This is a constructivistic, qualitative single case study of the reflections of a social work post-graduate student in a practical family therapy training situation, to illustrate the integration of person centered and systemic family therapy theory. The element of uncertainty of the therapist, is the focus of this study. The element of uncertainty, being a part of both the therapist and the therapeutic process, especially if challenged to make paradigm shifts and master new theory and skills, is identified, described, redefined and contructively applied. The focus is to highlight the use of the reframed element of uncertainty in empowering the therapist in the therapeutic process of family therapy. It is outlined how uncertainty can also be of value to empower the therapist to evolve an own unique therapeutic style. / Social work / M.A. (Geestesgesondheid)

This study focuses on the therapeutic interventions by mental health practitioners when faced with rebellious youths. Rebelliousness refers to the act of defying lawful authority or a resistant way of relating to authority or convention. It is manifested in, amongst others, withdrawal, deviance, delinquency, antisocial behaviour, and suicide. To date there are no interventions for rebellious youths per sé. Rebellious youths are often treated with traditional strategies which are often ineffective and show little promise for eliminating rebellious behaviour. Research has revealed that teen problem behaviours stem from "life-problems" such as psychosocial stressors. Therefore treating the adolescent for substance abuse, for example, is treating him/her for the wrong reasons. It is no surprise that many adolescents who have undergone intervention programmes for specific behaviour problems relapse soon after they are released from the programmes. The study focuses on integrating different strategies in order to combat rebelliousness in adolescence and beyond. This holistic approach argues that all treatments share certain curative processes. Therefore each treatment works best when it is combined with other aspects of treatment. For this reason, individual, family and group therapy were combined together with school strategies. The results of this study indicate that combining procedures that are designed to improve problematic behaviour in teenagers are viable forms of treatment. / Educational Studies / D.Ed.(Psychology of Education)

Dissertation / This study examined the experiential world of adolescents in the middle and late phases of adolescent development with homosexual parents. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore homosexual parenting and societal reactions to this phenomenon. Thereafter, Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological systems theory of child development was highlighted followed by a synopsis comprising different dimensions of the development of adolescents in the middle and late phases of adolescent development. The empirical investigation was carried out through qualitative research methodology. In-depth case studies selected by purposeful sampling were carried out with three adolescents, each of whom had a homosexual father. Although the qualitative data is not generalisable, the findings of the case studies revealed similarities in the life worlds of the adolescents. The participants were affected by the discovery of their father’s homosexuality, but they chose to accept their father’s sexual orientation and sought a relationship with him. Finally, recommendations for practice were made. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

This study is an endeavour to demonstrate the applicability of constructivist epistemology in different contexts. The black family is presented as one of such contexts. The study is further a demonstration of the role of a symptom as part of a recursive process of interaction in the context of a black family. It reflects an orientation rooted in cybernetics, ecology and systems theory. Therapy is presented as a context through which the therapist becomes incorporated and, therefore, adopting and speaking the language of the family's particular form of symptomatic communication in order to engender change. A literature study presenting a conceptual framework is presented. A case study presenting the research data is presented. Transcripts from video-taped sessions with the family are presented in the addendum. The implications of constructivist framework for the field of family therapy in the context of a black family are, therefore, outlined. / Social work / M.A. (Mental Health)

How African individuals perceive the family life cycle, is the topic of this research. This qualitative study was facilitated with two individuals. Constructivism was used to explore how individuals create their reality. The Person-Centred Approach was studied to understand the importance of the Self- concept in the individual, and the role played by perceptions created in an ever-changing environment. Systems theory helped understand the interaction of family members as a system (family), especially the creation of stability after a state of disequilibrium – in this case, transitions between stages of the life cycle. Only with one respondent were some differences identified compared to the Western view of the life cycle. It was thus concluded that the family life cycle can be used as a guideline during therapy, regarding difficult transitions people (including African people) have to make, for therapists working from both the Person-Centred Approach and the systems perspective. / Social Work / (M.A. (Social Work (Mental Health))

The theoretical and methodological assumptions of this research imply a move away from a positivist empiricist approach with its reliance on the real, the measurable and the predictable towards an interactive and collaborative methodology situated in a constructivist and social epistemology. This thesis comprises a recursive intervention in the researching therapist's life. The author sets out on a voyage of self-research to investigate her "choreography of coexistence" (Maturana & Varela, 1987, p.248), due to curiosity about personal and professional impact. The purpose is to create a map of relational modes that in itself creates shifts: in the therapist. This invention-orientated research creates the context of the researcher and moves through processes: the writing of autobiography, detailed contextual description, the interpreting of feedback, and deconstruction. The contents that pour forth are many different narratives tracking the evolvement of the self in the original family, through further definition in new relationships and the expansion of roles in many professional systems both with clients and colleagues. " Extracts from conversations provide new perspectives and feedback about impact. Thus a continual 'provoking of voices' becomes a thesis theme that highlights the researcher's structure, organisation and interpersonal processes. An emancipatory and developmental process is documented through the researching therapist's positioning as actor, observer and then critic in relationship to the data. Patterns and themes emerge that facilitate both self- differentiation and connectedness and many new head-heart connections. This new knowledge could enable the professional's skilful and intuitive use of self. The self comes into being as it reflects itself, ·so a recursive process evolves where looking at the self operates on the products of its own operations. This is an active process, where the researching therapist constructs an experiential reality. Given the accountability that accrues from constructing such a reality, a focus on pragmatic, aesthetic and ethical criteria is incorporated. This research, like the practice of therapy, is a departure from attempts to demonstrate what is already known to modes of research that are recursive and improvisational. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil.

