Like death, the defining human reality underlying our relationships and views of life's meaning, the experiences and activities of undertakers, remains an uncommon subject for psychological research. Existential anxiety roots a society-wide denial of the fundamental nature of death. which necessitates the development of institutions to take responsibility for the dying and dead. As the image and service of the stigmatised funeral industry improves, society's experience of death should become more meaningful. The overview of the research into these topics noted the need for further studies. Within a holistic, ecosystemic epistemology, this study adopted a qualitative approach and case study method, which provided descriptions of the ecology, contexts, and relationships characteristic .of the undertaker's vocation by focussing on patterned expressions of views and attitudes. The aim was to gain insight into the undertaker's experience of the many faces of death, with a genuine interest and deep respect for their world. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study aims at exploring how fathers' parenting strategies and the relationship they have with their children influences the children's ability to form other relationships outside the home. The study is based on parenting strategies identified by Diana Baumrind. Reviewed literature state that where a relationship between the father and his children is good, the children are more confident, stable and secure and therefore able to form seemingly stable social relationships. Where the relationship between father and his children is unhealthy, the children may be unsure of themselves and find it harder to form relationship outside the home. The parenting strategy resulting in the best relationships between the father and his children is the authoritative parenting strategy. Authoritative fathers set rules and follow them through while allowing dialogue. They encourage the development of self-identity and are lovingly involved in their children's lives. All participating fathers in this study have a son and daughter in the age range 13 to 25 years and all are able to communicate in English. The four participating fathers are from different ethnic groups, religious faith and professions. For each father interviewed, a son and a daughter were interviewed too. The same father parenting strategies identified in the literature were identified in this study. Three fathers fit the description of the authoritative parental strategy. Their six children agree that their relationships with their fathers are good. Even though these fathers are strict, they are loving and therefore the children feel secure and confident. These children are able to form stable relationships outside the home. The fourth father is an abusive father whose relationship with his children is unhealthy. His children are not very secure and are withdrawn. They have very few friends because they are afraid of the repercussions from friends discovering they have problems with their father. This study is a door opener in an area with little documented research namely parenting strategies in Africa in general and fathering strategies in particular. There is a need to explore the field further in order to develop training and care-giving structures based on African parental voices. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This study was aimed at giving a voice to two people, constructed as anxious. The epistemological framework is social constructionism. Two in-depth interviews with individuals who constructed themselves, or accepted the constructions of others of themselves as anxious, were done. The 'case study approach' was chosen as most suitable method to gain access to the information. 'Thematic content analysis' was the method of analysis. The life stories of participants were reconstructed in terms of themes. Recurring themes in these life stories were elucidated and linked with the literature. This study allowed valuable and rich information about the life stories of two anxious people to emerge. Amongst the identified themes, 'sensitivity' and the need for 'authenticity' were identified as particularly important areas for clinical practice and future research. Lay people wishing to gain a better understanding of either their own or their loved one's anxiety could also benefit from this study. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study was aimed at giving a voice to two people, constructed as anxious. The epistemological framework is social constructionism. Two in-depth interviews with individuals who constructed themselves, or accepted the constructions of others of themselves as anxious, were done. The 'case study approach' was chosen as most suitable method to gain access to the information. 'Thematic content analysis' was the method of analysis. The life stories of participants were reconstructed in terms of themes. Recurring themes in these life stories were elucidated and linked with the literature. This study allowed valuable and rich information about the life stories of two anxious people to emerge. Amongst the identified themes, 'sensitivity' and the need for 'authenticity' were identified as particularly important areas for clinical practice and future research. Lay people wishing to gain a better understanding of either their own or their loved one's anxiety could also benefit from this study. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Like death, the defining human reality underlying our relationships and views of life's meaning, the experiences and activities of undertakers, remains an uncommon subject for psychological research. Existential anxiety roots a society-wide denial of the fundamental nature of death. which necessitates the development of institutions to take responsibility for the dying and dead. As the image and service of the stigmatised funeral industry improves, society's experience of death should become more meaningful. The overview of the research into these topics noted the need for further studies. Within a holistic, ecosystemic epistemology, this study adopted a qualitative approach and case study method, which provided descriptions of the ecology, contexts, and relationships characteristic .of the undertaker's vocation by focussing on patterned expressions of views and attitudes. The aim was to gain insight into the undertaker's experience of the many faces of death, with a genuine interest and deep respect for their world. