bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Service Learning in a Community Context: Learners' Perceptions of a Challenging Training Paradigm
Authors: Roos V. , Temane Q. M. , Davis L. , Prinsloo C. E. , Kritzinger A. , Naudé E. , Wessels J. C.
Published: March 2013

Motivated by societal challenges, government and university policies, as well as by the advantages of service learning for learners and communities alike, tertiary education facilitators are encouraged to create opportunities for the integration of theoretical knowledge and practical experiences by means of service learning in community projects. In this study, a thematic content analysis was used to describe learners' self-reported perceptions of service learning. From the research it became evident that the intentional integration of academic content with relevant community experiences resulted in valuable insight into the behaviour, attitudes, opinions, characteristics and expectations of the learners. An awareness of the self, a realisation of the importance of collaboration, and respect for cultural and language diversity were only a few of the outcomes illustrating the value of service learning as a way to master new knowledge, skills and characteristics in a meaningful way. Learners were able to show evidence of a deeper understanding and better application of subject matter and were able to develop problem-solving skills that promote lifelong learning.
Defining the South African Internet ‘Addict’: Prevalence and Biographical Profiling of Problematic Internet Users in South Africa
Authors: Thatcher Andrew , Goolam Shamira
Published: March 2013

Recent research findings indicate that some users of the Internet spend so much time on the Internet that their personal and/or professional lives suffer. The term Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) has been used to describe a psychological disorder where individuals cannot resist engaging with the Internet, although an argument is made to use the term problematic Internet use in this study. This article reports on a descriptive, exploratory study to assess the extent of problematic Internet use in the South African population as well as an exploratory look at the biographical characteristics and Internet behaviours most closely associated with problematic Internet use in the South African environment. The article also explores the associations that users most at risk of problematic Internet use have of the Internet. The results show that the prevalence of problematic Internet use is relatively low (between 1.67% and 5.29%), compared to prevalence rates in other countries. The demographic profile of the South African problematic Internet user was found to be similarto demographic profiles from other international studies (i.e., young, males, who spend a considerable amount of time online, using interactive Internet applications). However, the associations with online activities for the high-risk problematic Internet use group were different when compared to psychological correlates from other studies. The associations indicate that the high-risk group experiences feelings of excitement, friendship and control when online. The implications of these results are discussed in line with previous studies and the theory on problematic Internet use.
‘We are Not Fresh’: HIV-Positive Women Talk of Their Experience of Living with Their ‘Spoiled Identity’
Authors: Rohleder Poul , Gibson Kerry
Published: March 2013

Women have been identified as being at greater risk than men in South Africa's growing HIV epidemic. Stigma contributes to the epidemic, as it makes HIV-positive individuals reluctant to become identified and seek appropriate care. The purpose of this study is to begin to explore how women experience and deal with AIDS stigma under conditions where they have little formal support. In-depth, narrative interviews were conducted with ten HIV-positive women, living in a poor, black township in Cape Town. The study used both social constructionist and psychoanalytic theory to understand the impact that their ‘spoiled identity’ had on the emotional lives of these women. The study elicited women's narratives as they talked about their experience of living with a ‘spoiled identity’. The analysis suggested that the women drew on negative social discourses around HIV, which were then internalised, to become part of the self. However, the narratives also indicated the women's resistance to their stigmatised identity. The narratives illustrated their attempts to fend off the ‘spoiled identity’ by splitting off these bad representations and projecting them outside of themselves.
Work-Related Well-Being of Emergency Workers in Gauteng
Authors: Naudé Johannes L. P. , Rothmann Sebastiaan
Published: March 2013

The objective of this study was to assess the relationships between occupational stress, sense of coherence, burnout and work engagement of emergency workers in Gauteng and to determine whether sense of coherence moderates the effects of occupational stress on burnout and work engagement. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A convenience sample ( N = 323) was taken from emergency workers in Gauteng. The Maslach Burnout Inventory — Human Services Survey, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Emergency Worker Stress Inventory and the Orientation to Life Questionnaire were administered. The results showed that occupational stress (as a result of a lack of job resources) and a weak sense of coherence predicted emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Sense of coherence predicted personal accomplishment and work engagement. However, sense of coherence did not moderate the effects of occupational stress on emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment or work engagement.
Space-off: A Critical Commentary on the Special Focus Section ‘Racial Isolation and Interaction in Everyday Life’
Authors: Marx Jacqueline , Feltham-King Tracey
Published: March 2013

