Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Psycho-social theory'

Oral sex behaviour is fast and widely transforming into an everyday practice of modern adolescents’ life. Although seemingly less risky than vaginal or anal sex, it is accompanied by a rise in STIs alongside depression and anxiety associated with oral sex experiences of some young females, thus putting at risk both current and future adolescents’ sexual and psychological health and well-being. The four studies included in this thesis were designed to contribute to our understanding of adolescents’ oral sex behaviour as a part of their more complex psycho-social functioning. In particular, these studies aimed to test a proposed pathway of effects between self-control and successful or unsuccessful management of adolescents’ oral sex behaviour and associated with this behaviour psychological well-being through the application of self-regulation theory. Students’ oral sex behaviour and psychological well-being were tested at cross-sectional and longitudinal level, and analysed in detail through both quantitative and qualitative studies. The findings indicated that high dispositional ability to restrain sexual behaviour, motivation to control sexual behaviour and compliance to normative rules had a restrictive effect on the likelihood of engagement in oral sex, although their combined effect was found to vary under power relation pressure and according to the type of ego depletion state. Accounting for gender differences, for female students, body image satisfaction, self-esteem, and negative body image thinking habits were found to influence the likelihood of engagement in oral sex behaviour under gender power pressures in relationship and in ego depletion states (i.e. physical tiredness, cognitive load, alcohol consumption, emotional rise). In terms of psychological well-being, self-confidence was reported to be the most important factor influencing both females’ engagement in oral sex and its re-appraisal. The findings are in accordance with previous work on application of self-regulation theory in other areas of health-related behaviour; they indicate that self-control and motivation to control sexual behaviour can be promoted in modifications of risky sexual behaviour.

Presented through the lens of the Theory of Relative Deprivation (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), this thesis aims to establish and quantify the link between inaccessibility in online contexts for people with low-vision or blindness, and the psychosocial impacts that may be associated with this inaccessibility. As there is existing research on this topic with elderly participants (Lagacé, Charmarkeh, Zaky, & Firzly, 2016), the focus for this research was working-aged people. The following research questions were addressed: 1) Does perceived lack of internet accessibility lead to perceptions of unfairness among low-vision or blind individuals? 2) In turn, do perceptions of unfairness negatively impact their level of self-esteem, and civic engagement? The hypothesized results were modeled as lower levels of perceived access lead to lower levels of perceived fairness, which in turn, lower the levels of civic engagement and self- esteem. Using a sample of 69 participants between the ages of 21-65, a self-report questionnaire was administered. It was found that perceived fairness was correlated on three of four scale items with self-esteem levels; the perception of fairness was not correlated with civic engagement; civic engagement and self-esteem were significantly correlated; and perceived access was correlated with levels of self-esteem.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW)
Heavy alcohol drinking is a serious health concern in many African countries such as Namibia and South Africa. The heavy use of alcohol is mainly due to avoid coping with the realities of life. There is however, a paucity of research on heavy alcohol use amongst women, particularly in Oshana region of Namibia, where problem drinking is threatening the well-being of women and society. This study explored the psycho-social determinants of women who are heavy alcohol users in the Oshana region. The study design was explorative and descriptive within a qualitative approach. The social constructionist theory underpinned this study. Four participants were randomly selected from the Developmental Social Services caseload which led the researcher to snowball the other four participants for a total of eight participants in the study. Data was collected by means of semi-structured face-to-face interview with the aid of an interview guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and field notes were taken. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data. The participants identified with coping with realities among women heavy drinking. They reported psychological and social factors affected the well- being of women drinking. These factors included poverty, unemployment, family pressure or influence, availability and accessibility of alcohol, expression, stress, low self-esteem, fear of loneliness and many others. Based on these results, some of the suggestions put forward by all the participants and the researcher concluded the study with a recommendation that an awareness can be created by service providers such as social workers working with women who are heavy drinkers to establish and improve alcohol programmes in Oshana Region and Namibia as a whole.