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study aims at exploring how fathers' parenting strategies and the relationship they have with their children influences the children's ability to form other relationships outside the home. The study is based on parenting strategies identified by Diana Baumrind. Reviewed literature state that where a relationship between the father and his children is good, the children are more confident, stable and secure and therefore able to form seemingly stable social relationships. Where the relationship between father and his children is unhealthy, the children may be unsure of themselves and find it harder to form relationship outside the home. The parenting strategy resulting in the best relationships between the father and his children is the authoritative parenting strategy. Authoritative fathers set rules and follow them through while allowing dialogue. They encourage the development of self-identity and are lovingly involved in their children's lives. All participating fathers in this study have a son and daughter in the age range 13 to 25 years and all are able to communicate in English. The four participating fathers are from different ethnic groups, religious faith and professions. For each father interviewed, a son and a daughter were interviewed too. The same father parenting strategies identified in the literature were identified in this study. Three fathers fit the description of the authoritative parental strategy. Their six children agree that their relationships with their fathers are good. Even though these fathers are strict, they are loving and therefore the children feel secure and confident. These children are able to form stable relationships outside the home. The fourth father is an abusive father whose relationship with his children is unhealthy. His children are not very secure and are withdrawn. They have very few friends because they are afraid of the repercussions from friends discovering they have problems with their father. This study is a door opener in an area with little documented research namely parenting strategies in Africa in general and fathering strategies in particular. There is a need to explore the field further in order to develop training and care-giving structures based on African parental voices. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This study aimed to relate the emotions of two fathers regarding their incestuous behaviour. The epistemological framework is social constructionism. The `case-study approach' was chosen as the most suitable method to gain access to the information. Qualitative in-depth interviews with the fathers were conducted to collect data about their emotional experiences regarding their incestuous behaviour and Hermeneutics was used as method of data analysis. The emotional experiences of the participants regarding their incestuous behaviour were reconstructed in the form of prominent themes. Themes that seemed to re-occur in both participants' stories were identified and discussed as common themes. These themes included; ambivalence, powerlessness and guilt. This study provides a rich understanding of the emotional experiences of incestuous fathers. These experiences seem to be unstated or insufficiently emphasised in the traditional empirical, cause and effect, linear modernist literature. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This thesis is a study of the development of a group of students during the time they spentworking as a reflecting team in family therapy. Due to an increase in the number of students enrolled for the Masters degree in Educational Psychology in the years from 2001, there was concern about the students experience of family therapy, since they would not all be likely to counsel a family. The study, which was undertaken over a period of two years, allows a comparison of two different experiences of being part of a reflecting team. The first year the whole group formed a single team, whereas, the group in the second year split into two teams, working on a fortnightly basis. The growth of the students as therapists was assessed by means of questionnaires and an interview with the trainer in terms of self-reflection, willingness to risk. / Social work / MA(SS)(Mental Health)

This thesis is an account of how a networking approach may assist participatory community development. The author undertakes naturalistic action research into how she can improve her social practice with a view to gaining equal participation amongst university and community members in a community development practicum. She describes how efforts to maximize group participation are typically countered with various forms of non-participation, analogous to a rebellion against authoritarianism. Dialogue with her doctoral peer group about tacit meanings from her personal history reveals that she is too heavily invested in community involvement. A stance of irreverence gives her the freedom to realize that her politically correct approach is conveying the message that "MY way of participation is THE way". She embarks on a networking programme of action in the hope of achieving more balanced participation. A multidisciplinary workshop and a study tour show her that openness to multiple inputs may free people from restrictive views and problematic styles of participation. She initiates the formation of a local network and finds that this is a more free-flowing structure that encourages fluid problem solving among community, government and university participants. The author's original anxieties are, however, revived when networking, too, becomes entangled in organizational complexities. She eventually realizes that she tends to base her actions on premises of power and justice and that it may be helpful to base new ventures on information flow and creativity instead. Her new approach to group facilitation elicits creative inputs from others. She finds that deliberate debate of the assumptions on which collective undertakings are based releases an awareness of alternative approaches to addressing unequal resource utilization in the commons. A review of the local Network's development over six years draws attention to networking resources, and its uses, structuring and management. The author's experiences continuously demonstrate that the assumptions of independence and freedom of choice may provide a more satisfactory basis upon which to manage community participation. / Social Work / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This thesis is a study of the development of a group of students during the time they spentworking as a reflecting team in family therapy. Due to an increase in the number of students enrolled for the Masters degree in Educational Psychology in the years from 2001, there was concern about the students experience of family therapy, since they would not all be likely to counsel a family. The study, which was undertaken over a period of two years, allows a comparison of two different experiences of being part of a reflecting team. The first year the whole group formed a single team, whereas, the group in the second year split into two teams, working on a fortnightly basis. The growth of the students as therapists was assessed by means of questionnaires and an interview with the trainer in terms of self-reflection, willingness to risk. / Social work / MA(SS)(Mental Health)