One criticism of previous work in the field of adolescent development has been the paucity of research examining the unique and combined contributions of different developmental contexts on adolescents' functioning. In an attempt to address this issue, the current study examined adolescents' perceptions of autonomy and relatedness within parent, peer, and school contexts in relation to school functioning and psychological adjustment. Adolescents (N = 478) in Grades 8, 9, and 11 completed self-report questionnaires assessing feelings about their relationships with parents and peers, and perceptions of school. Teachers completed ratings of adolescents' strengths and competencies. Academic achievement was assessed using end of year school grades. Results revealed several significant gender and grade differences. Whereas girls reported greater deidealization of their parents and peers, and higher quality of attachment to peers than did boys, boys- reported being less dependent on their peers than did girls. Overall, adolescents in grade nine were more dependent on their peers and reported more trust and communication in their peer relationships than did adolescents in grade eight. Correlational results indicated that school functioning was positively associated with school autonomy, parental attachment, peer attachment and school belonging, and that problems in psychological adjustment were negatively associated with peer autonomy, school autonomy, parental attachment, peer attachment, school belonging, and positively associated with parental autonomy. Results of the multiple regression analyses indicated that autonomy and relatedness variables accounted for significant amounts of variance in GPA, teacher-rated school competencies, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Analyses also revealed variables which uniquely predicted areas of functioning across contexts and gender. This cross-sectional study provides new theoretical insights regarding relations of autonomy and relatedness to school functioning and psychological adjustment during adolescence across multiple contexts. The findings contribute to a more thorough understanding of the dimensions of autonomy and relatedness that may have important implications for educators and parents of adolescents for improving educational practice and for promoting school success and positive adjustment. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

M. Ed. (Educational Psychology) / There is a growing concern for the number of children who drop out of school before completing their matriculation examination successfully. The increase in technological development and the creation of new and more demanding job opportunities requires a highly skilled workforce. Since underachievement retards the development of manpower, it implies that each pupil should be guided to reach his highest possible niveau. The factors affecting scholastic achievement are multidimensional, but one that has been minimally researched, is adjustment and the way in which inter- and intrapersonal relationships affect the scholastic achievement of pupils. This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between adjustment and different levels of academic achievement. The method of research is twofold. A literature study constitutes the first part in which definitions of adjustment and achievement are related to the development and learning of the adolescent in personal, home, social and formal relationships. This is followed by an empirical study on relational components of adjustment which are applied to achievers, overachievers and underachievers who are identified by means of a regression analysis.

M.A. (Psychology) / Divorce rates have escalated dramatically since the early sixties and indications are that it will continue to do so. Although divorce has become a common experience, it remains one of the most stressful life events and a potential source of significant adjustment problems. A review of literature indicates that a relationship between divorce and psychopathology is widely accepted. The most critical question about divorce has not been answered fully, namely: what are the factors that facilitate a good outcome? More often researchers focused on the factors contributing to continued problems and pathology. The purpose of this study is to determine what relationships exist between degree of mental health in divorced people and two factors suggested by literature. These two factors are assertiveness and internal locus of control. Ideally, a holistic view of a person in his/her unique life situation should be taken. In order to limit the scope of this study only the two personal factors were studied, keeping in mind that there is an ecological interaction between many known and unknown factors and granting that it is artificial to isolate only two factors from the encompassing whole. It was postulated that a more internal locus of control orientation would facilitate an individuals adaptation after divorce. Furthermore, it was postulated that assertiveness would greatly enhance the individuals ability to adapt and adjust to the divorce. A person with these qualities would be able to realistically assess the demands of the divorce situation and address the demands in a confident and proactive way. The integrated model of mental health states that a mentally healthy individual would have the following attributes: a positive identity, flexibility, emotional sensitivity, the ability to form intimate interpersonal relationships and altruism. These attributes were used in this study as an indication of the degree of mental health in divorced people...

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MA (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

This study proposed that a major function of coping is to regain perceptions of control that are threatened by the cancer experience and that perceived control mediates the relationship between coping and adjustment. Participants were 258 cancer patients, 61 % women and 39% men, aged 29 to 93 years. A variety of cancer sites were represented with breast and prostate cancer the most prevalent. Patterns of coping, perceived control in four areas (symptom-emotion, relationship, medical care, and disease control), and emotional adjustment were measured. It was expected that a sixth pattern of coping, problem-focused, would emerge when additional problem-focused items were added to the Ways of Coping-Cancer inventory. However, the expected problem-focused pattern was not distinct from the seek and use social support pattern. It was suggested that seeking and using social support may be a problem-focused strategy when dealing with relationships that are altered by the cancer experience. The study provided some support for the notion that symptom-emotion control has a greater influence than disease control on emotional adjustment as measured by the bipolar Profile of Mood States. However, all four areas of perceived control made substantial contributions to emotional adjustment. The findings only partially supported the proposed model in which perceived control mediated the relationship between coping and adjustment. All five patterns of coping influenced perceived control, and perceived control was strongly associated with emotional adjustment. The cognitive escape-avoidant pattern of coping exerted an indirect (mediated) influence on emotional adjustment through perceived control. The behavioral escape-avoidant and focus on the positive patterns exerted both indirect and direct influences on emotional adjustment. While social support and distancing coping patterns were not predictive of emotional adjustment, they did predict perceived control. It was suggested that efforts to bolster cancer patients' emotional adjustment should focus on both teaching positive coping strategies and on efforts to increase perceptions of control.

