bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Against Mutton Masquerading as Lamb: Additional Commentary on the Interpretation and Misinterpretation of the Sawais
Authors: Shuttleworth-Jordan Ann B.
Published: March 2013

This article provides additional support for the concerns expressed by Nell (1994) in a recent edition of the South African Journal of Psychology (Volume 24) about outmoded administration procedures and the dated normative sample of the South African Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (SAWAIS). Attention is drawn to the potential for a ceiling effect on the SAWAIS Digit Symbol subtest due to an abbreviated format relative to the WAIS-R, and the potential for diagnostic inaccuracy on this subtest due to the leniency of the SAWAIS norms established on a cohort which is 25 years out of date. Clinicians are advised to use tests which meet international standards. A further suggestion is that clinicians should use normative data which are appropriate to the highly influential variable of educational level, rather than inflating the importance of the geographical location of a test's standardization group.
A Model of Help-Seeking Behaviour for Urban Blacks
Authors: Pillay B.J.
Published: March 2013

People's health beliefs strongly influence their health and illness behaviour. Such beliefs influence whether people treat themselves or consult family, friends or medical services. Further, the timeous and appropriate seeking of help is extremely important in order to improve the health status of any community. This is especially true in the South African context. In this article the health and illness beliefs of urban blacks ( N = 892) were examined and a model of help-seeking behaviour is postulated.
Life Change, Personal Control and Disease
Authors: Fisher Shirley
Published: March 2013

The article is concerned with a review of the role of psychological factors in health and disease, with special reference to the role of life stress, gender and marital status as important factors. Adverse states of hormone levels associated with risk of illness may be engendered by work environments where there is high stress and low levels of personal discretion. The process of worrying provides a method whereby the prolonged circulation of these hormone states occur. The possibility that combined stressors might act as mutual buffers because of the truncation of worry processes is considered. A risk model is proposed in which genetic factors combine with lifestyle and personality factors in influencing the risk of disease.
An Investigation into the Relationship between Coronary Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease among the Pietermaritzburg Asian Population
Authors: Barry Timothy A. , Wassenaar Douglas R.
Published: March 2013

This study investigated the relationship between coronary heart disease and a number of established coronary risk factors among Indian males. Included were factors such as Type A behaviour pattern (sometimes referred to as the coronary-prone behaviour pattern). The study investigated whether the following coronary risk factors were able to distinguish those with myocardial infarction from controls: Type A behaviour pattern, stress levels, anger levels, diabetes, previous coronary heart disease, hypertension, obesity, family history of coronary heart disease, physical exercise, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Statistical analysis indicated that none of the risk factors, except Type A behaviour pattern, were able to significantly distinguish the myocardial infarction group from controls.
Health Beliefs of a Sample of Black Patients Attending a Specialized Medical Facility
Authors: Schlebusch L. , Ruggieri G.
Published: March 2013

Cross-cultural research has highlighted the influential role of health beliefs in shaping responses to health messages and subsequent health behaviour. Research into health behaviour constitutes an interdisciplinary field which studies personal attributes related to health maintenance, restoration and improvement and it embraces concepts related to biopsychosocial health care and behavioural medicine. Health behaviour research is in its infancy in Africa. Particularly in South Africa, where there is a high incidence of diseases requiring high technology medical intervention within a large spectrum of an underprivileged population, there is a need to gain more cross-cultural health behaviour knowledge that would permit the formulation of a health-care education programme specifically designed for local needs. Given this, this study investigated health beliefs amongst a group of black patients who required highly specialized medical treatment. The sample consisted of a random selection of black patients attending a university-affiliated specialized teaching hospital's out-patient clinic for ‘high-tech’ medical or surgical procedures. Results showed statistically significant differences between the health beliefs of rural and urbanized patients and the importance of religious concepts in health beliefs. Further, the patients' health beliefs related to health behaviour were influenced by several other variables including the interaction between socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and other factors. It is argued that, in order to introduce health behaviour changes, these complex sets of beliefs must be taken into account when health-care education programmes are designed.
Attributional Style and Illness Behaviour in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Authors: Howlett Melinda , Lindegger Graham
Published: March 2013

An increasing number of cases of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are being seen in medical practices. However, many controversies still surround the diagnosis, treatment and aetiology of the condition. CFS appears to share features of both depressive disorders and chronic physical illnesses. This study compared a group of CFS patients with depressives and chronically physically ill patients on measures of depression, illness behaviour and attributional style. The CFS patients were found to be more similar to depressives on measures of depression and illness behaviour, but more like chronically physically ill patients on attributional style. Implications of the findings are examined.
The Role of Temperament and Gender in Functional Hemispheric Asymmetry and the Perception of Emotion
Authors: Stuart Anita , Fourie Jacqueline Carolina
Published: March 2013