The development of the concept of irreverence is examined in terms of its historical, theoretical and metatheoretical contexts. The underlying assumptions of the concepts of neutrality, curiosity, and irreverence are distinguished and contextualised. Neutrality is discussed with reference to Milan systemic therapy and first- and second-order cybernetics, while curiosity is examined in the light of constructivist and narrative approaches to psychotherapy. It is argued that these two concepts represent two sides of a dualism, which is transcended through irreverence. Irreverence is interpreted as a postmodern stance, involving the questioning and relativising of therapists' basic assumptions. The pragmatic components of an irreverent stance, namely self-reflexivity, orthogonality, flexibility and accountability, are explored with reference to related concepts in the work of other authors. Throughout the text metalogues are used in an attempt to engage reader and author in a collaborative enterprise of acknowledging and reevaluating their own basic assumptions. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Este estudo visa compreender o sofrimento do trabalhador, vítima de assédio moral, seu contexto de trabalho e as repercussões em sua família. Especificamente, tem por objetivo descrever o contexto de trabalho dos trabalhadores vitimados; caracterizar as situações de assédio moral e relacioná-Ias com o sofrimento no trabalho; e verificar as repercussões desta forma de violência na família dos assediados. A Psicodinâmica do Trabalho e a Teoria Geral de Sistemas são as principais bases epistemológicas que subsidiam este estudo. A metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa de natureza qualitativa. Participaram 06 (seis) trabalhadores vitimados, atendidos no CEST -Centro Especializado em Saúde do 1 Trabalhador, órgão da Prefeitura da Cidade do Recife/PE. A técnica utilizada para a coleta dos dados foi a entrevista semi-diretiva ou semi-estruturada. O método foi a Análise de Conteúdo, na perspectiva de Minayo. As respostas obtidas foram categorizadas por temas alinhados aos objetivos propostos, baseando-se na Análise Temática. Os resultados obtidos apontam que a organização do trabalho contribui sobremaneira para as práticas e as reproduções das situações de assédio moral, provocando vivências de sofrimento no trabalhador vitimado. Indicam que o significado do trabalho, considerando sua subjetividade e sua ideologia, sofre alterações de caráter negativo em função da violência vivida, além de causar insatisfação e desmotivação no trabalho. Os sinais de assédio moral, evidenciados nas entrevistas, denotam repercussões negativas na saúde do trabalhador e na família; seja porque o trabalhador vitimado não encontra suporte entre seus entes significativos; seja porque ele reproduz, em sua família, a violência sofrida. É ainda evidenciado, neste estudo, embora extrapolando os objetivos propostos, impactos no desempenho profissional. Os dados obtidos ainda revelam que as organizações não saem ilesas desta forma de violência praticada em sua ambiência. As falas dos participantes indicam que o fenômeno do assédio moral inviabiliza as relações socioprofissionais, aumentam os indicadores de absenteísmo e rotatividade, diminuem a produtividade, além de gerar danos econômicos e financeiros, haja vista que algumas empresas foram condenadas na Justiça do Trabalho. Este estudo pretende, por fim, contribuir para o incremento de novas pesquisas que apontem estratégias preventivas e corretivas para as situações de violência moral no trabalho e que aprofundem, principalmente, acerca das repercussões da organização do trabalho na dinâmica familiar do coletivo de seus trabalhadores.

This study examined the relationship of group cohesion among heterogeneous and homogeneous groups on individual treatment outcome of child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT). CPRT is a filial therapy model that targets the parent-child relationship as a means for preventing or improving child and/or family problems. This study included 30 parents or caregivers from 9 groups which met for 10 sessions. Participants qualified for this study if their groups ended with at least 3 group members and 2 leaders, all pretest and posttest data on their child between the ages of 2-11 was completed, and if they attended at least 6 of the 10 sessions. Correlation coefficients, t-tests, and effect sizes were calculated. Results demonstrated no statistically significant differences between pretests and posttests on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for all 30 participants; however, differences in measured effect (η2) between children identified with borderline and clinical behavior problems and children with normal behavior problems suggest that CPRT is more effective among children who demonstrate significant behavior problems. Perceived and observed group cohesion measurements demonstrated no significant difference at the individual outcome level. This finding suggests that group cohesion may not be related to individual outcome. Although there was no significant relationship between group cohesion and individual outcome for this study, results of the group measurements regarding engagement and group cohesiveness, coupled with previous studies on CPRT effectiveness, suggest that CPRT should be utilized in homogeneous groups.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:08:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pre-textuais.pdf: 4476169 bytes, checksum: a3f1d1ed02024404c143fa749b00ceda (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-17 / This study aims at understanding the suffering of employees who have been victims of moral harássment, their working context and the repercussions in their families. Its main aims are to objectively describe the working context of victimized employees; characterize situations of moral harassment e relate them to the suffering at work; and check the repercussion of such form of violence in the harassee's family. Work Psychodynamics and General Systems Theory are the main epistemological basis underlying this study. The methodology applied is qualitative. Six victimized employees attended at CEST -Worker's Health Specialized Center which is part of Recife City Hall, located in Pemambuco, Brazil. A semi-directive or semi-structured interview was used to collect data. The method is that of the Contents Analysis under the perspective of Minayo. The answers obtained were categorized according to themes aligned with the objectives proposed having the Thematic Analysis as a basis. The results obtained indicate that the work organization encourages moral harassment practices which bring suffering to the victimized employee. They also indicate that the signification of work, considering its subjectivity and ideology, suffers a negative alteration due to the violence inflicted as well as causes dissatisfaction and decrease of motivation at work. The evidence of moral harassment found in the interviews denote negative consequences to the employee's health and their families. Either because the harassee finds no support among bis or her peers or because he or she reproduces, in bis family, the violence suffered. Although it extrapolates the objectives proposed, it is made evident, in this study, the impact of moral harassment to professional performance. Data collected also reveal that the organizations themselves are also victims of the violence practiced inside their premises. Informants speech indicate that moral harassment hinders socio-professional relationships, increases absenteeism and dismissals, decreases productivity as well as causes economic and financial damages once some companies have been penalized by law. Lastly, this study intends to contribute to the implement of further research which indicate preventive and corrective strategies to situations of moral harassment at the workplace and study more profoundly the repercussion of work organization to the worker's family dynamics. / Este estudo visa compreender o sofrimento do trabalhador, vítima de assédio moral, seu contexto de trabalho e as repercussões em sua família. Especificamente, tem por objetivo descrever o contexto de trabalho dos trabalhadores vitimados; caracterizar as situações de assédio moral e relacioná-Ias com o sofrimento no trabalho; e verificar as repercussões desta forma de violência na família dos assediados. A Psicodinâmica do Trabalho e a Teoria Geral de Sistemas são as principais bases epistemológicas que subsidiam este estudo. A metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa de natureza qualitativa. Participaram 06 (seis) trabalhadores vitimados, atendidos no CEST -Centro Especializado em Saúde do 1 Trabalhador, órgão da Prefeitura da Cidade do Recife/PE. A técnica utilizada para a coleta dos dados foi a entrevista semi-diretiva ou semi-estruturada. O método foi a Análise de Conteúdo, na perspectiva de Minayo. As respostas obtidas foram categorizadas por temas alinhados aos objetivos propostos, baseando-se na Análise Temática. Os resultados obtidos apontam que a organização do trabalho contribui sobremaneira para as práticas e as reproduções das situações de assédio moral, provocando vivências de sofrimento no trabalhador vitimado. Indicam que o significado do trabalho, considerando sua subjetividade e sua ideologia, sofre alterações de caráter negativo em função da violência vivida, além de causar insatisfação e desmotivação no trabalho. Os sinais de assédio moral, evidenciados nas entrevistas, denotam repercussões negativas na saúde do trabalhador e na família; seja porque o trabalhador vitimado não encontra suporte entre seus entes significativos; seja porque ele reproduz, em sua família, a violência sofrida. É ainda evidenciado, neste estudo, embora extrapolando os objetivos propostos, impactos no desempenho profissional. Os dados obtidos ainda revelam que as organizações não saem ilesas desta forma de violência praticada em sua ambiência. As falas dos participantes indicam que o fenômeno do assédio moral inviabiliza as relações socioprofissionais, aumentam os indicadores de absenteísmo e rotatividade, diminuem a produtividade, além de gerar danos econômicos e financeiros, haja vista que algumas empresas foram condenadas na Justiça do Trabalho. Este estudo pretende, por fim, contribuir para o incremento de novas pesquisas que apontem estratégias preventivas e corretivas para as situações de violência moral no trabalho e que aprofundem, principalmente, acerca das repercussões da organização do trabalho na dinâmica familiar do coletivo de seus trabalhadores.