Marie Curie : a psychobiography
- Authors: Roets, Elmeret
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Curie, Marie -- 1867-1934 -- Psychology , Women chemists -- Poland -- Biography , Scientists -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3269 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020326
- Description: While researchers debate the value of psychobiographical research, interest in this area is growing on a national and international basis. Every year, the number of psychobiographical studies at universities in South Africa is growing. Psychobiographical research is qualitative research that utilises psychological theory to explore and describe the lives of extraordinary individuals. The primary aim of this psychobiography was to examine the life of Marie Curie (1867–1934) by employing developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s (1959) theory of psychosocial personality development. Marie Curie was chosen as the research subject because of the researcher’s personal interest and the subject’s prominence as a female scientist. She was a Polish-born and naturalised French scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Marie Curie’s ground-breaking discoveries changed the way scientists think about matter and energy and introduced a new era in medical knowledge and the treatment of disease. Her life exemplifies a love of science, commitment, and perseverance. Data were collected from several primary and secondary sources on Marie Curie’s life. The researcher developed a data-collection and analysis matrix to facilitate the systematic collection of data and analysis according to Erikson’s stage theory of psychosocial personality development. This psychobiography suggests that unresolved infantile and early childhood crises gave rise to personality traits that eventually contributed to Curie’s extraordinariness. In the case of Curie, personality traits that are often regarded as atypical or malignant, ironically encouraged perseverance, creativity, and productivity. This study complements the psychobiographical studies done in South Africa on extraordinary individuals. It demonstrated the value of psychobiographical research as a teaching instrument, revealed the usefulness of Erikson’s theory, and illustrated the uniqueness of individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Roets, Elmeret
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Curie, Marie -- 1867-1934 -- Psychology , Women chemists -- Poland -- Biography , Scientists -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3269 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020326
- Description: While researchers debate the value of psychobiographical research, interest in this area is growing on a national and international basis. Every year, the number of psychobiographical studies at universities in South Africa is growing. Psychobiographical research is qualitative research that utilises psychological theory to explore and describe the lives of extraordinary individuals. The primary aim of this psychobiography was to examine the life of Marie Curie (1867–1934) by employing developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s (1959) theory of psychosocial personality development. Marie Curie was chosen as the research subject because of the researcher’s personal interest and the subject’s prominence as a female scientist. She was a Polish-born and naturalised French scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Marie Curie’s ground-breaking discoveries changed the way scientists think about matter and energy and introduced a new era in medical knowledge and the treatment of disease. Her life exemplifies a love of science, commitment, and perseverance. Data were collected from several primary and secondary sources on Marie Curie’s life. The researcher developed a data-collection and analysis matrix to facilitate the systematic collection of data and analysis according to Erikson’s stage theory of psychosocial personality development. This psychobiography suggests that unresolved infantile and early childhood crises gave rise to personality traits that eventually contributed to Curie’s extraordinariness. In the case of Curie, personality traits that are often regarded as atypical or malignant, ironically encouraged perseverance, creativity, and productivity. This study complements the psychobiographical studies done in South Africa on extraordinary individuals. It demonstrated the value of psychobiographical research as a teaching instrument, revealed the usefulness of Erikson’s theory, and illustrated the uniqueness of individuals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Nascent Desires: Gendered Sexualities in Life Orientation Sexuality Education Programmes and Popular Music
- Authors: Moodley, Dale Dhersen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3274 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021260
- Description: Formal school-based sexuality education is one medium, amongst others, that recognises young people’s sexuality, but usually as at-risk and/or risk taking subjects, or as innocent subjects. I analyse the gendered sexualities of young people as represented in: Grade 10 Life Orientation sexuality education programmes and popular music, as two mediums of sexual socialisation in Grade 10 learners’ lives, and as engaged with by Grade 10 learners and educators. I collected data from two schools in the Eastern Cape that included: (i) sections on sexuality from two Life Orientation manuals used by educators in classrooms: ‘Oxford Successful Life Orientation’ (2011), and ‘Shuters Top Class Life Orientation’ (2011); (ii) videos and lyrics of three songs voted most popular by learners which were ‘Climax’ by Usher, ‘Beez in the Trap’ by Nicki Minaj, and ‘Where Have You Been’ by Rihanna; (iii) observations of seven sexuality education classes; and, (iv) in-depth semistructured interviews conducted with eight learners and two educators. I draw on an integrated theoretical and methodological approach – Foucauldian, feminist poststructural and psychosocial psychoanalytic perspectives – to conceptualise and analyse gendered sexualities in terms of: (i) the dominant gendered discourses found in sexuality education manuals, and music videos and lyrics; (ii) the reflexive and interactive gendered subject positions taken up and/or resisted by learners and educators during classroom lessons and one-on-one interviews; and, (iii) learners’ and educators’ conscious and unconscious investments in particular gendered subject positions during one-on-one interviews. These three sets of analysis produced four major themes. The first theme centres on responsible sexuality; young women are expected to assume more sexual responsility than young men, thus curbing their sexual agency. The second theme outlines three types of pleasure – sexual, romantic and dating and/or relationship pleasure – that accord young men and women active and passive ways of exercising pleasure. The third theme highlights the heteronormative transitioning adolescent subject that constructs young women as reproductive subjects and young men as sexual subjects. The last theme focuses on gendered power relations and raunch culture, and maintains that young men are powerful and likely to commit acts of sexual violence against young women because they are powerless. The central argument developed when viewing all the themes is that dominant gendered discourse, gendered subject positions, and conscious and unconscious investments in these positions challenge the extent to which the gendered meanings that underpin adolescent learners’ sexuality are stable and fixed. The gendered discourses in the Life Orientation sexuality education programmes showed that gender is expressed rigidly, thus privileging masculine over feminine sexuality. However, the gendered discourses in the popular music contested rigid gender binaries and produced fluid and equitable masculine and feminine sexualities. The classroom practices depicted multiple and more equatable gendered sexualities, highlighting just how contested gender is. Finally, educator and learners’ personal biographies illustrated how conflicting masculine and feminine sexualities present a signficant source of emotional conflict for them. It may benefit policymakers and stakeholders to consider informal mediums of sexual socialisation for learners, such as music, when drafting the Life Orientation sexuality education curriculum, whilst also taking into account learners and educators personal lives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Moodley, Dale Dhersen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3274 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021260
