Text in Afrikaans / During pre-adolescence, whilst the transition from primary to high school normally takes place, the child faces drastic physical and emotional changes. Emotional intelligence is important in order to answer to demands in this stage and can be addressed and enhanced. Self-awareness (ability to identify own emotions, relate to others, being aware of personal strengths and weaknesses) is not addressed sufficiently. The research problem has been the use of a gestalt therapeutic process to address self-awareness during this stage, and the goal of the study, to explore the value of such a process. Qualitative research directed the process, which included literature studies, interviews with parents of respondents and eight gestalt therapeutic sessions with four pre-adolescents. Various gestalt play therapeutic techniques and -activities have been utilized. The processing and integration of the results of the empirical study, made it possible to explore and note what the value of a gestalt therapeutic process is on self-awareness in the pre-adolescent. Therefore the goal of the study has been successfully reached. / Die vroee adolessent ondergaan ingrypende en drastiese fisiese veranderinge en emosionele skommelinge. Dit is ook in hierdie tydsgleuf dat hy van laer- na hoerskool vorder. Belangrike keuses moet gemaak word te midde van groter druk vanaf die portuurgroep en 'n strewe na outonomie en onafhanklikheid van ouers. Dit is 'n ontwikkelingstadium tussen kindwees en volwassenheid. Ten einde aan die eise te voldoen, is emosionele intelligensie van kardinale belang. Emosionele intelligensie kan aangeleer en verbeter word en hou verband met die kind se aanwending van sy selfbewussyn om onder andere sy eie emosies korrek waar te neem, oor te dra en kennis oor persoonlike swaken sterk punte te bekom. Die studie is gerig deur die uitgangspunt dat selfbewussyn wat die heel basiese komponent van emosionele intelligensie is, nie voldoende by die vroee adolessent aangespreek word om hom toe te rus vir die eise tydens die oorgangsfase vanaf laer- na hoerskool nie. Die benutting van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses om selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek is as die navorsingsprobleem geformuleer. Die doel van die studie was dus om die benuttingswaarde van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses om die selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek, te verken en te beskryf. Ten einde in hierdie doel te kon slaag, is die navorsingsproses deur middel van kwalitatiewe navorsing gerig. Die volgende doelwitte is geformuleer, naamlik : Eerstens om 'n literatuurstudie te doen oor die vroee adolessent, selfbewussyn as basiese komponent van emosionele intelligensie en die benuttingsmoontlikhede van die gestaltspelterapeutiese benadering om selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek .. Tweedens is semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die ouer(s) as respondente gevoer met behulp van 'n selfontwerpte vraelys. Derdens is vier gevallestudies waargeneem tydens agt onderhoudsituasies elk, om die selfbewussyn van die vroee adolessent aan te spreek. Verskeie gestaltspelterapeutiese vorme-, tegnieke en -aktiwiteite is vir die proses benut. Vanuit die prosessering en integrering van die bevindinge wat tydens die empiriese ondersoek verkry is, kon die data vir praktiese doeleindes toegepas word en is die benutting van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses om die vroee adolessent se selfbewussyn aan te spreek, verken en beskryf. Daar is dus in die doel van die ondersoek geslaag, naamlik die verkenning en beskrywing van die benuttingswaarde van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses ten einde selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek. / Social work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