In recent years, the area of e-sports has been growing rapidly and has consequentially drawn attention from the general public as well as researchers. However, research in this area still remains sparse, especially concerning the psycho-social work environment of e-sports professionals. This is even more true when referring to research that includes the individual perspective of pro-players. To provide more knowledge in this area, this study aims to explore what psychosocial aspects are mentioned by pro-players in documentary interviews and investigate if the experiences portrayed could be understood using a theoretical perspective by applying the JD-R theory. This study is based on 12 docu-series episodes featuring two League of Legends teams where 10 different pro-players participated. The research sample could both be considered availability sampling, since the data was already available, and purposeful sampling, choosing a sample consisting of pro-players. The episodes were transcribed and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Many psycho-social aspects emerged from the analysis, resulting in two higher themes where the first theme “Working as a pro-player” portrays what the profession entails and the second, “The interdependent work”, depicts the experience of being a pro, a teammate and an individual at the same time. By applying the JD-R theory on the aspects mentioned, it was concluded that these experiences indeed could be understood using a theoretical approach, providing incentives to conduct future research in the area. Possible areas of research interest were also presented in relation to this.
E-sport är att område som snabbt har vuxit under senare år,vilket har attraherat uppmärksamhetfrån allmänhetenoch forskare. Forskning på området bedrivs dockfortfarande relativt infrekvent, speciellt när det gäller de professionella e-sportspelarnas psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Detta är speciellt framträdande närdet kommer till att inkludera individuella perspektiv från spelarna. För att bidra till mer kunskap inom området syftar denna studie till att undersöka vilka psykosociala aspekter som omnämns av spelare i dokumentära intervjuer samt undersöka om dessa upplevelser kan förstås utifrån ett teoretiskt perspektiv genom att tillämpa JD-R-teorin. Denna studie baseras på 12 avsnitt från två League och Legends-lagdär 10 olika spelare deltar.Urvalet kan både anses som bekvämlighetsurval, eftersom datan redan fannstillgänglig, och strategiskt urval, då urvalet inkluderade professionella spelare.Avsnitten transkriberades och analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys.Många psykososociala aspekter framträddefrån analysen vilket resulterade i två högre teman där det första temat ”Att arbeta som en pro player” porträtterarvad professionen innebär och den andra, ”Det avhängiga arbetet”, beskriver upplevelsen av att vara en professionell spelare, en lagkamrat och en individ samtidigt. Genom att applicera JD-R-teorin på de omnämnda aspekterna fastslogs det att dessa upplevelser kan bli förstådda genom en teoretisk ansats, vilket ger incitamentatt bedriva framtid forskning inom området. Möjliga forskningsområden av intressepresenterades även i relation till detta.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women worldwide with one in 29 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in South Africa (CANSA, 2010). Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can impact important areas of a woman’s life: her relationship with herself as an individual and woman; her relationship with family members as a mother, wife, daughter and caregiver; her relationship with the environment as community member and career woman and her relationship with her religion and spiritual deity. In the reality of a woman with breast cancer, there are certain roles that arise from her relationship with herself and the world around her. This is related to with social functioning which is the fulfilment of an individual’s roles, that are created by the individual’s interactions with his/her own self, family, society and environment. The diagnosis of breast cancer is marked by mixed emotions from the patient, including shock, denial and anxiety. Cancer treatment includes surgical intervention such as biopsy, lumpectomy and mastectomy; chemotherapy; radiation therapy and hormone therapy. The various cancer treatments have different side effects that the patient needs to cope with and adjust to. Breast cancer has an adverse effect on women and can influence social functioning in different ways during the phases of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. This study focuses on breast cancer’s influence on the social functioning of women. The goal of this study was: to explore the social functioning of women with breast cancer. The research question that guided this study is: how does breast cancer affect the social functioning of women? A qualitative research approach was followed with a collective case study research design. The population for this study was women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are clients of CANSA Potchefstroom. In this study non-probability, purposive sampling was used to generate a sample. Eight participants who were diagnosed with breast cancer were selected for this study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were voice recorded with the permission of the participants and were transcribed by a contracted professional transcriber. The data were analysed by the researcher and themes and sub-themes were identified. The research findings are presented by providing a profile of the research participants and presenting the thematic analysis of the themes and sub-themes. In support of the findings a literature review and verbatim quotes from the transcriptions are given. The themes include the following: Theme One – Understanding cancer; Theme Two – Social functioning of women with breast cancer within the context of their life world; Theme Three - Social functioning of women with breast cancer within the context of their family and Theme Four - Social functioning of women with breast cancer within the context of their community. The conclusions of this study indicate that breast cancer affects the social functioning of women in different areas of their lives. These women experienced changes in their personalities, spiritual aspects, physical abilities and roles. The family and community are supportive towards patients with breast cancer and this assists the woman diagnosed with breast cancer to cope. The recommendations offered by this study can be used by professionals working with women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, to understand the influence of breast cancer on the social functioning of women and to assist social workers in their intervention with these women.
Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
lmchunu2014
Social Work and Criminology
unrestricted

This thesis examines data and theory about how the system of law (SL) operates and evolves: it contrasts data from social workers and attorneys working in the juvenile dependency court with theories about how individuals and social systems evolve. The analysis is based on research conducted in San Diego and revolves around a theory about human development, or the "individual as a system" (HD), and a theory about social systems, such as the autopoietic theory of law and its self-reproducing system (LA). It is suggested that together, the theories of HD+LA help to examine how professionals and law operate and evolve in the legal system. Overall, the thesis rejects the autopoietic systems theory that law reproduces itself, by itself. Instead, analysis in this study supports the finding that law is defined and operates through a dialectic of the individual and the social (or the organic and the mechanistic respectively) such that each gives rise to the other. On the basis of this system connection, aspects from systems theory about legal autopoiesis are integrated into concepts from constructive-developmental theory (HDLA), thus providing a new framework through which to examine how law and its system functions. The new framework is built around an equation that emerged some time after data analysis and theoretical development: SL=HDLA+DSA . The equation states that: The evolution of the system of law involves processes of human development and to some but a much lesser degree, the autopoietic nature of law. The extent of this evolution is best determined by analyzing data from a court setting. The dialectical relationship between individual and social influences in the evolution of law is facilitated by the accumulation of social action � such as activity from media and advocacy groups � and the individual meaning that professionals make about this action, which in turn has an influence on the formal and informal operations that they perform when operating law. The nature of these interacting dynamics will be shown through two interconnected tools of analysis: one is a typology of individual, professional and system self-concepts; the typology helps to show how a cycle of system change (human development giving rise to legal change and vice versa) occurs in the court; the other is the operative structure (or culture) of systems for law and social work in child abuse cases � which unite in court operations. These two interconnected tools help to show how the court operates and how social action (SA) for change contributes to professional and system change in the evolution of law.

