The aim of this study was to investigate the connection between an artists mental illness and his or her art and this was made with the artist Mathilde Wigert-Österlund (1873-1943) as an example. Wigert-Österlund was an artist who suffered from mental illness and was a patient at a mental institution during two periods throughout her life. After she became ill, she made textile artworks that have been considered to be products of her illness. To investigate if this is true or not and to understand Wigert-Österlunds means of expression, the study was based on the purpose that with Wigert-Österlund as example investigate the connection between mental illness and creative production and study the artist and the artists role as a social and cultural construction. This was done with the following questions: How did Mathilde Wigert-Österlunds artistic expression change when she became ill? What role did Wigert-Österlund take och recieve in the artistic field? And; what resemblances and differences were there between Wigert-Österlunds artworks and her contemporary textile art? The questions were answered with studies of literature and objects as material, together with a method of material culture. Theory of practice and a theory of the artist role were applied on the material and the results. The analysis shows that Wigert-Österlunds artistic expression primarily changed with her use of other techniques and materials than before and secondarily that she had a slight change in the choice of motif and especially symbols in her work. The works shows that Wigert-Österlund is to be considered as having the role of a melancholic artist due to the theory of the artists role. Her work had no distinct recemblances with the contemporary textile art but shows that she is considered to share habitus and expression with the artist group that were defined as painters. Wigert-Österlund and her textile artcan be considered as unique in the time they were made. The study also reveals that the groups within the field were changeable and that Wigert-Österlund and her variated expression made her belong to separate groups but that she might have identified herself with the one with highest social and cultural status. The study showed that there is a slight connection between mental illness and an artists expression and that an artist can correlate to an artistic role and at the same time be a production of and a construction of the society and its expectations connected to that construction.

The thesis entitled Comparative Semiotic Analysis of Czech and Korean version of Elle Magazine Advertisings deals with the comparison of advertisings in the Czech and South Korean versions of global lifestyle magazine ELLE in terms of semiotic analysis. The thesis is structured in classical terms with theoretical starting points representing three key areas needed for analysis. The first part deals with the concept of the media, media product and its content. It also provides information about the ELLE magazine and its internationalization with special emphasis on South Korean cultural specificities. Also it cannot be forgotten the chapter devoted to the theory of socail construction of reality based on the work of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The second part is key because it brings knowledge about the semiotics and the main representatives of the field. The thesis thus represents Charles Sanders Peirce, Ferdinand de Saussure and especially the mythology of Roland Barthes. The last theoretical part looked at the essence of marketing communication and advertising and the use of celebrities in advertising campaigns. The analysis part as based on the theoretical basis focuses on the semiotic analysis of advertisements targeting the Czech and South Korean markets, with almost 470 campaigns in the...

L’absentéisme et le décrochage scolaire sont aujourd’hui au cœur du débat public. Les discours politiques et institutionnels semblent découvrir ces questions. Pourtant ces phénomènes ne sont pas nouveaux. En effet, pourquoi l’absentéisme et le décrochage scolaire qui étaient invisibles médiatiquement et socialement à une certaine époque deviennent-ils visibles et médiatiques aujourd’hui ? Faut- il y voir l’action de l’homme ou le coup du sort ? Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le champ de la sociologie de la connaissance. Il s’agit de savoir quelle connaissance on a de ces questions mais également de comprendre l’apparition de ces problématiques dans le champ du social .Sur le terrain, la réalité est tout autre car aux discours sur l’absentéisme et le décrochage scolaire succède l’action et les contraintes auxquelles les acteurs sont confrontés. Le regard porté par les acteurs scolaires devient plus distant, plus raisonné et raisonnable face aux problèmes auxquels ils doivent faire face et surtout trouver des solutions. L’hypothèse générale est que les discours institutionnels (circulaires et rapports d’inspection) et politiques, sur l’absentéisme et le décrochage scolaire davantage construits sur un discours globalisant et anxiogène lié à des problématiques sociales comme la délinquance, s’opposent aux acteurs de terrain dont les discours hétérogènes laissent place à des récits et réflexions mesurés et réalistes face à l’immensité des phénomènes auxquels ils sont confrontés. Dans cette recherche, il s’agit essentiellement de joindre à cette approche socio-historique dans une première partie, une approche empirique dans une deuxième partie dont l’objectif réside dans la confrontation du discours public et médiatique : le discours d’ « en haut » et du discours des acteurs de terrain : le discours d’ « en bas ». Si le Lycée Professionnel (LP) comme terrain de recherche s’inscrit dans un espace social et scolaire marginalisé depuis un certain nombre d’années , il n’en demeure pas moins que les discours et actions des acteurs ainsi que les résultats obtenus sur les questions d’absentéisme et de décrochage scolaire laissent à penser que chaque LP est singulier et développe un effet propre. / Absenteeism and dropping out are at the heart of public debate. The political and institutional discourses seem to find these issues. Yet these phenomena are not new. Indeed, why absenteeism and school dropout who were invisible mediatically socially and at one time they become visible and media today? Should we see the action of the man or the twist of fate? This research is in the field of sociology of knowledge. This is to know what knowledge we have of these issues but also to understand the occurrence of these problems in the social field .On the ground, the reality is quite different because the discourse on absenteeism and dropping succeeds the action and the constraints, the actors face. The look worn by school actors becomes more distant, more reasoned and reasonable deal with the problems they face and especially solutions. The general assumption is that institutional discourse (circular and inspection reports) and policy on absenteeism and dropping out more built on a globalizing discourse and anxiety related to social problems such as delinquency, are opposed to actors of land including heterogeneous discourse gave way to stories and reflections measured and realistic given the immensity of the phenomena they face. In this research, it's basically join this socio-historical approach in the first part, an empirical approach in the second part whose objective is the confrontation of the public and media discourse: the discourse of "top "and the speech field players: the discourse of " down ". If the vocational school as field research is part of a marginalized social and academic space for a number of years, the fact remains that the speeches and actions of the actors and the results obtained on the issues of absenteeism and dropout suggests that each LP is unique and develops its own effect.