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 focuses on the feasibility of inculcating resilience skills in adolescents using the forum of group therapy. Resilience equals the ability to surmount life's obstacles and continue towards self-actualisation, regardless. The study was initiated by the writer's masters thesis, which delineated the profile and characteristics of resilient adolescents. The writer believed that an intervention programme to effect resilience was overdue. Adolescents were generally afforded therapy re-actively. If intervention was to be an exercise in wellness, rather than in repair, a pro-active intervention programme targeting resilience had to be designed. This study focuses on the provision of such a programme. The intervention programme is semi-structured and spans twelve one hour sessions. The intervention programme specifically targets adolescents, given the amplified vulnerability associated with this developmental phase. Should resilience be sabotaged during this phase of life, the repercussions are thought to be lasting. Group therapy was chosen as the forum for intervention, given its suitability to adolescents. Adolescents are peer-group-minded, suggesting that therapeutic intervention by means of group work, would be ideal, if competently lead. The personal attributes impacting on the ability to surmount life's challenges are targeted as an interrelated whole by the group therapy intervention programme involving an experimental group of six adolescents, who appear to have turned their backs on self- actualisation. A control group, which receives no intervention, provides a contrasting profile. The study aims to provide educational psychologists with an intervention programme and an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of resilience, so that vulnerable youngsters might ultimately be therapeutically assisted to choose a more resilient attitude and behaviour. The results of the study suggest the feasibility of inculcating resilience skills. Four of the six group members in the experimental group show marked improvement. Of the remaining two members, one shows some amelioration of vulnerability. Furthermore, results suggest that personal choice underlies resilience, implying that resilience can be coached. Additionally, it would seem that schools can play a leading role in this coaching by facilitating intervention groups. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

L’objectif majeur de cette thèse a été d’appréhender les conséquences de la comparaison sociale sur l’auto-évaluation implicite et explicite en termes de prudence, les affects et les comportements à risque. Les participants ont été exposés à un standard de comparaison prudent (standard haut) ou imprudent (standard bas) en matière d’alcool. Les résultats montrent que les sujets confrontés au standard haut se perçoivent implicitement plus imprudents et ressentent plus d’anxiété que les sujets exposés au standard bas. En revanche, le standard de comparaison n’influence pas l’auto-évaluation explicite et les comportements contrôlés. Ces résultats témoignent en faveur d’une dissociation entre les processus automatiques (implicites) et contrôlés (explicites) en jeu dans la comparaison sociale. Au niveau appliqué, nos données suggèrent que dans une campagne de prévention il serait potentiellement plus efficace de mettre en scène un standard prudent plutôt que de montrer un preneur de risque. / The main goal of this PhD research was to study the consequences of social comparison on implicit and explicit self-evaluation in terms of cautiousness, on affect and on risk-taking behavior. In a series of studies, participants were exposed to a comparison standard who displayed either cautious (high standard) or reckless (low standard) drinking behavior. Results show that participants confronted with the high standard implicitly perceive themselves as more reckless and experience higher levels of anxiety than participants exposed to the low standard. On the other hand, the comparison standard does not influence explicit self-evaluation and controlled behaviors. These results indicate that there might be a dissociation between automatic (implicit) and controlled (explicit) processes involved in social comparison. On an applied level, regarding alcohol prevention campaigns, our findings suggest that it could be more effective to show a cautious standard rather than a reckless one.

