A study of the manifestations of the death instinct as evidenced in the case of a pathological organization
- Authors: De Villiers, Jeanine
- Date: 1991-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191691 , vital:45148
- Description: The case study method was used to investigate the manifestations of the death instinct as evidenced in a pathological organization. Work of Kleinian analysts in this area was employed as a basis for interrogating the material that emerged in a five month psychotherapy with a borderline disordered patient. It was demonstrated how the pathological organization was employed as a means of evading paranoid- schizoid fears and depressive position anxieties. Two ways in which defences were assembled into the pathological organization could be traced, both leading to resistance in the therapy. The one set of defences would entail a complete withdrawal from contact, where the patient would hold herself aloof from experience through a solitary invulnerability. The other set of defences involved an active attack on the vulnerable, libidinal self. Identified with the bad, anti-libidinal self, the patient would attempt to annihilate the libidinal self in various ways. Fragmentation of her thoughts and memories, self-destructive behaviour and phantasized and actual attacks on the objects in her world which called forth her neediness were all evidenced. In conclusion, the issue of whether a more active interpretation of the manifestations of the death instinct or a less interpretative, more holding therapeutic stance should be adopted in the therapy with patients exhibiting a pathological organization was raised. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1991
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991-04
- Authors: De Villiers, Jeanine
- Date: 1991-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191691 , vital:45148
- Description: The case study method was used to investigate the manifestations of the death instinct as evidenced in a pathological organization. Work of Kleinian analysts in this area was employed as a basis for interrogating the material that emerged in a five month psychotherapy with a borderline disordered patient. It was demonstrated how the pathological organization was employed as a means of evading paranoid- schizoid fears and depressive position anxieties. Two ways in which defences were assembled into the pathological organization could be traced, both leading to resistance in the therapy. The one set of defences would entail a complete withdrawal from contact, where the patient would hold herself aloof from experience through a solitary invulnerability. The other set of defences involved an active attack on the vulnerable, libidinal self. Identified with the bad, anti-libidinal self, the patient would attempt to annihilate the libidinal self in various ways. Fragmentation of her thoughts and memories, self-destructive behaviour and phantasized and actual attacks on the objects in her world which called forth her neediness were all evidenced. In conclusion, the issue of whether a more active interpretation of the manifestations of the death instinct or a less interpretative, more holding therapeutic stance should be adopted in the therapy with patients exhibiting a pathological organization was raised. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1991
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991-04
A consideration of the usefulness of Medard Boss's approach to dream explication, in an attempt to reveal the potential for forward movement
- Authors: Hill, Patricia Margaret
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Boss, Medard, 1903-1990 , Dream interpretation -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3212 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012271 , Boss, Medard, 1903-1990 , Dream interpretation -- Case studies
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate the value of using a Daseinsanalytic approach to dream explication in order to reveal the essential meaningfulness of behaviourial possibilities for the patient. After discussing the Daseinsanalytic view on dream explication, emphasizing Medard Boss's approach as the major exponent of this view, the study explores the usefulness and validity of the study as a method of investigating the dreams from this perspective. The dreams related in this study are examined individually, giving a phenomenological understanding of each and also providing a possible prospective focus for therapy. It will be shown that the phenomenological understanding of the patient's dreams corresponds with his subjective experience of his emotional existential situation and that any positive changes in the content of the dreams over time corresponds with observable and related changes in his behaviour, ideation and mood. However, if the suggested prospective focus of Medard Boss had been more usefully employed when each dream was explicated in the therapy sessions, it is felt that the progress of therapy would have been greatly enhanced. This study therefore concludes that the use of Medard Boss's approach to dream explication has not only a hermeneutic value in the process of therapy, but also aids the dreamer in becoming aware of the possible modes of behaviour yet unrevealed in his waking life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Hill, Patricia Margaret
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Boss, Medard, 1903-1990 , Dream interpretation -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3212 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012271 , Boss, Medard, 1903-1990 , Dream interpretation -- Case studies
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate the value of using a Daseinsanalytic approach to dream explication in order to reveal the essential meaningfulness of behaviourial possibilities for the patient. After discussing the Daseinsanalytic view on dream explication, emphasizing Medard Boss's approach as the major exponent of this view, the study explores the usefulness and validity of the study as a method of investigating the dreams from this perspective. The dreams related in this study are examined individually, giving a phenomenological understanding of each and also providing a possible prospective focus for therapy. It will be shown that the phenomenological understanding of the patient's dreams corresponds with his subjective experience of his emotional existential situation and that any positive changes in the content of the dreams over time corresponds with observable and related changes in his behaviour, ideation and mood. However, if the suggested prospective focus of Medard Boss had been more usefully employed when each dream was explicated in the therapy sessions, it is felt that the progress of therapy would have been greatly enhanced. This study therefore concludes that the use of Medard Boss's approach to dream explication has not only a hermeneutic value in the process of therapy, but also aids the dreamer in becoming aware of the possible modes of behaviour yet unrevealed in his waking life.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
An assessment of a new personality measure of authoritarianism in the South African context
- Authors: Léger, Paul
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Authoritarianism (Personality trait) -- Research , Authoritarianism -- Research -- South Africa , Psychological tests -- Research , Personality tests -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3007 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002516 , Authoritarianism (Personality trait) -- Research , Authoritarianism -- Research -- South Africa , Psychological tests -- Research , Personality tests -- Research
- Description: The aim of the research was to assess the psychometric properties of Altemeyer's (1981) Right-Wing Authoritarianism scale (RWA scale)- developed in response to identified methodological weaknesses in personality measures of authoritarianism to date - within a South African setting. A modified version of the 24-item attitudinal scale, together with a demographic questionnaire was administered to a white and black sample of South African university students. Subsequent psychometric analysis of the data indicated that the scale was a significantly less powerful measure of authoritarianism in a cross-cultural context, than originally hoped for. Not only did the analysis show an absence of psychometric equivalence but revealed substantial problems within the content of the scale itself. An ensuing discussion of these findings situated the debate within a broader theoretical context. It was argued that the RWA scale, and its underpinning conceptualization, although possibly comprising a methodological refinement over existing measures of authoritarianism, did not constitute grounds for a viable approach to research on authoritarianism in the South African context. It was concluded that a model of authoritarianism resting on the assumptions of positivistic psychology, inevitably failed to account for the social and political dynamics of a changing society. As a socially relevant enterprise, it was suggested that the debate on authoritarianism be extended beyond the confines of individualistic psychology and research priority directed instead to the crucial role of societal factors giving rise to the individual manifestation of the phenomenon.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Léger, Paul
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Authoritarianism (Personality trait) -- Research , Authoritarianism -- Research -- South Africa , Psychological tests -- Research , Personality tests -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3007 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002516 , Authoritarianism (Personality trait) -- Research , Authoritarianism -- Research -- South Africa , Psychological tests -- Research , Personality tests -- Research
- Description: The aim of the research was to assess the psychometric properties of Altemeyer's (1981) Right-Wing Authoritarianism scale (RWA scale)- developed in response to identified methodological weaknesses in personality measures of authoritarianism to date - within a South African setting. A modified version of the 24-item attitudinal scale, together with a demographic questionnaire was administered to a white and black sample of South African university students. Subsequent psychometric analysis of the data indicated that the scale was a significantly less powerful measure of authoritarianism in a cross-cultural context, than originally hoped for. Not only did the analysis show an absence of psychometric equivalence but revealed substantial problems within the content of the scale itself. An ensuing discussion of these findings situated the debate within a broader theoretical context. It was argued that the RWA scale, and its underpinning conceptualization, although possibly comprising a methodological refinement over existing measures of authoritarianism, did not constitute grounds for a viable approach to research on authoritarianism in the South African context. It was concluded that a model of authoritarianism resting on the assumptions of positivistic psychology, inevitably failed to account for the social and political dynamics of a changing society. As a socially relevant enterprise, it was suggested that the debate on authoritarianism be extended beyond the confines of individualistic psychology and research priority directed instead to the crucial role of societal factors giving rise to the individual manifestation of the phenomenon.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