- Description: Formal school-based sexuality education is one medium, amongst others, that recognises young people’s sexuality, but usually as at-risk and/or risk taking subjects, or as innocent subjects. I analyse the gendered sexualities of young people as represented in: Grade 10 Life Orientation sexuality education programmes and popular music, as two mediums of sexual socialisation in Grade 10 learners’ lives, and as engaged with by Grade 10 learners and educators. I collected data from two schools in the Eastern Cape that included: (i) sections on sexuality from two Life Orientation manuals used by educators in classrooms: ‘Oxford Successful Life Orientation’ (2011), and ‘Shuters Top Class Life Orientation’ (2011); (ii) videos and lyrics of three songs voted most popular by learners which were ‘Climax’ by Usher, ‘Beez in the Trap’ by Nicki Minaj, and ‘Where Have You Been’ by Rihanna; (iii) observations of seven sexuality education classes; and, (iv) in-depth semistructured interviews conducted with eight learners and two educators. I draw on an integrated theoretical and methodological approach – Foucauldian, feminist poststructural and psychosocial psychoanalytic perspectives – to conceptualise and analyse gendered sexualities in terms of: (i) the dominant gendered discourses found in sexuality education manuals, and music videos and lyrics; (ii) the reflexive and interactive gendered subject positions taken up and/or resisted by learners and educators during classroom lessons and one-on-one interviews; and, (iii) learners’ and educators’ conscious and unconscious investments in particular gendered subject positions during one-on-one interviews. These three sets of analysis produced four major themes. The first theme centres on responsible sexuality; young women are expected to assume more sexual responsility than young men, thus curbing their sexual agency. The second theme outlines three types of pleasure – sexual, romantic and dating and/or relationship pleasure – that accord young men and women active and passive ways of exercising pleasure. The third theme highlights the heteronormative transitioning adolescent subject that constructs young women as reproductive subjects and young men as sexual subjects. The last theme focuses on gendered power relations and raunch culture, and maintains that young men are powerful and likely to commit acts of sexual violence against young women because they are powerless. The central argument developed when viewing all the themes is that dominant gendered discourse, gendered subject positions, and conscious and unconscious investments in these positions challenge the extent to which the gendered meanings that underpin adolescent learners’ sexuality are stable and fixed. The gendered discourses in the Life Orientation sexuality education programmes showed that gender is expressed rigidly, thus privileging masculine over feminine sexuality. However, the gendered discourses in the popular music contested rigid gender binaries and produced fluid and equitable masculine and feminine sexualities. The classroom practices depicted multiple and more equatable gendered sexualities, highlighting just how contested gender is. Finally, educator and learners’ personal biographies illustrated how conflicting masculine and feminine sexualities present a signficant source of emotional conflict for them. It may benefit policymakers and stakeholders to consider informal mediums of sexual socialisation for learners, such as music, when drafting the Life Orientation sexuality education curriculum, whilst also taking into account learners and educators personal lives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The experience of recovering from a substance use disorder
- Authors: van der Schyff, Brett Carl
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4016 , vital:20585
- Description: Substance use disorder is an intricate societal phenomenon resulting from psychological and physiological dependence. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of individuals recovering from a substance use disorder. An interpretive phenomenological method was used to elicit the fundamentals of recovery as experienced by the participants. Random purposeful sampling was used and guaranteed that appropriate participants were selected. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with four individuals. The collected data was then processed according to the three interpretive phenomenological principles namely, phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography. Analysis was thereafter conducted using five steps, which led to two main themes emerged. The two thematic categories that emerged were (1) the ex-users’ experiences of using substances and (2) experiences of recovering from a substance use disorder. Within the first thematic category two sub-themes developed which included: reasons for using substances, and when substance use became a dependency. The sub-themes that emerged in the second thematic category included: initiating recovery, recovery and treatment models, post-treatment, risk factors in recovery and supportive and protective factors in recovery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: van der Schyff, Brett Carl
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4016 , vital:20585
- Description: Substance use disorder is an intricate societal phenomenon resulting from psychological and physiological dependence. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of individuals recovering from a substance use disorder. An interpretive phenomenological method was used to elicit the fundamentals of recovery as experienced by the participants. Random purposeful sampling was used and guaranteed that appropriate participants were selected. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with four individuals. The collected data was then processed according to the three interpretive phenomenological principles namely, phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography. Analysis was thereafter conducted using five steps, which led to two main themes emerged. The two thematic categories that emerged were (1) the ex-users’ experiences of using substances and (2) experiences of recovering from a substance use disorder. Within the first thematic category two sub-themes developed which included: reasons for using substances, and when substance use became a dependency. The sub-themes that emerged in the second thematic category included: initiating recovery, recovery and treatment models, post-treatment, risk factors in recovery and supportive and protective factors in recovery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The lived experience of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy
- Steenkamp, Jeanette Gwendoline
- Authors: Steenkamp, Jeanette Gwendoline
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021272
- Description: This study aimed to gain insight and understanding into adult clients’ personal lived experiences of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy. International research which examines the post-termination phase of psychotherapy has found that this particular lived experience can have both positive and negative consequences for clients’ psychosocial wellbeing. Few recent studies focusing on adult clients’ personal experiences of the post-termination phase could be located and none of these studies were conducted in a non-Western context. The study’s aim was to address this gap in the existing literature by using interpretative-phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experience of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy for two South African adult clients. Data were collected via individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data yielded the following themes: Therapy remembered as amazing, but hard work, Vivid memories of therapy retained post-termination, Seeing the therapist differently, Keeping the therapist alive, Being different after therapy, “I started losing all my ground I had gained”, and Resuming the external journey. These findings corroborated and expanded upon existing research in the area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Steenkamp, Jeanette Gwendoline
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021272
- Description: This study aimed to gain insight and understanding into adult clients’ personal lived experiences of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy. International research which examines the post-termination phase of psychotherapy has found that this particular lived experience can have both positive and negative consequences for clients’ psychosocial wellbeing. Few recent studies focusing on adult clients’ personal experiences of the post-termination phase could be located and none of these studies were conducted in a non-Western context. The study’s aim was to address this gap in the existing literature by using interpretative-phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experience of the post-termination period of long-term psychotherapy for two South African adult clients. Data were collected via individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data yielded the following themes: Therapy remembered as amazing, but hard work, Vivid memories of therapy retained post-termination, Seeing the therapist differently, Keeping the therapist alive, Being different after therapy, “I started losing all my ground I had gained”, and Resuming the external journey. These findings corroborated and expanded upon existing research in the area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The relationship between the alcohol use patterns and cognitive and symptomatic functioning of Rhodes University students
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Ulwaluko kwa Xhosa: young Xhosa men's lived experiences in the context of traditional male initiation
- Authors: Siswana, Anele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3271 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020840
- Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of young amaXhosa men in relation to U!walukokwa Xhosa (traditional male initiation [TMI]) and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The conceptual framework of this study is located within African epistemology focusing on indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in South Africa. The study aimed at enabling young amaXhosa men who had undergone TMI to reflect on their first-hand, personal accounts of Ulwa/ukokwa Xhosa and manhood. Six semistructured interviews and a follow up focus group discussion were held with 23-27 years old amaXhosa men residing in Joza Township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. The thesis reports on the following findings: (a) the significance of the place/location of initiation, and the guise of modernity; (b) feelings of anticipation experienced by the young men; (c) the theme on ubudoda(manhood) affirmation Ndiyindoda!; (d) the theme on the concealment of pain (perseverance); (e) the theme on respect for self and others and ubuntu;(f) Uzimelegeqe (independence and autonomy) and (g) social role and responsibility. The paper argues for the relevance of TMI as a significantrite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa men.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Siswana, Anele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3271 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020840
- Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of young amaXhosa men in relation to U!walukokwa Xhosa (traditional male initiation [TMI]) and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The conceptual framework of this study is located within African epistemology focusing on indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in South Africa. The study aimed at enabling young amaXhosa men who had undergone TMI to reflect on their first-hand, personal accounts of Ulwa/ukokwa Xhosa and manhood. Six semistructured interviews and a follow up focus group discussion were held with 23-27 years old amaXhosa men residing in Joza Township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. The thesis reports on the following findings: (a) the significance of the place/location of initiation, and the guise of modernity; (b) feelings of anticipation experienced by the young men; (c) the theme on ubudoda(manhood) affirmation Ndiyindoda!; (d) the theme on the concealment of pain (perseverance); (e) the theme on respect for self and others and ubuntu;(f) Uzimelegeqe (independence and autonomy) and (g) social role and responsibility. The paper argues for the relevance of TMI as a significantrite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa men.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Understanding sexual concurrency and HIV/AIDS: implicit and explicit attitudes in a South African student population
- Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
- Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
- Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Contextualising work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Koeberg, Richenda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Nursing -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nurses -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work and family
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3261 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017884
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’ perceptions of work-family conflict. A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008). The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict, except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was reported for strain-based work interference with family. The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare institutions
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Koeberg, Richenda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Nursing -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nurses -- Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Work and family
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3261 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017884
- Description: The focus of this study was to investigate work-family conflict, social support and gender ideologies of professional/registered nurses in the South African context, specifically within the Cacadu District (Eastern Cape). The study had four aims: (a) to investigate the construct validity of the measuring instrument, (b) to investigate the relationship between social support provided by family and family interference with work (FIW), (c) to ascertain the influence of shift work on perceived work-family conflict, and lastly, (d) to determine whether there is a difference between the number of children in households and nurses’ perceptions of work-family conflict. A quantitative research design was used in the study. The sample (N = 106) was taken from five district hospitals in the Cacadu District, Eastern Cape. The measuring instrument consisted of three scales, namely the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000), the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987), and an adapted Gender Ideology Scale (Tsai, 2008). The results indicated that the construct validity of the Multi-dimensional Work-Family Conflict scale was satisfactory. However, analysis of the Social Support Questionnaire and Gender Ideology scales both suggested that these scales have not been validated for use with diverse samples outside the contexts in which they were developed. The results also indicated that there is a relationship between social support provided by families and behaviour-based family interference with work. Additionally, there appeared to be a difference between the shifts worked by nurses and their perceived work-family conflict, except for strain-based work interference with family. And lastly, the only significant difference between the number of children in the household and work-family conflict was reported for strain-based work interference with family. The implications of the results for future research suggest the importance of developing and validating work-family conflict, social support and gender ideology scales that are dependent on the context of the research. In so doing, the constructs of the scale are made meaningful. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary evidence of tailoring work-family initiatives that address the needs of the nursing profession and the context of healthcare institutions
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Counsellors’ talk about their understanding of, and practices in response to, intimate partner violence during pregnancy: a narrative-discursive analytic study.
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Fleischack, Anne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Intimate partner violence -- Psychological aspects , Abused women -- Counseling of , Pregnant women -- South Africa -- Abuse of , Pregnant women -- Counseling of
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016391
- Description: South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Entrepreneurial intention among Rhodes University undergraduate students
- Authors: Bell, Jonathan Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Undergraduates , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social cognitive theory , Intention , Attitude (Psychology) , Influence (Psychology) , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3267 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020011
- Description: The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Bell, Jonathan Andrew
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Undergraduates , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social cognitive theory , Intention , Attitude (Psychology) , Influence (Psychology) , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3267 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020011
- Description: The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Experiences of women recently diagnosed with HIV
- Authors: Jurie, Khuselwa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Stigma (Social psychology) , HIV (Viruses) -- Diagnosis , AIDS (Disease) in women -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3259 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017882
- Description: The focus of this study is on the experiences of a small sample of local women who have been recently diagnosed with HIV. The aim of the research was to give these women an opportunity to express their first-hand, personal accounts of living with HIV. Five isiXhosa-speaking women were recruited and interviewed. These accounts were collected and analysed within in the methodological framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative approach that is becoming increasingly popular in the broad fields of health and clinical psychology. Data was analysed for meaningful units, which were interpreted inductively and hermeneutically, and categorised into super-ordinate themes. Five themes within the participants’ experiences of living with HIV were identified: (1) experiences of diagnosis, (2) experiences of stigma, (3) social support, (4) coping strategies, and (5) HIV as one of many assaults to self. Implicated in these experiences are the ways in which these women have appraised themselves and their situation after an HIV-positive diagnosis, appraisals that are shaped by HIV-related stigma. A variety of negative emotional reactions are common following the diagnosis, often compounded by the direct experiences of HIV-related stigma. Women in the study adopted different kinds of coping strategies based on the resources and social support available to them. Also significant is that for these women who had typically endured a variety of traumatic life events, a positive diagnosis was simply one of many life challenges
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Jurie, Khuselwa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Stigma (Social psychology) , HIV (Viruses) -- Diagnosis , AIDS (Disease) in women -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3259 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017882