The aim of this study is to examine how different actors of the society speak about and portrays the Råslätt neighborhood.Further we study how using different terms to describe the area can come to affect the area and its residents. This study is done by using a qualitative method in the form of document analysis based on official documents from three different actors of the society and we also conducted three interviews with representatives from each actor. Different themes are examined that have been identified using a discourse analysis. Through the themes three different discourses were created and identified which are being used by the actors in describing Råslätt. The discourses are then compared with each other. The result shows that there are similarities and differences between the discourses in how Råslätt is described. The result shows that the terms used in the different discourses create different versions of the Råslätt neighborhood. The result also shows that, within the discourses the actors of society consciously relate to their use of languageand that the decision of using or not using a particular term has been made with insight to the risk of stigmatization that might emerge. In conclusion the result shows that the language used by the actors of society affect how they justify their own work.

Cancer is a life threatening and hope inhibiting disease. Furthermore, as in the case of breast cancer and the concomitant loss of an intimate body part, it is an identity threatening disease. The disease, the mastectomy, as well as the treatment place high demands on the process of hope for the whole family. In various ways, the family is constantly busy constructing a hopeful story for the future. Hope develops from a conjunction of a rich variety of factors that consciously or unconsciously have an influence on the process of hope. For the Christian, faith is first and foremost anchored in God and his Word. Our hope grows, in various ways, when our own story becomes one with God’s Story of Hope. Many people with cancer experience spiritual growth, a transformation of faith narratives, and get to know God in a way that would not have been possible in any other conditions. However, hope is not only spiritual hope. Hope also grows in relationships in a social constructionist process. The woman who had undergone a mastectomy and experiences unconditional acceptance in various ways of support by family members and friends, can, as a result, construct a hopeful story for the future. Acceptance of the inevitable that is happening to her, as well as the consequential self-acceptance, helps her to establish a new identity. The ability to experience loss as only a small part of one’s self-identity is crucial for the process of emotional healing. During this process of healing, hope prospers. Positivism and hope are closely related and realism is always coupled with positivism. Hope is ingrained in reality. Positive, realistic people are able to make choices that will result in hope. In this freedom of choice lies the potential to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph. A viable system of belief with regard to the purpose of life of human existence, helps in creating a foundation of hope in a person’s life. The belief that a person’s existence is purposeful, despite the inevitable tragedies of life, equips the human being to live to the full, amidst tragedies. The return of a sense of humor is one of the most secure signs of a healthy recovery. Hope is stimulated within ourselves and others when we are able to laugh at ourselves and with others, amidst sad conditions. Reconstruction can be regarded as an aid in the process of growth of hope concerning the woman’s body image, providing her with feelings of balance and completeness, and enhancing her feeling of being a woman. Shared hope is one of the strongest sources of hope for people with cancer. To be able to talk to someone who had personally suffered from and outlived breast cancer has more value than merely taking note of the statistics of survivors. People suffering from cancer also experience oases of hope in things like a book that is significant to their situation, relationships, an unexpected meeting with a breast cancer survivor, or her work. Hope also becomes manifest in nature as a symbol of life and hope, in participation in research studies, in a reliable doctor. Even more hope will be established if all women have the privilege of having breast examinations performed at breast clinics where professional and sympathetic people can announce the diagnosis in cases where cancer is indeed diagnosed. Various treatment options can be discussed. Time can be made available to prepare the entire household and provide peace of mind for the children. / Thesis (PhD (Pastoral Family Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Within the helping professions there are contrasting epistemological views regarding the role of the helping professional, which have direct influences on learning support practices. Despite these views, it remains unclear what parents expect when seeking learning support for their children. This qualitative study explored parents’ constructions of the role of the helping professional in learning support. It specifically addressed parents’ expectations of the helping professional, what they value in their interactions with helping professionals as well as their understandings of their own roles in consultation and intervention for learning support. A case study approach was employed to gain access to participants. Specifically, three parents of children attending a school for Learners with Special Educational Needs [LSEN] were included as participants. These parents had had experiences with various