In search of home : Hillman's archetypal perspective on the therapeutic process of an adult patient
- Bradley, Margaret Antoinette
- Authors: Bradley, Margaret Antoinette
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Hillman, James , Archetype (Psychology) , Psychotherapy -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3127 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006290 , Hillman, James , Archetype (Psychology) , Psychotherapy -- Case studies
- Description: The case study method was used to trace the therapeutic process of a 23 year old woman, over a period of 12 sessions. The focus of the study was her issue with abandonment which emerged as the central theme in therapy. Hillman's archetypal approach was used as a framework in understanding the process and resolution of her feelings of abandonment. According to Hillman, the therapy process activates the archetypal abandoned child. For a successful therapeutic outcome the process of de-literalisation must occur in order for the patient to move from literal acting out to symbolic containment. Core moments in the therapeutic process were used, together with an interpretation from Hillman's approach, to illustrate the various themes around the issue of abandonment. The present case study illustrates how the theory in area was relevant in practice with this particular case.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Bradley, Margaret Antoinette
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Hillman, James , Archetype (Psychology) , Psychotherapy -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3127 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006290 , Hillman, James , Archetype (Psychology) , Psychotherapy -- Case studies
- Description: The case study method was used to trace the therapeutic process of a 23 year old woman, over a period of 12 sessions. The focus of the study was her issue with abandonment which emerged as the central theme in therapy. Hillman's archetypal approach was used as a framework in understanding the process and resolution of her feelings of abandonment. According to Hillman, the therapy process activates the archetypal abandoned child. For a successful therapeutic outcome the process of de-literalisation must occur in order for the patient to move from literal acting out to symbolic containment. Core moments in the therapeutic process were used, together with an interpretation from Hillman's approach, to illustrate the various themes around the issue of abandonment. The present case study illustrates how the theory in area was relevant in practice with this particular case.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Standardization of Raven's standard progressive matrices for secondary school African pupils in the Grahamstown region
- Authors: Vass, Vasili Arthur
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3078 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002587 , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Description: Arising out of a need, expressed by Clinical Psychologists in the Grahamstown region, for the fair assessment of secondary School African pupils, norms for the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) were established. Two methods of presentation were used, the first using the original instructions of John Raven translated into the students' first language of Xhosa, hence-forth referred to as the Alternate sample. The second method of presenting the instructions was adapted, to include the use of visual aids and active participation in the instruction phase of the test, hence-forth referred to as the Normative sample. In addition to the establishment of norms, the two methods of test presentation were investigated to see if the method of presentation had an effect on the results of the Raven's SPM. The population was drawn from the three African Secondary Schools in the Grahamstown municipality. The total population consisted of 3 232 students. Classes were randomly sampled across the three schools, with the average age of the Normative sample being 19.3 years. The sample consisted of 812 pupils, 711 in the Normative sample and 101 in the Alternate Sample. The following results and conclusions arose from the study: 1) Norms generated were considerably lower than previously established norms in similar studies. 2) t-Test results indicated that the method of test presentation on the Raven's SPM is important when assessing students that may be regarded as 'disadvantaged'. 3) Respondents scored significantly higher when the method of presenting the instructions ensured a greater understanding of the task demanded of the respondents. 4) The analyses of covariance indicate that male subjects score significantly higher than female subjects, and that there is a significant difference between the ages and educational standard, on the scores of the Raven's SPM. 5) The differences found contradict previous findings using the test, and question the cultural fairness of the test.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Vass, Vasili Arthur
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3078 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002587 , Black people -- Education -- South Africa , Intelligence tests -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Cognition and culture , Raven's Progressive Matrices
- Description: Arising out of a need, expressed by Clinical Psychologists in the Grahamstown region, for the fair assessment of secondary School African pupils, norms for the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) were established. Two methods of presentation were used, the first using the original instructions of John Raven translated into the students' first language of Xhosa, hence-forth referred to as the Alternate sample. The second method of presenting the instructions was adapted, to include the use of visual aids and active participation in the instruction phase of the test, hence-forth referred to as the Normative sample. In addition to the establishment of norms, the two methods of test presentation were investigated to see if the method of presentation had an effect on the results of the Raven's SPM. The population was drawn from the three African Secondary Schools in the Grahamstown municipality. The total population consisted of 3 232 students. Classes were randomly sampled across the three schools, with the average age of the Normative sample being 19.3 years. The sample consisted of 812 pupils, 711 in the Normative sample and 101 in the Alternate Sample. The following results and conclusions arose from the study: 1) Norms generated were considerably lower than previously established norms in similar studies. 2) t-Test results indicated that the method of test presentation on the Raven's SPM is important when assessing students that may be regarded as 'disadvantaged'. 3) Respondents scored significantly higher when the method of presenting the instructions ensured a greater understanding of the task demanded of the respondents. 4) The analyses of covariance indicate that male subjects score significantly higher than female subjects, and that there is a significant difference between the ages and educational standard, on the scores of the Raven's SPM. 5) The differences found contradict previous findings using the test, and question the cultural fairness of the test.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
The psychological sequelae of involvement in combat: a preliminary investigation
- Authors: Hodgson, Shane Ralph Colin
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: War -- Psychological aspects , War victims -- Mental health , Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:2993 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002502 , War -- Psychological aspects , War victims -- Mental health , Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Description: The psychological sequelae of being involved in combat are only recently coming to be understood. Most of the available data are from research conducted on help-seeking Vietnam veterans in the United States, and very little work has been done in South Africa. There does not as yet appear to be any instrument designed specifically to detect combat-related psychopathologies amongst soldiers who are still in active service, either in the USA or in South Africa. Combat involvement has been shown to lead to a high incidence of combat stress reaction. This in turn has shown that it can predispose sufferers to the development of a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. It is thus expected that there would be significantly higher incidences of reported symptoms of stress disorders amongst soldiers exposed to high levels of combat as compared with a similar group of soldiers who had no combat involvement. This study used a self-reporting questionnaire, developed in the USA but adapted for use in South Africa, to allow the soldiers in the study to rate the severity of various symptoms derived from the DSM-III criteria for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. A Beck Depression Inventory was also administered to eliminate any persons who nay have been exhibiting symptoms of depression, as this would have confounded the results. Both questionnaires were administered to serving members of the Permanent Force of the South African Defence Force, with one group being members of various high-combat units based in what was then South West Africa, and the other group being non-combat or Headquarters elements. As a precondition of the study, absolute confidentiality of the respondents and their units was maintained. The study found the expected higher scores in the high-combat group, and also showed that the Keane questionnaire has a good coefficient alpha in South Africa. The study closes with several recommendations for further research, especially in the light of the new PTSD criteria in the DSM-IIIR.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Hodgson, Shane Ralph Colin