In September 2005 the South African Journal of Psychology (SAJP) published a special focus section on ‘Racial isolation and interaction in everyday life’ ( SAJP volume 35 number 3). The professionalism of the research undertaken and the calibre of the researchers notwithstanding, we argue that labelling this collection of studies a stock taking of racial segregation in contemporary South Africa is not justified. The studies presented in the special focus section do offer the reader an assortment of expert research that contributes to debate on the issue, but we argue that there are limitations to this research and important issues arising from it that ought not to be discounted. In this commentary we argue that in terms of a stock tacking of racial interaction in contemporary South Africa, the reader is offered a rather limited analysis in that the research presented focuses almost exclusively on privileged spaces. In the light of the fact that the reader is presented with a stock taking in “racialised terms” (Foster, 2005, p. 495), some debate on the concept of race would not have gone amiss. We would also have welcomed more debate on the ‘turn to the material’, and the implications of that in terms of its political utility.
Indigenous Approaches to Health Promotion: Challenges for Education Support in South Africa
Authors: Lazarus Sandy
Published: March 2013

This article explores whether and how an integrated approach to health promotion, which draws on indigenous and other worldviews and approaches, can be developed to address more effectively biopsychosocial challenges that constitute barriers to learning and development in education contexts. More specifically, the article aims to investigate whether and how indigenous perspectives to health promotion have been incorporated into support services in Native American contexts and what lessons can be learnt from this for the South African context. An analysis of relevant literature and interviews with 25 key informants in Native American contexts in the United States highlighted the following key challenges relating to incorporating different views of and approaches to health promotion in education in South Africa: facilitating ‘paradigm shifting’ or mindset change; addressing power dynamics relating to ongoing colonialism; developing culturally responsive education support services and life skills education curricula; and developing strong school–community partnerships. The article argues that these challenges could be successfully pursued within a South African health promoting schools framework that reflects the different perspectives of role players in this context.
The Role of Subjective Perception of Health in the Dynamics of Context and Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Temane Q. M. , Wissing M. P.
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this study was to establish the role played by subjective perceptions of physical health in the relationship between psychological well-being and two social contexts that are stratified by socio-economic differentials pertaining to race, socio-economic indices and infrastructural resources. An availability sample of 514 participants from Potchefstroom ( n = 384) and Mafikeng ( n = 130), North West Province, completed questionnaires on the perceptions of health and psychological well-being. Regression equations were computed to explore the viability of relationships between context and subjective perceptions of physical health, context and psychological well-being, and psychological well-being and subjective perceptions of physical health. Structural equation models showed that subjective perceptions of physical health mediate the relationship between context and psychological well-being. The implications of the findings are indicated.
The Adjustment of Rorschach Comprehensive System Procedures for South African Learners
Authors: Moletsane Mokgadi , Eloff Irma
Published: March 2013

In this article the researchers describe the adjusted procedures that were developed in a study that focused on administering the Rorschach Comprehensive System (RCS) to young South African learners. Multiple case studies with non-patients were used within a pre-test/post-test design. During pre-testing the standard procedures for conducting the RCS were used. Half of the participants failed to provide the required number of responses that would allow interpretation in terms of the Rorschach system. Subsequently an adjusted procedure was developed, which was based on the observations of the researchers, a review of the literature, and consideration of possible inhibiting factors, such as participant variables, researcher variables, and procedural variables. During post-testing, 10 months later, the Adjusted Rorschach Comprehensive Procedures for conducting the test were used. The response rates of participants increased significantly, with most of the participants providing more than the required number of responses.
Examining the Cheats: The Role of Conscientiousness and Excitement Seeking in Academic Dishonesty
Authors: de Bruin Gideon P. , Rudnick Hilton
Published: March 2013

This study examines the relationships of the personality traits of conscientiousness and excitement seeking with self-reported frequency of premeditated cheating in tests and exams among university students. The results show that the two traits combine to account for a statistically and practically significant proportion of variance in academic cheating. It appears that a lack of effort and a need for high excitement seeking may serve as predisposing traits with regard to academic cheating. A model of the role that the two traits may play in explaining academic cheating is presented.
Using the World Wide Web to Support Classroom Lectures in a Psychology Course
Authors: Thatcher Andrew
Published: March 2013

Information and computing technology is pervasive in tertiary institutions and in the world of work. This short report critically evaluates two website development initiatives for undergraduate psychology modules, developed to support traditional face-to-face psychology lectures. In the first initiative, emphasis was placed on developing supplementary course material and exercises to complement lectures. Students expressed favourable attitudes towards the provision of the supplementary course material and content but less favourable attitudes towards training in how to use the World Wide Web. In the second initiative, emphasis was placed on the interactive qualities of the Web. Students expressed favourable attitudes towards the interactive discussion facilities and the provision of past examination and test papers (and answers). The lessons learned from these initiatives are discussed in relation to access to technology on university campuses in South Africa and in relation to the qualities of the web to facilitate learning.
The Psychology of Bewitchment (Part I): A Phenomenological Study of the Experience of Bewitchment
Authors: Ivey Gavin , Myers Tertia
Published: March 2013

The first of two articles on bewitchment reports the findings of a qualitative study based on interviews with a small sample of individuals who believed they had been bewitched. A phenomenological analysis of the data provided a descriptive account of the psychic reality of bewitchment. Those understanding their experience in this way attribute misfortune to the malicious intentions and actions of hated others, who are believed to employ supernatural means to harm their ‘victims’, with real symptomatic consequences. This supernatural interpretive framework relies on a discursive network of witchcraft-related gossip, media reports, folklore, and diagnostic confirmation by traditional healers. Bewitchment beliefs arise within a context of hostile and envious familial and social relations. Despite the distress accompanying the experience of bewitchment, this supernatural understanding was found to offer participants a meaningful explanation for negative life events, especially during times of transition. Muti featured prominently in accounts of ways in which bewitchment is effected and provides the grounds for the experience of being poisoned or possessed by an evil entity. Treatment of bewitchment symptoms by sangomas and spiritual leaders is considered to be superior to that offered by Western medicine.
Psychosis in Alzheimer's Disease: Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, Symptom Co-Morbidity, and Aetiology
Authors: Cassimjee Nafisa
Published: March 2013

Alzheimer's disease was identified almost a century ago. Cognitive morbidity (deterioration in memory, attention, language, and executive functioning) was regarded as a sufficient index for the description and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Within the cognitive discourse, the importance of neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioural referents was often eschewed. Recent research studies attest to the profound impact of the non-cognitive symptoms on the quality of life of both patient and caregiver. The purpose of this article is to review studies on psychosis in Alzheimer's disease, examine its prevalence, and discuss its manifestation with reference to the association between neuropathology and psychotic disturbances. The importance of clarifying the validity of the construct ‘psychosis in Alzheimer's disease’, the specificity of symptoms, and the phenomenology of subtypes with their distinct clinical and biological associations is addressed.
Occupational Stress of Academic Staff in South African Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Barkhuizen N. , Rothmann S.
Published: March 2013

The objectives in this study were to identify the indicators of occupational stress for academic staff in South African higher education institutions, to analyse the differences between the occupational stress of different demographic groups, and to investigate whether occupational stressors predict ill health and a lack of organisational commitment of academics in higher education institutions. A cross-sectional survey design was used ( N = 595). An Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Compared to the normative data, academics reported higher levels of stress relating to pay and benefits, overload and work-life balance. Analysis of variance revealed differences between the levels of occupational stress and ill health of demographic groups. Two stressors, namely, overload and work-life balance contributed significantly to ill health of academics. Four occupational stressors, overload, job control, resources and communication, and job characteristics contributed significantly to the commitment of academics to their institutions.
Diagramming as Mediational Means: Vygotskian Theory and Participatory Research
Authors: van der Riet Mary
Published: March 2013

Participatory research adopts the political position of engendering empowerment and generating social change. The incorporation of research participants into the management, planning, and implementation of the research process is assumed to lead to changes on individual and social levels. However, change originating in the participatory research (PR) process is based on more than just the moral imperatives inherent in PR. PR techniques rely heavily on mapping and diagramming activities. Vygotsky's notion of mediation is used to demonstrate the epistemological value of the visualization mechanisms inherent in many participatory techniques.
Sociodemographic and Psychological Variables Related to Sociocultural, Acculturative Orientation of North African Immigrants in France
Authors: Mokounkolo René , Taillandier-Schmitt Anne
Published: March 2013

We analysed two fields of the sociocultural, acculturative orientation of North African immigrants in France. The first is Immersion within the Society of Origin (ISO), which has two facets: “Orientation towards Members of the Ingroup” (OMI) and “Orientation towards the culture of origin” (OCO). The second, “Immersion within the Host Society” (IHS) also comprises two facets: “Orientation towards People of French Origin” (OPFO) and “Orientation towards French Culture” (OFC). The aim was to analyse the relationship between these four facets of sociocultural acculturative orientations and various socio-demographic and psychosocial variables. Two-hundred-and-ten North African immigrants in France answered a questionnaire adapted from Stephenson's Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS). Stepwise multiple regression analyses show that OMI is linked to the country of origin and cultural identity, and OCO to satisfaction with life, family situation, sex and cultural identity. OPFO is linked to participation in club activities, and OFC to work/student activity and family situation. These results illustrate the relevance and value of studying immigrants' sociocultural, acculturative orientation on the basis of ISO vs. IHS models, and in the fields of their social relations and their relationship with the culture. They highlight the importance of looking at acculturation as a composite process, the various facets of which are related to different variables that can therefore be regarded as relevant indicators of immigrants' intercultural adaptation.
The Training Institutions of Black African Clinical Psychologists Registered with the HPCSA in 2006
Authors: Pillay Anthony L. , Siyothula Evy-Terressah B.
Published: March 2013