Research investigating the relation between Functional Hemispheric Asymmetry (FHA) and the perception of affect in clinical as well as normal populations, is characterized by contradictory findings regarding the role of the different hemispheres, especially as regards the perception of various valencies of emotions. Although various methodological problems or error variances are often blamed for the contradictory findings and general lack of consensus, the literature is increasingly pointing to the existence of evidently reliable individual differences between people regarding their hemispheric functioning. The problem investigated in this study was to determine the possible role of some organismic variables in FHA. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there were significant differences in the direction of FHA-differences, as well as the relative performance, of groups divided according to gender and temperament characteristics, and whether the relevant organismic variables offered a possible means of explaining the contradictions in research results on FHA and the perception of emotion. The subject population ( N = 112) comprised four groups of right-handed students selected in terms of gender and temperament (introversion-extraversion). Differential hemispheric performance in terms of response accuracy and latency was determined by means of the Divided Visual Field Technique (DVFT). The results indicated that gender but not the temperament dimension of introversion-extraversion, plays a significant role in the degree and direction of FHA in the perception of emotion. It appears that the organismic variable gender could possibly offer a partial explanation for the contradictory results in the literature specifically with regard to FHA in the perception of emotion generally, and in respect of different valencies of emotion. However, the lack of significance in some of the results, especially with regard to men, impedes a firm empirical conclusion and explanation of the results.
The Metamemory, Memory Strategy and Study Technique Inventory (MMSSTI): A Factor Analytic Study
Authors: van Ede Dorothea M. , Coetzee Casper H.
Published: March 2013

The Metamemory, Memory Strategy and Study Technique Inventory (MMSSTI), a 93-item self-report questionnaire, was designed to assess metamemory, memory strategies, study techniques and the mental load of students at tertiary level. Exploratory factor analysis yielded 12 factors/subscales: three measure metamemory, five memory strategies, three study techniques and one mental load. The subscales have satisfactory to good internal consistencies. The metamemory subscales assess Monitoring and two kinds of regulatory processes, namely Time Allocation and Mental Representations of Information. Four memory strategy subscales measure encoding memory strategies, namely Rehearsal, Association/Organisation, Verbal Elaboration and Imagery, while one subscale assesses Retrieval Memory Strategies. The study techniques subscales measure Insight/Understanding, a Questioning Approach and Extracting Important Information. There is a subscale called Mental Load, which is a measurement of the interference of various factors in information processing and their constraints on the ability of the information processor to cope with the memory task demands.
Evaluation of the First AIDS Kit, the AIDS and Lifestyle Education Programme for Teenagers
Authors: Visser Maretha
Published: March 2013

The impact of the First AIDS Kit, an AIDS and lifestyle education programme, on secondary school students' behavioural intentions, their knowledge of AIDS as well as attitude towards people with AIDS, was evaluated. The programme was presented by counselling teachers in 11 schools involving 339 students in Stds 6 to 9. The programme was evaluated by means of a questionnaire before and after the programme, as well as by focus group discussions with students and interviews with the presenters of the programme. Although the programme was not presented in ideal circumstances, it had a positive effect on students' knowledge of AIDS, their attitude towards people with AIDS and although not statistically significant, some aspects of their behavioural intentions. Students evaluated the programme positively, as preparing them for life and giving them more control over their lives. Students gave suggestions to improve the programme with regard to the content, presenter, educational techniques, role of parents and how to address moral issues. It is recommended that AIDS education should form part of long-term life skills and sex education and the focus should be on behavioural change. Community education and participation are also key elements in the effectiveness of school-based AIDS education programmes.
Damaged, Deficient or Determined? Deconstructing Narratives in Family Therapy
Authors: Kottler Amanda , Soal Judith
Published: March 2013

This study attempts to challenge the prevailing understanding of family problems within the field of family therapy. Drawing on post-structuralist approaches to knowledge, truth and power, we suggest that the problems experienced by the families cannot be seen to have an objective existence, or to be internal to the ‘family unit’. Rather, the problem-saturated narratives presented by families are shaped by an investment in socially constructed knowledges which ascribe meaning to experience. A discourse analytic approach is used to explore the dominant narratives of a coloured South African family presenting for family therapy. Discourses of civilization, ideal mothers and families, and therapy are considered to have informed these narratives. An analysis of the implications of these discursive investments, and the contradictions within and between these discourses, is conducted. This analysis suggests the manner in which this family is subjugated and rendered damaged and deficient through an aspiration to unobtainable and contradictory ideals. The study also examines the way in which the truth claims of these discourses are challenged by a therapist adopting a narrative approach to family therapy.
Shrinking: A Postmodern Perspective on Psychiatric Case Histories
Authors: Swartz Sally
Published: March 2013