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: War -- Psychological aspects , War victims -- Mental health , Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:2993 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002502 , War -- Psychological aspects , War victims -- Mental health , Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Description: The psychological sequelae of being involved in combat are only recently coming to be understood. Most of the available data are from research conducted on help-seeking Vietnam veterans in the United States, and very little work has been done in South Africa. There does not as yet appear to be any instrument designed specifically to detect combat-related psychopathologies amongst soldiers who are still in active service, either in the USA or in South Africa. Combat involvement has been shown to lead to a high incidence of combat stress reaction. This in turn has shown that it can predispose sufferers to the development of a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. It is thus expected that there would be significantly higher incidences of reported symptoms of stress disorders amongst soldiers exposed to high levels of combat as compared with a similar group of soldiers who had no combat involvement. This study used a self-reporting questionnaire, developed in the USA but adapted for use in South Africa, to allow the soldiers in the study to rate the severity of various symptoms derived from the DSM-III criteria for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. A Beck Depression Inventory was also administered to eliminate any persons who nay have been exhibiting symptoms of depression, as this would have confounded the results. Both questionnaires were administered to serving members of the Permanent Force of the South African Defence Force, with one group being members of various high-combat units based in what was then South West Africa, and the other group being non-combat or Headquarters elements. As a precondition of the study, absolute confidentiality of the respondents and their units was maintained. The study found the expected higher scores in the high-combat group, and also showed that the Keane questionnaire has a good coefficient alpha in South Africa. The study closes with several recommendations for further research, especially in the light of the new PTSD criteria in the DSM-IIIR.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Understanding and treating combat-related post traumatic stress disorder: a soldier's story
- Authors: Koen, Gary
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Case studies , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment , Soldiers -- Mental health -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3134 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006879 , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Case studies , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment , Soldiers -- Mental health -- South Africa
- Description: This work documents the treatment of a 20-year-old male suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his experience during two years of national service as an Operations "Ops" Medic in the South African Defence Force. The literature review is drawn largely from the body of work emerging from the Vietnam War, and in particular the work of Robert Lifton and Erwin Parson is considered. The case study consists of a detailed synopsis of the treatment based upon material from the therapy sessions. This section hopes to accurately convey the experience of working with someone suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and provide insight into the dynamics of such a therapeutic relationship. Finally the discussion examines the links between the theory and the treatment and attempts to understand the various factors which shaped and influenced the final outcome of the therapy. Special consideration is given to showing how essentially cognitive restructuring techniques are successfully utilised within a more existential, psychodynamic framework. Furthermore, there is a paucity of literature on the subject of combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in South Africa and it is hoped that this work will both point to a need for further research in this field whilst simultaneously provide guidance for those who wish to become involved in working with individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Koen, Gary
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Case studies , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment , Soldiers -- Mental health -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3134 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006879 , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Case studies , Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment , Soldiers -- Mental health -- South Africa
- Description: This work documents the treatment of a 20-year-old male suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his experience during two years of national service as an Operations "Ops" Medic in the South African Defence Force. The literature review is drawn largely from the body of work emerging from the Vietnam War, and in particular the work of Robert Lifton and Erwin Parson is considered. The case study consists of a detailed synopsis of the treatment based upon material from the therapy sessions. This section hopes to accurately convey the experience of working with someone suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and provide insight into the dynamics of such a therapeutic relationship. Finally the discussion examines the links between the theory and the treatment and attempts to understand the various factors which shaped and influenced the final outcome of the therapy. Special consideration is given to showing how essentially cognitive restructuring techniques are successfully utilised within a more existential, psychodynamic framework. Furthermore, there is a paucity of literature on the subject of combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in South Africa and it is hoped that this work will both point to a need for further research in this field whilst simultaneously provide guidance for those who wish to become involved in working with individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Working with the contemptuous client in psychotherapy
- Authors: Hoffman, Elan
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Psychotherapist and patient -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3213 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012315 , Psychotherapist and patient -- Case studies
- Description: The purpose of this case study is to explore the issue of contempt in the therapeutic relationship. The aims are twofold; namely, to illustrate to what extent the case studied throws light on existing theories on contempt in psychotherapy, and to enquire about which stance adopted by the therapist is most appropriate in the therapeutic interaction with a contemptuous client. It investigates the validity of using the case study method in examining both the content and the process of this particular course of psychotherapy. Literature on contempt in psychotherapy is reviewed, as well as the foundation-stone on which it rests, namely, the Kleinian approach to envy . The concepts of the superego and false self are also drawn upon in understanding this particular client's dynamics. The client's therapy is then presented and explored, in order to gain insight into how a psychotherapist's understanding of the contemptuous client can clarify the process of therapy. It highlights the limitations and potentialities that exist in working in this sphere of resistance, and raises questions relevant to therapists faced with these clients. The case study shows how theory in this area is helpful in understanding the contemptuous client, and that the ability of the therapist to endure and survive the contempt of the client is a crucial factor in working with the contemptuous individual.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Hoffman, Elan
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Psychotherapist and patient -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3213 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012315 , Psychotherapist and patient -- Case studies
- Description: The purpose of this case study is to explore the issue of contempt in the therapeutic relationship. The aims are twofold; namely, to illustrate to what extent the case studied throws light on existing theories on contempt in psychotherapy, and to enquire about which stance adopted by the therapist is most appropriate in the therapeutic interaction with a contemptuous client. It investigates the validity of using the case study method in examining both the content and the process of this particular course of psychotherapy. Literature on contempt in psychotherapy is reviewed, as well as the foundation-stone on which it rests, namely, the Kleinian approach to envy . The concepts of the superego and false self are also drawn upon in understanding this particular client's dynamics. The client's therapy is then presented and explored, in order to gain insight into how a psychotherapist's understanding of the contemptuous client can clarify the process of therapy. It highlights the limitations and potentialities that exist in working in this sphere of resistance, and raises questions relevant to therapists faced with these clients. The case study shows how theory in this area is helpful in understanding the contemptuous client, and that the ability of the therapist to endure and survive the contempt of the client is a crucial factor in working with the contemptuous individual.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
A phenomenological investigation into the psychoanalytic psychotherapist's experience of identifying, differentiating and processing the patient's transference-based and reality-oriented reactions
- Authors: Danilewitz, Larry Mark
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Reality therapy Transference (Psychology) -- Therapeutic use
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2960 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002469
- Description: The aim of this study was to describe the psychoanalytically-oriented therapist's experience of identifying, differentiating and processing the patient's transference-based and reality-oriented reactions. In order to investigate the therapist's lived experience of being receptive to the total communication of the patient in the analytic situation, the researcher adopted the empirical phenomenological method. This descriptive and intuitive method grounded the researcher in the concreteness of the everyday life-world of the therapist, and enabled him to explicate the therapist's immediate, pre-theoretical experiences of his patient. The appropriate central research question, formulated to elicit the experience of this phenomenon, emerged through the process of enquiry during the pilot study. Thirteen experienced, psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapists were interviewed and the five protocols considered most revelatory of the phenomenon under investigation were analyzed in detail. The remaining eight protocols were used to illuminate central themes and to clarify areas of uncertainty during the phase of formal explication. The central findings revealed that the oscillating process of the therapist as he shifts from being immersed in the world of his patient to being in a position of observation and self reflection is the fulcrum around which he evaluates the nature of his patient's communications. During this ongoing process of discrimination, living in duality, the therapist comes to experience himself as a patient scrutinized by his own and his patient's confrontations. His journey of disentanglement, the endeavour to differentiate his responses from his patient's actions, is dependent on his ability to engage in honest selfreflection and to access his pre-theoretical and articulated cognitions of his patient. This allows him to acknowledge his own role in what has unfolded interpersonally and to appropriate his previously denied feelings for and attitudes towards his patient, a prerequisite for the accurate and full appraisal of the nature of his patient's communications. Forsaking fixed judgements, the therapist becomes open to the confluence between the reality-oriented responses and transference-based reactions of his patient. This salient discovery, when dialogued with the literature, reinforced the theories of Greenson and Langs that not all the interactions between the patient and the analyst/therapist are transference-based and that it is therefore imperative that the analyst/therapist reflect on his participation in the analytic situation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Danilewitz, Larry Mark
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Reality therapy Transference (Psychology) -- Therapeutic use
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2960 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002469
- Description: The aim of this study was to describe the psychoanalytically-oriented therapist's experience of identifying, differentiating and processing the patient's transference-based and reality-oriented reactions. In order to investigate the therapist's lived experience of being receptive to the total communication of the patient in the analytic situation, the researcher adopted the empirical phenomenological method. This descriptive and intuitive method grounded the researcher in the concreteness of the everyday life-world of the therapist, and enabled him to explicate the therapist's immediate, pre-theoretical experiences of his patient. The appropriate central research question, formulated to elicit the experience of this phenomenon, emerged through the process of enquiry during the pilot study. Thirteen experienced, psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapists were interviewed and the five protocols considered most revelatory of the phenomenon under investigation were analyzed in detail. The remaining eight protocols were used to illuminate central themes and to clarify areas of uncertainty during the phase of formal explication. The central findings revealed that the oscillating process of the therapist as he shifts from being immersed in the world of his patient to being in a position of observation and self reflection is the fulcrum around which he evaluates the nature of his patient's communications. During this ongoing process of discrimination, living in duality, the therapist comes to experience himself as a patient scrutinized by his own and his patient's confrontations. His journey of disentanglement, the endeavour to differentiate his responses from his patient's actions, is dependent on his ability to engage in honest selfreflection and to access his pre-theoretical and articulated cognitions of his patient. This allows him to acknowledge his own role in what has unfolded interpersonally and to appropriate his previously denied feelings for and attitudes towards his patient, a prerequisite for the accurate and full appraisal of the nature of his patient's communications. Forsaking fixed judgements, the therapist becomes open to the confluence between the reality-oriented responses and transference-based reactions of his patient. This salient discovery, when dialogued with the literature, reinforced the theories of Greenson and Langs that not all the interactions between the patient and the analyst/therapist are transference-based and that it is therefore imperative that the analyst/therapist reflect on his participation in the analytic situation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
A pilot study into the functioning of families with a member who is a hospice patient to determine whether hospice families require family therapy
- Authors: Evans, Alison
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Hospice care , Terminal care , Family psychotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3207 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011767 , Hospice care , Terminal care , Family psychotherapy
- Description: The aim of this pilot study, which was carried out under the auspices of the Grahamstown Hospice, is to evaluate the functioning of families with a terminally ill member, in order to establish whether these families require family therapy. The Family Assessment Device (FAD), based on the McMaster Model of Family Functioning, was used. Data from 20 families was analysed and the extent to which these families constitute a clinical sample is highlighted. In terms of the dimension of General Functioning, 15 families emerged as functioning at a problematic level. Communication emerged as the most dysfunctional of the seven dimensions of the FAD, with 17 families functioning at a problematic level. As a result of these findings it is argued that family therapy should be incorporated into the range of services offered by hospices. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are also discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Evans, Alison
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Hospice care , Terminal care , Family psychotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3207 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011767 , Hospice care , Terminal care , Family psychotherapy
- Description: The aim of this pilot study, which was carried out under the auspices of the Grahamstown Hospice, is to evaluate the functioning of families with a terminally ill member, in order to establish whether these families require family therapy. The Family Assessment Device (FAD), based on the McMaster Model of Family Functioning, was used. Data from 20 families was analysed and the extent to which these families constitute a clinical sample is highlighted. In terms of the dimension of General Functioning, 15 families emerged as functioning at a problematic level. Communication emerged as the most dysfunctional of the seven dimensions of the FAD, with 17 families functioning at a problematic level. As a result of these findings it is argued that family therapy should be incorporated into the range of services offered by hospices. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are also discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
A qualitative study aimed at describing & interpreting the changing symbolic meanings of HIV/AIDS which encountering HIV-positive patients introduces into the personal & professional identities of selected health care professionals
- Authors: Read, Gary Frank Hoyland
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Africa , Physicians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Medical personnel -- South Africa -- Attitudes , HIV-positive persons
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3041 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002550 , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Africa , Physicians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Medical personnel -- South Africa -- Attitudes , HIV-positive persons
- Description: This study aimed at describing and interpreting the changing symbolic meanings of the Acquired Immunodefiency Syndrome (AIDS) which encountering a Human Immunodefiency Virus (HIV)-positive patient introduced into the personal and professional identities of six health care professionals in a subregion of the Eastern Cape. With the exponential increase of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, medical practitioners have become increasingly exposed to HIV infected patients. This study has considered the psychological structures developed by practitioners in an attempt to control and understand their situation in the context of HIV/AIDS. In order to describe these psychological structures the existential phenomenological approaches of L. Binswanger (in Needleman, 1963), A. Giorgi (1975) and F.J.Wertz (1985) were employed. Through these procedures, the structure of the experience of encountering an HIV infected patient was elucidated. This comprised the first goal of this study. The second goal focused on interpreting these descriptions by way of the symbolic meanings and definitions implicit in the structure of this experience. For this latter purpose the approach of symbo1ic interactionism was used, in particu1ar the understandings outlined by H. Blumer (1969). This theory was seen as appropriate in that the encounter between the practitioner and patient was primarily located in interpersonal parameters. The findings were discussed in terms of the two dominant metaphorical frameworks used by the subjects to comprehend the disease - namely the perspectives of society and the biomedical model. These two frameworks were critically evaluated in the context of HIV/AIDS, the needs of HIV infected individuals as well as the needs of the general practitioner. The process of the encounter was found to be very significant for practitioners in terms of their conceptualisations of HIV/AIDS. Old understandings were reinterpreted within the interpersonal context and replaced with more appropriate symbolic metaphors upon which to base practise. This study has revealed these new understandings were limited and constrained with regard to understanding and treating HIV/AIDS in that the subjects were still influenced by the metaphors of the biomedical model. These constraints were examined in the light of both personal and professional meanings and identities. This study concluded by making suggestions for modification of the medical practitioner's role in the context of HIV/AIDS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Read, Gary Frank Hoyland
