This autoethnography tells the story of my faith journey with a special focus on my years as a Catholic seminarian and the change towards embarking on a career as a clinical psychologist. Pertinent childhood experiences are also shared to contextualise my story. The narrative, “Wrestling Heart”, is the centre and the produced data of this autoethnography. As an “evocative” narrative, it independently seeks to fulfil many of the goals of an autoethnography, such as being therapeutic for both writer and readers, and imbuing culture with critical thinking. The sharing of the narrative is augmented with a thematic analysis of it and Carl Rogers’ Person-Centred Approach is mainly used to comprehend the gleaned themes. The movement towards a comprehension of my experience is consistent with the philosophical foundation of this study: phenomenology. It is envisaged that the utility of this study lies primarily in its interrogation of the relationship between religion and mental health, its in-depth depiction of an individual grappling with their faith in relation to mental health, and the way in which the writing of this autoethnography therapeutically fostered greater congruence for me the writer, as I prepare to work as a clinical psychologist. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Vigs is 'n "sluipende moordenaar "_ Dit toon geen respek vir kultuur, status,ouderdom of geslag nie. Vigs veroorsaak 'n onnnatuurlike dood wat vriende en familie bedreig en vervreem, lank na die dood van die vigsslagoffer. Die navorsingsdoel van hierdie studie was om riglyne daar te stel vir die psigoterapeutiese hantering van die vigslyer en sy gesin. Die navorsing het getoon dat 'n stigma en skuldgevoelens rondom die vigslyer en sy gesin ontstaan het, en dat hulle direk verantwoordelik gehou word vir die siekte bloot omdat hulle betrokke is by mekaar. 'n Vraelys wat aspekte (soos dit uit die literatuurstudie geblyk het) inkorporeer, is opgestel en aan die vigslyer en sy gesin gegee om te voltooi. Van die belangrikste elemente wat na vore gekom het, is die vrees vir die onbekende, die stigma verbonde aan die siekte en die pad wat die siekte loop ten opsigte van naiwiteit en valse gerugte ten opsigte van die siekte. 'n Verdere hoofstuk fokus op die literatuur om die hoofaspekte van die probleem vas le stel, en sodoende riglyne vir 'n terapieprogram daar te stel om die vrese te onderskep en die familie te help om die siekte beter te begryp_ Die doel is om die samelewing te laat begryp dat vigs nie 'n kulturele of "klas" siekte is nie, maar dat dit alle lae van die samelewing kan tref. 'n Afdeling is gewy aan 'n wye verskeidenheid terapeutiese tegnieke wat geimplimenteer kan word tydens hulpverlening aan die vigslyer en sy gesinslede. Verder verskaf hierdie studie ook riglyne om ondersteuning en hulp aan die vigslyer en sy gesin te bied, om sodoende hulle selfkonsep te verbeter. / Aids is a "stalking killer''. It has no respect for culture, breeding, age or sex. It is an unnatural death which offends and alienates many friends and family, even after the victim has died. A questionnaire incorporating important aspects of the cause and effect of aids was compiled and given to the aids sufferers and family to complete. From the responses it was clearly evident that the fears of the unknown, the stigma attached to the victim's close associates and family, was a problem, and the route course of incredible naive and false rumours. A chapter of the research focused on literature to establish what was the major aspects of the problem expressed by the media. Guidelines were provided whereby therapy could address and allay these fears to assist the family to better understand the illness and it's effects. This chapter has in mind to provide the Psychologist with guidelines to provide therapy to both the victim and the family in this regard. This study confirms that the survivors are the actual victims. / Educational studies / M.Ed. (Voorligting)

The aim of this research is to develop guidelines for a psycho-educational programme to enhance the self-actualisation of retired people. To do this, an investigation was undertaken to determine how to enhance self-actualisation during retirement, through an understanding of the: • phenomenon of retirement; • concept of self-actualisation; • challenges that hamper adjustment and self-actualisation during retirement; • factors which assist retirees in overcoming challenges and achieving self-actualisation; and • the role of psycho-educational programmes in enhancing self-actualisation during retirement. The literature study sought to promote such an understanding through the investigation of writings and research findings. The qualitative investigation attempted to provide a contextual understanding of the above, through an exploration of the retirement experiences of a selected group of retirees living in George (and surrounding area), South Africa. The findings served as the basis for guidelines for a psycho-educational programme to enhance the self-actualisation of retired people. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Vigs is 'n "sluipende moordenaar "_ Dit toon geen respek vir kultuur, status,ouderdom of geslag nie. Vigs veroorsaak 'n onnnatuurlike dood wat vriende en familie bedreig en vervreem, lank na die dood van die vigsslagoffer. Die navorsingsdoel van hierdie studie was om riglyne daar te stel vir die psigoterapeutiese hantering van die vigslyer en sy gesin. Die navorsing het getoon dat 'n stigma en skuldgevoelens rondom die vigslyer en sy gesin ontstaan het, en dat hulle direk verantwoordelik gehou word vir die siekte bloot omdat hulle betrokke is by mekaar. 'n Vraelys wat aspekte (soos dit uit die literatuurstudie geblyk het) inkorporeer, is opgestel en aan die vigslyer en sy gesin gegee om te voltooi. Van die belangrikste elemente wat na vore gekom het, is die vrees vir die onbekende, die stigma verbonde aan die siekte en die pad wat die siekte loop ten opsigte van naiwiteit en valse gerugte ten opsigte van die siekte. 'n Verdere hoofstuk fokus op die literatuur om die hoofaspekte van die probleem vas le stel, en sodoende riglyne vir 'n terapieprogram daar te stel om die vrese te onderskep en die familie te help om die siekte beter te begryp_ Die doel is om die samelewing te laat begryp dat vigs nie 'n kulturele of "klas" siekte is nie, maar dat dit alle lae van die samelewing kan tref. 'n Afdeling is gewy aan 'n wye verskeidenheid terapeutiese tegnieke wat geimplimenteer kan word tydens hulpverlening aan die vigslyer en sy gesinslede. Verder verskaf hierdie studie ook riglyne om ondersteuning en hulp aan die vigslyer en sy gesin te bied, om sodoende hulle selfkonsep te verbeter. / Aids is a "stalking killer''. It has no respect for culture, breeding, age or sex. It is an unnatural death which offends and alienates many friends and family, even after the victim has died. A questionnaire incorporating important aspects of the cause and effect of aids was compiled and given to the aids sufferers and family to complete. From the responses it was clearly evident that the fears of the unknown, the stigma attached to the victim's close associates and family, was a problem, and the route course of incredible naive and false rumours. A chapter of the research focused on literature to establish what was the major aspects of the problem expressed by the media. Guidelines were provided whereby therapy could address and allay these fears to assist the family to better understand the illness and it's effects. This chapter has in mind to provide the Psychologist with guidelines to provide therapy to both the victim and the family in this regard. This study confirms that the survivors are the actual victims. / Educational studies / M.Ed. (Voorligting)