This article traces the changing form and content of histories taken from patients in South African psychiatric settings over a period of a century, and analyses ways in which current history-taking practice continues to be moulded by discursive practices which have their origin in mid-19th century British psychiatry. It examines the implications of clinicians being record-keepers of their own clinical activities, and comments on ways in which patient identities are constructed by records produced through history-taking activities. The postmodern perspective usefully interrogates the assumption of a linear and unambiguous relationship between past events and present distress, and offers an opportunity for clinicians to understand patients' life stories as rich and ambiguous discourses through which relationships to both past and future are constantly in the process of negotiation.
Between the Shark Tank and the Deep Blue Sea: Incidents from a History of the Durban Aquarium
Authors: Blanche Martin Terre , Hamber Brandon
Published: March 2013

We trace the history of the Durban Aquarium from its founding to the present. With reference to individuals such as Kelpie the dolphin ( Stenella euphrosyne), Sally the sawfish ( Pristis pectinatus), ORI II the penguin ( Spheniscus demersus) and Ballard the curator ( Homo sapiens), we delineate mechanisms such as visibility, accelerated turnover, transgression, consumption of spectacle, and the predation taboo which work to shape the dynamic tension between science and spectacle, between freedom and captivity and between modern and postmodern in the life of the aquarium.
Discourses on Public Violence and the Reproduction of Racism
Authors: Duncan Norman
Published: March 2013

This article is based on an analysis of 186 articles on public violence that appeared in a local newspaper, The Star, between 15 February and 15 April 1993. Written within a discourse analytical framework, the article aims at illustrating how media discourses on public violene in South Africa can be seen as aiding in the reproduction of the ideology of racism. Six dominant themes are identified in the corpus of texts analysed, all of which, it can be argued, contribute to the perpetuation of this ideology.
‘That Ism on the End Makes it Nasty’: Talking about Race with Young White South Africans
Authors: Lea Susan J.
Published: March 2013

The focus in this article is one aspect of a broader study concerned with investigating issues of race and racism in the talk of young white South Africans. The research is informed by Billig's (1987) rhetorical approach to social psychology and by Potter and Wetherell's (1987) method of discourse analysis. The aspect of the study reported here concerns the discourse of young white South Africans who defined themselves as ‘Nationalist’. Two discourses were identified as dominating Nationalist accounts of race and racism: the discourse of biologism and discourse of cognitivism. These discourses incorporated particular notions of psychological theory. The manner in which Nationalists use such theory to warrant accounts that are fundamentally racist is addressed. It is argued that the science of psychology continues to provide racists with arguments which support the existence of races and the legitimation of racism.
Social Identity: Comparing White English-Speaking South African Students in 1975 and 1994
Authors: Sennett Justin , Foster Don
Published: March 2013

White English-speaking South Africans have historically exhibited a weak attachment to South Africa and to their own ethnic group. An explanation for this may be that such social categories have previously brought about a negative social identity, and have thus necessitated a decrease in social category salience. The present study, constituting a repetition and extension of a study by Morse, Mann and Nel (1977), explored the possibility that this situation might be changing as a result of this country's social transformation. It thus investigated whether social identity salience was increasing for this particular group. A questionnaire, based in part upon that used by Morse et al., was administered to 119 English-speaking students from the University of Cape Town and to 67 Afrikaans-speaking students from the University of Stellenbosch. Comparisons were conducted between both these samples, and between the current English sample and that of Morse et al. The interpretative framework underlying the study was that of Social Identity Theory, which was explored as a conceptual basis from which to examine the English-speaking group's social identity. Results indicated that English-speaking subjects experienced greater salience of their national and ethnic identities than was found to be the case in the previous study.
Applicability of Milliones' DIB-C Model in the South African Context
Authors: Korf Gerhardus J. , Schoeman Johannes B.
Published: March 2013

This study resulted from the need for multicultural validation of the theoretical models which describe the nature and development of black racial identity. The specific objective was to investigate the relevance of Milliones' (1980) Developmental Inventory of Black Consciousness (DIB-C) for the South African context. The results confirmed the existence of the preconscious and confrontation DIB-C dimensions, did not confirm the existence of the integration stage as proposed by Milliones, and indicated two separate dimensions (ingroup-outgroup integration and ingroup tolerance) which, taken together, partly resemble the integration construct of Milliones. A short version of the DIB-C for use in multi-measurement studies is also proposed.
An Evaluation of the Implementation and the Effectiveness of Case Management in the Rehabilitation of Psychiatric Outpatients in South Africa
Authors: Uys L.R. , Zulu R.N.
Published: March 2013