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Africa , Physicians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Medical personnel -- South Africa -- Attitudes , HIV-positive persons
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3041 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002550 , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- Africa , Physicians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Medical personnel -- South Africa -- Attitudes , HIV-positive persons
- Description: This study aimed at describing and interpreting the changing symbolic meanings of the Acquired Immunodefiency Syndrome (AIDS) which encountering a Human Immunodefiency Virus (HIV)-positive patient introduced into the personal and professional identities of six health care professionals in a subregion of the Eastern Cape. With the exponential increase of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, medical practitioners have become increasingly exposed to HIV infected patients. This study has considered the psychological structures developed by practitioners in an attempt to control and understand their situation in the context of HIV/AIDS. In order to describe these psychological structures the existential phenomenological approaches of L. Binswanger (in Needleman, 1963), A. Giorgi (1975) and F.J.Wertz (1985) were employed. Through these procedures, the structure of the experience of encountering an HIV infected patient was elucidated. This comprised the first goal of this study. The second goal focused on interpreting these descriptions by way of the symbolic meanings and definitions implicit in the structure of this experience. For this latter purpose the approach of symbo1ic interactionism was used, in particu1ar the understandings outlined by H. Blumer (1969). This theory was seen as appropriate in that the encounter between the practitioner and patient was primarily located in interpersonal parameters. The findings were discussed in terms of the two dominant metaphorical frameworks used by the subjects to comprehend the disease - namely the perspectives of society and the biomedical model. These two frameworks were critically evaluated in the context of HIV/AIDS, the needs of HIV infected individuals as well as the needs of the general practitioner. The process of the encounter was found to be very significant for practitioners in terms of their conceptualisations of HIV/AIDS. Old understandings were reinterpreted within the interpersonal context and replaced with more appropriate symbolic metaphors upon which to base practise. This study has revealed these new understandings were limited and constrained with regard to understanding and treating HIV/AIDS in that the subjects were still influenced by the metaphors of the biomedical model. These constraints were examined in the light of both personal and professional meanings and identities. This study concluded by making suggestions for modification of the medical practitioner's role in the context of HIV/AIDS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
Mediation and the nature of cognitive socialization in the crèche and the home in a black rural context
- Authors: Van der Riet, Mary Boudine
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3077 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002586 , Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Description: This thesis examines socialization in the homes and crèches of a rural area in a time of change. Change which is controlled and initiated from outside the local context, creates a dilemma for socialization agents when it introduces a knowledge paradigm different from that operating locally. Rural South African communities frequently experience exogenous change. The introduction of rural preschools, locally known as crèches, provides one example of such change challenging local socialization agents. While rural residents may not operate within knowledge paradigms to deal effectively with such change, they are not necessarily defeated by it. They "grapple" with the uncertainty, developing ways of coping and containing the change. This forms the focus of this thesis. Vygotsky's concept of mediation and conceptualization of the individual/society relationship, informs the examination of "grappling" with change. Two central questions are addressed: In an unfamiliar situation, what is mediated and what resources are drawn on? The research was designed around the recognition of the process nature of research, the constructivism inherent in research and the significance of the social context. Two central mediators, the mother and the crèche teacher, and the broader social context of the home and the creche, were examined. Three levels of investigation were utilised. An analysis of mediation in dyads working on an unfamiliar task provided insight into the social/psychological dynamics. Interviews with residents highlighted socialization beliefs and practices and the social context. Analysis of verses and stories taught to children revealed the inherent ideology of socialization. The main findings of this study are that: Rural residents "grapple" with social change by drawing on their own resources; in "grappling" with the unfamiliar what is mediated is an adult/child interactional status based on the inherent ideology of socialization and the dominant resource drawn on is the "culture of orality". It is argued that in the situation of neither mastery nor defeat, rural residents have used intermediary strategies of coping and containing the effect of the preschool as an agent of exogenous, social change. Recommendations are made for integrating "socialized" and "learned" knowledge from the home and the crèche.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Van der Riet, Mary Boudine
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3077 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002586 , Socialization , Day care centers -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects , Social change -- South Africa -- Ciskei -- Psychological aspects
- Description: This thesis examines socialization in the homes and crèches of a rural area in a time of change. Change which is controlled and initiated from outside the local context, creates a dilemma for socialization agents when it introduces a knowledge paradigm different from that operating locally. Rural South African communities frequently experience exogenous change. The introduction of rural preschools, locally known as crèches, provides one example of such change challenging local socialization agents. While rural residents may not operate within knowledge paradigms to deal effectively with such change, they are not necessarily defeated by it. They "grapple" with the uncertainty, developing ways of coping and containing the change. This forms the focus of this thesis. Vygotsky's concept of mediation and conceptualization of the individual/society relationship, informs the examination of "grappling" with change. Two central questions are addressed: In an unfamiliar situation, what is mediated and what resources are drawn on? The research was designed around the recognition of the process nature of research, the constructivism inherent in research and the significance of the social context. Two central mediators, the mother and the crèche teacher, and the broader social context of the home and the creche, were examined. Three levels of investigation were utilised. An analysis of mediation in dyads working on an unfamiliar task provided insight into the social/psychological dynamics. Interviews with residents highlighted socialization beliefs and practices and the social context. Analysis of verses and stories taught to children revealed the inherent ideology of socialization. The main findings of this study are that: Rural residents "grapple" with social change by drawing on their own resources; in "grappling" with the unfamiliar what is mediated is an adult/child interactional status based on the inherent ideology of socialization and the dominant resource drawn on is the "culture of orality". It is argued that in the situation of neither mastery nor defeat, rural residents have used intermediary strategies of coping and containing the effect of the preschool as an agent of exogenous, social change. Recommendations are made for integrating "socialized" and "learned" knowledge from the home and the crèche.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
Self-reports on the effectiveness of psychotherapy with therapists-in-training: an 18-month follow-up study at a psychology training clinic
- Authors: Angus, Catherine Clare
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193069 , vital:45295
- Description: The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether the clients who make use of the services of the Psychology Clinic at Rhodes University perceive the masters students being trained at the Clinic as providing adequate psychotherapy. Using a sample of 18 clients, who underwent psychotherapy at the Rhodes Psychology Clinic during 1990, a follow-up study was conducted to ascertain the perceived success of that psychotherapy. Those variables most pertinent to the outcome of psychotherapy are examined. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methodology and shows that, overall, 89% of the clients who participated in this study perceived the psychotherapy at the Rhodes Psychology Clinic to be satisfactory. The study also highlights those factors which were perceived to be negative in the psychotherapeutic equation and it is hoped that the findings can be beneficial in planning more efficient services for the Clinic in the future. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1993
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Angus, Catherine Clare
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193069 , vital:45295
- Description: The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether the clients who make use of the services of the Psychology Clinic at Rhodes University perceive the masters students being trained at the Clinic as providing adequate psychotherapy. Using a sample of 18 clients, who underwent psychotherapy at the Rhodes Psychology Clinic during 1990, a follow-up study was conducted to ascertain the perceived success of that psychotherapy. Those variables most pertinent to the outcome of psychotherapy are examined. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methodology and shows that, overall, 89% of the clients who participated in this study perceived the psychotherapy at the Rhodes Psychology Clinic to be satisfactory. The study also highlights those factors which were perceived to be negative in the psychotherapeutic equation and it is hoped that the findings can be beneficial in planning more efficient services for the Clinic in the future. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1993
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
The Kinetic-Tree-House-Person drawing test as a diagnostic instrument in assessment of sexually abused children and monitoring the effects of group play therapy
- Authors: Donaldson, Marilyn Ann
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193140 , vital:45302
- Description: This research project was developed from the idea that children's drawings reflect both their internal emotional lives and their external lived worlds. The subjects of the project were sexually abused children referred to Fort England Hospital during the first half of 1992. The Kinetic-Tree-House-Person projective drawing test was used as an instrument of assessment in conjunction with the Maudsley Child Psychiatric interview technique. Indications of the effects of sexual abuse were sought in drawing tests administered before and after interventions of ten sessions of group play therapy. Drawing tests were also administered to a control group of children. The research project explored the effectiveness of group play therapy interventions through comparison of pre intervention and post intervention drawings. The rationale for this project was the high incidence of rape and sexual abuse of prepubescent black young women in the Eastern Cape particularly, and in South Africa generally. There is need for both assessments of screening instruments and validation of therapeutic interventions if this problem is to be addressed adequately. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1993
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
- Authors: Donaldson, Marilyn Ann
- Date: 1993
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193140 , vital:45302
- Description: This research project was developed from the idea that children's drawings reflect both their internal emotional lives and their external lived worlds. The subjects of the project were sexually abused children referred to Fort England Hospital during the first half of 1992. The Kinetic-Tree-House-Person projective drawing test was used as an instrument of assessment in conjunction with the Maudsley Child Psychiatric interview technique. Indications of the effects of sexual abuse were sought in drawing tests administered before and after interventions of ten sessions of group play therapy. Drawing tests were also administered to a control group of children. The research project explored the effectiveness of group play therapy interventions through comparison of pre intervention and post intervention drawings. The rationale for this project was the high incidence of rape and sexual abuse of prepubescent black young women in the Eastern Cape particularly, and in South Africa generally. There is need for both assessments of screening instruments and validation of therapeutic interventions if this problem is to be addressed adequately. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1993
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993
An understanting of mirrors and mirroring in a schizophrenic patient obsessed with his appearance
- Authors: Zworestine, Barry John
- Date: 1993-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191702 , vital:45149
- Description: This work addresses the role of mirroring and mirrors encountered while working with a patient obsessed with his appearance. At the same time, however, it also attempts to provide an understanding of the process of mirroring from the developing unborn child to the adult. It examines the womb as a reflective space, the mirroring role of the mother, psychological work as mirror work, the psychopathologies of disruptive mirroring and the nature of reflection as a story, confusion and a ghostly other, and finally, the relationship between mirror reflection and psychological life. What is examined and described in this process applies not only to the specific case in study but is relevant at a universal level to all of mankind regardless of race or religion. The case-study method was used to examine the process of therapy that took place over three months. The patient’s identifying data, reasons for referral, presenting problem, family background, basic personality, interpersonal relationships, mental state, diagnosis, dynamic formulation and rationale for psychotherapy were covered in detail. The process of psychotherapy over 27 sessions was recounted and discussed in detail. Theoretical understandings drawn on to facilitate an understanding of the case were from Davis and Walbridge on Winnicolt, Winnicot, Liedloff, Kay, Romanyshyn, Bettelheim, Schwartz and others. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1993
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993-04
- Authors: Zworestine, Barry John
- Date: 1993-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191702 , vital:45149
- Description: This work addresses the role of mirroring and mirrors encountered while working with a patient obsessed with his appearance. At the same time, however, it also attempts to provide an understanding of the process of mirroring from the developing unborn child to the adult. It examines the womb as a reflective space, the mirroring role of the mother, psychological work as mirror work, the psychopathologies of disruptive mirroring and the nature of reflection as a story, confusion and a ghostly other, and finally, the relationship between mirror reflection and psychological life. What is examined and described in this process applies not only to the specific case in study but is relevant at a universal level to all of mankind regardless of race or religion. The case-study method was used to examine the process of therapy that took place over three months. The patient’s identifying data, reasons for referral, presenting problem, family background, basic personality, interpersonal relationships, mental state, diagnosis, dynamic formulation and rationale for psychotherapy were covered in detail. The process of psychotherapy over 27 sessions was recounted and discussed in detail. Theoretical understandings drawn on to facilitate an understanding of the case were from Davis and Walbridge on Winnicolt, Winnicot, Liedloff, Kay, Romanyshyn, Bettelheim, Schwartz and others. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 1993
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1993-04
Attitudes to affirmative action and the perceived impact of affirmative action programmes in the South African business environment : a comparative study based on race and gender
- Authors: Wright, Sarah-Ann L
- Date: 1994
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:3250 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015715
- Description: Affirmative action is a sensitive and controversial topic evoking a host of emotional reactions regarding tokenism, reverse discrimination, lowering of standards, quota systems and a disregard for meritocracy (Gatherer & Erikson, 1992). It is also a topic receiving considerable attention in the context of a changing South Africa and will be one of the first steps taken in the labour arena under a new government (Charoux, 1991 ). The goals of the research were firstly, to detail and compare the attitudes of men and women, black and white to affirmative action and secondly, to examine the perceived impact of an affirmative action programme on beneficiaries as well as non-beneficiaries. The research was of a quantitative and qualitative nature, so as to provide the scope and depth desired in such an investigation. A survey was conducted using the data collection techniques of a mail questionnaire (quantitative focus) and individual in-depth interviews (qualitative focus). A pilot study was conducted. The majority of the questions in the questionnaire conformed to the conventions of the Likert Scale (Oppenheim, 1992) and data was analysed using percentile frequencies. Data from the interviews was analysed using the qualitative methods of noting themes and patterns, and clustering as proposed by Miles and Hubem1an (1984). The research was conducted in one large organisation in the infomation services industry, situated in the PWV area. Four key sample groups of white men, white women, black men and black women were used. The results of the research indicate that respondents perceive affirmative action as a policy to primarily address the educational disadvantages of black people in South Africa. Initial attitudes to affirmative action reflected a negative orientation amongst whites but a positive orientation amongst blacks. However, probing into the issues indicated that whilst there is an acceptance of the philosophy of and the need for affirmative action for black people, disagreement existed over which implementation methods of affirmative action (preferential treatment and quota systems) were acceptable and at what interfaces (hiring, training and development, promotion), implementation was acceptable. Attitudes on these various issues were often not divided along racial or gender lines and considerable divergence of attitudes also existed within the sample groups. Gender in affirmative action received less consideration by all four sample groups. Results also indicate that beneficiaries of affirmative action do not perceive affirmative action policies and programmes as stigmatising or negatively affecting their self-esteem. Nonbeneficiaries communicated that affirmative action could result in white resentment if blacks benefit at the expense of whites. Low levels of resentment were evident in the research. The organisation's affirmative action programme was seen to be ineffective due to the lack of communication about the programme, no evidence of its progress in terms of significant representation of blacks at senior levels in company XXX and the inequities that were seen to be still pervading the organisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: Wright, Sarah-Ann L
- Date: 1994
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:3250 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015715
- Description: Affirmative action is a sensitive and controversial topic evoking a host of emotional reactions regarding tokenism, reverse discrimination, lowering of standards, quota systems and a disregard for meritocracy (Gatherer & Erikson, 1992). It is also a topic receiving considerable attention in the context of a changing South Africa and will be one of the first steps taken in the labour arena under a new government (Charoux, 1991 ). The goals of the research were firstly, to detail and compare the attitudes of men and women, black and white to affirmative action and secondly, to examine the perceived impact of an affirmative action programme on beneficiaries as well as non-beneficiaries. The research was of a quantitative and qualitative nature, so as to provide the scope and depth desired in such an investigation. A survey was conducted using the data collection techniques of a mail questionnaire (quantitative focus) and individual in-depth interviews (qualitative focus). A pilot study was conducted. The majority of the questions in the questionnaire conformed to the conventions of the Likert Scale (Oppenheim, 1992) and data was analysed using percentile frequencies. Data from the interviews was analysed using the qualitative methods of noting themes and patterns, and clustering as proposed by Miles and Hubem1an (1984). The research was conducted in one large organisation in the infomation services industry, situated in the PWV area. Four key sample groups of white men, white women, black men and black women were used. The results of the research indicate that respondents perceive affirmative action as a policy to primarily address the educational disadvantages of black people in South Africa. Initial attitudes to affirmative action reflected a negative orientation amongst whites but a positive orientation amongst blacks. However, probing into the issues indicated that whilst there is an acceptance of the philosophy of and the need for affirmative action for black people, disagreement existed over which implementation methods of affirmative action (preferential treatment and quota systems) were acceptable and at what interfaces (hiring, training and development, promotion), implementation was acceptable. Attitudes on these various issues were often not divided along racial or gender lines and considerable divergence of attitudes also existed within the sample groups. Gender in affirmative action received less consideration by all four sample groups. Results also indicate that beneficiaries of affirmative action do not perceive affirmative action policies and programmes as stigmatising or negatively affecting their self-esteem. Nonbeneficiaries communicated that affirmative action could result in white resentment if blacks benefit at the expense of whites. Low levels of resentment were evident in the research. The organisation's affirmative action programme was seen to be ineffective due to the lack of communication about the programme, no evidence of its progress in terms of significant representation of blacks at senior levels in company XXX and the inequities that were seen to be still pervading the organisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
Hermeneutics in psychotherapy : a study of interpretation in the context of the psychotherapeutic dialogue
- Authors: Kelly, Kevin John
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Insight in psychotherapy Psychotherapy -- Methodology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3199 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009515
- Description: The central aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the process of interpretation as it occurs in the context of a dialogue in insight-oriented psychotherapy. The literature review consisted of two parts. Firstly, the philosophical literature on the theory of interpretation was reviewed. A set of central philosophical issues was identified, which pertain to the psychotherapeutic project of interpreting the meaning of a person's experience in the context of a dialogue with that person. Secondly, the psychotherapeutic literature was reviewed. Previous attempts to conceptualise and prescribe processes of interpretation were described. The issues which appeared to be in need of further clarification were identified. A clinical study was conducted to further explore the questions raised in the literature reviews. A methodology was developed which gave access to the direct experience of both clients and therapists during the events of psychotherapeutic interpretation. The methodology yielded a description of the interpretative structure of the psychotherapeutic dialogue for each therapist-client pair. These were then consolidated into a description of general structural features of the psychotherapeutic dialogue. The results consisted of a description of processes and structural features which are intrinsic to the psychotherapeutic interpretation of the meaning of a person's experience in the context of a dialogue. The results were elaborated in an extensive discussion from which the following findings emerged: (l)It is important to distinguish between communicative and interpretative forms of dialogue. (2)Thematisation activity is mediated by a number of dialectically related operations which are intrinsic to the interpretative project of psychotherapy. (3)Insight-oriented psychotherapy relies on the presence of the therapist as a dialogical partner and the therapist is not merely a facilitator of introspection on the part of the client. (4)The character of interpretation in psychotherapy may be understood in certain respects to be an elaboration of functions of the imagination. (5)The process of interpretation can be understood in relational terms and the variations of interpretative experience may be understood as variations of 'an inter-subjective interpretative ideal. (6)Understanding of certain forms of psychopathology is deepened when they are considered as variations of an ideal capacity to engage in interpretative dialogue. (7)It is possible to describe certain ideal conditions which are facilitative of interpretative dialogue and hence of the psychotherapeutic development of self-insight. In conclusion suggestions for further research were made. It was suggested that the perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology provides an appropriate philosophical and methodological foundation for understanding the unique dialogical interpretative situation which is psychotherapy. The study emphasized, both in its content and in the manner of its execution, the need for interpretative efforts to be accompanied by methodological reflection and especially an awareness of how interpretative strategies partially constitute the realities they set out to describe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: Kelly, Kevin John
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Insight in psychotherapy Psychotherapy -- Methodology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3199 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009515
- Description: The central aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the process of interpretation as it occurs in the context of a dialogue in insight-oriented psychotherapy. The literature review consisted of two parts. Firstly, the philosophical literature on the theory of interpretation was reviewed. A set of central philosophical issues was identified, which pertain to the psychotherapeutic project of interpreting the meaning of a person's experience in the context of a dialogue with that person. Secondly, the psychotherapeutic literature was reviewed. Previous attempts to conceptualise and prescribe processes of interpretation were described. The issues which appeared to be in need of further clarification were identified. A clinical study was conducted to further explore the questions raised in the literature reviews. A methodology was developed which gave access to the direct experience of both clients and therapists during the events of psychotherapeutic interpretation. The methodology yielded a description of the interpretative structure of the psychotherapeutic dialogue for each therapist-client pair. These were then consolidated into a description of general structural features of the psychotherapeutic dialogue. The results consisted of a description of processes and structural features which are intrinsic to the psychotherapeutic interpretation of the meaning of a person's experience in the context of a dialogue. The results were elaborated in an extensive discussion from which the following findings emerged: (l)It is important to distinguish between communicative and interpretative forms of dialogue. (2)Thematisation activity is mediated by a number of dialectically related operations which are intrinsic to the interpretative project of psychotherapy. (3)Insight-oriented psychotherapy relies on the presence of the therapist as a dialogical partner and the therapist is not merely a facilitator of introspection on the part of the client. (4)The character of interpretation in psychotherapy may be understood in certain respects to be an elaboration of functions of the imagination. (5)The process of interpretation can be understood in relational terms and the variations of interpretative experience may be understood as variations of 'an inter-subjective interpretative ideal. (6)Understanding of certain forms of psychopathology is deepened when they are considered as variations of an ideal capacity to engage in interpretative dialogue. (7)It is possible to describe certain ideal conditions which are facilitative of interpretative dialogue and hence of the psychotherapeutic development of self-insight. In conclusion suggestions for further research were made. It was suggested that the perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology provides an appropriate philosophical and methodological foundation for understanding the unique dialogical interpretative situation which is psychotherapy. The study emphasized, both in its content and in the manner of its execution, the need for interpretative efforts to be accompanied by methodological reflection and especially an awareness of how interpretative strategies partially constitute the realities they set out to describe.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
The meaning of work in a developing society a rural South African study
- Authors: Sully, Preis Max
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Work -- Psychological aspects Ciskei (South Africa) -- Rural conditions Keiskammahoek (South Africa) -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3066 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002575
- Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to explore, at a psychological level, the meaning of work in a rural developing society context. Additional aims comprise: the examination of distinctions in the meaning of work between different occupational niches; and the development of an appropriate conceptual and methodological approach for understanding meaning of work issues in developing society contexts. The research was conducted in the Keiskammahoek district situated in Ciskei, a South African homeland area. Demographically, the area comprises farms, small rural villages and one small town. It has traditionally fulfilled the role of a labour reserve, and the local economy largely depends on income generated through migrant labour. The population predominantly comprises indigenous Xhosa speakers, although a few whites, individuals of mixed racial origin and other ethnic groups are represented. In order to accommodate the diversity of work experience in rural society, an approach was adopted which relied on the participants' subjective definition of work. A conscious attempt was made to avoid defining work exclusively as remunerated employment. At a metatheoretical level, the meaning of work model used is grounded in Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Theory. It comprises three facets, namely process, context and content. A multiple case study analysis was carried design was used, through to a in which nomothetic idiographic level of understanding. The primary' research instrument comprised an interview, in which data was derived from life-history material, a repertory grid, and focused interview questions. In the development of case studies, a process of triangulation was used to link the three sources of data. The thesis explores the relationship between participants and their work in several ways. First, it looks at how work and non-work are constituted and related to one another, and at how personally valuable work is contrasted to less valuable work. Second, it explores the relationship between the individual's orientation to work and their life and occupational context. Finally, it discusses the proposal that work meanings change and evolve with the development of the individual, and with shifts in social and historical circumstance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: Sully, Preis Max