The purpose of this study has been to investigate how psychosocial support for families where a parent suffers from a life threatening illness can be constructed. The intent was also to explore how the child's perspective is protected and what barriers and opportunities there are for family oriented support. The study has a qualitative approach and includes interviews with four social workers. The interviews were analyzed with a systems theory and attachment theory. The conclusions are that the whole family suffers psychological and social pressures when a parent is sick. The psychosocial support is given individually and to the family as a unit to help them deal with their changed life situation and facilitate subsequent grieving. An important aspect of the support is psycho education to parents and children, which aims to increase the understanding of the situation, their individual and each others' reactions. The social workers stress that it’s important to establish contacts in the family’s private network and support agencies in the community.

It falls under the medical mission to offer support to relatives and it includes a responsibility to inform and support the child based on individual circumstances. However, there seems to exist a variation and uncertainty about its nature and extent. Therefore professionals need to be aware of the importance of highlighting the child’s needs and support families.

Contemporary social and political discourses often emphasise the security threat of Jihadism towards Europe and the United States as the main terrorist threat. Two decades into the twenty-first century, however, the new threat of right-wing terrorism has emerged as the statistically most prominent form of terror. As these attacks are predominantly carried out through so-called lone wolf tactics, it becomes essential to understand how these actors operate. While there is a growing amount of empirical literature that seeks to understand this phenomenon of lone-wolf terrorism, many follow similar frameworks with explanatory models which are dependent on assumptions and common truisms, such as that lone wolves are loners with depressive personality disorders who are cultivated in a vacuum independent from social ties. This study instead explores group psycho-historical factors through the theoretical framework of Symbolic Convergence Theory, which is applied through discourse analysis. The research thus aims to identify group fantasies and grand narratives which ties these lone wolves to a community on which they depend upon in radicalisation and subsequently, in carrying out the attacks. The findings consequently suggest that the typology of lone wolf terrorism is misleading as the subjects indicate a group consciousness with a cohesiveness which grows stronger as they increasingly interpret a growing danger towards their community dependent on commonly recurring fantasies and narratives.

Popular management literature routinely presents management discourses that offer managers with strategies or 'recipes' for organisational improvement. Practitioners often uncritically accept and implement strategies prescribed within these discourses. Management discourses are constantly evolving to seemingly provide newer and better solutions to organisations' problems. The evolutionary pressures are evidenced through the limited life spans of many of the strategies proffered in the various management discourses. So short have been the life spans of some of these management strategies that the question of faddism has been raised (Birnbaum, 2001). Over recent years knowledge management has filtered from the broader management discourse into the discourse of educational administration. Knowledge management practices are said to enable individuals within an educational organisation to add value to the information and knowledge that an organisation possesses. This research used self-study to examine the effectiveness of a school administrator attempting to model explicit knowledge management principles within his professional practice. A focus of the research was the critical investigation of knowledge management as a management fad or a framework for sustainable management behaviour. Employing the living theory approach to action research allowed me to ask questions about 'how' to improve my practice and to provide evidence to support my answers. It allowed me to examine my professional practice as an educational administrator who valued knowledge, its creation and use critically. My research learnings been have presented as propositions related to the 'how' of my professional practice and its influence on the creation and management of knowledge. The propositions are as follows. * Proposition 1: As an administrator my practices when working with knowledge are a reflection of my ontology and epistemology. To consciously vary my professional practices to facilitate knowledge creation and management it is essential for me to make my ontology and epistemology explicit. * Proposition 2: My professional practices related to information sharing and knowledge creation are directly influenced by psycho-social filters. Three primary psycho-social filters are context, need and relationships. * Proposition 3: The influence of the relationship filter on my knowledge creation activities is directly linked to the relationships that exist between me and those involved in the knowledge activities. The ongoing capacity for my professional practices to influence knowledge creation is linked through relationships by my personal resilience. * Proposition 4: My knowledge influencing practices are those practices that support the provision of opportunities for information sharing and the creation of knowledge with the specific intent of applying that knowledge in an organisational context. A primary application of the created knowledge is decision making. * Proposition 5: Knowledge creation is an ongoing process and knowledge is only relevant at a point in time and applicable in a particular context. * Proposition 6: My professional practices that influence information sharing, knowledge creation and decision making are explicit iterations of my power as an administrator. * Proposition 7: Involvement in the decision making process is one of my key roles as an administrator. Decision making is a major example of the creation and use of knowledge within a school. * Proposition 8: I acknowledge that stories are a valuable way for individuals to share information and they can act as a catalyst for the creation of knowledge. * Proposition 9: Using the knowledge management discourse as a framework to support the critique of my professional practice challenges its branding as a management fad. The propositions have been developed and tested through reconnaissance and two cycles of action research. These propositions have been integrated into a model representing my capacity as an administrator to influence the creation of knowledge.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : In 2010, young people aged 15–24 years accounted for 42% of new HIV infections globally. In 2009, about five million (10%) of the total South African population was estimated to be aged 15–19 years. Current South African national sero-prevalence data estimate the prevalence of HIV to be 5.6% and 0.7% among adolescent girls and boys aged 15–19 years, respectively. HIV infections are mainly transmitted via sexual transmission. Adolescent sexuality is multi-faceted and influenced at multiple levels. In preparing to enroll adolescents in future biomedical HIV prevention trials, particularly prophylactic HIV vaccine trials, it is critical to provide counseling services appropriate to their needs. At the time of writing, there was no developed psychosocial intervention in South Africa for use among adolescent vaccine trial participants. Thus, the aim of the present study is to adapt and pilot-test a psychosocial intervention, namely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risk reduction counseling intervention of Project Respect, an intervention tasked at being developmentally and contextually appropriate among potential adolescent participants in HIV biomedical trials in the future. To achieve this overall aim, I qualitatively explored adolescent sexuality and risk factors for HIV among a diverse sample of participants aged 16–18 from Soweto. Thereafter, I developed a composite HIV risk scale in order to measure the variance in HIV risk among the sample of adolescents studied. The study followed a two-phased, mixed method research design and was informed by ecological systems theory and integrative model of behavioral prediction. The aim of Phase 1, split into phases 1a and b, was to conduct focus group discussions (FGDs) and to undertake a cross-sectional survey, respectively, to determine psychological (for example, self-esteem and depression), behavioral (specifically, sexual behavior) and social (specifically, social support, parent-adolescent communication) contexts that placed adolescents at risk for HIV infection. Phase 1a was qualitative, with data collected via nine FGDs: three involved parents of adolescents, four involved adolescents aged 16–18 years and two counselors. Nine key themes related to adolescent sexuality and risks for HIV acquisition were identified, namely: (1) dating during adolescence; (2) adolescent girls dating older men; (3) condom use amongst adolescents; (4) teenage pregnancies; (5) views about homosexuality; (6) parent-adolescent communication about sexual health; (7) the role of the media; (8) discipline and perceived government influence; and (9) group sex events. Phase 1b was quantitative and the data were collected via a cross-sectional survey to investigate the variance of risk for HIV. For Phase 1b, the sample consisted of 506 adolescents with a mean age of 17 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 16–18). More than half the participants were female (59%, n = 298). I used a three-step hierarchical multiple regression model to investigate the variance in risk for HIV. In step 3, the only significant predictors were “ever threatened to have sex” and “ever forced to have sex”, the combination of which explained 14% (R2 = 0.14; F (12, 236) = 3.14, p = 0.00). Depression and parentadolescent communication were added to steps 2 and 3, respectively, with both variables insignificant in these models. In Phase 2, I adapted and pilot tested the CDC risk reduction counseling intervention. The intervention was intended to be developmentally and contextually appropriate among adolescents from Soweto aged 16–18 years, viewed as potential participants in future HIV biomedical trials. Participants in Phase 2 were aged 16–18 years; the sample was mainly female (52%, n = 11) and most (91%, n = 19) were secondary school learners in grades 8 to 12. Participants provided feedback about their experiences of the adapted counseling intervention through in-depth interviews. I identified three main themes in this regard, namely: benefits of HIV testing services, reasons for seeking counseling and HIV testing services, and participants’ evaluation of the study visits and counseling sessions. The adapted CDC risk reduction counseling intervention was found to be acceptable with favorable outcomes for those adolescents who participated in the piloting phase. This study adds to the literature on risks for HIV among adolescents in Soweto, South Africa, by considering multiple levels of influence. Reaching a more complete understanding of ecological factors contributing to sexual risk behaviors among adolescents in the pilot-study enabled the development of a tailored counseling intervention. The findings showed the adapted CDC risk reduction counseling intervention to be feasible and acceptable among adolescents likely to be participants and eligible to participate in future HIV biomedical prevention trials. Thus, this study provides a much needed risk reduction counseling intervention that can be used among adolescents, an age group likely to participate in future HIV vaccine prevention research.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : In 2010 het jongmense tussen die ouderdomme van 15 en 24 jaar 42% van nuwe MIV-infeksies wêreldwyd uitgemaak. In 2009 was omtrent 5 miljoen mense (10%) van die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking tussen 15 en 19 jaar oud. Volgens data oor die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse nasionale sero-voorkoms, word die voorkoms van MIV onderskeidelik op 5.6% en 0.7% onder tienermeisies en -seuns tussen die ouderdomme van 15 tot 19 jaar beraam. MIV-infeksies word hoofsaaklik deur seks oorgedra. Adolessente seksualiteit het baie fasette en word op verskeie vlakke beïnvloed. Ter voorbereiding van die werwing van adolessente vir toekomstige biomediese proewe, veral proewe oor profilaktiese MIVentstowwe, is dit van kritiese belang dat beradingsdienste verskaf word wat geskik is vir hul behoeftes. Op die tydstip wat hierdie tesis geskryf is, het daar nog geen psigososiale intervensie in Suid-Afrika bestaan vir gebruik onder adolessente deelnemers aan entstofproewe nie. Daarom is die doel van hierdie studie om ʼn psigososiale intervensie ‒ die Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) se Projek Respek, ʼn beradingsintervensie vir die vermindering van risiko ‒ aan te pas en met ʼn loodsprojek te toets. Hierdie intervensie is geskik vir die ontwikkelings- en kontekstuele vlak van adolessente deelnemers aan toekomstige MIV- biomediese proewe. Ten einde hierdie oorkoepelende doelwit te bereik, het ek adolessente seksualiteit en die risikofaktore vir MIV onder ʼn diverse steekproef deelnemers tussen die ouderdomme van 16 en 18 jaar van Soweto kwalitatief ondersoek. Daarna het ek ʼn saamgestelde MIV-risikoskaal ontwikkel om die variansie van MIV-risiko onder die groep adolessente te meet. Die studie se navorsingsontwerp het uit twee fases en gemengde metodes bestaan, en is gebaseer op ekologiesestelsel-teorie en die integrerende gedragsvoorspellingsmodel. Die doel van fase 1, wat in fases 1a en 1b verdeel is, was om onderskeidelik fokusgroepbesprekings te hou en om ʼn deursnitopname te doen om die sielkundige kontekste (byvoorbeeld elemente van selfbeeld en depressie), gedragskontekste (spesifiek seksuele gedrag) en sosiale kontekste (spesifiek sosiale ondersteuning en ouer-adolessent-kommunikasie) te bepaal waarin adolessente die risiko loop om MIV-infeksie op te doen. Fase 1a was kwalitatief en data is deur middel van nege fokusgroepbesprekings ingesamel: drie met die ouers van adolessente, vier met adolessente tussen 16 en 18 jaar oud en twee met beraders. Nege sleuteltemas is geïdentifiseer wat verband hou met adolessente seksualiteit en risiko’s om MIV op te doen: (1) verhoudings tydens adolessensie, (2) tienermeisies wat verhoudings met ouer mans het, (3) die gebruik van kondome onder adolessente, (4) tienerswangerskappe, (5) sienings oor homoseksualiteit, (6) ouer-adolessent-kommunikasie oor seksuele gesondheid, (7) die rol van die media, (8) dissipline en die ervaarde regeringsinvloed en (9) groepseksgeleenthede. Fase 1b was kwantitatief en data is deur middel van ’n deursnitopname ingesamel om die variansie van risiko vir MIV te ondersoek. Vir Fase 1b het die steekproef bestaan uit 506 adolessente met ’n gemiddelde ouderdom van 17 jaar (interkwartielwydte [IKW]: 16–18). Meer as die helfte van die deelnemers was vroulik (59%, n = 298). Ek het ’n hiërargiese meervoudige regressiemodel met drie stappe gebruik om die variansie van risiko vir MIV te ondersoek. Die enigste beduidende voorspellers in stap 3 was “ooit gedreig om seks te hê” en “ooit geforseer om seks te hê”. Die kombinasie hiervan het 14% (R2 = 0.14; F (12, 236) = 3.14, p = 0.00) verklaar. Depressie en oueradolessent- kommunikasie is onderskeidelik in stappe 2 en 3 bygevoeg, en albei veranderlikes was onbeduidend in hierdie modelle. In Fase 2 het ek die CDC se intervensie vir die verlaging van risiko aangepas en met ’n loodsprojek getoets. Die intervensie was bedoel om geskik te wees vir die ontwikkelings- en kontekstuele vlakke van 16- tot 18-jarige adolessente van Soweto wat beskou is as potensiële deelnemers aan toekomstige MIV- biomediese proewe. Deelnemers in Fase 2 was 16 tot 18 jaar oud, die steekproef was hoofsaaklik vroulik (52%, n = 11) en die meeste van die deelnemers (91%, n = 19) was in grade 8 tot 12 op hoërskool. Deelnemers het tydens indringende onderhoude terugvoering oor hulle ervarings van die aangepaste beradingsintervensie verskaf. Ek het drie hooftemas in hierdie verband geïdentifiseer, wat die volgende insluit: voordele van MIV-toetsingsdienste, redes waarom berading en MIV-toetsingsdienste verlang word, en die deelnemers se evaluering van die studiebesoeke en beradingsessies. Daar is bevind dat die aangepaste beradingsintervensie van die CDC aanvaarbaar was en gunstige uitkomste gelewer het vir die adolessente wat aan die loodsfase deelgeneem het. Hierdie studie dra by tot die literatuur oor MIV-risiko’s vir adolessente in Soweto, Suid-Afrika, deur meervoudige invloedsvlakke te oorweeg. Die feit dat ’n meer volledige begrip tydens die loodsondersoek verkry is van die interaksie van die ekologiese faktore wat tot seksuele risikogedrag onder adolessente bydra, het die ontwikkeling van ʼn doelgemaakte intervensie deur berading moontlik gemaak. Die bevindings het getoon dat die aangepaste beradingsintervensie van die CDC lewensvatbaar en aanvaarbaar is vir gebruik onder adolessente wat waarskynlik geskikte deelnemers aan toekomstige biomediese proewe oor MIV-voorkoming kan wees. Hierdie studie verskaf dus ʼn noodsaaklike beradingsintervensie om die MIV-risiko onder adolessente ‒ ʼn ouderdomsgroep wat waarskynlik aan toekomstige biomediese navorsing oor MIV-voorkoming sal deelneem ‒ te verminder.

This research into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) presents the results of 60 first-person psycho-phenomenological interviews with 30 New Zealand women. The participants were recruited from the Canterbury and Wellington regions, 10 had recovered. Taking a non-dual, non-reductive embodied approach, the phenomenological data was analysed semiotically, using a graph-theoretical cluster analysis to elucidate the large number of resulting categories, and interpreted through the enactive approach to cognitive science. The initial result of the analysis is a comprehensive exploration of the experience of CFS which develops subject-specific categories of experience and explores the relation of the illness to universal categories of experience, including self, ‘energy’, action, and being-able-to-do. Transformations of the self surrounding being-able-to-do and not-being-able-to-do were shown to elucidate the illness process. It is proposed that the concept ‘energy’ in the participants’ discourse is equivalent to the Mahayana Buddhist concept of ‘contact’. This characterises CFS as a breakdown of contact. Narrative content from the recovered interviewees reflects a reestablishment of contact. The hypothesis that CFS is a disorder of action is investigated in detail. A general model for the phenomenology and functional architecture of action is proposed. This model is a recursive loop involving felt meaning, contact, action, and perception and appears to be phenomenologically supported. It is proposed that the CFS illness process is a dynamical decompensation of the subject’s action loop caused by a breakdown in the process of contact. On this basis, a new interpretation of neurological findings in relation to CFS becomes possible. A neurological phenomenon that correlates with the illness and involves a brain region that has a similar structure to the action model’s recursive loop is identified in previous research results and compared with the action model and the results of this research. This correspondence may identify the brain regions involved in the illness process, which may provide an objective diagnostic test for the condition and approaches to treatment. The implications of this model for cognitive science and CFS should be investigated through neurophenomenological research since the model stands to shed considerable light on the nature of consciousness, contact and agency. Phenomenologically based treatments are proposed, along with suggestions for future research on CFS. The research may clarify the diagnostic criteria for CFS and guide management and treatment programmes, particularly multidimensional and interdisciplinary approaches. Category theory is proposed as a foundation for a mathematisation of phenomenology.