Patients with a major mental illness usually need long-term treatment and rehabilitation. Since the adoption of the principle of de-institutionalization of psychiatric patients in South Africa in the 1970s, most treatment has been done in the community, through a system of psychiatric outpatient clinics. There is now a growing realization that more is needed than treatment with medication, but in a developing country resources, both human and financial, are limited. It is therefore important to establish which rehabilitation strategies can be implemented in the South African services, and how effective they are. In this study case management was implemented in the psychiatric service to black patients in rural areas. A sample of 41 patients formed the experimental group, who were seen by six nurses trained as case workers. The control group consisted of 15 patients in another clinic, who received additional attention to routine care. There were specific problems with the implementation of case management, especially inadequate training of nurses in these techniques, the restrictions on the functioning of the nurse by legal provisions and organizational rules, and the paucity of community resources. The case management was found to positively influence functional status, but did not achieve symptom reduction.
The Perceptual and Affective Components of Body Image Disturbances in Anorexic and Normal Females
Authors: Uys Debbie C. , Wassenaar Douglas R.
Published: March 2013

The literature is inundated with studies reporting the body image experiences of anorexia nervosa patients and normal weight people. Such studies have not, however, yielded consistent results. The present study reinvestigated the issue bearing in mind the theoretical and methodological limitations of previous research. The perceptual and affective aspects of body image were investigated in 11 white, female anorexic patients and 51 white, female psychology undergraduate university students. A combination of the movable caliper technique and image-marking procedure was used to assess body size perception, that is, the perceptual aspect, and the Body Cathexis scale was used to assess body satisfaction, that is, the affective aspect. It was found that anorexic females overestimate the width of their waist and thighs significantly more than normal females ( p < 0.05) and that they have a significantly lower body satisfaction ( p < 0.001). It was concluded that the DSM IV criterion of a disturbance in body image has specific diagnostic relevance in anorexia nervosa.
Cognitive Maturity and the Questioning Strategies Used by Learning Disabled and Normal Subjects: A Comparative Study
Authors: Norris Carol J. , Foxcroft Cheryl D. , Kroukamp Tertia R.
Published: March 2013

The investigators used the Twenty Questions game to examine differences in cognitive maturity and questioning strategies between 44 matched normal and learning disabled subjects. Subjects were subdivided into three groups, (prior, transition, and formal operations) on the basis of their chronological age and corresponding theoretical Piagetian cognitive maturity level. Group differences were statistically analysed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. Results revealed non-significant differences for the learning disabled and normal prior and transition groups. The learning disabled and normal children in the formal operations groups, however, differed significantly in terms of the cognitive maturity of their strategy utilization during the Twenty Questions task. Implications for cognitive strategy-training programmes with adolescents are examined in the light of the findings.
Intimacy, Fusion and Frequency of Sexual Contact in Lesbian Couples
Authors: Blyth Sue , Straker Gillian
Published: March 2013

It is generally accepted in the literature that, of all couple types, lesbian couples tend to have the lowest frequencies of sexual contact. It has been hypothesized that a reason for this is that lesbian couples are more subject than others to fusion. This study examines the relationship between frequency of sexual contact and fusion in lesbian relationships of duration longer than one year. The concept of fusion has, however, not been clearly defined. Although Mencher (1990), for example, states that fusion is akin to, but not the same as, intense intimacy, fusion is treated within the literature as if it lay on a continuum of intimacy. In the design of this study, fusion was thus defined as a very high level of intimacy, as measured on the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR) Inventory. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated and scatter graphs plotted to explore the possible existence of significant linear and non-linear relationships between fusion and frequency of sexual contact. The results of this study indicate that the conceptualization of fusion as very high intimacy should be questioned. The results suggest that fusion is not synonymous with intense intimacy and this article argues for a clearer definition and operationalizatian of the important concept of fusion.
Discourses, Videos and Talk about Sexual Violence: A Multi-Disciplinary Enterprise
Authors: Kottler Amanda , Long Carol
Published: March 2013

