreams that make the nightshift group different from the dayshift. The frequency of dreaming is seen more among the nightshift workers. The study shows that sexual dreams are seen majorly among the nightshift group. This finding can be further used to conduct researches on the impact of nightshift on the sexual health and overall well being of nightshift workers and the reflection of the same in their dreams. -
Assessing Opportunities and Constraints of Community Engagement in Tourism Development at Hampi
Community Based Tourism will create a momentous milestone in improving the participation level of local communities in the arena of Heritage tourism as well as all the various branches of the travel and expedition industry. Whose heritage is being preserved, by whom, and for what purposes? (Shepherd 2006). This study particularly gives due emphasis on evaluating the level of participation from the resident???s part by assessing various development strategies offered by the respective authorities. The study also tries to address all the possible streams where the community can easily thrive and it also addresses the major obstacles which restricts their entry, indicating an inclusive approach towards community participation through community based tourism (CBT). Lack of cooperation among stakeholders was identified as challenges of CBT, (Tamir 2015). Tourism market of Hampi is developing year by year but the standard of living of the underprivileged community is always remains the same without any improvement and this is the core problem mentioned in the study. Quantitative research technique was used for the study with the help of a structured questionnaire which was used for collecting data. The collected data was analyzed with the help of quantitative data analysis software, SPSS. This research tries to bring out the various reasons behind the low level of community involvement in tourism industry with relevant evidence from the analyzed data. The study indicates the hopelessness of the community towards the major development strategies forwarded by the authorities especially Hampi Master Plan. It also addresses the poor level of education and lack of information about the potential of tourism employability and its scope in the field of community development. A unique relic of medieval commerce and religious faith into a lifeless ruin, (John and Michell2012) this study pinpoints the inefficiency of the tourism boards and poor functioning of other responsible authorities too. It VII also invokes the possibilities of promoting Agro-Tourism along with the existing Heritage tourism. There is enough scope for further study in the light of execution of CBT model as well as assessing the scope of Agro tourism in Hampi. This suggestion is propounded mainly because of the structural phase of the economy that is more than 70% of the working population is involved in agriculture and its allied sectors. There is a noticeable gap between the expectations of the local residents and what they are actually receiving from the authorities moreover, these entire gaps may hamper the idea of inclusive approach. If effective training and regular awareness creation program is initiated by the responsible authorities, it will create a better platform for inclusive approach. -
Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Children in Conflict with Law: An Exploratory Study of Karnataka and Telangana
The current study analyses the effect that rehabilitation and reintegration of children in conflict with law has on the life of the children. It traces the history of deviant behavior of the child and the causes that lead to deviancy. For the purpose of this study, two institutions were selected from Karnataka and Telangana, because of geographical and social-economic similarities. A sample of 10 (5 from each state) children who had undergone rehabilitation and reintegration process were selected between the age of 12-18 years and interview was conducted. The interview shed light on the rehabilitation and reintegration process that exists in the two states and their institutions from the perspective of the participants and their struggles and challenges was also recorded. Thematic analysis by Braun was loosely followed. The analysis brought out major themes in the experience of the participants and their changes that they had undergone. The research concludes by listing out the characteristics of the respective institutions in the state of Karnataka and Telangana and their impact on the participant in the aspect of rehabilitation and reintegration. -
Children's Well-Being in Traditional Vs. Montessori Schools. A test of Self-Determination Theory
The present study is a test of Self -Determination theory, which is well established in the field of education with a huge body of empirical evidence to support its assumptions that when the three universal psychological needs (Autonomy, Competence & Relatedness) of a child are met they will grow and function optimally leading to enhanced well-being. It is evident that Montessori philosophy is overlapping with the components of SDT. This study was conducted to examine the extent to which the three psychological needs are satisfied in Montessori schools in comparison to the Traditional schools. A purposive sample size of 80 children in elementary grades was selected from both Montessori and Traditional schools. Perceived support experienced by the children and their Well-Being was determined to establish the assumption of the SDT. The results showed that children in Montessori schools experienced greater satisfaction of needs when compared to traditional school children. However, the well-being of children from both school types didn???t vary much and the causes can be attributed to factors outside classroom. These findings have some strong implications for policy makers, educators and parents. -
