Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2003-01-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:21:18Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 garcia_am_me_bauru.pdf: 804636 bytes, checksum: 554716a72928d93338ea50d1ae981bd8 (MD5) / A sexualidade tem sido considerada um atributo do ser humano, que se desenvolve dentro de seus aspectos biológicos, psicológicos e socioculturais. Com o propósito de se investigar como pensam os professores, alunos e genitores sobre a sexualidade humana e sobre o papel da escola na orientação sexual de seus alunos, foram aplicados questionários nesses três segmentos e realizadas entrevistas semi estruturadas com professores e alunos, junto ao ensino fundamental de duas escolas públicas estaduais, uma do centro e outra da periferia, pertencentes ao município de Bauru. Considerando-se o envolvimento da família no ambiente escolar, foram apontados aspectos, expressos pelos 3 segmentos investigados e pela literatura consultada, os quais devem ser considerados na elaboração de uma proposta de orientação sexual. Os resultados ressaltam, quando da elaboração de um programa de orientação sexual na escola, a necessidade de se proporcionar momentos de reflexão dos 3 segmentos envolvidos, em relação aos aspectos biológicos, psicológicos e socioculturais da sexualidade humana, no sentido de proporcionar aos professores, a reconstrução de sua sexualidade, colaborando em sua atuação como elemento de formação; aos jovens, as concepções e informações necessárias ao desenvolvimento sociocultural de sua sexualidade, possibilitando que os mesmos sejam capazes de elaborar sua própria conduta e descobrir suas capacidades e aos pais, a ampliação dos conhecimentos em direção à diversidade de valores existentes na sociedade, constituindo-os elementos colaboradores para com a escola / The sexuality has been considered an attribute of human being that develops in its biologics aspect, pshycologics and socialculture. The purpose was to investigate how teachers, students and fathers think of the human sexuality and about the role that schools play in the student's sexual orientation. That three segments were interviewed and quizzed completely in two public elementary schools, one school is located in the suburb and the other one in Bauru city's downtown. Also it was considered the family's involvement in all the school's activities. It was found some aspects expressed by those 3 investigated segments, and by the literature that was used and read to help this work. All that aspects ha been considered in the development of a sexual orientation study. Results assure the need of reflexing moments in the 3 segments, involving biologics, pshycologics and socialcultures aspects in the human sexuality. The results help the teachers on the improvement of their sexuality and they can act as a formation element, helping teens with new informations and concepts that teenagers need to develop their sexuality, after that students can elaborate and have their own way life. Also they can discover their capacity and show the parents how they increase their knowledgement. Then they will be able to identificate and separate all the different concepts and thoughts that the society has. Finally, tenagers will become helping elements to the school

Considerando o exercício da nossa prática, e a importância que a adolescência e a orientação sexual assumiram nos últimos anos, é que buscamos realizar o presente estudo. Nosso objetivo foi conhecer a percepção de alunos que haviam participado de um grupo de adolescentes com relação à dinâmica desses grupos e à orientação sexual, tendo como referencial teórico os aspectos conceituais da adolescência, sexualidade na adolescência, vulnerabilidade, orientação sexual, metodologia participativa e lúdica. Buscamos na abordagem qualitativa, uma alternativa metodológica para entender a realidade expressa através das percepções desses adolescentes. Do ponto de vista teórico e formal, optamos pela modalidade de Pesquisa Estratégica. Realizamos o estudo em uma escola municipal de Ribeirão Preto, tendo como atores sociais, alunos que participaram, de grupos de orientação nas 4ª séries. Com relação ao processo de trabalho de campo, para coleta de dados, utilizamos a técnica da entrevista semi-estruturada, tendo como técnica complementar a realização de grupos focais. O tratamento e análise dos dados foram feitos através da análise de conteúdo, elaborada por Bardin. A partir das falas dos atores sociais, pudemos identificar núcleos temáticos, relacionados ao lúdico, enquanto processo facilitador para a aquisição do conhecimento e reflexão; ao conteúdo abordado e a participação nos grupos, enquanto fator determinante para o seu futuro e um caminho para o diálogo intra familiar. / It is by considering our practice and the importance given to adolescence and sexual orientation in the last few years that we aim at accomplishing this study. Our purpose was to understand the perception of students who have already participated in a group of adolescents as to the dynamics of such groups and in relation to the sexual orientation. The conceptual aspects of adolescence, sexuality in adolescence, vulnerability, sexual orientation, participative and ludic methodology made up the theoretical framework of our study. In order to achieve our goal, we applied a qualitative approach, a methodological alternative to understand the reality expressed through the perceptions of these adolescents. From the theoretical and formal viewpoint, we chose the Strategic Research modality. We carried out the study in a municipal school in the City of Ribeirão Preto with social student-actors who, had participated in groups in the 4th graders. Concerning the field work process for data collection, we used semistructured interviews and the formation of focal groups as a complementary technique. The data analysis and treatment were carried out by means of the content analysis method, elaborated by Bardin. Based on the students\' discourse, we were able to identify thematic nuclei related to that which is ludic as a facilitating process in the acquisition of knowledge and reflection, to the approached content and the participation in the group as a determinant factor for their future and the possibility of intra-family dialogue.