Over the past few years a number of initiatives against sexual harassment and violence have been launched by large corporations and South African universities, with mixed results. As an active member of one of the first projects of this kind, it became evident to Kottler how severely hampered policy making, education and prevention are by definitional problems and varied gendered and cultural constructions of the issues involved. With a view to addressing some of these an educational campaign at the University of Cape Town was proposed in 1993, part of which involved an attempt at an innovative multi-methodological approach free from the trappings of one particular discipline. Drawing on research using post-modern ideas and social constructionism looking at talk about sexual harassment, a post-graduate drama producer (Peter Hayes) was drawn in. He conducted workshop discussions on sexual harassment with men and women from a wide range of contexts (all audio or video taped), with a view to producing a dramatic piece of forum theatre. The outcome, entitled ONE MAN'S MEAT… IS A WOMAN'S POISON was performed by two women and two men, two white and two coloured at a number of university venues, on occasion to extremely large audiences (1000 at the University of the Western Cape). Requests for additional performances came from a number of unexpected places, for example, Rape Crisis, Cape Town used it as part of their counselling training course in 1994. A 28-minute video of a performance, incorporating audience participation in rescripting and replaying the scenarios was produced by an educational film-maker (Lindy Wilson). Following conference presentations of the video, a number of copies have been sold to other universities and NGOs both locally and overseas. In this article we describe the process leading up to the production of the play and offer an analysis and discussion of the play as it was finally constructed, linking this to some of the text produced at the rehearsals.
Sex Machines and Statistical Persons
Authors: Sey James
Published: March 2013

In this article I attempt to trace the genealogy of the body-technology relation in the 20th century as it emerges at two specific historical junctures: (i) The Taylorist/Fordist ergonomic society of the early part of the 20th century. To this end it outlines a double trajectory: firstly the shift in the epistemology of monstrosity from pre-enlightenment singularity to enlightenment replicability, and thus the possibility of containment and ‘technological monstrosity’ in the modern era; and secondly the emergence of Fordism as a social and scientific system which is premised on the body-as-machine but is underpinned by the fascination presented by the possibility of ‘machine pathology’, (ii) The emergence of the ‘statistical person’ in the late 20th century; a species of more or less psychopathological identity related to the predominance of information processing in contemporary urban epistemology. I argue that the late 20th century relation to technology, the cybernetic or statistical, is the inverse of that of the Fordist worker at the assembly line in the early part of the century, the era of the ‘sexualized machine’.
The Construct of Work and Non-Work in Rural South Africa
Authors: Sully Max
Published: March 2013

The construct of work and non-work was explored in a rural area of South Africa using Repertory Grids. A range of occupational niches were identified, and these provided the basis for the research sample. The research made use of the participants' subjective definitions of work and non-work, based on their personal lived experience. Approximately one third of the participants were unable to identify non-work experience in their lives. The article discusses construct themes associated with the distinction between work and non-work, and those associated with the distinction between most and least valued forms of work.
Developing a Performance Management Audit Questionnaire
Authors: Spangenberg H.H. , Theron C.C.
Published: March 2013

In this study the authors aim to develop and validate a Performance Management audit questionnaire. The audit questionnaire, consisting of 102 items, was completed by 626 South African managers and employees from eight organizations representing finance, commerce, industry and utility organizations. Items for the audit questionnaire, which was developed specifically for this study, were obtained from interviews with Performance Management facilitators, related literature and results from a survey on problems experienced with Performance Management. Items were categorized according to a systems model of Performance Management. Results from an item analysis and a series of factor analytic investigations provide limited confirmation that the Performance Management Audit Questionnaire (PMAQ) provides a reliable and content valid measure of the Performance Management domain as conceptualized by the systems model. Three second-order factors were identified, i.e. management processes, feedback, and linkages at various levels. Performance Management seems to emerge as a considerable force in both conceptually and operationally integrating various human resources related activities.
Using the South African Version of the 16PF in a Multicultural Context
Authors: van Eeden René , Prinsloo Casper H.
Published: March 2013

The objective of this study was to determine the fairness of the 1992 South African version of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF, SA92) for various groups and to contribute to the knowledge on the profiles of specific career groups. The use of this questionnaire was evaluated on employees of a multicultural South African financial institution. The profiles of males and females were compared. So too were the profiles of individuals tested in their first language (Afrikaans or English) and individuals who indicated that their home language is an African language but who were tested in English. A comparison with the general population showed differences in primary and second-order factors, most of which could be explained in terms of the occupational type. Although there did not seem to be a need for specific norms, some cultural and gender-specific trends were found that should be considered when interpreting results on the 16PF, SA92. The factor structures of the total sample and the various subgroups were essentially the same and justified the use of the formulae for the second-order factors given in the manual. However, group-specific trends were also found in the constructs measured and these should be considered for the interpretation and usage of the scores on the primary and second-order traits.
The Quality of Dyadic Relationships and the Experience of Social Support
Authors: Pretorius T. Brian
Published: March 2013

