title: Non-suicidal self-injury: Suicide risk or social activity?

authors: Curtis, Cate

subjects: NSSI

abstract: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) has been conceptualised as indicative of mental illness, on a continuum ending with suicide. Recently our understanding of DSH has become more nuanced, with distinctions made between suicidal behaviour and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Indeed, there is some evidence that NSSI may be consciously countersuicidal. Moreover, NSSI appears to have recently increased markedly among young women. This research explores the motivations, meanings and functions of NSSI in young New Zealand women through 19 in-depth interviews. The results show that precursors range from serious anguish including suicidality, to purely social, with functions from the alleviation of distress to participation in a social activity. Often minimal physical or psychological harm is involved, either preceding NSSI, or as a result. Previous beliefs about the dynamics and the social contexts in which NSSI occurs are thus problematic, as are assumptions about the appropriate support. Though a potential indicator of mental ill-health, NSSI may be a harm-reduction technique, or a relatively normalised teenage activity within the peer group.

text: Non-suicidal self-injury: Suicide risk or social activity? Deliberate self-harm (DSH) has been conceptualised as indicative of mental illness, on a continuum ending with suicide. Recently our understanding of DSH has become more nuanced, with distinctions made between suicidal behaviour and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Indeed, there is some evidence that NSSI may be consciously countersuicidal. Moreover, NSSI appears to have recently increased markedly among young women. This research explores the motivations, meanings and functions of NSSI in young New Zealand women through 19 in-depth interviews. The results show that precursors range from serious anguish including suicidality, to purely social, with functions from the alleviation of distress to participation in a social activity. Often minimal physical or psychological harm is involved, either preceding NSSI, or as a result. Previous beliefs about the dynamics and the social contexts in which NSSI occurs are thus problematic, as are assumptions about the appropriate support. Though a potential indicator of mental ill-health, NSSI may be a harm-reduction technique, or a relatively normalised teenage activity within the peer group.

year: 2017

title: Communication for Poverty Alleviation: How Aid and Development Agencies in New Zealand View the Relationships Between Communication and Development

authors: Campbell, Michelle

subjects: international development

abstract: A highly debated topic of the last few decades has centred on the idea of communication as a means for poverty reduction. With two-thirds of the world's population living in poverty, there is a dire need to understand why global poverty and inequality continue to increase, and what role communication can, and is playing in the fight against poverty. This study therefore seeks to understand how three aid and development agencies in New Zealand, New Zealand Aid (NZAID), Oxfam New Zealand (NZ), and Christian World Service (CWS), construct poverty in the context of international development. Additionally it seeks to establish how these three organisations view relationships between communication and poverty. Eleven semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key informants were conducted, transcribed, and analysed in order to extract information surrounding the issues of poverty and international development. From this analysis, it is evident that these three organisations recognise official and unofficial definitions of poverty. It is also apparent that these definitions of poverty affect the ways in which these organisations view the causes of poverty, as well as their outlook on international development. Furthermore, three topics emerged when examining relationships between communication and poverty: communication with local people and local organisations, communication about local people and local organisations, and dealing with communication issues through accountability, transparency, and legitimacy. Implications on communication and development theory as well as theory on the discursive constructions of poverty are addressed. Finally, this study addresses practical implications for aid and development agency practice, and offers recommendations for further study in the area development communication.

text: Communication for Poverty Alleviation: How Aid and Development Agencies in New Zealand View the Relationships Between Communication and Development A highly debated topic of the last few decades has centred on the idea of communication as a means for poverty reduction. With two-thirds of the world's population living in poverty, there is a dire need to understand why global poverty and inequality continue to increase, and what role communication can, and is playing in the fight against poverty. This study therefore seeks to understand how three aid and development agencies in New Zealand, New Zealand Aid (NZAID), Oxfam New Zealand (NZ), and Christian World Service (CWS), construct poverty in the context of international development. Additionally it seeks to establish how these three organisations view relationships between communication and poverty. Eleven semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key informants were conducted, transcribed, and analysed in order to extract information surrounding the issues of poverty and international development. From this analysis, it is evident that these three organisations recognise official and unofficial definitions of poverty. It is also apparent that these definitions of poverty affect the ways in which these organisations view the causes of poverty, as well as their outlook on international development. Furthermore, three topics emerged when examining relationships between communication and poverty: communication with local people and local organisations, communication about local people and local organisations, and dealing with communication issues through accountability, transparency, and legitimacy. Implications on communication and development theory as well as theory on the discursive constructions of poverty are addressed. Finally, this study addresses practical implications for aid and development agency practice, and offers recommendations for further study in the area development communication.

year: 2009

title: Students’ Social Interest and University Partnership with Local Indigenous People

authors: Theodorus, Edward

subjects: social interest

abstract: According to Alfred Adler, people will have a meaningful life if they contribute to the realisation of an ideal cooperating community. The psychological process of “contributing” is captured in the Adlerian concept of “social interest.” This study investigates students’ social interest in university partnership with local indigenous people. The partnership between the University of Waikato and local tribes of Tainui is a particular concern of this study, with Kīngitanga Day as the specific phenomenon. Mixed methods–descriptive statistics and thematic analysis–were employed to investigate students’ social interest. Data collection was done in three phases. From data analysis, I found eight primary themes of students’ social interest, namely knowledgeability, significance to self, identification, awareness of community context, gradation of sympathetic concern, willingness, action, and reflection. How the findings relate to the literature on social interest and university-community partnership is discussed. A new model of applied social interest is developed. This thesis ends with elaboration on limitations and recommendations for future research.

text: Students’ Social Interest and University Partnership with Local Indigenous People According to Alfred Adler, people will have a meaningful life if they contribute to the realisation of an ideal cooperating community. The psychological process of “contributing” is captured in the Adlerian concept of “social interest.” This study investigates students’ social interest in university partnership with local indigenous people. The partnership between the University of Waikato and local tribes of Tainui is a particular concern of this study, with Kīngitanga Day as the specific phenomenon. Mixed methods–descriptive statistics and thematic analysis–were employed to investigate students’ social interest. Data collection was done in three phases. From data analysis, I found eight primary themes of students’ social interest, namely knowledgeability, significance to self, identification, awareness of community context, gradation of sympathetic concern, willingness, action, and reflection. How the findings relate to the literature on social interest and university-community partnership is discussed. A new model of applied social interest is developed. This thesis ends with elaboration on limitations and recommendations for future research.

year: 2015