M.Ed. / As an Educational Psychologist, one is frequently touched by people struggling to come to terms with life’s complexities, which may in some instances be termed a life in crisis. This crisis may often involve change, which may cause the person to embark on a journey of discovery where the destination may not be what he/she had planned. A mother may embark on just such a journey when she is confronted by the loss brought about by her child’s “coming out” as either gay or lesbian. A mother approached the Institute for Child and Adult Guidance in need of guidance where the acceptance of her son’s alternative lifestyle was concerned. Her story piqued my interest as I am a mother and because I have recently experienced “coming out” with many of my friends. I immediately recognized that this was a mother on the threshold of a journey of discovery that may well enable me to assist and support others in similar situations. I wondered what I, as an Educational Psychologist, might learn from a mother’s journey towards acceptance of her son’s alternative lifestyle. In addition to this question, I realized that I would need to explore her dominant discourses, which may have influenced her view of the alternative lifestyle and that I, as her therapist, would have a role to play in deconstructing them. I would also have to deconstruct the traditional power relationship that exists between a client and a therapist and in this case between a participant and a researcher. The research was conducted within a qualitative research paradigm. In order to answer the research question and to specify the aims of the research, in terms of the Narrative Therapy paradigm, a Participatory Action Research strategy was followed. This manner of conducting research aims at constructing knowledge and meaning together with the participants of the study, thus creating a collaborative process. In this study, multiple methods of data collection were employed in order to construct and co-create rich data with the participant. This data included recordings of therapeutic conversations, as well as journal texts and letters written by my client and me. The experiences of the mother were recorded by way of thick descriptions and reflections. These thick descriptions reflected her journey towards, and our understanding of, acceptance. From the results research, it became evident that acceptance is an ongoing process. It also became apparent that my client had the ability to deal with her problems and to move towards a place where acceptance appeared to be possible. The collaborative process made it possible for a mother’s voice to be heard regarding her knowledges and skills where her own journey towards acceptance was concerned. It also broadened a community of care within her family and circle of friends and even nationally, after we were interviewed by a national magazine, the purpose of which was to offer advice to other parents in a similar situation.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between olfactory preferences and sexual orientation in Heterosexual, Entire Life lesbian, and Adopted Lifestyle lesbian women. Research in the area of olfaction and sexual behavior was reviewed and, on the basis of the literature, it was hypothesized that Heterosexual women would prefer male odors, Entire Life lesbian women would prefer female odors, and Adopted Lifestyle lesbian women would prefer male odors more than Entire Life lesbians. The design involved having female subjects sniff male and female odors and indicate a preference for either the male or female odor. The odor samples were human apocrine gland secretions obtained by having odor donors wear gauze pads in their armpits. The odor collected on the pads was then stabilized through applications of alcohol and subsequent freezing.

