NA / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

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No description available.

No description available.

This case study focuses on the influence of certain sociocultural factors on the ability of adolescent girls to fulfill their potentials. Specifically, the purpose of this research is to advance an alternative perspective on the relationship between the sociocultural influences of friendship, mother/daughter relationship, school experience, and body image and a loss of potential among adolescent girls from a historical, poststructural, postmodern-feminist perspective. The dissertation is presented in the form of narrative from both the author’s and girls’ and women’s perspectives in order to seek a rich and thick description. Throughout the study, the author integrates moments from her own journey during adolescence with the young girls and their mothers or grandmothers encountering the oftentimes overwhelming negative sociocultural challenges existing today. The data consist of interviews with four girls and four women; interviews with two school personnel; and observations covering 7 weeks of guided discussion groups. Personal stories are closely examined with current and in-depth research to produce valuable insight and recommendations linking sociocultural factors and potentiality among adolescent girls. In general, these data contribute to an existing body of knowledge as well as advance educational theory regarding adolescent girls and potentiality. Moreover, these findings bolster the argument that, although realistic approaches to create necessary change require a certain resignation to the forces that exist within our culture, educational psychologists will increase the discipline’s impact on students by conducting comprehensive research that creates and supports genuine efforts to teach girls effective strategies on ways to not relinquish control to relentless, disingenuous sociocultural pressures. The case study indicates that, although many positive gains have been made to support young girls, there remain many obstacles as well.

This study employed a sample of African-American adolescent females from intact (n=279) and non-intact (n=219) families to examine the relationship between parenting processes (parental monitoring, parent-adolescent communication, parent-adolescent attachment, authoritative parenting) and delinquency. Results revealed no significant differences in parenting processes or delinquent participation for African-American adolescent females residing in either family structure. Parental monitoring predicted African-American adolescent female delinquency in both family structures; parent adolescent communication predicted delinquency among African-American adolescent females in non-intact families. Implications for family therapy are discussed. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-esteem and gang activity involvement and family involvement and gang activity involvement among adolescent females. Using non-probability sampling, fifty African American ninth-grade students who were enrolled at an Atlanta Public School were selected. An original questionnaire was administered to examine the participants' level of self-esteem, family involvement, and gang activity involvement. Findings indicated that self-esteem and family involvement were not correlated with gang activity involvement. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

One of the population groups most acutely infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are adolescent females. Coercive practices and gender inequalities have been cited as important determinants of women’s HIV risk. This research aims to explore adolescent girls’ understanding of their identity and heterosexual sexuality. In addition, this study intends to assess the implications that gendered powered relations held for understanding the risks and dilemmas that young women are confronted with in relation to HIV/AIDS contraction. This research presents the findings of a qualitative and quantitative study conducted using a self-constructed questionnaire that was administered to a purposive sample of adolescent girls aged 13-18. Content analysis is used to analyse the data, the aim being to extract themes as they emerged from the data. Some of the following themes were identified as significant in the girls’ responses: The physical changes that occur during adolescence were highlighted alongside the viewpoint that adolescence is a time of inconsistency and turmoil. Self-worth was closely linked and related to socially desirable characteristics, and in addition gendered behaviour was widely endorsed amongst these girls. Romantic relationships were an important component of these girls’ lives. However, many described their relationships as being less sexual and more emotional in nature. The awareness of sexual readiness and choice hold positive implications for HIV/AIDS. A common consensus existed regarding practicing safe sex and almost all respondents agreed that the onset of sexual intercourse should be postponed until the age of 18 years or older. It appeared that although adhering to feminine stereotyped behaviour could be protective in the sense that it may result in less risky sexual engagement, it however, was also apparent that it could render females less powerful within their heterosexual relationships, thereby increasing their vulnerability to HIV infection. Although only a small proportion of the respondents experienced being forced into a sexual encounter against their will, an underlying fear of sexual coercion or threat nevertheless, emerged. It is concluded that sex education should engage with gender-stereotyped behaviour especially during early and middle adolescence when identities are being formed and developed.

Thesis (MA. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between attitudes towards termination of pregnancy (TOP) and family structure and functioning, religiosity, and death anxiety. Participants of this study consisted of 330 school-going, adolescent, female participants aged 12 to 19 years. The results indicated that no relationship exists between attitudes towards TOP and the type of family structure from which an individual stems. The relationship between attitudes towards TOP and the Family Assessment Device (FAD) general family functioning scale did not reach statistical significance either. When attitudes towards TOP were correlated with the more specific family functioning subscales, the FAD problem-solving subscale was negatively associated with attitudes towards TOP. Additionally, the relationship between attitudes towards TOP and death anxiety was not statistically significant. However, analysis indicated that there is a statistically significant, negative relationship between attitudes towards TOP and intrinsic religiosity among school-going adolescents. Final analysis involved the regression of variables of FAD problem-solving and intrinsic religiosity on attitudes towards TOP. Both intrinsic religiosity and FAD problem-solving scores were predictors of attitudes towards TOP.

The goal of this research was to explore how young women make meaning of early experiences of sexual desire, and how these experiences contribute to the development of their sexual selves. The development of the sexual self is one of the fundamental building blocks to adulthood for adolescents, but there are many strong and some diametrically opposing viewpoints on how the discussion around sexuality should be framed. Much of the literature has focused on the health risks and social consequences of sexual activity, such as unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (Brook, Brook, Rubenstone, Zhang & Rivera, 2010) with less examination of the positive aspects of this phenomenon (e.g. pleasure, respect, emotional connection). In 1988, Michelle Fine opened a dialogue with adolescent women about their experience of and opinions about sexual desire, attempting to shed light on the consequences of suppressing this discourse, including disconnection from their physical selves, possible victimization, and a denial of pleasure. In the last two decades, there has been interest in the concept of sexual desire and its role in the development of sexual subjectivity. Sexual subjectivity is particularly important in the lives of young women, who live, work and learn in a patriarchal society which objectifies their bodies and sexual identities (Levy, 2005; Tolman, 2002a). I interviewed 5 women (19-25 years old) about how they make meaning of their early experiences of sexual desire and how this contributes to the development of their sense of sexual selfhood. I recruited participants using posters placed across a university campus to facilitate interest. I used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as developed by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2012) to understand how participants perceive their experiences to have influenced their feelings and ideas about their sexual desires. My study design also addressed how they retrospectively view early experiences and understandings of sexual desire to have contributed to the development of their sexual identities. In my interviews I also employed the listening guide developed by Gilligan (1982) and Brown and Gilligan (1991). Analysis revealed an overarching theme of unlocking desire with trust and connection, as well as superordinate themes of exploring desire through fantasy and imagination, the power of desire, the spectrum of desire and reflections on lived experiences of female desire. The current research study will be discussed in relation to previous literature (e.g. commonalities, distinctions, its strengths and weaknesses). Finally, future directions for the research, as well as implications for counselling practice, will be elucidated.