The investigation was undertaken to provide an indication of the number of black African clinical psychologists in the country and the institutions that have trained them. The register of Psychologists of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) was examined to analyse (1) the number of black Africans registered as clinical psychologists, and (2) the universities that trained them. Methodologically this was a challenging exercise, since black African clinical psychologists had to be identified by their names, with the result that a margin of error is expected, albeit rather small. A total of 325 black African clinical psychologists were identified in the HPCSA registers up to November 2006, reflecting 14.2% of all registered clinical psychologists in the country. Fifty-nine (18.2%) of the 325 were trained in the years up to 1994, while the rest (266 or 81.8%) were trained in the years following the official demise of apartheid. Almost one out of six was trained at the Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa), which together with the University of the Witwatersrand trained over one quarter of the black African clinical psychologists registered at the time. In total, the historically black universities trained 153 (47.1 %), but in the post- apartheid period from 1995 they trained the majority (136 or 51.1%). The results are discussed in terms of their implications for future training and the broader needs in South Africa.
The Resilience of Naval Specialists: Their Sense of Coherence and its Relationship with Measures of Personality
Authors: van Wijk Charles
Published: March 2013

The occupational demands placed on naval specialists require them to be individuals with high levels of resilience. In this study, I firstly measured the sense of coherence (SoC) of naval specialists, which included 97 divers and 318 submariners, and the results confirmed the high scores hypothesised. Secondly, I explored the relationship between sense of coherence and certain personality traits known to be important for naval specialists, as measured by the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), the IPAT Anxiety Scale, and Rotter's Intemality-Externality Scale (RIES). The hypothesised correlations on the 16PF, however, were not demonstrated. Instead, the personality traits associated with high SoC scores — the so-called resilient profile — differed from the typical profile of naval specialists. The expected significant negative correlation with anxiety was shown, as was the significant correlation between high SoC scores and more internality on the RIES. The results clearly point to the value of resilience indicators when screening for vulnerable individuals in high-demand environments.
Narrative Therapy: A Return to the Intrapsychic Perspective?
Authors: Phipps Warwick D. , Vorster Charl
Published: March 2013

In investigating narrative therapy, a development within the field of family therapy, it was found that this approach, which is informed by postmodernism, places a strong emphasis on the interpretation of the individual's subjective experience. This emphasis is consistent with an intrapsychic perspective — an earlier development in clinical psychology and psychotherapy — that is distinct from the subsequent interpsychic perspective adopted by general system theory (GST). Furthermore, narrative therapy bears some resemblance to a number of former developments within the intrapsychic tradition. Thus it appears that narrative therapy involves a return to the intrapsychic perspective. It is suggested that distinguishing between the intrapsychic and interpsychic frames of reference may help therapists in the field of family therapy, whether their choice of metaphor is narrative or otherwise, to observe and describe with even greater acuity.
The Role of Self-Deception in Leadership Ineffectiveness — a Theoretical Overview
Authors: Pienaar Cobus
Published: March 2013

The impact of effective leadership practices on various components of organisational success is a well-researched area in the domain of leadership and management. There is, however, little research available that focuses on those aspects that constitute leadership ineffectiveness and that, in turn, contribute to organisational failure. A literature review was conducted, identifying those behaviours that are responsible for leadership ineffectiveness. A fairly large amount of the literature consulted appears to suggest that the character of a leader; the ability to manage one's own emotions; and difficulty in effectively managing interpersonal relationships may be some of the major aspects impacting negatively on the effectiveness of a leader. In this article I raise a topic in leadership research previously neglected by researchers in that I explore and illustrate how self-deception could be regarded as one of the primary reasons contributing to leadership ineffectiveness. The implication for leaders, organisations and those responsible for the development of leaders is also discussed, while areas for future research are indicated.
Addressing Career Obstacles within a Changing Higher Education Work Environment: Perspectives of Academics
Authors: Pienaar Cobus , Bester Coen
Published: March 2013

Many changes have occurred in Higher Education Institutions (HEI), which contribute to high levels of work stress among academic staff members and that impact on job satisfaction, job involvement and job engagement. Owing to these changes, academics attached to tertiary institutions are being confronted with specific career obstacles that impact negatively on their job satisfaction and productivity. Our purpose in this study was to determine, from the academic's point of view, the role that HEIs can play to address these obstacles. In terms of positive psychology, persons should not only become aware of their problems, but also come up with alternative solutions on how to address them. A sample of 93 academics from one university, representing the early, middle, and late career stages was selected. The data were obtained by means of the Delphi technique in order to enable respondents to reveal fully what they were experiencing. Respondents were requested to suggest specific actions that could be taken to address the career obstacles academics are confronted with. The most important solutions were related to better remuneration, more effective management of role overload, more effective performance management, more training and development opportunities, more support regarding individual career management, more effective general management, more support regarding research outputs, elimination of discrimination practices, transformation initiatives, encouraging of entrepreneurship, improvement of equipment and working conditions, creation of job security, and promotion of networking.
Secondary Traumatic Stress, Level of Exposure, Empathy and Social Support in Trauma Workers
Authors: MacRitchie Victoria , Leibowitz Stacey
Published: March 2013

In South Africa the incidence of violent crime is an everyday occurrence that affects the majority of the population directly and/or indirectly. Research reveals that counselling victims of violent crime may cause psychological symptoms in trauma workers, which in turn may lead to Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). However, despite this knowledge, there appear to be very few trauma studies that focus on trauma workers. Furthermore there also appears to be a lack of studies that focus on the roles that key variables play in the transmission of STS. Therefore through the analysis of 64 self-report questionnaires, we aim to explore the psychological impact on trauma workers who work with ‘victims’ of violent crimes, specifically focusing on the level of exposure to traumatic material; level of empathy; level of perceived social support and their relation to STS. In order to test these hypotheses, analysis comprised simple statistics, correlations, a t test and a moderate multiple regression. Results indicate that the trauma workers, to some extent, experience symptoms of STS. In addition, it was found that previous exposure to traumatic material (in the personal lives of counsellors), level of empathy, and level of perceived social support have a significant relationship with STS. Social support was not found to have a moderating effect, but empathy emerged as a consistent moderator between the trauma workers' previous exposure to traumatic material and STS.
Foucault and Individual Autonomy
Authors: Olivier Bert
Published: March 2013

What does it mean, to be ‘autonomous’, and more specifically, is it still possible to discern a modicum of ‘autonomy’ on the part of people in contemporary ‘carceral’ society to a significant degree — that is, a degree not limited to a handful of individuals whose autonomy one may discern in their ‘critical’ actions vis-à-vis mainstream discourses and behaviour? Is there indeed evidence, as implied by the question above, that the majority of people today function as ‘docile bodies’, in Foucault's words? In this paper it is argued that Foucault — especially in his study of ancient sexuality — provides one with a model for autonomy in a psychical as well as ethical sense, which can be articulated in terms of what Hellenistic thinkers termed ‘the care of the self’. Further that, for various reasons, this model is worth emulating, given the disciplinary, ‘panoptical’ structure and functioning of contemporary society, which tends to reduce individuals to ‘docile bodies’. It is noteworthy that, according to Foucault, psychology has been historically complicit in this process.
The Effect of Institutional Racism on Student Family Circumstances: A Human Capabilities Perspective
Authors: Bozalek Vivienne
Published: March 2013

In apartheid South Africa institutional racism was embedded in the practice of rationing resources and power in order to achieve social exclusion through formally legitimated state policies. In this article, Nussbaum's list of human capabilities is used as a framework for analysing and presenting data from student accounts of institutional racism. Social work students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa, compiled their own Family-in-Community profiles by responding to questions on various forms of discrimination, which were designed to elicit their reflections on their families' experiences. The human capabilities approach addresses the following question: what, according to students' accounts, did institutional racism allow them to do and be, or prevent them from doing and being? In other words, how did students see themselves and their family members faring in the context of institutional racism? In this article five items on Nussbaum's list of human capabilities are focused upon in order to demonstrate how institutional racism in South Africa affected the lives of the student participants and their families. The students' accounts indicate that the capabilities outlined in Nussbaum's approach were strongly compromised in the case of their families.
Turkish Students' Metaphorical Conceptualisations of School Counsellors
Authors: Özabaci Nilüfer
Published: March 2013

