Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 229-243).

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Despite more than a century of development, there can be little doubt that many psychologists today still adhere to a worldview that characterised the earliest developments in the discipline. A worldview which holds that there is an external reality, that objectivity is attainable, and that, given enough time and effort, we shall be able to discover the 'truth'. These psychologists have chosen to ignore the occurrence of what may well be regarded as a paradigm shift, in the sense that Kuhnian philosophers of science use this phrase. They tend to believe that if anything exists, it must exist in some measurable quantity. In sharp contradistinction, adherents of the constructivist orientation, who have admittedly been influenced by developments in what is often referred to as the 'new physics', adopt a stance in which they emphasise the essentially subjective nature of what we know- or, at least, believe we know. Constuctivism, in spite of not representing a unitary body of theory, accepts that all so-called knowledge - especially knowledge about other human beings - is dramatically influenced by our assumptions, prejudices, perceptions and constructions about the people, events, and stories that we all tell to ourselves, and to others, about the events that represent our lives. Given the body of constructivist thinking, a question that arises is whether, and to what extent, it is possible to apply this highly abstract worldview to the interpretation of the events that occur in, for example, a single psychotherapy session. In this dissertation an attempt has been made to analyze the events of a single (and singular!) therapy session. The analysis has been conducted at several levels of abstraction. The events are viewed from the perspective of a transcript of the session, from the angle of the therapist's interpretation of what occurred during the session and what he attempted to achieve, from a viewpoint adopted by the author of the dissertation (who also happens to be the therapist in question), and from the position of yet a fourth 'participant' who is referred to as the rapporteur. The latter dwells on the conceptual implications of other discussions in the dissertation. The recursive nature of the interactions between the four 'viewers' of, or 'commentators' on, the process, and the complexities which derive from adopting a constructivist stance in which the alleged certainties of a positivist position are eschewed, are illustrated in the conceptual analysis and description offered. Ultimately, it would appear, a constructivist stance has numerous benefits, although they may not readily be admitted to by those with a low tolerance of ambiguity.

M.A. (Psychology) / Essentially constructionism suggests that there are various realities, each revealing an aspect of a constructed "truth" which may change across time, culture, context and therapist and is therefore relative. It follows that causal connections are arbitrary punctuations which are merely the subjective opinion of the observer and not the objective reality. Although knowledge is relative, by means of mutual perceptions, consensual insights are arrived at which are awarded truth status at a certain point and in a certain culture. The use of two such modern consensual realities in psychology, the Thematic Apperception Test and therapist descriptions, implemented in this thesis, lead us to an issue in the constructionism debate which has yet to be resolved, namely: what is the status of pragmatism in constructionism? In this thesis the issue is discussed and the view taken that pragmatism, with certain reservations, does belong to constructionism. As the debate regarding constructionism only recently gained momentum in therapeutic psychology, it is still of a theoretical nature and hardly any literature is available addressing the practical aspects of constructionist therapy. However, certain guidelines for a constructionist-type therapy could be identified from the literature. Constructionist therapy assumes a co-operative, respecting therapeutic stance. The members of the client system are regarded as experts on their own problem, and the therapist refrains from the prescribing solutions, relying on the client himself to find new opinions and realities, in his life. The therapeutic process is not aimed at disclosing or representing reality by means of language, but at presenting new realities for consideration which tie in with a particular clients' unique way of giving meaning to his own life. In this way the client is placed in a new observing situation with impact to himself and his own problem, enabling him to reach other realities regarding his problem...

Text in Afrikaans / The development of the person of the therapist is increasingly being highlighted in systemic therapeutic training. This emphasis on the person of the therapist can be traced back to the rise of constructivism. Constructivism represents the viewpoint that reality is created rather than discovered. As a result the therapist's contribution to the therapeutic process is considered cardinal. The personal style of the therapist is once more placed under the limelight. Exactly how this variable must be handled to ensure optimal efficiency is still unclear. Suggestions in this regard are mostly related to some therapeutic model. The objective of this study, on the contrary, is to determine the value of a more general approach. A procedure developed by the University of South Africa, accentuating the person of the therapist, has been evaluated. / Opleiding in sistemiese terapie word al hoe meer gekenmerk deur die ontwikkeling van die persoon van die terapeut. Die beklemtoning van die persoon van die terapeut kan veral na die opkoms van die onstruktivisme teruggevoer word. Hierdie denkrigting verteenwoordig die standpunt dat die werklikheid eerder geskep as ontdek word. Gevolglik word die terapeut se bydrae tot die terapeutiese proses as van deurslaggewend beskou. Die persoonlike styl van die terapeut word dus opnuut onder die soeklig geplaas. Hoedat hierdie veranderlike egter hanteer moet word om optimale effektiwiteit te verseker, is egter nie duidelik nie. Meeste voorstelle hou direk verband met een of ander terapeutiese model. Met hierdie studie is daar egter gepoog om die waarde van 'n meer algemene benadering te peil. 'n Prosedure wat met verloop van tyd aan die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika ontwikkel is, is gevolglik verder - en wei vanuit die gesigshoek van die terapeut - ondersoek. / M.A. (Voorligtingsielkunde)

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis (MA(Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2007.