Text in Afrikaans / During pre-adolescence, whilst the transition from primary to high school normally takes place, the child faces drastic physical and emotional changes. Emotional intelligence is important in order to answer to demands in this stage and can be addressed and enhanced. Self-awareness (ability to identify own emotions, relate to others, being aware of personal strengths and weaknesses) is not addressed sufficiently. The research problem has been the use of a gestalt therapeutic process to address self-awareness during this stage, and the goal of the study, to explore the value of such a process. Qualitative research directed the process, which included literature studies, interviews with parents of respondents and eight gestalt therapeutic sessions with four pre-adolescents. Various gestalt play therapeutic techniques and -activities have been utilized. The processing and integration of the results of the empirical study, made it possible to explore and note what the value of a gestalt therapeutic process is on self-awareness in the pre-adolescent. Therefore the goal of the study has been successfully reached. / Die vroee adolessent ondergaan ingrypende en drastiese fisiese veranderinge en emosionele skommelinge. Dit is ook in hierdie tydsgleuf dat hy van laer- na hoerskool vorder. Belangrike keuses moet gemaak word te midde van groter druk vanaf die portuurgroep en 'n strewe na outonomie en onafhanklikheid van ouers. Dit is 'n ontwikkelingstadium tussen kindwees en volwassenheid. Ten einde aan die eise te voldoen, is emosionele intelligensie van kardinale belang. Emosionele intelligensie kan aangeleer en verbeter word en hou verband met die kind se aanwending van sy selfbewussyn om onder andere sy eie emosies korrek waar te neem, oor te dra en kennis oor persoonlike swaken sterk punte te bekom. Die studie is gerig deur die uitgangspunt dat selfbewussyn wat die heel basiese komponent van emosionele intelligensie is, nie voldoende by die vroee adolessent aangespreek word om hom toe te rus vir die eise tydens die oorgangsfase vanaf laer- na hoerskool nie. Die benutting van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses om selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek is as die navorsingsprobleem geformuleer. Die doel van die studie was dus om die benuttingswaarde van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses om die selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek, te verken en te beskryf. Ten einde in hierdie doel te kon slaag, is die navorsingsproses deur middel van kwalitatiewe navorsing gerig. Die volgende doelwitte is geformuleer, naamlik : Eerstens om 'n literatuurstudie te doen oor die vroee adolessent, selfbewussyn as basiese komponent van emosionele intelligensie en die benuttingsmoontlikhede van die gestaltspelterapeutiese benadering om selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek .. Tweedens is semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die ouer(s) as respondente gevoer met behulp van 'n selfontwerpte vraelys. Derdens is vier gevallestudies waargeneem tydens agt onderhoudsituasies elk, om die selfbewussyn van die vroee adolessent aan te spreek. Verskeie gestaltspelterapeutiese vorme-, tegnieke en -aktiwiteite is vir die proses benut. Vanuit die prosessering en integrering van die bevindinge wat tydens die empiriese ondersoek verkry is, kon die data vir praktiese doeleindes toegepas word en is die benutting van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses om die vroee adolessent se selfbewussyn aan te spreek, verken en beskryf. Daar is dus in die doel van die ondersoek geslaag, naamlik die verkenning en beskrywing van die benuttingswaarde van 'n gestaltspelterapeutiese proses ten einde selfbewussyn by die vroee adolessent aan te spreek. / Social work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Ce travail de thèse est consacré à l’étude de l’adolescence dans le lien social actuel. En mettant en lien plusieurs concepts psychanalytiques nous essayons de rendre compte des difficultés du passage adolescent que nous avons pu observer dans la clinique. Nous mettons en avant le lien entre le discours social ambiant et les difficultés que les adolescents peuvent éprouver aujourd’hui en tentant de devenir adulte. Nous concluons sur la question de la panne du sujet adolescent. Cette panne de l’adolescence n’est ni considérée comme une panne de l’Autre que chaque adolescent rencontre, ni comme une panne de la société mais comme une panne des processus mêmes de subjectivation. La difficulté de grandir peut être aujourd’hui entendu comme l’absence du désir de devenir adulte, comme l’impossible construction du lien à l’Autre. Nous évoquons à la fin de cette thèse le mythe de Narcisse et le destin du sujet désirant dans une société où on ne donne pas le temps au désir d’émerger. / This PhD thesis is dedicated to a study on adolescence in the current social link. We put into relation several psychoanalytical concepts in order to acknowledge the difficulties of passing through adolescence that we observed in the Clinic.The methodology of this research is based on the study “CoPsyEnfant”. We used children’s and adolescents’ drawings in order to find out which are the identification models used today by children and adolescents. Clinical interviews and projective tests were used to help us to understand the subjectivity processes and hardships of adolescent passage in the current social link. The analysis of three clinical cases demonstrated several possible paths while passing through adolescence. We conclude on the question of the failure of the adolescent subject. The difficulty to grow can be heard today as the lack of desire to become an adult, as the impossible construction of the link to the big Other. At the end of this thesis we mention the Narcissus myth and the desiring subject’s destiny within a society which does not give the time to the desire to appear.