Metaphorical language is a tool we use automatically to better express how we experience ourselves and our world. Metaphors provide a fresh or new understanding, and they also structure our thoughts and actions. The purpose of this study was to explore secondary school students' conceptual metaphors (a) to engage counsellors in evaluating beliefs of students about counselling, and (b) to support the continued evolution and modification of metaphors so that they embody and reflect principles of counselling revealed in counselling studies and during field placement experiences. Thus, we examined the changes in students' beliefs about counselling that come about as a result of engaging in the normal activities associated with the counselling experience in schools. The study was carried out with 1,125 students attending secondary schools in Turkey. To discover the participating students' perceptions regarding their school counsellor, they were asked to complete the sentence “School Counsellors are like … because … ” The metaphors produced by the participants were assigned to six categories: (1) Counsellor as Developer and Tutor, (2) Counsellor as Sincere and Earnest Person, (3) Counsellor as Elucidator and Advisor, Directive Person, (4) Counsellor as Healer, (5) Counsellor as Goody-Goody, and (6) Counsellor as Nurturer. The findings strongly suggest that school counsellors can use metaphor analysis as a means of assisting students in the examination of their values, beliefs, and philosophies about guidance and counselling.
Judgments of Widely Held Beliefs about Psychological Phenomena among South African and Australian Postgraduate Psychology Students
Authors: Kagee Ashraf , O'Donovan Analise
Published: March 2013

Lay understandings of human cognition, affect, and behaviour often diverge from the findings of scientific investigations. The present study compared South African and Australian fourth year psychology students' judgments about the factual correctness of statements of psychological phenomena that have been demonstrated to be incorrect by empirical research. Students enrolled in the psychology Honours programmes at two large residential universities in South Africa and one university in Australia were asked to respond to a questionnaire that required them to decide on the validity of a list of empirically untrue statements. The results show that a large proportion of all universities believed many incorrect statements to be true. Significant differences between the samples emerged that may have been due to curricular differences between the academic programmes in the two countries. These results are discussed with reference to the teaching of critical thinking skills in psychology courses and the influence of popular culture on beliefs about human behaviour. Recommendations are also made about the teaching of scientific and critical reasoning skills in academic psychology programmes.
Help-Seeking Attitudes of University Students: The Role of Personality Traits and Demographic Factors
Authors: Atik Gökhan , Yalçin Ylhan
Published: March 2013

The current study examined the influences of personality traits, gender, previous counseling or therapy experiences, and knowledge about the psychological services provided on campus on the help-seeking attitudes of Turkish undergraduate students and their initial preferences for help sources. The students ( N = 524) completed measures of attitudes toward help-seeking, personality traits, and demographic factors. Hierarchical linear regression indicated that the females, those who had knowledge about the psychological services provided on campus, and those who were extraverted, agreeable, and open had more positive help-seeking attitudes. Most of the students initially preferred sharing their problems/concerns with their peers. The findings are discussed in light of the relevant literature and were used to draw some implications for university counseling centres.
Mauritian Undergraduate University Students' Sources of Stress and Support
Authors: Pillay Anthony L. , Bundhoo Harshalini Y.
Published: March 2013

Stress among university students is a significant problem, and apart from its effect on personal well being, it is known to influence rates of academic failure and drop-out. This issue is especially relevant in poorer countries, where resources are few and the pressure for academic excellence is high. In this context, sources of stress and support were examined in 327 undergraduate students at a university in Mauritius. The results showed that academic concerns were the most stressful areas, with women significantly more affected than men. Family issues, including deaths, illness and financial difficulties were also prominent. Over 90% of the participants perceived their parents and friends as supportive, while about three-quarters of the sample viewed siblings and classmates as supportive. The results are discussed within the context of national social issues.
Hypnosis in the Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder and Allied States: An Overview and Case Study
Authors: Kluft Richard P.
Published: March 2013

Hypnosis played a prominent role in the first successful treatment of the condition now known as dissociative identity disorder (DID) by Antoine Despine in the 1830s, and continues to be employed in its treatment in the twenty-first century. Despite its venerable history as a therapeutic modality for this condition, controversy has often compromised the acceptance of hypnosis by the healing professions. In this article, it will be argued that given the nature of hypnosis and that hypnotizability, a genetically mediated capacity, is high in dissociative disorder populations, it is inevitable that hypnosis will play a role in the treatment of DID patients, whether this is acknowledged or not. Thereafter, the roles hypnotically facilitated techniques might play will be reviewed, and the application of several of these techniques in the treatment of a DID patient will be illustrated.
The Tinker Toy Test as a Measure of the Dysexecutive Syndrome in Those from Differing Socio-Economic Backgrounds
Authors: Lucas Marilyn , Buchanan Christine
Published: March 2013