Dyadic quality is described as the quality of the relationship between two partners which is dependent on the level of dyadic cohesion, dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction and dyadic adjustment, as well as the way in which the couple deals with conflict. These aspects were measured using the Conflict Tactics Scale and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Social support was measured using the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB) and the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ). The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is any relationship between dyadic quality and dimensions of social support. Respondents were 163 undergraduate students at the University of Western Cape, South Africa. Multiple regression analyses indicated that a number of the indices of dyadic quality were significant predictors of the dimensions of social support. The result suggests that the quality of dyadic relationships impacts on the perceived availability and satisfaction with support. Research aimed at exploring and understanding the health-sustaining and stress-reducing functions of social support needs to focus on the potential negative impact of dyadic conflict and poor dyadic adjustment on the experience of social support.
Regulating Professional Conduct Part II: The Professional Board for Psychology in South Africa
Authors: Louw Johann
Published: March 2013

In the second paper on the regulation of professional conduct the functioning of the Professional Board of Psychology with regard to ethical complaints and enquiries is examined. A relatively low number of complaints was lodged in the period 1974 to 1990, with 23 findings of guilt established. Complaints involving fees or accounts predominated, with advertising an important second category. Advertising complaints mostly were submitted by psychologists themselves, while members of the public are well represented in the other categories of complaint. The findings are discussed in terms of the functioning of a code of ethics in the professional domain: to maintain the appearance of professional vigilance for ethical transgressions, and to punish visible offences against the public more severely than intra-professional transgressions. It is concluded that codes of ethics are not particularly strong in acknowledging and enforcing the corporate obligations of a profession.
Black Scholarship: Doing Something Active and Positive about Academic Racism
Authors: Duncan N. , Seedat M. , van Niekerk A. , de la Rey C. , Gobodo-Madikizela P. , Simbayi L.C. , Bhana A.
Published: March 2013

This ‘article’ serves as introduction to the Special Issue: black scholarship. As such, it outlines the various articles contained in, as well as the rationale for the issue. In this article the authors argue that programmatic anti-racist interventions such as this Special Issue are crucial to the process of redressing the ‘racialised’ patterns of research and authorship characterising mainstream psychology journals.
Experiences of Induced Abortion among a Group of South African Women
Authors: Suffla Shahnaaz
Published: March 2013

Abortion, more than most procedures, is embedded in a social context that has implications for psychological responses of women. This study used a qualitative research framework to explore five black women's interpretations of their experiences of illegal abortion. Individual interviews were conducted covering the experience of the abortion decision, the abortion procedure itself, the perceived psychological impact of the abortion and perceptions of coping. A thematic analysis was utilised to explore participants' accounts of their abortion experiences. Overall, the study revealed that the abortion decision is multi-dimensional. Participants' accounts of their abortion experience revealed that for most of them the abortion decision was characterised by some degree of ambivalence. Women of diverse developmental levels, with different personal roles and responsibilities and from varying socio-economic circumstances were found to use abortion to avoid unwanted child-bearing. The manner in which women responded to the procedure was found to be a joint function of their psychological state and of the social environment in which the abortion occurred.
Does the Womanist Identity Model Predict Aspects of Psychological Functioning in Black South African Women?
Authors: Letlaka-Rennert Kedibone , Luswazi Peggy , Helms Janet E. , Zea Maria Cecilia
Published: March 2013

This article's area of inquiry is the reactions of black South African women to gender oppression. It also examines whether Helms's Womanist Identity Model is useful in predicting self-related personality characteristics, specifically Locus of control and Self-efficacy. The Womanist Identity Model was predictive of self-efficacy, with Immersion-Emersion and Internalisation subscales making unique contributions to its prediction, but in opposite directions. The Womanist Model was also predictive of Locus of control among black South African women. The findings therefore demonstrated that internalised gender oppression can differentially contribute to this South African sample's perceptions of personal empowerment.
‘Coca-Cola Kids’ - Reflections on Black Adolescent Identity Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Stevens Garth , Lockhat Rafiq
Published: March 2013

In this paper the authors make use of Erikson's psychosocial theory and Bulhan's analysis of identity development within oppressed social groups, and explore how black adolescents may be attempting to negotiate the developmental challenges facing them within the changing socio-historical contexts of post-apartheid South Africa. It explores the impact of apartheid-capitalism on black adolescent identity development, as well as the impact of several ideological, economic and socio-political factors on these adolescents' attempts at attaining identity integration and congruence in post-apartheid South Africa. More specifically, the paper firstly argues that both the apartheid and post-apartheid socio-historical contexts have had contradictory and multiple impacts on the development of black adolescent identities and secondly, that the increasing shift from collectivist ideals to individualist ideals amongst many black adolescents, represents one possible response to these shifting socio-historical contexts.
Employment Opportunities for Psychology Graduates in South Africa: A Contemporary Analysis
Authors: Richter L.M. , Griesel R.D. , Durrheim K. , Wilson M. , Surendorff N. , Asafo-Agyei L.
Published: March 2013