M.A. / This dissertation attempts to understand the different meanings attached to lesbian identities by comparing the experiences of black and white lesbian women living in South Africa. Literature of the experiences of black lesbian women, especially in South Africa, is plentiful. Thus, by including white lesbian women in the sample, this dissertation begins to fill a gap in literature and provide some insights into an overall experience of lesbian identity in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven black lesbians and seven white lesbians living in and around Johannesburg, and an intersectional model of analysis was employed to analyse the data. The study found that race as an identity marker is significant in how lesbian women attach meaning to their sexual identities, though it is not the only denominator when it comes to constructing a lesbian identity. A number of other key identities arose from the study which have an impact on the way in which a lesbian identity is constructed, such as gender, ties to family, different social spaces and religion. These multiple identities are not mutually exclusive, and thus interact with each other to influence the construction of a lesbian identity. This dissertation also asserts that a lesbian identity impacts on how the participants experience their other, non-lesbian, identities. Comparing the experiences of fourteen diverse lesbian women has contributed to a deeper understanding of lesbian identity construction, as well as the coming-out process.

Magister Legum - LLM / In South Africa corrective rape is committed by African men as a form of social control to cure women of their homosexuality. The problem with corrective rape is that the victims of this crime are mainly black African lesbians, particularly those in townships who are seen to challenge patriarchal gender norms. Therefore discrimination on the basis of gender, race, sex and sexual orientation is called into play. Section 9 of the Constitution provides that the state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more specified ground which include gender, race, sex and as well as sexual orientation. Further, no person may unfairly discriminate against anyone on one or more of the same specified grounds. Thus, the black African lesbians affected by corrective rape are protected by the equality provisions of the Constitution upon which discrimination is prohibited. In addition, the impact of discrimination on lesbians is thus rendered more serious and their vulnerability increased by the fact that the victims are black women. In the context of black African lesbians, it is believed that these women are a threat to the manhood as well as cultural beliefs of the perpetrators. Perpetrators, therefore, can justify their actions on the constitutional right to culture. This position obviously reopens the debate on the conflicts between African culture and tradition with human rights within the context of corrective rape which ultimately continues to militate against the adequate protection of women’s rights. Against this background, this research will focus on how South Africa is balancing its constitutional mandate in relation to the black African lesbians affected by corrective rape. It will be argued that for victims of corrective rape to be adequately protected it is necessary to define corrective as a hate crime and not merely the crime of rape. In addition, it will also be argued that because there is an inherent conflict between the right to culture of the perpetrators and the constitutionally protected rights of the victims of corrective rape, courts, in enforcing the rights of these victims should also address this conflict. The importance in recognising this conflict lies in the fact that one needs to take into account that both the perpetrators and the victims are protected by the Bill of Rights and that one cannot disregard the importance of either of their rights.

Magister Theologiae - MTh / Of all the Christian denominations in the United States, the United Methodist Church (UMC) is one of three probably experiencing the greatest amount of conflict over the rights of its members who practice homosexuality. History shows that United Methodists have always maintained a great diversity of opinion on many matters within the Church. Having dealt with its racist and sexist policies in the past, the UMC is now tackling its homophobic beliefs. Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason have been used as tools to deal with this debate, which has become one of the most divisive in the church and society. At present, there are two main positions concerning the debate on homosexuality in the UMC: the rejecting and accepting positions. Although the UMC - as set forth in its book of discipline - finds the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching, its debate on homosexuality seems far from over. First, there is a majority conviction supporting the current position of the church. Second, there is a steadily growing minority conviction that maintains that the responsible practice of homosexuality should be accepted and homosexuals should enter into full membership with the church. Third, the UMC upholds basic human and civil rights. Nonetheless, gays and lesbians are not ordained into the ministry. Fourth, the UMC acknowledges that our human understanding of human sexuality is limited and a combined effort with other sciences will help us understand human sexuality more completely. One can see the church’s struggle in search for a Christian sexual ethic. It seems difficult to foresee any form of consensus that could bridge the big differences of opinion and conviction behind the two camps in the struggle: "rejection" of homosexuality (non-punitive) and "full acceptance". They simply do not seem to be compatible, rationally and ethically. It is the task of this mini-thesis to explore the United Methodist Church's struggle in the search for ethical discernment on homosexuality.