We investigated the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on executive functioning in a group of participants who were at least six months post Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Challenges exist when measuring executive function in a developing country: norms developed in the country of test origin are rarely transferable to other populations and cultural differences require local test-item adaptation. Furthermore, SES has a graded impact upon cognitive functioning: those from lower socio-economic circumstances tend to produce inferior test scores to those from more affluent backgrounds. Not controlling for these effects may induce diagnostic errors. Three measures of executive functioning, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Iowa Gambling Test, and the Tinker Toy Test (TTT) were administered to 25 participants who were drawn from a South African Welfare organisation dedicated to supporting and assisting those with acquired brain injury. Sensitivity to race (as a possible measure of SES) was only elicited using the TTT. This test which is simple to administer, ecologically appropriate, and non-language based appears to be a useful adjunct as a measure of executive function in those with ABI from varying SES backgrounds.
Towards an Empirical Model of Language Acquisition
Authors: Vorster J.
Published: March 2013

Recent research in primary language acquisition can be subdivided into two schools. Under the influence of the highly mentalistic theory of language known as Transformational Generative Grammar, an innate language acquisition device was postulated, and the first school tried to establish what the structure of this device might be on the evidence of its output, i.e. early child grammars. Subsequently a new school arose which concentrated on mothers' speech to young children, providing empirical evidence against the nativist view that primary language acquisition occurs more or less independently of the ambient language environment. In the present article a language acquisition ‘device’ is suggested which differs in essential respects from the nativist-transformationalist model. Instead of an innately endowed ‘black box’ in the head of the child, the ‘device’ is seen as a two-way transmitting and receiving system existing between, and jointly operated by, the language learning child and society.
Conversations with a Xhosa Child: Dialogue in Early Childhood
Authors: du Preez P.
Published: March 2013

Pre-dialogue, proto-dialogue and dialogue are described and examples of these in the language development of a Xhosa child are given. Halliday's (1975) description of the emergence of dialogue in an English-speaking child is found to apply well to the emergence of dialogue in a Xhosa-speaking child.
Contact and Separation in Adult Monkeys
Authors: Anderson J.R. , Chamove A.S.
Published: March 2013

To assess the hypothesis that individual space may reflect differential levels of attachment and, if so, grooming and huddling may both be good measures of attachment, each of 10 adult female Macaca arctoides experienced a 23-hour separation from a stable group of 33 monkeys. On return, grooming and receipt of grooming increased over pre-separation levels whereas huddling, except for ventro-ventral huddling, decreased. Surprisingly, while there was no significant increase in grooming or huddling with the preferred pre-separation partners, overall partner preferences for grooming and ventro-ventral huddling remained stable. This suggests that grooming and at least one type of huddling are potentially useful measures of attachment.
Personal Religious Orientation and Frankl's Will-To-Meaning in Four Religious Communities
Authors: Stones Christopher R.
Published: March 2013

Numerous theorists argue that the anomie characteristic of contemporary mass-society results in a lack of meaning and personal identity and that membership of small religious communities serves to relieve, if not eliminate, this existential vacuum. In order to explore this area further, four religious communities in Johannesburg — the Jesus People, the Hare Krishna Devotees, the Maharaj Ji Premies and a Catholic Priest community — were given the Purpose-in-Life test together with its complementary scale (Seeking-of-Noetic- Goals Test) as well as the Religious Orientation Scale. Analysis of the data confirmed the hypotheses that as a function of integration into any one of these groups individuals' lives take on greater meaning and purpose and that the motivation to seek meaning decreases. The results also indicate that members' personal religious orientations become more intrinsic.
Studying the Role of Strategies in the Development of Visual Perception
Authors: Sharratt Pamela
Published: March 2013

Current work on perceptual information processing in children is frequently interpreted as showing that child/adult performance differences in perceptual tasks are caused, not by structural factors, but by the absence, in younger subjects, of appropriate encoding strategies, or by their inefficient use. The study of such strategies, which are believed to operate within broad parametric limits set by the basic perceptual processing stages, is of importance, particularly as it may be viewed as providing a conceptual framework for the study of individual and group differences in perceptual tasks. The author reviews methodological and theoretical issues which arise in connection with the developmental study of perceptual strategies, and concludes the field would benefit from greater conceptual and methodological rigour.
Towards a More Socially Responsive Psychology
Authors: Strumpfer D.J.W.
Published: March 2013

The South African situation provides exceptional opportunities for socially relevant activities by psychologists. Research strategies that seem likely to advance psychology faster and more validly, are: better use of inductive inference, more short-run empiricism, greater use of qualitative methods, greater use of combined quantitative and qualitative methods, and approaching subjects as co-inquiring participants. The question is discussed whether present psychological knowledge warrants application, and ways in which psychologists can assist in application are mentioned. Lastly, some examples are given of the kind of application of which we need more in South Africa.
The Effect of Waking Suggestion on Post-Hypnotic Amnesia
Authors: Fourie D.P.
Published: March 2013

It is increasingly realized that hypnosis may be seen from an interpersonal point of view, meaning that it forms part of the relationship between the hypnotist and the subject. From this premise it follows that what goes on in the relationship prior to hypnosis probably has an influence on the hypnosis. Certain of these prior occurences can then be seen as waking suggestionns (however implicitly given) that the subject should behave in a certain way with regard to the subsequent hypnosis. A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that waking suggestions regarding post-hypnotic amnesia are effective. Eighteen female subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The groups listened to a tape-recorded talk on hypnosis in which for the one group amnesia for the subsequent hypnotic experience and for the other group no such amnesia was suggested. Thereafter the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale was administered to all subjects. Only the interrogation part of the amnesia item of the scale was administered. The subjects to whom post-hypnotic amnesia was suggested tended to score lower on the amnesia item than the other subjects, as was expected, but the difference between the mean amnesia scores of the two groups was not significant.
Considering Reading Cognitively: A Review
Authors: Doctor Estelle Ann
Published: March 2013

Several studies of reading are reviewed with particular reference to the type of code, visual or phonological, adopted by the reader to obtain meaning from printed symbols. Integrated into the review are reports of recent studies on phonological encoding in children, skilled readers, poor readers, and the deaf. The role of orthography in pre- and postlexical encoding is also reviewed and it is concluded that phonological encoding takes place and is prelexical for pronunciation tasks, but when sentences rather than single words are presented to the reader, phonological encoding, if it occurs at all, is probably postlexical.
Correlates of Authoritarian Personality
Authors: Heaven Patrick C.L.
Published: March 2013

Although authoritarians are generally regarded as conservative, racist, militaristic, etc., a thorough review of the literature would indicate that this is not always the case. Some researchers advise that a distinction be drawn between authoritarian attitudes and authoritarian behaviour. Conducting a further study among a group of Afrikaansspeaking students, if was found that, although a relationship exists between authoritarian attitudes and certain variables such as ethnocentrism, patriotism and militarism, authoritarianism of personality is not related to conservatism, militarism or patriotism.
The New Environmental Model of Man and the Shift from the Traditional Structural to a Transactional View of Perception
Authors: Viljoen Henning G.
Published: March 2013

This article concentrates on the development of an environmental model of man, as well as a transactional approach to environmental perception; both of which can be seen as the result of a shift from the traditional structural approach to psychological functions and processes to a transactional approach with regard to the man-environment relationship.
A Descriptive Analysis of Television Viewing in South African Preschoolers and its Relationship to their Spontaneous Play
Authors: Shmukler Diana
Published: March 2013

A preliminary investigation was carried out in which South African preschoolers' spontaneous play was related to their television viewing habits, a year after its full scale introduction of television in South Africa. It appears that the limited and relatively benign nature of the television service has no adverse effect reflected in play, such as increases in the overt expression of aggression and anxiety. If anything the television programmes currently broadcast in South Africa have the effect of stimulating imaginative play in white middle class preschoolers.
Die verband tussen sekere huislike omgewingsfaktore, nie-kognitiewe eienskappe en prestasie in sub A
Authors: Owen K.
Published: March 2013

Die verband tussen sekere huislike omgewingsfaktore, nie-kognitiewe eienskappe en prestasie (toets- en eksamenpunte), is by 1792 Kleur-lingskoolbeginners in sub A ondersoek. Inligting in verband met huislike agtergrond asook die nie-kognitiewe eienskappe van die toets-linge is deur middel van 'n biografiese vraelys verkry. Die toetsprestasie het bestaan uit die tellings verkry uit die toepassing — ses weke na die aanvang van die skooljaar — van die agt toetse van die Aanlegtoetse vir Skoolbeginners (ASB). Verder is die eksamenpunte van die toets-linge aan die einde van sub A ingewin. Die toets-en eksamenpunte is deur middel van Pearson se produkmomentkorrelasietegniek gekor-releer met die gegewens van die biografiese vraelys. Ten opsigte van die korrelasies tussen gesinsgrootte en prestasie (toets-sowel as eksamenprestasie) steun die huidige ondersoek oorsese bevindinge (byvoorbeeld Asbury, 1974; Ho, 1979b), naamlik dat daar 'n negatiewe verband bestaan: Hoe groter die gesin hoe swakker die prestasie en omgekeerd. Verder is bevind dat aspekte soos dagdromery ( r = −0,302), motoriese koordinasie ( r = 0,344), verhouding met klas- maats ( r = 0,252) en veral konsentrasie ( r = 0,50) 'n sterk verband met die gemiddeld van die eindeksamen in sub A toon. Op grond van hierdie korrelasies word die afleiding gemaak dat die moontlikheid van skoolsukses aan die einde van sub A verhoog kan word indien die klas-onderwyseres meer aandag aan genoemde aspekte sou bestee.