The practice of psychology in South Africa currently depends on a high level of qualification and is reserved within professional registration. Apart from the fact that this professionalisation does not produce the human resources necessary to meet the social needs of the country, it is also excluding the potential enlistment of a very large number of graduates in psychology in social practice domains. In order to make an analysis of the current situation, an audit was done of professional and graduate trends in 1993/1994, and a newspaper survey of employment opportunities in 1994 for graduates in psychology was conducted. The data indicate a rapidly developing professional population, with little apparent uptake for employment in public service or the private sector. On the other hand, employment opportunities exist for graduates in the broad social sciences, mainly at a non-professional and generalist level. Job advertisements indicate that a wide range of skills are required of graduates, many of which are not reflected in current degree curricula in Psychology. It is recommended that data on social trends, together with information on the ongoing development of the psychological profession, be used to reflect on current social and psychological practice and tertiary educational curricula in psychology.
The Psychological Life of Paedophiles: A Phenomenological Study
Authors: Ivey Gavin , Simpson Peta
Published: March 2013

Quantitative research on paedophiles does not capture the psychological meaning of child sexual molestation for the perpetrators. This qualitative study attempted to address this aspect by exploring the subjective meaning of paedophilic experience for identified child molesters. Data derived from transcribed open-ended interviews with six identified paedophiles were analysed using an empirical phenomenological methodology. The results challenge traditional stereotypes of child molesters, and show this sample of paedophilic behaviour to originate from a range of non-sexual motives primarily related to unmet childhood needs for parental affection and affirmation. In this group, pervasive feelings of inadequacy and rejection, stemming from motionally neglectful or abusive parenting, results in the paedophile-to-be renouncing the dangerous world of adult sexuality, and turning to children as substitute sources of emotional and physical intimacy. The paedophile misinterprets children's emotional responsiveness as erotic interest, and takes great risks in his compulsive sexual pursuit of children. The child's gender is unimportant as the paedophile is driven primarily by the need for affirmation and affection. Although he avoids physically hurting his victims, the paedophile is unable to acknowledge that they might be psychologically harmed by his actions.
Comparability of the Paper-and-Pencil and Computerised Adaptive Versions of the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) Senior
Authors: de Beer Mari , Visser Delene
Published: March 2013

A computerised adaptive test was constructed from two existing parallel paper-and-pencil versions of the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) Senior. Achievement in the GSAT computerised adaptive test was compared to achievement in one form of the GSAT paper-and-pencil test. In computerised adaptive testing the program tailors each test to the examinee's ability level. Based on a statistical method known as Item Response Theory (IRT), the program interactively selects test items which are at the appropriate difficulty level for the individual being tested, thereby allowing a considerable reduction in test length without forfeiting measurement accuracy. The study was undertaken to investigate the equivalence of results obtained with three versions of the GSAT: A paper-and-pencil version, a standard computerised version, and a computerised adaptive version. The standard computerised GSAT was included to study the effects of computerization apart from adaptive testing. The results were used to make adjustments to the GSAT computerised adaptive test to ensure equivalent measurement.
Talking about Language: Zulu Students' Views on Language in the New South Africa
Authors: Finchilescu Gillian , Nyawose Gugu
Published: March 2013

The post-apartheid South African government has in principle instituted a new language policy, which changes the country from one with two official languages to one in which there are eleven. The previously ignored indigenous languages are to have equal status with English and Afrikaans. This paper explores the views of some members of an indigenous language group about the language question. Two focus groups were conducted, with Zulu-speaking students at the University of Cape Town. One group contained only male students and the other female students. The discussions of the focus group were translated into English by the second researcher. The translations were thematically analysed. Some of the themes that emerged in the discussions were issues such as the practicality of the language policy, the multiple versus single language debate, ‘tribalism’, the meaning of language and its role in identity. In general, three major positions on the language issue were apparent, one favouring the increased status of the Zulu language, one favouring the pre-eminence of the English language, and one supporting a diglossia position.
Xhosa-Speaking Schizophrenic Patients' Experience of Their Condition: Psychosis and Amafufunyana
Authors: Lund Crick , Swartz Leslie
Published: March 2013