- Description: The focus of this study is on the experiences of a small sample of local women who have been recently diagnosed with HIV. The aim of the research was to give these women an opportunity to express their first-hand, personal accounts of living with HIV. Five isiXhosa-speaking women were recruited and interviewed. These accounts were collected and analysed within in the methodological framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative approach that is becoming increasingly popular in the broad fields of health and clinical psychology. Data was analysed for meaningful units, which were interpreted inductively and hermeneutically, and categorised into super-ordinate themes. Five themes within the participants’ experiences of living with HIV were identified: (1) experiences of diagnosis, (2) experiences of stigma, (3) social support, (4) coping strategies, and (5) HIV as one of many assaults to self. Implicated in these experiences are the ways in which these women have appraised themselves and their situation after an HIV-positive diagnosis, appraisals that are shaped by HIV-related stigma. A variety of negative emotional reactions are common following the diagnosis, often compounded by the direct experiences of HIV-related stigma. Women in the study adopted different kinds of coping strategies based on the resources and social support available to them. Also significant is that for these women who had typically endured a variety of traumatic life events, a positive diagnosis was simply one of many life challenges
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Exploring problematic experiences : an IPA study of 'Internet Addiction'
- Authors: Allie, Naaheeda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Internet addiction , Compulsive behavior , Security (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016395
- Description: In the past two decades, a considerable amount of research has been carried out on the phenomenon of excessive Internet use, variously termed Internet addiction, Internet dependency and problematic Internet use. Despite this, there is still little agreement as to what constitutes this phenomenon, whether it should be considered a clinical disorder or not and what leads to this excessive or maladaptive use. The terminology used in this study is that of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Several theoretical models have been proposed in the understanding of PIU including personality models, operant conditioning models, social cognitive and cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; LaRose, lin & Eastin, 2003; Young, 1999). A proposed gap in the literature is the lack of studies exploring participant experiences of problematic Internet use. It is for this reason that this study aimed at exploring the experiences of a small sample of individuals with self-identified problematic Internet use. The implications of this phenomenological data for the above-mentioned theoretical models were then reviewed. This study used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach in exploring these aims. A sample of four participants was selected through purposive sampling techniques. Four major themes emerged from the analysis namely: Escapism, Social Insecurity and Validation, Perfectionism and Control. These experiences of participants were also explored in terms of the conceptual models reviewed in order to compare how closely they related to participant experiences. A strong inter-relationship was found between the four themes mentioned above. The Internet appeared to provide a sense of control and validation to these individuals while simultaneously rendering them unable to maintain control of their Internet usage in relation to this. This sense of control was experienced through an escape from negative emotions, offline obligations and at times a dissatisfactory position in reality. Of the four models reviewed, the Social Cognitive model proposed by LaRose et al. (2003) appeared to offer the most relevant understanding of PIU to participant experiences. The presence of maladaptive cognitions also appeared to feature strongly as an underlying factor in participants' PIU, as theorised by cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; Young, 1999) Finally recommendations are made for further more detailed exploration of PIU using interpretative, experiential methods.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Allie, Naaheeda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Internet addiction , Compulsive behavior , Security (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016395
- Description: In the past two decades, a considerable amount of research has been carried out on the phenomenon of excessive Internet use, variously termed Internet addiction, Internet dependency and problematic Internet use. Despite this, there is still little agreement as to what constitutes this phenomenon, whether it should be considered a clinical disorder or not and what leads to this excessive or maladaptive use. The terminology used in this study is that of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Several theoretical models have been proposed in the understanding of PIU including personality models, operant conditioning models, social cognitive and cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; LaRose, lin & Eastin, 2003; Young, 1999). A proposed gap in the literature is the lack of studies exploring participant experiences of problematic Internet use. It is for this reason that this study aimed at exploring the experiences of a small sample of individuals with self-identified problematic Internet use. The implications of this phenomenological data for the above-mentioned theoretical models were then reviewed. This study used an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach in exploring these aims. A sample of four participants was selected through purposive sampling techniques. Four major themes emerged from the analysis namely: Escapism, Social Insecurity and Validation, Perfectionism and Control. These experiences of participants were also explored in terms of the conceptual models reviewed in order to compare how closely they related to participant experiences. A strong inter-relationship was found between the four themes mentioned above. The Internet appeared to provide a sense of control and validation to these individuals while simultaneously rendering them unable to maintain control of their Internet usage in relation to this. This sense of control was experienced through an escape from negative emotions, offline obligations and at times a dissatisfactory position in reality. Of the four models reviewed, the Social Cognitive model proposed by LaRose et al. (2003) appeared to offer the most relevant understanding of PIU to participant experiences. The presence of maladaptive cognitions also appeared to feature strongly as an underlying factor in participants' PIU, as theorised by cognitive behavioural models (Davis, 2001; Young, 1999) Finally recommendations are made for further more detailed exploration of PIU using interpretative, experiential methods.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Exploring the uses of mental skills by competitive road running athletes
- Ngobese, Khayelihle Mbongeleni Emmanuel
- Authors: Ngobese, Khayelihle Mbongeleni Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Long-distance runners -- Psychology , Long-distance running -- Psychological aspects , Competition (Psychology) , Long-distance running -- Training , Marathon running -- Psychological aspects , Goal (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3268 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020310
- Description: Research on athletes has shown that mental skills are an important component of being a successful athlete. The importance of these mental skills is seen in the number of athletes who have formally started training using mental skills training programmes (MST) according to the literature. The study of mental skills in South Africa lags behind other countries like USA, UK and Sweden. This particular study explored the use of mental skills by road running athletes. The study was conducted with six competitive marathon athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of an elaborate qualitative methodology design. The data collected from these semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that road running athletes use mental skills that include; mental rehearsal, planning, goal setting and self-talk. The athletes in this research showed the importance of mental skills and it is recommended that formal training in these mental skills will be highly beneficial not only to road running athletes but for all South African sports people in general
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Ngobese, Khayelihle Mbongeleni Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Long-distance runners -- Psychology , Long-distance running -- Psychological aspects , Competition (Psychology) , Long-distance running -- Training , Marathon running -- Psychological aspects , Goal (Psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3268 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020310
- Description: Research on athletes has shown that mental skills are an important component of being a successful athlete. The importance of these mental skills is seen in the number of athletes who have formally started training using mental skills training programmes (MST) according to the literature. The study of mental skills in South Africa lags behind other countries like USA, UK and Sweden. This particular study explored the use of mental skills by road running athletes. The study was conducted with six competitive marathon athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of an elaborate qualitative methodology design. The data collected from these semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that road running athletes use mental skills that include; mental rehearsal, planning, goal setting and self-talk. The athletes in this research showed the importance of mental skills and it is recommended that formal training in these mental skills will be highly beneficial not only to road running athletes but for all South African sports people in general
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Minding your own game : self-regulation and psychological momentum among golfers
- Authors: Kingma, Graham