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 focuses on the feasibility of inculcating resilience skills in adolescents using the forum of group therapy. Resilience equals the ability to surmount life's obstacles and continue towards self-actualisation, regardless. The study was initiated by the writer's masters thesis, which delineated the profile and characteristics of resilient adolescents. The writer believed that an intervention programme to effect resilience was overdue. Adolescents were generally afforded therapy re-actively. If intervention was to be an exercise in wellness, rather than in repair, a pro-active intervention programme targeting resilience had to be designed. This study focuses on the provision of such a programme. The intervention programme is semi-structured and spans twelve one hour sessions. The intervention programme specifically targets adolescents, given the amplified vulnerability associated with this developmental phase. Should resilience be sabotaged during this phase of life, the repercussions are thought to be lasting. Group therapy was chosen as the forum for intervention, given its suitability to adolescents. Adolescents are peer-group-minded, suggesting that therapeutic intervention by means of group work, would be ideal, if competently lead. The personal attributes impacting on the ability to surmount life's challenges are targeted as an interrelated whole by the group therapy intervention programme involving an experimental group of six adolescents, who appear to have turned their backs on self- actualisation. A control group, which receives no intervention, provides a contrasting profile. The study aims to provide educational psychologists with an intervention programme and an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of resilience, so that vulnerable youngsters might ultimately be therapeutically assisted to choose a more resilient attitude and behaviour. The results of the study suggest the feasibility of inculcating resilience skills. Four of the six group members in the experimental group show marked improvement. Of the remaining two members, one shows some amelioration of vulnerability. Furthermore, results suggest that personal choice underlies resilience, implying that resilience can be coached. Additionally, it would seem that schools can play a leading role in this coaching by facilitating intervention groups. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Afin de rendre compte de la spécificité des comportements à risque des adolescents, les modèles neurocognitifs récents ont proposé d'envisager la compétition entre deux systèmes caractérisés par des trajectoires développementales différentes : un système socio-émotionnel et un système de contrôle cognitif. En effet, l'engagement des adolescents dans des conduites à risque pourrait s'expliquer par une hypersensibilité émotionnelle exacerbée par des contextes sociaux saillant comme la présence de pairs, auquel s'ajoute une immaturité des processus de contrôle nécessaires à la régulation de ces émotions. Toutefois, l'ensemble de ces modèles négligent l'influence du niveau d'incertitude associées aux situations de prise de risque, alors même que les travaux de psychologie du développement témoignent de capacités différentes dans les situations de prise de décision à risque et les situations de prise de décision sous ambiguïté chez les adolescents. Ces derniers semblent en effet parfaitement capables d'intégrer des informations probabilistes et les enjeux associés aux différentes options, mais présentent des difficultés à décider avantageusement dès lors que ces informations ne sont plus directement disponibles mais doivent être inférées sur la base de leur propre expérience. Ainsi, l'objectif général de ce travail de thèse consistait à examiner l'influence du niveau d'incertitude et du contexte social sur la prise de risque à l'adolescence. Après avoir démontré dans une première étude que les adultes étaient massivement aversifs face aux situations associées à un manque d'information probabiliste, nous avons examiné la trajectoire développementale fine de ce phénomène d'aversion à l'ambiguïté chez l'enfant, l'adolescent et l'adulte. Cette étude contribue à définir l'aversion à l'ambiguïté comme une stratégie intuitive apparaissant progressivement au début de l'adolescence et mais suggère une aversion à l'ambiguïté aussi marquée chez les adolescents de 14-16 ans que chez les adultes. Ensuite, notre troisième étude avait pour objectif de clarifier l'impact du niveau d'information sur l'engagement des adolescents dans la prise de risque, à travers une comparaison directe entre des situations dites informées et non informées. Nos résultats démontrent que les adolescents présentent des difficultés à ajuster leurs réponses au niveau de risque dans les situations non-informées alors que la simple disponibilité d'indices concernant le niveau de