helping professionals, both at the school and in private practice settings, in the course of seeking assistance for their children. It was thus thought that they would be able to provide in-depth perspectives as to their ideas of the role of helping professionals who assist children experiencing difficulties due to their exposure and experiences with helping professionals. Initial data collection was undertaken via semi-structured interviews with the participants. A content analysis of the interviews was subsequently employed to elicit affinities for use during a further modified form of Interactive Qualitative Analysis [IQA] with the contributors to the study. In total, fourteen affinities were generated and included Parental expectations, Professional characteristics, The helping process, Parents’ role, Status of the helping professional, Professional approach, Parents’ personal experiences, Parents’ emotions, Assessment, Recommendations, Stigma, a Team approach, parent-professional Interaction and Values. These affinity descriptions were corroborated and expanded on with the participants and the relationships amongst the affinities where then hypothesised by the participants themselves. A central outcome of the study was the research participants’ social representations of helping professionals. These representations comprise the thematic elements representing the participants’ discourse about the role of helping professionals in learning support and provide the participants’ in-depth ideas of the relationships amongst these elements. / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The research started in a school context where the teachers were severely affected by the changes in and closing of their school. In my qualitatively based research project, I embarked with the research participants on a pastoral, narrative- and appreciative inquiry approach which assist the teachers to deal more efficiently with the effects of the changes they experienced. By sharing and reflecting on their stories, a climate that's conducive to their well-being was constructed. I describe how my participatory action research invited the teachers to be active research participants, who are responsible for their own construction of richer or alternative meanings in their lives. / Practical theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

Group of people with mental illness is a very diverse group. Due to its diagnosis they have to face prejudices and stigmatization, which influences all levels of their lives - even the working one. This diploma thesis People with mental disorders and their access to the labour market examines the position of persons with mental disorders on the labor market. It is based on the premise that employment is an important element for every person, as it provides an income and, above all, represents belonging to the majority society. In this work I introduce the setting of Czech legislation and public policy documents, I realize my own quantitative (using content analysis of media outputs) and qualitative (using semi-structured expert interviews) research and based on that I classify people with mental illness into the relevant target population according to the Theory of social construction of target populations (according to Schneider and Ingram). I choose this procedure of combined (= mixed) research to collect a sufficient amount of data. This theory says how benefits or burdens are allocated in society. I define the problems and, in conclusion, I present possible recommendations how the situation could change with the help of public policy instruments and how the the stigma that these people have to...

This study investigates the extent to which a story written 100 years ago, full of moral, patriotic, heroic and freedom-influences messages, can be used as a teaching instrument to convey the norms and values needed for active participation in society. Two versions of the classic tale of Peter Pan, an illustrated chapter book Peter Pan and Wendy (2013) and a picture book Peter Pan (2014), were analysed with the focus on the character of Peter Pan. The results show that both books can be used very well as teaching aids because Peter Pan is a complex and multifaceted character. The analysis reveals his positive and negative qualities, which can be discussed in the teaching as a way to communicate norms and values. The study shows useful examples of what this work can look like.

The thesis is concerned with the issues related to the development of the system that helps the disabled people to integrate into the labour market in the Czech Republic using the theory of social construction of target groups. The aim of this thesis is to understand the development of the form of the observed policy that arises from the expected development of social construction of the chosen target group and its political power within a given period of time. To understand the problem and putting the topic was based on thematic analysis and study of the documents presented to readers of historical and social development status of persons with disabilities in society. Monitored period from the nineties to the present, which was divided into shorter periods. In these periods, the final policy design was identified by way of the interviews with addressed experts. The experts expressed their opinions also on the development of social construction and political power of the target group, which was supported by the study of the documents. The contents of the targeted policies were observed and the benefits or burdens for the target group were distinguished within the contents. The results of the analysis showed the relationship between the development of social construction of target group and the...