This study was undertaken to determine the extent of aggressive behaviour exhibited by secondary school learners. Many factors were considered when investigating the problem of aggressive behaviour. The problem was traced from the theorists' perspectives and factors related to the family, school and community. An extensive literature review showed that the above factors contribute to aggressive behaviour among adolescents. In order to support or reject the findings of the literature study, quantitative (questionnaire) research and qualitative research (interviews) were conducted. The results of the quantitative research concerning learners' aggressive behaviour in secondary schools were analysed and interpreted while at the same time a deeper understanding of aggressive behaviour was revealed through qualitative research. The results of the empirical research indicated that the more negative the family climate, school climate, community climate or influence of friends are, or the more negative the emotional self-concept of the adolescent is, the more aggressive the adolescent is, and vice versa. Based on these findings recommendations for the implementation of prevention programmes were made.
Educational Studies
D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-239)
The primary aim of the study was to develop a psychosocial assessment tool for determining willingness to participate in child-centred safety promotion interventions, specifically in a low-income community in South Africa. The secondary aim was to determine the factors associated with willingness to participate. The study employed a mixed methods approach to develop the measure, and included content validation, item writing and initial validation processes. Nominal Group Technique discussions were conducted with various role-players in the relevant communities to inform the development of the instrument, while participatory methodologies were utilised to conceptualise the instrument in relation to psycho-social factors associated with intervention participation, with these categorised according to core dimensions. A Delphi method utilising an expert panel reviewed items for relevance, difficulty and ambiguity, with items subsequently amended or removed. Item selection procedures were conducted on the English version of the instrument and these results were applied to the Afrikaans version. A pilot study was conducted as part of the initial validation in order to test the items and format the questionnaire. The instrument was then administered to Afrikaans speaking individuals in a community in the Western Cape. Iterative exploratory factor analysis was conducted at both the item and scale levels to select and reassign items and scales in order to determine the final composition of the questionnaire. The findings indicate that the instrument measures seven factors, namely incentives; priorities and community needs; perceived benefits; social approval; accessibility and values; altruistic capital; and community cohesion. These factors are explained in terms of the Process-Person-Context-Time model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, considered within a participatory framework. The study findings indicate that the seven factors represent salient dimensions of the construct willingness to participate in interventions. The questionnaire and its subscales displayed acceptable to good reliability, with Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.55 to 0.80. Since willingness precedes actual participation, it is argued that insight into the factors that relate to willingness to participate provides an avenue for motivating actual participation.
Psychology
Ph. D. (Psychology)