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Golf -- Strategic aspects , Golf -- Psychological aspects , Athletes , Self-control , Golfers -- Conduct of life
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3260 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017883
- Description: Psychological momentum (PM) is often regarded as an important phenomenon that influences athlete performance. Nevertheless, conceptualisations of PM are criticised for being speculative, vague and impractical for scientific inquiry. In contrast, self-regulation is a long-standing, well researched concept used to explain performance outcomes, yet not clearly integrated in current PM conceptualisations. Hence, this thesis explores self-regulation relative to PM. Golf was considered to be an appropriate context for the empirical inquiries on the basis that it serves as a metaphor for managing life’s challenges. Three studies were conducted. The first study entailed a systematic conceptual analysis of PM based on previous conceptualisations and studies in relevant scientific literature. Self-regulatory processes were identified among the key psychological mechanisms and moderators related to PM. The second study aimed to identify key self-regulation strategies in PM experiences among 16 golfers. A mixed method approach including novel “walk-along” and “think aloud” data collection techniques was used. An inductive thematic analysis yielded a comprehensive typology golfing strategies. Nevertheless, the study did not find consistent strategy patterns in positive or negative PM phases. The third study explored the self-regulation of identity (ego-regulation) in relation to PM phases. A staggered multiple-baseline single-case research methodology was used with five golfers (three professionals and two amateurs). Ego-regulation was manipulated through a mindfulness-based schema mode program tailored to golf (Mindfulness for Golf; MFG). Pre-, mid- and post-intervention data showed positive changes among the participants on two dimensions of PM as well as performance outcomes. Overall the results suggest that golfers use idiosyncratic self-regulation processes to facilitate performance, but these are not directly linked to PM phases. Nonetheless, there are promising indications that enhancing ego-regulation through the MFG program facilitates positive momentum among golfers. Based on the results of the studies in this thesis, and for the sake of scientific parsimony and pragmatism, it is recommended that self-regulation models incorporating motivation are used to explain momentum in athletic activity. In this view, PM has the function of describing, not influencing, goal-driven performance
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Kingma, Graham
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Golf -- Strategic aspects , Golf -- Psychological aspects , Athletes , Self-control , Golfers -- Conduct of life
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3260 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017883
- Description: Psychological momentum (PM) is often regarded as an important phenomenon that influences athlete performance. Nevertheless, conceptualisations of PM are criticised for being speculative, vague and impractical for scientific inquiry. In contrast, self-regulation is a long-standing, well researched concept used to explain performance outcomes, yet not clearly integrated in current PM conceptualisations. Hence, this thesis explores self-regulation relative to PM. Golf was considered to be an appropriate context for the empirical inquiries on the basis that it serves as a metaphor for managing life’s challenges. Three studies were conducted. The first study entailed a systematic conceptual analysis of PM based on previous conceptualisations and studies in relevant scientific literature. Self-regulatory processes were identified among the key psychological mechanisms and moderators related to PM. The second study aimed to identify key self-regulation strategies in PM experiences among 16 golfers. A mixed method approach including novel “walk-along” and “think aloud” data collection techniques was used. An inductive thematic analysis yielded a comprehensive typology golfing strategies. Nevertheless, the study did not find consistent strategy patterns in positive or negative PM phases. The third study explored the self-regulation of identity (ego-regulation) in relation to PM phases. A staggered multiple-baseline single-case research methodology was used with five golfers (three professionals and two amateurs). Ego-regulation was manipulated through a mindfulness-based schema mode program tailored to golf (Mindfulness for Golf; MFG). Pre-, mid- and post-intervention data showed positive changes among the participants on two dimensions of PM as well as performance outcomes. Overall the results suggest that golfers use idiosyncratic self-regulation processes to facilitate performance, but these are not directly linked to PM phases. Nonetheless, there are promising indications that enhancing ego-regulation through the MFG program facilitates positive momentum among golfers. Based on the results of the studies in this thesis, and for the sake of scientific parsimony and pragmatism, it is recommended that self-regulation models incorporating motivation are used to explain momentum in athletic activity. In this view, PM has the function of describing, not influencing, goal-driven performance
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Neurocognitive effects of head and body collisions on club level rugby union players
- Authors: Zoccola, Diana
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Head -- Wounds and injuries -- Psychology , Neuropsychological tests , Head -- Wounds and injuries , Sports injuries -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3257 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016397
- Description: The objective of the study was to investigate the cumulative neurocognitive effects of repetitive concussive and subconcussive events in club level Rugby Union (hereafter rugby) during the course of one rugby season, in a combined group and individualized case-based approach. Amateur adult club level rugby players (n = 20) were compared with a non-contact control group (n = 22) of equivalent age, years of education and estimated IQ (p = > .05, in all instances), although the two groups were clearly differentiated on the basis of a history of reported concussions (p = < .05). Video analyses documented the tackling maneuvers observed amongst the players during all matches across the rugby season revealing a sobering average of more than a thousand tackles per player, excluding any contact practice sessions. Five rugby players (n = 5) who were observed to have a head jarring event were also isolated for individualized postconcussive follow-up analysis of their neurocognitive profiles. Measures included the ImPACT Verbal and Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites and the Purdue Pegboard. Independent and dependent statistical analyses were employed to compare the rugby versus control group neurocognitive test profiles at and between the three test intervals. Correlational analyses explored the association between concussion, tackling and neurocognitive test outcomes. Descriptive comparisons of individual neurocognitive test scores with normative data were employed for the case analyses. Taken together, the results implicated vulnerability amongst club rugby players on the motor and speeded tasks, with less robust indications on the memory tasks. While limited in terms of its small sample size, it is considered that the outcome of the study was rendered more robust by virtue of being methodologically multifaceted with heuristic implications for future research studies in the area. The novel inclusion of tackling data as well as fine-tuned case analyses, were of particular relevance in that regard. The results add to a growing body of literature that implicates deleterious neurocognitive effects in participants of a sport such as rugby due to repetitive head jarring incidents that are intrinsic to the game.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Zoccola, Diana
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Head -- Wounds and injuries -- Psychology , Neuropsychological tests , Head -- Wounds and injuries , Sports injuries -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3257 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016397
- Description: The objective of the study was to investigate the cumulative neurocognitive effects of repetitive concussive and subconcussive events in club level Rugby Union (hereafter rugby) during the course of one rugby season, in a combined group and individualized case-based approach. Amateur adult club level rugby players (n = 20) were compared with a non-contact control group (n = 22) of equivalent age, years of education and estimated IQ (p = > .05, in all instances), although the two groups were clearly differentiated on the basis of a history of reported concussions (p = < .05). Video analyses documented the tackling maneuvers observed amongst the players during all matches across the rugby season revealing a sobering average of more than a thousand tackles per player, excluding any contact practice sessions. Five rugby players (n = 5) who were observed to have a head jarring event were also isolated for individualized postconcussive follow-up analysis of their neurocognitive profiles. Measures included the ImPACT Verbal and Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites and the Purdue Pegboard. Independent and dependent statistical analyses were employed to compare the rugby versus control group neurocognitive test profiles at and between the three test intervals. Correlational analyses explored the association between concussion, tackling and neurocognitive test outcomes. Descriptive comparisons of individual neurocognitive test scores with normative data were employed for the case analyses. Taken together, the results implicated vulnerability amongst club rugby players on the motor and speeded tasks, with less robust indications on the memory tasks. While limited in terms of its small sample size, it is considered that the outcome of the study was rendered more robust by virtue of being methodologically multifaceted with heuristic implications for future research studies in the area. The novel inclusion of tackling data as well as fine-tuned case analyses, were of particular relevance in that regard. The results add to a growing body of literature that implicates deleterious neurocognitive effects in participants of a sport such as rugby due to repetitive head jarring incidents that are intrinsic to the game.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Professional development among counselling psychology interns : exploring critical incidents