This dissertation explores lesbian experience, or the psychological meaning of being lesbian from the point of view of women who call themselves lesbian. The researcher suspended the binary paradigm of sex and gender, and argued that lesbians' identity development must be understood against the background of how patriarchy understands the category 'woman' through history. Towards this purpose the pOSition of women in the West, as well as contemporary images and literature about lesbians, was reviewed. On the basis of this review questions about lesbian gender construction, lesbian identity development and lesbian individuation were identified. In order to access the psychological meaning of being lesbian, or lesbian experience from the inside out, the dream-series of three lesbians constituted an empirical basis for further exploration. These dream-series were amplified with intensive face-to-face interviews, transcribed, and subjected to a hermeneutic-phenomenological inductive method. Common inter-case concerns were identified and synthesized. In dialogue with the literature reviewed, twenty-two statements of meaning about being lesbian were distilled. These revealed two possible constructions of gender for primary lesbians. In addition, primary lesbians involved in the research demonstrated remarkable flexibility with respect to their gender orientations and gender identifications, were in the process of integrating with and differentiating from different aspects of their masculine and feminine potentials, and developed and negotiated their gender identities in relationship to both their lovers and friends. The explication also revealed that participants identified with archetypal aspects of the father that their fathers' did not express, and desired archetypal aspects of the mother that their mother's did not express. Finally, in so much as the method distinguished ~ sex, sexual identity and sexual orientation from gender, gender identity, gender identification and gender orientation, it may prove useful for exploring gender in heterosexual relating.

Screening and early detection are essential for the management and control of most diseases. It is important for women to practice routine health care that includes both clinical and self examinations. Today, many women go without health care due to barriers which prevent them from obtaining adequate care. The present study was designed to investigate, using the Health Belief Model, whether there is a difference between heterosexual and lesbian women in obtaining gynecological exams. Responses from 23 8 participants, 70 heterosexuals and 168 lesbians, indicated that the Health Belief Model was a significant predictor of whether women complied with recommended guidelines for Pap smears. Further analyses indicated that the most predictive components of the model were self-efficacy and perceived barriers. The more self-efficacy the women reported, the more likely they were to comply; whereas, the more barriers the women reported, the less likely they were to comply. Surprisingly, there were no interactions between sexual orientation and the components of the Health BeliefModel with respect to compliance. Thus, the model predicts compliance in the same way for both lesbian and heterosexual women. The results are consistent with past research indicating that the Health Belief Model is a good predictor of health behavior for some groups. Suggestions for future studies are discussed.

The study contributes to existing, but limited research on the social and academic experiences of lesbian learners in South African secondary schools. A lesbian refers to a woman who is sexually attracted to the same gender as herself. The purpose of this study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of the positive and negative experiences of lesbian youth in South African secondary schools. A qualitative research approach guided by the interpretivist paradigm was followed, as the focus was on the meaning that the individual participants awarded to their experiences and their world. A case study research design was used as it is regarded as a process of in-depth inquiry that generates detailed descriptions of a single unit or bounded system. The findings of this study are in line with existing literature on the experiences of lesbian learners in secondary schools. As in the literature this study indicated that the lesbian learners included in this study are subjected to negative social and academic experiences such as; homophobic verbal, sexual and emotional harassment and abuse, as well as school disengagement. Their positive experiences included a decrease in homophobic harassment and abuse, an increased sense of self worth and confidence, increased visibility, academic achievement and resilience and lower levels of absenteeism, truancy and school dropouts. It was interesting to note that most of the heterosexual learners’ and teachers’ at the schools included in this study’s attitude towards the lesbian learners have changed for the better. Most of the heterosexual learners and teachers seemed to be supportive and accommodative of the lesbian learners even though they still found it difficult to accept their lesbian sexual orientation. Based on the outcome of this study, it is recommended that the learners and teachers at the schools included in this study, be sensitised and capacitated with regard to homosexuality, bisexuality and trans-sexuality. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted