The aim of this research was to establish what black adults' perceptions are of factors that contribute to healthy family functioning. Qualitative research was conducted. Random sampling was used to obtain eighteen black participants between the ages of 20 and 50. These participants responded in writing to the following open ended question: "What factors do you think contribute to healthy family functioning?" Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the eight participants who presented with the richest data. Analysis of the data yielded 10 prevalent themes and eleven other themes. The 10 prevalent themes were: respect, love, communication, family time/spending time together, trust, understanding, discipline, availability for each other, boundaries and religion. The other eleven themes were: personal space, responsibility, hierarchy, family rules, conflict handling, morality, roles, maturity, intelligence, culture and forgiveness. The above mentioned 21 themes were grouped in seven broad categories, namely communication, conflict handling, affectionate involvement, family rules, boundaries, religion and other dimensions. All these themes were compared to existing research results. It appeared that themes of this study correspond with many dimensions of family functioning as indicated by family therapy models and existing research. Participants also indicated new dimensions not mentioned by the existing literature. Recommendations were made concerning future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The aim of this research was to establish what black adults' perceptions are of factors that contribute to healthy family functioning. Qualitative research was conducted. Random sampling was used to obtain eighteen black participants between the ages of 20 and 50. These participants responded in writing to the following open ended question: "What factors do you think contribute to healthy family functioning?" Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the eight participants who presented with the richest data. Analysis of the data yielded 10 prevalent themes and eleven other themes. The 10 prevalent themes were: respect, love, communication, family time/spending time together, trust, understanding, discipline, availability for each other, boundaries and religion. The other eleven themes were: personal space, responsibility, hierarchy, family rules, conflict handling, morality, roles, maturity, intelligence, culture and forgiveness. The above mentioned 21 themes were grouped in seven broad categories, namely communication, conflict handling, affectionate involvement, family rules, boundaries, religion and other dimensions. All these themes were compared to existing research results. It appeared that themes of this study correspond with many dimensions of family functioning as indicated by family therapy models and existing research. Participants also indicated new dimensions not mentioned by the existing literature. Recommendations were made concerning future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The purpose of this study is to provide a groundwork for the understanding of the psychosocial development of black South African men. This need stems from the limitation of current models of psychosocial development, which have a white, middleclass bias, and from the dearth of research relating to black psychosocial development in South Africa. Questions which have guided the present study include the following: What is the nature of the psychosocial development of black men? What are the main developmental tasks that they have to negotiate, especially in relation to family and career? How do sociocultural, political and economic factors influence development? How does the development of black South African men compare with other conceptualisations of adult development? Daniel Levinson's (1978) theory of the life structure was used as a framework to explore these questions. This involved a series of in depth qualitative interviews with eight men between the ages of 29 and 41, from diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds. The grounded theory approach used to analyse the data involved the simultaneous process of data collection and data analysis. Similarities and differences in the men's evolving life structures were identified through a process of coding, or organising the data into categories and themes. The findings highlighted the importance of understanding the dialectical nature of development, the role of life events, and the significance of role strain across the life span of black South African adults. Discrimination, economic constraints, traditional values, and the sociopolitical context were found to have an impact on the important developmental tasks. The coping strategies employed to deal with external barriers had an especially influential impact on the men's evolving life structures. A model of psychosocial development was proposed which addresses these factors, and which is thus more relevant to the lives of black South African men, than stage models such as Levinson's. Important implications on a societal and theoretical level, and for the professional practice of psychology emerged. It is hoped that these findings will enrich developmental theory in psychology training programmes, and guide career and personal counselling in the South African context. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

The purpose of this study is to provide a groundwork for the understanding of the psychosocial development of black South African men. This need stems from the limitation of current models of psychosocial development, which have a white, middleclass bias, and from the dearth of research relating to black psychosocial development in South Africa. Questions which have guided the present study include the following: What is the nature of the psychosocial development of black men? What are the main developmental tasks that they have to negotiate, especially in relation to family and career? How do sociocultural, political and economic factors influence development? How does the development of black South African men compare with other conceptualisations of adult development? Daniel Levinson's (1978) theory of the life structure was used as a framework to explore these questions. This involved a series of in depth qualitative interviews with eight men between the ages of 29 and 41, from diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds. The grounded theory approach used to analyse the data involved the simultaneous process of data collection and data analysis. Similarities and differences in the men's evolving life structures were identified through a process of coding, or organising the data into categories and themes. The findings highlighted the importance of understanding the dialectical nature of development, the role of life events, and the significance of role strain across the life span of black South African adults. Discrimination, economic constraints, traditional values, and the sociopolitical context were found to have an impact on the important developmental tasks. The coping strategies employed to deal with external barriers had an especially influential impact on the men's evolving life structures. A model of psychosocial development was proposed which addresses these factors, and which is thus more relevant to the lives of black South African men, than stage models such as Levinson's. Important implications on a societal and theoretical level, and for the professional practice of psychology emerged. It is hoped that these findings will enrich developmental theory in psychology training programmes, and guide career and personal counselling in the South African context. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Parental alcoholism is a major risk factor for their children's future alcohol abuse and dependence during adulthood. Thus, the purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to understand African-American adult female children's perceptions of self-worth, their lived experiences, and their quality of life as it relates to parental alcoholism. The research focus and questions were addressed by applying the conceptual framework of Bowen's family systems and Covington's self-worth theories. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 8 African-American adult female children of alcoholics. Subsequent data analysis and thematic coding were employed by using Colazzi's 7-step method to ensure rigor. The key findings from this study revealed that although over half of the women in this sample experienced some form of abuse and exposure to familial discord and even violence, their self-worth was strengthened by resilience and through forgiveness of their parents and siblings. This study's implications for positive social change include helping researchers and practitioners to better understand parental alcoholism and how it could shape the experiences of offspring, especially in the African-American female ethnic group. Future interventions could be shaped by these findings, and researchers may use these study results as a platform for future work in this literature domain.