- Authors: Teixeira, Beverley
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Counseling psychologists -- Training of -- South Africa , Critical incident technique , Career development -- South Africa , Internship programs -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3265 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017888
- Description: The journey towards becoming a counselling psychologist, in South Africa, includes the completion a 12 month internship. The internship year holds many challenges and demands for novice professionals and aims to assist them in making the transition from student to professional. This study aims to explore the subjective experiences of intern counselling psychologists and the critical incidents which assist them in making this transition. In addition, it aims to identify experiences impacting on the interns’ professional development and professional identity. Three registered counselling psychologists, who completed their internship at a South African university counselling centre within the last year, were recruited and participated in individual interviews. These interviews were semi-structured and followed the Critical Incident Technique method. Each interview was voice recorded and transcribed. The data collected was analysed using thematic content analysis. As the research design is qualitative, using a phenomenological approach, the focus is on presenting information-rich and detailed descriptions of participants “lived” experiences of their internship year. It attempts to understand significant incidents or events which influenced the participants’ professional and personal development as they navigate through this ambiguous period to become independent and ethical practitioners. Four predominant themes emerged from the data collected, which include a discussion pertaining to professional boundaries and limitations, learning within the internship environment, the effects of professional and personal support and, lastly, the transition from dependent to independent professional functioning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Teixeira, Beverley
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Counseling psychologists -- Training of -- South Africa , Critical incident technique , Career development -- South Africa , Internship programs -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3265 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017888
- Description: The journey towards becoming a counselling psychologist, in South Africa, includes the completion a 12 month internship. The internship year holds many challenges and demands for novice professionals and aims to assist them in making the transition from student to professional. This study aims to explore the subjective experiences of intern counselling psychologists and the critical incidents which assist them in making this transition. In addition, it aims to identify experiences impacting on the interns’ professional development and professional identity. Three registered counselling psychologists, who completed their internship at a South African university counselling centre within the last year, were recruited and participated in individual interviews. These interviews were semi-structured and followed the Critical Incident Technique method. Each interview was voice recorded and transcribed. The data collected was analysed using thematic content analysis. As the research design is qualitative, using a phenomenological approach, the focus is on presenting information-rich and detailed descriptions of participants “lived” experiences of their internship year. It attempts to understand significant incidents or events which influenced the participants’ professional and personal development as they navigate through this ambiguous period to become independent and ethical practitioners. Four predominant themes emerged from the data collected, which include a discussion pertaining to professional boundaries and limitations, learning within the internship environment, the effects of professional and personal support and, lastly, the transition from dependent to independent professional functioning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The cognitive rehabilitation of a sample of children living with HIV : a specific focus on the cognitive rehabilitation of sustained attention
- Authors: Basterfield, Candice
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: HIV-positive children -- Rehabilitation , Antiretroviral agents , HIV (Viruses) -- Side effects , Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation , Cognition disorders -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3258 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017881
- Description: Pharmacological interventions to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with antiretrovirals (ARVs), have dramatically improved the survival rates of HIV positive children maturing into adulthood. However, HIV-associated neurocognitive decline still persists in the era of ARVs. Within the framework of brain plasticity, a number of researchers have begun to assess the feasibility of cognitive rehabilitation therapy as a complement to ARVs to reverse neurocognitive decline as a result of HIV (e.g., Becker et al., 2012). Only one study has been conducted in South Africa, by Zondo & Mulder (2014), assessing the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in a paediatric sample. The current research builds on the above mentioned study by implementing an experimental approach to examine the effect of cognitive rehabilitation in a sample of both HIV positive and HIV negative children. Five HIV positive and six HIV negative children were assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent two months of cognitive rehabilitation therapy remediating sustained attention, whereas the control group took part in placebo activities. Sustained attention measures were taken before and after the intervention training sessions, using a sustained attention subtest from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-CH). A Mann Whitney U Test revealed that the experimental group (Mdn=38.50) did not differ significantly from the control group (Mdn = 37.00) after the cognitive rehabilitation intervention, U=12.00, z= -.55, p= .66, r= -.17. But a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test found that there was a significant improvement from pretest scores (Mdn=31.00) to posttest scores (Mdn=38.00) following the rehabilitation for HIV positive participants in the sample, T=15.00, z = -2.02, p= .04, r= -.90. This raises the possibility that cognitive rehabilitation could be used as a low cost intervention in underdeveloped contexts
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Basterfield, Candice
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: HIV-positive children -- Rehabilitation , Antiretroviral agents , HIV (Viruses) -- Side effects , Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation , Cognition disorders -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3258 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017881
- Description: Pharmacological interventions to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) with antiretrovirals (ARVs), have dramatically improved the survival rates of HIV positive children maturing into adulthood. However, HIV-associated neurocognitive decline still persists in the era of ARVs. Within the framework of brain plasticity, a number of researchers have begun to assess the feasibility of cognitive rehabilitation therapy as a complement to ARVs to reverse neurocognitive decline as a result of HIV (e.g., Becker et al., 2012). Only one study has been conducted in South Africa, by Zondo & Mulder (2014), assessing the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in a paediatric sample. The current research builds on the above mentioned study by implementing an experimental approach to examine the effect of cognitive rehabilitation in a sample of both HIV positive and HIV negative children. Five HIV positive and six HIV negative children were assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent two months of cognitive rehabilitation therapy remediating sustained attention, whereas the control group took part in placebo activities. Sustained attention measures were taken before and after the intervention training sessions, using a sustained attention subtest from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-CH). A Mann Whitney U Test revealed that the experimental group (Mdn=38.50) did not differ significantly from the control group (Mdn = 37.00) after the cognitive rehabilitation intervention, U=12.00, z= -.55, p= .66, r= -.17. But a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test found that there was a significant improvement from pretest scores (Mdn=31.00) to posttest scores (Mdn=38.00) following the rehabilitation for HIV positive participants in the sample, T=15.00, z = -2.02, p= .04, r= -.90. This raises the possibility that cognitive rehabilitation could be used as a low cost intervention in underdeveloped contexts