risque les conduit à des performances similaires à celles des adultes. La réunion de nos trois premières études suggère ainsi que la prise de risque exacerbée des adolescents résulte davantage d'un déficit d'apprentissage basé sur les feedbacks, plutôt que d'une tendance générale à explorer les situations risquées ambigües. Face à ce constat, la quatrième étude visait à clarifier l'impact d'une influence sociale risquée ou prudente sur l'engagement des adolescents dans la prise de risque selon le niveau d'incertitude de la situation. Cette dernière étude nous a ainsi permis de souligner l'influence positive de l'expérience des pairs sur les conduites à risque des adolescents et de mettre en exergue le rôle spécifique de l'expérience d'autrui comme une information de nature sociale susceptible de compenser leur difficulté à apprendre sur la base de leur propre expérience. / In order to account for the characteristics of risk-taking specific to adolescence, new neurocognitive models presuppose a competition between two systems with distinct developmental trajectories: an emotional system and a top-down control system. Indeed, heightened risk-taking in adolescence could result from increased emotional sensitivity in socio-emotional contexts, including the presence of peers, combined with immature control processes underlying emotional regulation. Unfortunately, these models ignore the potential impact of varying levels of uncertainty in risky situations, despite advances in developmental psychology that suggest adolescent's capacities differ between risky decision-making and decision-making under ambiguity. Although adolescents are fully competent at evaluating probabilities and entertaining outcome likelihoods, they fail to make advantageous choices when such information is not directly available but must be inferred from their own experience. Thus, the overall aim of this thesis is to examine the impact of both the information level regarding risks and of the social-emotional context on risk-taking during adolescence. After showing in a first study that adults are largely ambiguity-averse in situations in which information is missing, we investigated the exact developmental trajectory of such ambiguity aversion in children, adolescents and adults. This second study characterizes ambiguity aversion as an affective strategy that gradually develops at the beginning of adolescence, while demonstrating that adolescents display an ambiguity aversion as much as adults. Then, study 3 aimed to clarify the influence of information level on adolescents' risk-taking behaviors by directly comparing informed and uninformed situations. Results showed that adolescents exhibit a suboptimal ability to adjust risk-taking to the risk level in the non-informed condition, but are efficient in making advantageous choices when explicit information is provided. Taken together, the first three studies suggest that heightened risk-taking in adolescence does not result from an increased ambiguity tolerance but rather from a specific impairment of feedback-based learning. Given adolescents' learning impairments in ambiguous situations, study 4 aimed to specify the impact of cautious or risky social influence on risk-taking behaviors, depending on the level of uncertainty. This final study underlies the potential positive influence of peers on risky behaviors. Peers4 experiences could play a particular role by providing social information that is likely to balance the difficulties adolescents have learning from their own experience.

Text in Afrikaans / The aim of this study is to design a program that will prevent the manifestation of burnout. The focus is on mobilising the high profile adolescent with the necessary life skills in order to counter the development of burnout. The emphasis is thus on pro-active action rather than providing a therapeutical approach. Qualitative and quantitative time management strategies become the key to equip a person with the life skills to avoid burnout. Man is to a great extent the architect of his own burnout, but can with the implementation of certain strategies put into place the necessary skills to counter burnout. The study implements a qualitative research paradigm whereby the researcher acts as an ethnographer. The life stories of six high profile adolescents are ethnographically unlocked. The researcher's own auto-ethnographic story is also told. The life stories of the adolescents are told within the context of a survey of the literature on burnout. A discourse with the adolescents was maintained for more than a year in order to locate signs of burnout. If necessary, indications of burnout were countered. The results of the study have shown that the adolescents as well as the researcher have been equipped to reveal life better and to make a bold stand against the impact of burnout. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil.(Psychology)