The influence of self-complexity on coping behaviour and emotional adjustment is explored. The Role Construct Repertory Grid (REPGrid) Community of Selves procedure is used to assess self-complexity. Following a structured interview format, subjects completed a battery of measures including the REPGrid, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hassles Scale, Major Stress Scale, and Coping Index. Results indicate that complex individuals utilize a wider variety of coping behaviours than less complex individuals, although the perceived severity of stressful events was. no different between groups. Micro-analyses at the individual self level revealed mixed or null results. Finally, more dysphoric individuals reported using more negative coping behaviours (drinking, smoking) than individuals not experiencing dysphoric mood. Findings are discussed a) in terms of the utility of the REPgrid in the assessment and understanding of self-complexity and its' relationship to mental health processes, b) in accordance with a person-event transactional model of health and illness, and c) in terms of the relevance to those psychotherapies that emphasize and encourage people to develop distinctions among their self-aspects, as well as new ways of construing the world, and new behavioural options, e.g. Fixed Role Therapy.

I hereby certify that this dissertation is my own unaided work. It has been submitted exclusively to the University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Industrial Psychology). / Despite the increasing concerns regarding the levels of stress expenenced by teachers, and the potential resultant effects of this stress, relatively little is known about the potential effects of coping strategies and perceived social support in coping with teacher stressors. This study aimed to investigate whether both general and specific ways of coping (namely, problem focused, emotion-focused and escape-avoidance coping) heve the potential to moderate the relationship between stressors and strain experienced by individuals within the teaching profession. Furthermore, attempts were made to establish which of these types of coping strategies are most effective for coping with the typical stressors faced by teaching professionals. Similarty, this study investigated whether perceived social support has the potential to moderate the stressor-strain relationships experienced by teachers, and examined which types of social support (namely. perceived social support from famify, friends, supervisors, or colleagues) have the potential to effectively moderate this relationship. The data were collected using questionnaires, which were distributed amongst seventeen elementary schools within the Gauteng region, The sample for this study consisted of 188 English-speaking,elementary school teachers, employed on a full-time basis. Moderated multiple linear regressions were carried out in order to investigate whether coping strategies and social support have the potential to moderate the stressor-strain relationships, and analyses of variance were used to determine which of the three ways of coping (that is, problem-focused, emotion-focused, or escape-avoidance coping) has the potential to be the most effective for coping with teacher stressors. Generally, the use of coping strategies was found to Significantly moderate the investigated stressor-strain relationships of teachers, while the potential of specific ways of coping to moderate particular stressor-strain relationships appears to be specific to the situation. Similar results were found with regards to perceived social support. Problem-focused coping strategies were generally found to be the most effective method for coping with a range of teacher stressors. but its efficacy was also found to be situation-dependent. / Andrew Chakane 2018

A comparison of Lower Grade and Higher Grade pupils with regard to intelligence, self-concept and adjustment. 29 Lower and 29 Higher grade pupils in Stds 8 and 9 at a Jewish community day school were compared with regard to their I Q scores, self-concepts and adjustment level. These variables were measured on the following tests: The NSAGT; the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and the PHSF Relations Questionnaire. The data from the two groups were compared by means of a t-test for small samples and the results demonstrated a significant difference (p≤0,01) for I Q scores and for self-concept but did not reveal a significant difference on most of the 12 sub-scales of the PHSF Relations Questionnaire. As regards the latter, a significant difference (p<0,05) was obtained on the sub-scale Sociability - S for female pupils and a significant difference was obtained on sub-scales Self-Confidence (p≤0,01) and Formal Relations (p≤0,05) for male pupils. The significant difference in I Q scores can be partially understood in terms of the selection criteria for admission to the Lower Grade class. The significant difference in self-concept can be attributed to the difference on the Intellectual and School Status sub-category. The lack of significant differences on the other sub-scales suggest that factors other than academic achievement are important in terms of self-concept formation for example:- class structure; membership of peer groups; extra-mural activities and family relationships. The lack of significant difference between Lower and Higher Grade pupils in the area of ,adjustment can perhaps be explained in terms of the Lower Grade pupils' relatively high scores on other sub-categories of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale i.e. it was only as regards intellectual status that the Lower Grade perceived themselves as less able.

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health Waves I and III are used to estimate the effect of parental attachment on independence in emerging adults ages 18 to 27. The nature of independence focused on living in a place of their own and not receiving financial support from parents, which described about half of the sample. The study finds that emerging adults who, in their youth, expressed high attachments to their parents, were slightly less likely to become independent as emerging adults. Rather, age and gender are greater positive predictors of independence.

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