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The experience of single fathers as primary caregivers
- Authors: Naidoo, Raydene
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Single fathers , Parenthood -- Psychological aspects , Father and child
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3263 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017886
- Description: Single-parent households are on the increase in our society and especially single-father households where fathers are fulfilling the role of both parents in rearing their children. In this qualitative study, three single fathers who are primary caregivers were interviewed regarding their experience of primary caregiving, adjusting and coping with the transition to primary caregiving and their needs and concerns for their children's future. This study utilised a phenomenological approach to look at single fathers as the best and most informed individuals to explore and describe their lived experiences of being primary caregivers. The rationale for using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) is that it is concerned with individuals' subjective reports and assumes that participants seek to interpret their experiences into some form that is understandable to them. The researcher utilised three semi-structured, in depth, face-to-face interviews as a method of data collection. Each interview focused on eliciting different sets of data, firstly the researcher look at identifying the participants' experience of primary care giving, then moved onto their adjusting and coping with the transition and finally focused on the primary needs and concerns of participants with regards to primary care giving. The sub-themes that emerged from the study include the loss of a partner, shifts in the role the fathers play as parent, dealing with children's reaction to the "loss" of a mother in the home, good parenting: biology vs upbringing, social construction of men and woman, the value of self-care for single fathers, where self-care incorporates both physical and mental care, internal support from family or friends, external support from the community, relationship between fathers and children and sibling relationships. These led to the various super-ordinate themes. The super-ordinate themes and categories that resulted from the analysis of the material include: (1) The transition to being a single-parent and primary caregiver was difficult, (2) Parenting is not biological it is cultural and fathers can fulfil the role, (3) Self-care is important, (4) Support comes from family and friends but social support is rare, (5) Close family relationships are formed
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Naidoo, Raydene
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Single fathers , Parenthood -- Psychological aspects , Father and child
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3263 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017886
- Description: Single-parent households are on the increase in our society and especially single-father households where fathers are fulfilling the role of both parents in rearing their children. In this qualitative study, three single fathers who are primary caregivers were interviewed regarding their experience of primary caregiving, adjusting and coping with the transition to primary caregiving and their needs and concerns for their children's future. This study utilised a phenomenological approach to look at single fathers as the best and most informed individuals to explore and describe their lived experiences of being primary caregivers. The rationale for using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) is that it is concerned with individuals' subjective reports and assumes that participants seek to interpret their experiences into some form that is understandable to them. The researcher utilised three semi-structured, in depth, face-to-face interviews as a method of data collection. Each interview focused on eliciting different sets of data, firstly the researcher look at identifying the participants' experience of primary care giving, then moved onto their adjusting and coping with the transition and finally focused on the primary needs and concerns of participants with regards to primary care giving. The sub-themes that emerged from the study include the loss of a partner, shifts in the role the fathers play as parent, dealing with children's reaction to the "loss" of a mother in the home, good parenting: biology vs upbringing, social construction of men and woman, the value of self-care for single fathers, where self-care incorporates both physical and mental care, internal support from family or friends, external support from the community, relationship between fathers and children and sibling relationships. These led to the various super-ordinate themes. The super-ordinate themes and categories that resulted from the analysis of the material include: (1) The transition to being a single-parent and primary caregiver was difficult, (2) Parenting is not biological it is cultural and fathers can fulfil the role, (3) Self-care is important, (4) Support comes from family and friends but social support is rare, (5) Close family relationships are formed
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Understanding how students' relationships with their cellphones inform their experience of social participation online and offline
- Authors: Oosthuizen, Jess
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Cell phones -- South Africa -- Psychological aspects , Social participation , Cell phones -- South Africa -- Social aspects , College students -- South Africa , Social media addiction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3264 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017887
- Description: The pervasive presence of cellphones in the lives of urban young people around the globe has led to widespread research to evaluate the impact that this device has on young people’s overall psychosocial development. This relationship is often characterised as “addictive”. This research study presents a unique South African youth perspective in a field of research that is predominantly conducted in the United States, Europe and Asia. It explores the relationship that students (ages 18–21) at Rhodes University have with their cellphones in order to understand how this device informs their experience of social participation online and offline. Central to the design of this study is a “social media detox” which involved the research participants volunteering to restrict their social media and cellphone use for an agreed-upon period of time. The study employs interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to uncover key themes from in-depth interviews before and after the detox. Eight respondents were interviewed twice; once before and once after their detox. This study provides insights into the integral role of a cellphone as reported from a young adult’s perspective. Communicating on social media platforms using a cellphone has become normalised among this age-group and the respondents described how the cellphone feels like “a part of you”. Unlike interacting face-to-face which is potentially awkward and involves effort, socialising on a cellphone offers the respondents a sense of companionship, control and instant access to their peer groups. The respondents in this study seemed unaware of their own agency in social situations until their participation in the social media detox. By participating in this study, the participants became more aware of how their cellphone use influences social behaviour, both online and offline. The study proposes that the term “addiction” undermines the positive association young people have with their cellphones. Instead, this study suggests that “social fitness” would be a more relevant construct through which to encourage and support young people to exercise agency in their social lives. This exploratory study raises new questions for researchers, programme developers and educators to take up in future studies and programme development
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Oosthuizen, Jess
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Cell phones -- South Africa -- Psychological aspects , Social participation , Cell phones -- South Africa -- Social aspects , College students -- South Africa , Social media addiction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3264 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017887