This study investigates the experience of 10 Xhosa-speaking schizophrenic patients attending a community psychiatry clinic in Cape Town. Drawing on social constructivist theory, and its critique of psychiatric constructions of psychopathology and culture, the study explored psychiatric patients' construction of their experience of their condition. In face-to-face open-ended interviews, patients were asked to describe their experience of their condition and its treatment, and their understanding of aetiology. Analysis of the transcribed interviews employed qualitative methodologies. While patients frequently described their condition in terms of ‘amafufunyana’ or ‘nerves’, they reported that their preferred mode of treatment had shifted from consultation with traditional healers to use of psychiatric services. Discussion notes (1) the apparent anomaly between explanatory models and preferred mode of treatment; (2) the complex uses of the term amafufunyana, which include diagnostic, explanatory and aetiological functions; and (3) in the absence of ‘psychological’ language, the presence of ‘medical’ and ‘mystical’ language. It is argued that the separation of amafufunyana and psychosis is a false dichotomy, since patients employ both in a complex web of psychiatric, religious and social constructions. The importance of the consideration of patients' experience for the development of psychiatric services is stressed.
Health-Related Quality of Life after Coronary Revascularisation Surgery
Authors: Oelofsen Natius , Fullard Josua P.P. , Foxcroft Cheryl D.
Published: March 2013

This study aimed to describe the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of South African coronary artery bypass graft recipients. The sample consisted of 31 participants (22 males and 9 females) with an average age of 58 years six months (SD = 5 years 9 months). Participants were assessed in their homes an average of 14.25 weeks after surgery (SD = 3.99 weeks). The assessment consisted of a structured interview, a self-report questionnaire, and a psychometric test battery that measured cognitive functioning. Data were analysed by computing descriptive statistics (percentages, means) and multivariate statistics to identify subgroups of the sample. Participants' HRQOL was described along the dimensions of symptoms, functional status and perceptions. Key findings included the following: All participants experienced relief from cardiac chest pain symptoms; subgroups were identified that experienced cognitive impairment and low levels of psychological well-being; the majority of participants (84%) believed that their health was good and 80% felt that the coronary bypass surgery had fulfilled their expectations; and overall, the findings emphasised the individualised nature of reactions to cardiac surgery and the importance of psychological variables in cardiac care.
Personality Dispositions and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Strümpfer D.J.W. , Danana N. , Gouws J.F. , Viviers M.R.
Published: March 2013

Interactional explanations of job satisfaction are generally accepted, but the relative weight attached to dispositional and situational aspects is a matter of debate. Relationships of two negative affectivity, two positive affectivity, and one bipolar affective measure, as well as a sense of coherence scale, to intrinsic, extrinsic, total and global job satisfaction were investigated. Three samples of, respectively, 118 student nurses, 88 professional, managerial and administrative employees of the property investments division of an insurance company, and 117 artisans in a public utility participated. Correlations between intrinsic and extrinsic scores were unacceptably high (0.64–0.72). There was some support for the view that dispositions and job satisfaction are related: weakly for negative affectivity, somewhat stronger for positive affectivity, still stronger for the bipolar measure, and strongest for the sense of coherence. As in similar studies, the significant correlations were only moderate, ranging from 0.21 to 0.47. It was, however, argued that personality (and also situational) variables are likely to be, at best, modest predictors of job satisfaction, in view of the number and complexity of co-producers and the product.
The Effect of Exposure during an Ongoing Climate of Violence on Children's Self-Perceptions, as Reflected in Drawings
Authors: Rudenberg S.L. , Jansen P. , Fridjhon P.
Published: March 2013

Many children in South Africa are subjected to continually high levels of stress and political violence. Children who are exposed to violent stressors may be at increased risk for the development of stress-related effects and emotional difficulties. Current research on the effects of political violence on children thus far has yielded inconclusive results. Some researchers find severe effects, while others interpret their findings to indicate that the majority of children are resilient. In this study, the Draw-A-Person test and drawings of the street or area where the children lived were used to examine possible levels of stress and emotional difficulties, as well as coping styles and defence mechanisms, in a sample of one hundred and fifteen eight- to twelve-year-old children from Gauteng, South Africa during the 1993 pre-election period. Christiansen's checklist of behaviour difficulties was also administered to the teachers of the children, in order to gain information on the children's overt behaviour. Comparison of the Draw-A-Person Tests showed that violence appeared to be a pertinent stressor. Black South African children from particularly high violence areas showed more distress on their drawings than white suburban children, with the girl's distress levels appearing higher than the boys'. However, on drawings obtained from children distributed in areas across Gauteng, boys appeared more vulnerable than girls. Use of different coping styles and defence mechanisms appeared to influence the effect of stress on the children. Social support and denial appeared to assist coping, while feelings of helplessness and internalisation of anger appeared detrimental.