A Different Humour: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Nature of Participation of Select Indian Female Stand-Up Comedians on YouTube
In recent times, Stand-up Comedy space in India has been registering itself as an alternative public sphere. As comedy has always been understood to be a masculine domain in any given society, it becomes imperative to examine if this aspect of the ????implied??? public sphere of the Stand-up Comedy space changes the dimension of comedy. This dissertation studied the nature of participation of both the male and female stand-up comics on YouTube using descriptive surveys which reported the default nature of the stand-up comedy space in India. Furthermore, the thesis studied the implications of the performances by select few female comics with specific reference to the audience reception of their comedic routines. In addition, this dissertation studied how female stand-up comics negotiate their citizenship and gender in a stand-up comedy space in India. Thematic and Critical Discourse Analysis were used to examine the theme, style, and nature of humour pervasive throughout their comedic routines. The style of humour presentation by the select female comics included subversion which was articulated in varied ways, often by marking it explicitly through themes, narratives and humour, and in other times, using it covertly. The thesis explored the dimensions of ???unladylike??? or ???unfunny??? which were used as markers to identify their routines by both themselves and their YouTube audience/commentators, the thesis also attempted to explain how these comedians found a balance between ????doing gender??? and ????undoing gender??? in these comedy spaces. The thesis concluded with an argument that the stand-up comedy space as negotiated by the select comics provides us a glimpse of an emergent feminist public sphere. -
The Effect of Lyrical Music on Hopelessness in College Students
Hopelessness is a product of negative future expectations, negative feelings toward the future and feeling a lack of control over future improvements. One of the major factors that play a role in hopelessness are Negative Life Events (NLE) along with the interaction of negative inferential styles. College students are seen to experience both NLE and engage in negative inferential styles which is seen in their portrayal of hopelessness. The aim of the study was to reduce levels of hopelessness in college students through an intervention that involved listening to songs having hopeful lyrics. The study strived to answer the following question: Can hopeful lyrics in songs can have an effect on hopelessness? The sample consisted of college students (N=66), who were randomly assigned to three groups, namely the lyrical music group (hopeful lyrics and music), music group (only music) and the control group (no intervention). The Beck???s hopelessness scale was used to measure their levels of hopelessness before the intervention and at the end of 4 weeks. The lyrical music group and the music group participants were exposed to songs and instrumental tracks twice a week, for a duration of 4 weeks. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test for related samples was used to analyse the effect of the intervention or lack of, on levels of hopelessness. The Kruskal-Wallis was used to analyse the difference score between the three groups. Results indicated that the lyrical music group (p = .001) had a significant difference in levels of hopelessness after the intervention, however the music group (p = .072) and the control group (p = .402) showed no significant difference. There was a significant difference between the three groups with regard to the difference obtained from their pre-test and post-test scores (p = .03). Pairwise comparisons have helped to see where that difference lies. Thus it can be concluded that hopeful lyrical music does have an effect on hopelessness and can be seen as differing from the functions of music alone. -
Role of Marital Status of Parents on Self-esteem, Happiness and Academic-achievement among Adolescents
Adolescence is that development period of human life where the adolescent learns the knowledge of reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving behavior, emotional intelligence, and managing relationships. In today???s society, divorce has become a common affair. A child perception of divorce will be largely determined by age and gender. The purpose of the current study was to find out the role of marital status of parents and gender in self-esteem, happiness and academic achievement of adolescents. Four CBSE schools from Bhubanseswar, Odisha were contacted for the data collection. Total number of samples was 60 students of separated family and 60 students from intact family were selected randomly for the study of happiness, selfesteem and academic achievement. Among each 60 sample 30 were female and 30 were male to check the effect of gender on happiness, self-esteem and academic achievement of adolescents. The result of the study shown that adolescents with divorced parents has less happiness score, low self-esteem and less academic achievement in comparison to adolescents with both parents. On gender basis it was found out that female adolescents have less happiness score and low selfesteem in comparison to male adolescents. But female adolescents have shown high academic achievement in comparison to male adolescents. Adolescence is the vulnerable time period of a human???s life span. The adolescents need to get proper love, affection, attention from parents and society. Parents play a vital role in adolescents??? life. According to the current study the adolescents with divorced parents need to get proper support, love and counseling if necessary.