South Africa has been witnessing an escalation in drug use amongst adolescents in high school. Thus, the main question that motivated this research was: How can a psycho-educational programme, using a selected audio-visual media resource, assist teachers and parents in an effort to prevent adolescent students’ substance abuse problem behaviour? Social cognitive theory (SCT) and self-efficacy theory (SET) were used as a conceptual framework. The study explained these theories in-depth. Adolescent substance abuse was also studied as well as programmes to address this problem. This was followed by a perusal of numerous audio-visual resources for their possible incorporation into prevention programmes. The ‘Above The Influence’ (ATI) resource was selected for the psycho-educational programme which was designed for the study. The programme was put into action during seven sessions over a period of about two months, and implemented with a group of 26 Grade 10 and Grade 11 students in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to evaluate its relevance for adolescent substance abuse prevention. To evaluate the programme, a qualitative approach was used. The data were gathered during the programme implementation by means of in-person and online focus groups, individual interviews, written open-ended questions, observation notes and follow-up interviews some time after the programme had ended. Eleven principles were identified from the literature to evaluate the potential of the programme to be effective in preventing adolescent substance abuse. In particular the programme needed to increase adolescents’ skills related to studying, communication, peer relationships, self-efficacy, assertiveness, and drug resistance. The programme also had to employ interactive techniques and needed to address the type of drug abuse problem in the local community, for example, the ‘gateway’ substances of marijuana, alcohol and tobacco. In addition, the programme potential was evaluated in the light of SCT and SET. The findings indicated that the psycho-educational programme, using ATI as audiovisual medium, can be used very effectively by teachers to raise students’ awareness and develop particular skills that could contribute towards the prevention of adolescent substance abuse. It is recommended that the programme should be used in the long-term with repeated reinforcing sessions over time.
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The aim of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a psycho-educational programme to enhance the efficacy of parents of adolescents. Thus, the research project can be identified as formative, evaluative research. To this end, an investigation was undertaken to determine how the efficacy of parents of adolescents could be enhanced through an understanding of: * the life phase of adolescence; * the life phase of parents of adolescents; * the role of parents of adolescents; * factors influencing the parenting of adolescents (e.g., generational effects and the influence of family structure on parenting); * the challenges facing adolescents and their parents which may hamper parenting efficacy; * factors which assist parents of adolescents to overcome challenges and improve their parenting efficacy; * parenting skills which foster parenting efficacy; and * the nature of a psycho-educational programme which could enhance the efficacy of parents of adolescents. A literature study provided the theoretical background to the development of the above mentioned programme. In the next phase of the study, a psycho-educational programme was developed based on the literature review, a study of similar programmes and a pilot study conducted with parents. The programme aimed at helping parents to become aware of their parenting practices, to encourage them to increase knowledge and understanding of themselves and of their adolescent children and to develop personal strategies and skills to cope with parenting challenges. The programme was implemented with a group of 21 parents of adolescents (five fathers and sixteen mothers) living in George, South Africa during sessions held once per week over a period of six weeks. Participants were divided into three groups: six single parents; eight parents of nuclear families; and seven parents from blended-extended families. Data was collected qualitatively during each meeting. In addition, focus groups were conducted at the end of the six weeks. The findings indicated that the programme enhanced the efficacy of the participating parents in supporting the development of their adolescent children.
Educational Studies
D.Ed (Psychology of Education)

Facilitating forgiveness: an NLP approach to forgiving is an attempt at uncovering features of the blocks that prevent people to forgive. These blocks to forgiveness can be detected in the real life situations of the six individuals who told me their stories. The inner thoughts, feelings and the subsequent behaviour that prevented them from forgiving others is clearly uncovered in their stories. The facilitation process highlights the features that created the blocks in the past thus preventing forgiveness to occur. The blocks with their accompanying features reveal what needs to be clarified or changed in order to eventually enable the hurt individuals to forgive those who have hurt them. The application of discourse analysis to the stories of hurt highlights the links between the real life stories of the individuals within their contexts with regard to unforgiveness to the research findings of the existing body of knowledge, thereby creating a complexly interwoven comprehensive understanding of the individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in conjunction with their developmental phases within their socio-cultural contexts. Neuro-linguistic-programming (NLP) is the instrument with which forgiving is facilitated in the six individuals who expressed their conscious desire to forgive, because they were unable to do so on their own. Their emotions had the habit of keeping them in a place in which they were forced to relive the hurtful event as if it were happening in the present. Arresting the process of reliving negative emotions requires a new way of being in this world. The assumption that this can be learnt is based on the results from a previous study, in which forgiveness was uncovered by means of the grounded theory approach as a cognitive process (Von Krosigk, 2000). The results from the previous research in conjunction with the results and insights from this research study are presented in the form of a grounded theory model of forgiveness.
Psychology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

In this study, the accuracy of predicted psycho-socio-economic impacts resulting from mining and infrastructure projects is investigated by comparing it to impacts shown to actually occur. A systems theoretical approach was followed in conjunction with a qualitative methodology in order to conceptualise impacts in the social systems they occur. Data was collected through a document review (which included a total of 17 documents pertaining to predicted impacts, and 24 documents pertaining to actual impacts) and analysed by means of thematic analysis, which rendered four main themes and 20 subthemes. The findings of the thematic analysis were subjected to second-order analysis, which enabled the categorisation of impacts according to the level of accuracy with which they are predicted. To understand why some impacts are incorrectly predicted, a third-order analysis was performed. The study suggests that many of the commonly predicted psycho-socio-economic impacts are less accurate than what they should ideally be, suggesting that some of the assumptions on which these predictions are based should be revised, as should the conceptualisation of the impacts. The researcher argues that, in order to make accurate predictions about the impacts resulting from mining and infrastructure projects, sufficient knowledge of the attributes of the project, the nature of the receiving environment, the causal processes by which the project will bring about changes in the receiving environment, and the value systems according to which communities judge whether a specific change constitutes a negative or positive impact, is required. This argument is substantiated by highlighting instances of inaccurate predictions relevant to each category of required information. More fundamentally, however, the researcher argues that inaccurate predictions are the result of inadequate consideration of the systemic nature of psycho-socio-economic impacts and the context in which they occur, precipitated by the incorrect use of the “social impact” metaphor.
Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
Psychology
unrestricted