The aim of this research is to develop guidelines for a psycho-educational programme to enhance the self-actualisation of retired people. To do this, an investigation was undertaken to determine how to enhance self-actualisation during retirement, through an understanding of the: • phenomenon of retirement; • concept of self-actualisation; • challenges that hamper adjustment and self-actualisation during retirement; • factors which assist retirees in overcoming challenges and achieving self-actualisation; and • the role of psycho-educational programmes in enhancing self-actualisation during retirement. The literature study sought to promote such an understanding through the investigation of writings and research findings. The qualitative investigation attempted to provide a contextual understanding of the above, through an exploration of the retirement experiences of a selected group of retirees living in George (and surrounding area), South Africa. The findings served as the basis for guidelines for a psycho-educational programme to enhance the self-actualisation of retired people. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Text in Afrikaans / Pendelhuwelike is aan die toeneem en het verskeie invloede op die jong kind in die gesin. Die primêre doel van die studie was om emosionele en sosiale intelligensie as basis te gebruik om die invloed van ʼn pendelhuwelik op ʼn jong kind tussen 7 en 11 jaar te bepaal. ʼn Gemengde navorsingsontwerp is as empiriese ondersoek gedoen. Vyf deelnemers het deelgeneem in drie sessies elk. Die data-insamelingsinstrumente was: waarneming en veldnotas; projeksiemedia; ʼn vraelys, en ʼn semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud met elk van die betrokke moeders. Die meting van emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling met behulp van die vraelys toon dat, ongeag van die afwesigheid van die deelnemers se vaders, en die konflikte, vrese en behoeftes wat hulle ervaar volgens die projeksiemedia, die deelnemers se emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling oorwegend gemiddeld tot hoog is. Die uitkomste bied hopelik ʼn insiggewende bydrae hoe pendelhuwelike vyf jong kinders se emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling beïnvloed het. / Commuter marriages are increasing and have various influences on the young child in the family. The primary aim of this study was to determine the influences of a commuter marriage on a young child between 7 and 11 years, using emotional and social intelligence as a basis. A mixed method empirical research design was used. Three sessions were conducted with five participants individually to obtain data through: observations and field notes, projection media, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview with each mother. The measurement of emotional and social development through the use of the questionnaire shows that, despite the absence of the participants’ fathers, and the conflicts, fears and needs they experienced according to the projection media, the participants’ emotional and social development are predominantly average to high. The study hopefully provides a significant contribution to the understanding of how commuter marriages influenced five young children’s emotional and social development. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

Text in Afrikaans / Pendelhuwelike is aan die toeneem en het verskeie invloede op die jong kind in die gesin. Die primêre doel van die studie was om emosionele en sosiale intelligensie as basis te gebruik om die invloed van ʼn pendelhuwelik op ʼn jong kind tussen 7 en 11 jaar te bepaal. ʼn Gemengde navorsingsontwerp is as empiriese ondersoek gedoen. Vyf deelnemers het deelgeneem in drie sessies elk. Die data-insamelingsinstrumente was: waarneming en veldnotas; projeksiemedia; ʼn vraelys, en ʼn semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud met elk van die betrokke moeders. Die meting van emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling met behulp van die vraelys toon dat, ongeag van die afwesigheid van die deelnemers se vaders, en die konflikte, vrese en behoeftes wat hulle ervaar volgens die projeksiemedia, die deelnemers se emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling oorwegend gemiddeld tot hoog is. Die uitkomste bied hopelik ʼn insiggewende bydrae hoe pendelhuwelike vyf jong kinders se emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling beïnvloed het. / Commuter marriages are increasing and have various influences on the young child in the family. The primary aim of this study was to determine the influences of a commuter marriage on a young child between 7 and 11 years, using emotional and social intelligence as a basis. A mixed method empirical research design was used. Three sessions were conducted with five participants individually to obtain data through: observations and field notes, projection media, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview with each mother. The measurement of emotional and social development through the use of the questionnaire shows that, despite the absence of the participants’ fathers, and the conflicts, fears and needs they experienced according to the projection media, the participants’ emotional and social development are predominantly average to high. The study hopefully provides a significant contribution to the understanding of how commuter marriages influenced five young children’s emotional and social development. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)