Text in Afrikaans / The development of the person of the therapist is increasingly being highlighted in systemic therapeutic training. This emphasis on the person of the therapist can be traced back to the rise of constructivism. Constructivism represents the viewpoint that reality is created rather than discovered. As a result the therapist's contribution to the therapeutic process is considered cardinal. The personal style of the therapist is once more placed under the limelight. Exactly how this variable must be handled to ensure optimal efficiency is still unclear. Suggestions in this regard are mostly related to some therapeutic model. The objective of this study, on the contrary, is to determine the value of a more general approach. A procedure developed by the University of South Africa, accentuating the person of the therapist, has been evaluated. / Opleiding in sistemiese terapie word al hoe meer gekenmerk deur die ontwikkeling van die persoon van die terapeut. Die beklemtoning van die persoon van die terapeut kan veral na die opkoms van die onstruktivisme teruggevoer word. Hierdie denkrigting verteenwoordig die standpunt dat die werklikheid eerder geskep as ontdek word. Gevolglik word die terapeut se bydrae tot die terapeutiese proses as van deurslaggewend beskou. Die persoonlike styl van die terapeut word dus opnuut onder die soeklig geplaas. Hoedat hierdie veranderlike egter hanteer moet word om optimale effektiwiteit te verseker, is egter nie duidelik nie. Meeste voorstelle hou direk verband met een of ander terapeutiese model. Met hierdie studie is daar egter gepoog om die waarde van 'n meer algemene benadering te peil. 'n Prosedure wat met verloop van tyd aan die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika ontwikkel is, is gevolglik verder - en wei vanuit die gesigshoek van die terapeut - ondersoek. / M.A. (Voorligtingsielkunde)

M.A. / The essential nature of global politics has changed profoundly over the course of the past twenty years, becoming significantly more complex. The international system has evolved in such a way as to often render traditional, materially-determined theoretical approaches to International Relations ill-equipped to compellingly account for action. Increasingly, ideational concerns play a vital role as mobilising influences, causing actors to behave in an unprecedented manner. One of the phenomena most emblematic of this trend towards increased complexity and the rise of the power of ideas is that of contemporary transnational terrorism. Ideologically-motivated and often seemingly irrational, new terrorism confounds mainstream theoretical understandings of anticipated action and reaction and constitutes a particularly salient area of study, as security scholars grapple with effective means of counteraction. This exploratory study attempts to pave the way towards an appropriate understanding of contemporary transnational terrorism by utilising a theoretical perspective specifically tailored towards embracing the complexities of global political reality and championing the critical importance of ideational determinants of action, viz. constructivism. Constructivism is utilised as a basis to understand the intangible ideational mechanics informing the activities of the most significant contemporary transnational terrorist group, Al Qaeda, thereby simultaneously highlighting the value and appropriateness of constructivist enquiry compared to its outmoded theoretical peers and providing insight into more effective future counter-terrorist policy. The primary prescriptive finding of the investigation is that the key to combating Al Qaeda and, indeed, contemporary transnational terrorist groups in general, involves, through some intervention, heightening the perceived discordance between the espoused group norms which attract membership and actual group action. Such discordance has been seen in practice – in the case of Al Qaeda in Iraq – to cripple the efficacy and power of terrorist group functioning. Such an approach requires a comprehensive understanding of a terrorist organisation's worldview, coupled with a campaign of carefully directed public diplomacy tactics.

M.Litt. et Phil. / The shift from a modern to a postmodern culture that is still in the process, brings a new understanding of self and world. This understanding requires a reevaluation of the theory and practice of psychology. The challenges posed by postmodernism are explicated. Postmodernism serves as a epistemological background for the discussion of social 'constructionism. A narrative perspective in psychotherapy stresses the role of language, meaning and story. Social constructionst research is practically illustrated by way of including different stories, different conversations regarding a therapeutic meeting. In conclusion the implications and meanings of research and psychotherapy from a social constructionist perspective are explored.