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Work -- Psychological aspects Ciskei (South Africa) -- Rural conditions Keiskammahoek (South Africa) -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3066 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002575
- Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to explore, at a psychological level, the meaning of work in a rural developing society context. Additional aims comprise: the examination of distinctions in the meaning of work between different occupational niches; and the development of an appropriate conceptual and methodological approach for understanding meaning of work issues in developing society contexts. The research was conducted in the Keiskammahoek district situated in Ciskei, a South African homeland area. Demographically, the area comprises farms, small rural villages and one small town. It has traditionally fulfilled the role of a labour reserve, and the local economy largely depends on income generated through migrant labour. The population predominantly comprises indigenous Xhosa speakers, although a few whites, individuals of mixed racial origin and other ethnic groups are represented. In order to accommodate the diversity of work experience in rural society, an approach was adopted which relied on the participants' subjective definition of work. A conscious attempt was made to avoid defining work exclusively as remunerated employment. At a metatheoretical level, the meaning of work model used is grounded in Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Theory. It comprises three facets, namely process, context and content. A multiple case study analysis was carried design was used, through to a in which nomothetic idiographic level of understanding. The primary' research instrument comprised an interview, in which data was derived from life-history material, a repertory grid, and focused interview questions. In the development of case studies, a process of triangulation was used to link the three sources of data. The thesis explores the relationship between participants and their work in several ways. First, it looks at how work and non-work are constituted and related to one another, and at how personally valuable work is contrasted to less valuable work. Second, it explores the relationship between the individual's orientation to work and their life and occupational context. Finally, it discusses the proposal that work meanings change and evolve with the development of the individual, and with shifts in social and historical circumstance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
The phenomenology of the events of client inhibition and self-disclosure in the therapeutic dialogue
- Authors: Lockhart, Ian
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Self-disclosure , Client-centered psychotherapy , Inhibition
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002518 , Self-disclosure , Client-centered psychotherapy , Inhibition
- Description: The aim of this study was to provide an account of the power relations that are implicit in the experience of clients who initially withhold but eventually disclose a sensitive issue in the psychotherapeutic dialogue. Mainstream psychotherapeutic literature has maintained that clients who withhold sensitive material implicitly express a psychological powerlessness. The literature review also turned attention to an alternative view, not arising from within the psychotherapeutic literature. Specific reference was made to the work of Foucault who suggests that although clients may appear to be empowered through self-disclosure, they are in fact constrained, since disclosing themselves constitutes. an appropriation of selfunderstanding which forecloses openness to other forms of self-understanding. The tension between these conflicting accounts about the relation of self-disclosure to empowerment was discussed as an issue requiring further exploration through clinical research. A phenomenologically orientated research method was used to describe the experiences of five clients who withheld and subsequently disclosed sensitive issues in psychotherapy. These descriptions yielded a thematically differentiated process of psychological change. The structure of client inhibition and self-disclosure was seen to correspond to the concepts of powerlessness and empowerment outlined in the psychotherapeutic literature. The apparent empowerment of clients during self-disclosure casts doubt on Foucault's perspective. However, on further reflection and through a review of the research method, it became apparent that the lack of support for Foucault's perspective was a consequence of the particular research method used rather than an indication of the non-existence of constraint. Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology was used to develop the above methodological critique. Using this alternative approach the researcher critically evaluated the findings of the phenomenological study. This facilitated a reinterpretation of the clinical material. It emerged that the experience of empowerment represents a particular form of selfunderstanding, and it was shown, in relation to the clinical material, how this can indeed as Foucault suggests (because of its very specificity) constrain the client from understanding him/herself in alternative ways. It was revealed that the experience of empowerment is a necessary but limited component of successful client disclosure. This does not, however, go far enough. It was suggested that ideally, critical reflection on the constraints of self-understanding, rather than self-disclosure per se, should be regarded as the destination of the urge to self-disclosure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
The phenomenology of the events of client inhibition and self-disclosure in the therapeutic dialogue
- Authors: Lockhart, Ian
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Self-disclosure , Client-centered psychotherapy , Inhibition
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3009 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002518 , Self-disclosure , Client-centered psychotherapy , Inhibition
- Description: The aim of this study was to provide an account of the power relations that are implicit in the experience of clients who initially withhold but eventually disclose a sensitive issue in the psychotherapeutic dialogue. Mainstream psychotherapeutic literature has maintained that clients who withhold sensitive material implicitly express a psychological powerlessness. The literature review also turned attention to an alternative view, not arising from within the psychotherapeutic literature. Specific reference was made to the work of Foucault who suggests that although clients may appear to be empowered through self-disclosure, they are in fact constrained, since disclosing themselves constitutes. an appropriation of selfunderstanding which forecloses openness to other forms of self-understanding. The tension between these conflicting accounts about the relation of self-disclosure to empowerment was discussed as an issue requiring further exploration through clinical research. A phenomenologically orientated research method was used to describe the experiences of five clients who withheld and subsequently disclosed sensitive issues in psychotherapy. These descriptions yielded a thematically differentiated process of psychological change. The structure of client inhibition and self-disclosure was seen to correspond to the concepts of powerlessness and empowerment outlined in the psychotherapeutic literature. The apparent empowerment of clients during self-disclosure casts doubt on Foucault's perspective. However, on further reflection and through a review of the research method, it became apparent that the lack of support for Foucault's perspective was a consequence of the particular research method used rather than an indication of the non-existence of constraint. Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology was used to develop the above methodological critique. Using this alternative approach the researcher critically evaluated the findings of the phenomenological study. This facilitated a reinterpretation of the clinical material. It emerged that the experience of empowerment represents a particular form of selfunderstanding, and it was shown, in relation to the clinical material, how this can indeed as Foucault suggests (because of its very specificity) constrain the client from understanding him/herself in alternative ways. It was revealed that the experience of empowerment is a necessary but limited component of successful client disclosure. This does not, however, go far enough. It was suggested that ideally, critical reflection on the constraints of self-understanding, rather than self-disclosure per se, should be regarded as the destination of the urge to self-disclosure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
The relative discriminatory power of a selection of neuropsychological tests in Alzheimer's disease
- Authors: Aronson, Steven
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Alzheimer's disease -- Physiological aspects , Neuropsychological tests
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007498 , Alzheimer's disease -- Physiological aspects , Neuropsychological tests
- Description: KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: Aronson, Steven
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Alzheimer's disease -- Physiological aspects , Neuropsychological tests
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007498 , Alzheimer's disease -- Physiological aspects , Neuropsychological tests
- Description: KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994