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Browsing by Author "Merriman, Leslie A., author"

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    Clarifying the construct of compassion: ability to downregulate emotion as a potential mediator between empathic arousal and compassion
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Merriman, Leslie A., author; Rickard, Kathryn, advisor; Allen, Chris, committee member; Chavez, Ernest, committee member; Souza, Caridad, committee member
    The association between empathy and compassion was examined in a sample of Americans aged 35 to 86, using national survey and phone interview data, biological data, and neuropsychological data. Given the postulation that empathy is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for compassion to emerge, compassion is conceptualized here as an emergent process that is contingent upon empathic arousal. The degree to which an experience of empathic arousal translates into compassion is hypothesized to depend upon an individual's ability to downregulate the emotional response associated with empathic arousal, which is conceptualized as physiological upregulation in response to witnessing another's suffering. If this hypothesis is supported, then the ability to downregulate physiological processes associated with empathic arousal should mediate a positive association between the activation of empathic feelings and engagement with compassionate behavior. While empathic arousal was found to predict compassion, we were unable to infer that downregulation processes mediated the relationship. The results of this study present preliminary findings that may inform future work aiming to clarify the construct of compassion. The results may also provide useful groundwork for future work about "compassion fatigue" and about how the emergence of compassionate action in therapeutic interactions can be cultivated.
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    Relationship quality and men's oxidative stress
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Merriman, Leslie A., author; Steger, Michael F., advisor; Souza, Caridad, committee member; Harman, Jennifer, committee member
    The association between oxidative stress and quality of romantic relationships was investigated in a sample of 98 college males. Given a postulated life history trade-off between current and future reproductive potential, men currently in higher quality romantic relationships may expend less general mating effort (i.e., less energy allocation to finding, attracting, and competing for new mates) than single men or men in lesser quality relationships. Reduced mating effort may allow greater allocation of energy to anti-oxidant defense systems, and increased resistance to oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Consistent with this prediction, men who reported being in higher quality romantic relationships (i.e., relationships characterized by greater mutual investment and emotional engagement) had significantly lower levels of oxidative stress than men lacking such relationships. Neither testosterone nor cortisol mediated the effect. Due to the correlational nature of the research design, causal relations are unclear; theoretical interpretations are discussed. Resistance to oxidative damage could be a physiological mechanism by which the experience of being in a higher quality romantic relationship manifests in direct health benefits. Alternatively, men with inherently greater resistance to oxidative damage (due to less ROS production, better functioning anti-oxidant defense, or both) may be more likely to achieve such relationships, owing to pre-existing superior quality or fitness.