- Description: The pervasive presence of cellphones in the lives of urban young people around the globe has led to widespread research to evaluate the impact that this device has on young people’s overall psychosocial development. This relationship is often characterised as “addictive”. This research study presents a unique South African youth perspective in a field of research that is predominantly conducted in the United States, Europe and Asia. It explores the relationship that students (ages 18–21) at Rhodes University have with their cellphones in order to understand how this device informs their experience of social participation online and offline. Central to the design of this study is a “social media detox” which involved the research participants volunteering to restrict their social media and cellphone use for an agreed-upon period of time. The study employs interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to uncover key themes from in-depth interviews before and after the detox. Eight respondents were interviewed twice; once before and once after their detox. This study provides insights into the integral role of a cellphone as reported from a young adult’s perspective. Communicating on social media platforms using a cellphone has become normalised among this age-group and the respondents described how the cellphone feels like “a part of you”. Unlike interacting face-to-face which is potentially awkward and involves effort, socialising on a cellphone offers the respondents a sense of companionship, control and instant access to their peer groups. The respondents in this study seemed unaware of their own agency in social situations until their participation in the social media detox. By participating in this study, the participants became more aware of how their cellphone use influences social behaviour, both online and offline. The study proposes that the term “addiction” undermines the positive association young people have with their cellphones. Instead, this study suggests that “social fitness” would be a more relevant construct through which to encourage and support young people to exercise agency in their social lives. This exploratory study raises new questions for researchers, programme developers and educators to take up in future studies and programme development
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
University students’ drinking motives : relationship with alcohol use
- Authors: Maphisa, Jabulani Maphisa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: College students -- Alcohol use -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Conduct of life , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Attitudes , Motivation (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social integration -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Conformity -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3266 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019760
- Description: Alcohol use among university students is a worldwide social and clinical reality. Understanding and addressing this phenomena is an imperative recognised by the government of South Africa and its Higher Education institutions, where student drinking has a plethora of negative consequences. This study builds on the work of Young and de Klerk (2012) with Rhodes University students by adding drinking motives to their findings of demographic correlates. The motivational model of alcohol use (Cox & Klinger, 1988) posits that drinking motives are a proximal predictor of alcohol use. The model further delineates four drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping, and conformity) which are hypothesized to lead to phenomenological distinct patterns of alcohol use. An online survey method was utilized to collect data and a representative sample of 501 students participated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed to address five research questions: (1) to establishing the current alcohol use trend; (2) to investigate the demographic factors associated with alcohol use; (3) to describe students‘ drinking motives; (4) to explore the correlates of drinking motives; and, finally, the primary aim was (5) to investigate whether students‘ drinking motives predicted alcohol use when controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms and demographic variables. The results indicate that 68.5% of participants currently consume alcohol, and 51.0 % of these drinking students consume five or more drinks during a drinking session. 20.7 % of the drinking students used alcohol at the harmful or alcohol dependent levels. Increased alcohol use was associated more with males, undergraduates, early onset drinkers, more disposable income, and students‘ perceptions of their peers‘ drinking. Students endorsed enhancement motives marginally more than social motives, followed by coping and conformity motives. Males, early onset drinkers, black students, and at risk (of alcohol use disorders) students endorsed more motives, especially social and enhancement motives. Of primary concern was the role of drinking motives on alcohol use after controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms. The four block hierarchical regression model which was run explained 38% of the variance in alcohol use. Drinking motives, particularly enhancement motives, displayed a statistically significant impact on alcohol use adding 11% to the variance. Additionally, age of alcohol use onset, monthly pocket money, age, and gender predicted alcohol use separately. The results of this study indicate that alcohol use has multi-factorial influences. Of note, the results confirmed the motivational model of alcohol use by indicating that alcohol use is partially motivational and that drinking behaviour is not a unitary phenomenon but instead it represents heterogeneity based on the affective change individuals anticipate to gain by drinking. The high binging rate (51%) among this sample may speak to the greater endorsement of enhancement motives, which have been shown in previous studies to be associated with heavy drinking. Enhancement motives are attempts to attain positive affect which, due to the psychoactive properties of alcohol, require greater consumption and intoxication. Additionally, as a result of the greater quantities of alcohol, individuals who drink for enhancement motives would be more prone to alcohol consequences. The results suggest that a multi-level intervention framework targeting individual students, the university community, and the surrounding community, is indicated. Furthermore, intervention may be tailored-made to address specific drinking motives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Maphisa, Jabulani Maphisa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: College students -- Alcohol use -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Conduct of life , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Attitudes , Motivation (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social integration -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Conformity -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3266 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019760
- Description: Alcohol use among university students is a worldwide social and clinical reality. Understanding and addressing this phenomena is an imperative recognised by the government of South Africa and its Higher Education institutions, where student drinking has a plethora of negative consequences. This study builds on the work of Young and de Klerk (2012) with Rhodes University students by adding drinking motives to their findings of demographic correlates. The motivational model of alcohol use (Cox & Klinger, 1988) posits that drinking motives are a proximal predictor of alcohol use. The model further delineates four drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping, and conformity) which are hypothesized to lead to phenomenological distinct patterns of alcohol use. An online survey method was utilized to collect data and a representative sample of 501 students participated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed to address five research questions: (1) to establishing the current alcohol use trend; (2) to investigate the demographic factors associated with alcohol use; (3) to describe students‘ drinking motives; (4) to explore the correlates of drinking motives; and, finally, the primary aim was (5) to investigate whether students‘ drinking motives predicted alcohol use when controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms and demographic variables. The results indicate that 68.5% of participants currently consume alcohol, and 51.0 % of these drinking students consume five or more drinks during a drinking session. 20.7 % of the drinking students used alcohol at the harmful or alcohol dependent levels. Increased alcohol use was associated more with males, undergraduates, early onset drinkers, more disposable income, and students‘ perceptions of their peers‘ drinking. Students endorsed enhancement motives marginally more than social motives, followed by coping and conformity motives. Males, early onset drinkers, black students, and at risk (of alcohol use disorders) students endorsed more motives, especially social and enhancement motives. Of primary concern was the role of drinking motives on alcohol use after controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms. The four block hierarchical regression model which was run explained 38% of the variance in alcohol use. Drinking motives, particularly enhancement motives, displayed a statistically significant impact on alcohol use adding 11% to the variance. Additionally, age of alcohol use onset, monthly pocket money, age, and gender predicted alcohol use separately. The results of this study indicate that alcohol use has multi-factorial influences. Of note, the results confirmed the motivational model of alcohol use by indicating that alcohol use is partially motivational and that drinking behaviour is not a unitary phenomenon but instead it represents heterogeneity based on the affective change individuals anticipate to gain by drinking. The high binging rate (51%) among this sample may speak to the greater endorsement of enhancement motives, which have been shown in previous studies to be associated with heavy drinking. Enhancement motives are attempts to attain positive affect which, due to the psychoactive properties of alcohol, require greater consumption and intoxication. Additionally, as a result of the greater quantities of alcohol, individuals who drink for enhancement motives would be more prone to alcohol consequences. The results suggest that a multi-level intervention framework targeting individual students, the university community, and the surrounding community, is indicated. Furthermore, intervention may be tailored-made to address specific drinking motives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015