High school students need to be equipped with the competencies that may enable them to adapt to the increasing demands of learning in the school and beyond. To this end, the main research question of this study was, namely How can the self-regulated learning of adolescents be developed at high school? The aim of the study was to design, implement and evaluate a study skills programme for high school students. The social-cognitive theory, in particular the self-regulated Learning (SRL) theory, was used as the conceptual framework on which this study was based. An explanatory, sequential, mixed-methods research design was implemented. Purposeful sampling was used to select the participants in the three phases of the research project. Two classes of Grade 10-students (an experimental and a comparison group) from one school participated in the study, as follows: (i) in the first quantitative phase both classes wrote a pre-test, using the Learning and Strategies Inventory - High School Version (LASSI-HS); (ii) this was followed by a qualitative phase over 10 weeks. During this time a programme was implemented with the experimental group, once per week for 30 minutes (during school hours), and a 30 minute session in the afternoons. Individual work was also done with eight students, who were purposefully sampled. Between one and four sessions were held with each of the eight students. During the 10 weeks data were collected continuously by means of individual interviews with the eight students, as well as from their journals. In addition, the researcher collected data by means of field-notes. (iii) After the 10 weeks, the final quantitative phase involved both the experimental and the comparison groups in the writing of a post-test. The results indicated that the programme to enhance the students’ goal-setting, self-monitoring and self-evaluation strategies was successful. The students also indicated an improvement in their attitudes, motivation, information-processing, and in selecting the main ideas in their study material. However, shortcomings were noted in certain areas. Based on the literature and the empirical findings of the study, an improved programme for the development of the adolescents’ SRL in high school was designed. The programme recommended the early commencement of the programme, and that the two problem areas that were identified, namely time-management and motivational strategies be emphasised.
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Afrikaans text
In this study, the reasons for the phenomenon of continuous loyalty towards and hero worship of incapable parents are investigated. Case studies with a qualitative and quantitative research paradigm were completed on two adolescents. Media that was used to collect data include: interviews, Kinetic Family Drawing, Sacks Incomplete Sentence Test and the High School Personality Questionnaire. The findings of this study indicate that there are certain factors that are typical traits of incapable parenthood. Adolescents deal with this child-parent relationship through rationalisation and defence. The result is a feeling of inferiority, poor self-image and behavioural patterns that are aimed at satisfying the parents and receiving in turn, positive feedback. This study supplies answers to parents and individuals in the educational-psychological field in understanding the adolescent in such situations. Further research is however necessary to gain information about this phenomenon in order to be able to substantiate the findings.
In hierdie studie is die redes vir die verskynsel van lojaliteit teenoor, en heldeverering vir ontoereikende ouers ondersoek. `n Gevallestudie, met `n kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is op twee adolessente gedoen. Die media waarmee die data ingesamel is sluit in: onderhoudvoering, Kinetiese Gesinstekening, Sacks Onvoltooide Sinnetoets en die Hoërskoolpersoonlikheidsvraelys. Die bevindings van hierdie studie toon aan dat daar sekere faktore is wat kenmerkend van ontoereikende ouerskap is. Adolessente spreek hierdie ouer-kind-verhouding aan deur rasionalisasie en verdediging. Die gevolg is `n gevoel van minderwaardigheid en `n swak selfbeeld, asook gedrag wat daarop gerig word om die ouers tevrede te stel en positiewe terugvoer van hulle af te kry. Hierdie studie bied antwoorde aan ouers en persone in die opvoedkundige-sielkunde praktyk oor hoe om adolessente in sulke situasies te verstaan. Verdere navorsing is egter nodig om inligting oor dié verskynsel te bekom en sodoende bevindings te kan veralgemeen.
Further Teacher Education
M. Ed. (Voorligting)

As female adolescents go through the transition phase of adolescence, they respond to a variety of factors influencing their sexual development, for instance, cultural practices, socioeconomic status, media exposure, internet access, increased autonomy to explore their sexuality, as well as quality of care, guidance and supervision by primary caregivers. If they do not get enough guidance from caregivers, teachers or medical clinics, adolescents often fall pregnant. The consequences of unexpected pregnancies prove to be negative on intrapersonal as well as interpersonal levels. There is a need to reduce such pregnancies to give adolescents a better chance in life and to enhance optimal development on individual, social, emotional and moral levels. This study explored female adolescents’ experiences and perceptions of teenage pregnancy in Belfast, Mpumalanga, in South Africa. The researcher tried to make a positive contribution towards reducing the incidence of teenage pregnancy in South Africa, especially in rural, farm and semi-urban settings, through an inductive study of African female adolescents in selected secondary schools. Data were collected through individual in-depth audio-recorded semi-structured interviews with 20 African adolescent girls who were purposefully selected for the study. The researcher used Tesch’s method of analysis to analyse the data collected and to deduce themes and categories. Adolescents mostly fell pregnant, because of changes in sexual interest, emotional experiences, social development dynamics, adolescent thinking patterns and failure to use contraceptives. Teenage pregnancy affected the life-world of adolescents by influencing negatively on their physical health, psycho-emotional wellbeing, moral behaviour, social and school lives. The researcher established that the adolescents, their families, communities and society would continue to face the adverse outcomes of teenage pregnancy if the rates of teenage pregnancy remained unabated. The study therefore recommended collaborative efforts of adults in various governmental and private spheres for prevention of teenage pregnancy and for support of adolescent mothers and their babies during and after early-unexpected pregnancies. Some of the recommendations were: national awareness campaigns to curb teenage pregnancies; the review of the Life Orientation curriculum by the Department of Basic Education; the re-orientation of health delivery services; the positive inputs of teachers and schools; and a re-orientation of the responsibilities of primary caregivers and other adults
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)