This study focuses on the cybernetic complementarity of stability and change in family therapy. Stability and change involve both the client and therapist, and is a selfreferential process where the observer is part of that which is observed. One couple was involved in ten therapy sessions. During the action research cycles of planning, acting and reflecting, the principles of systems theory, cybernetics and second cybernetics were implemented. A team consisting of one lecturer and two students were actively involved throughout all the phases of the research process. During therapy, the therapist focused on stability to facilitate change in the structure of the couple's organizational system. The research served as a good example of how punctuation of two complementarity processes (stability and change) can enable and empower clients to autonomously reflect on their own behaviour, and to make decisions regarding patterns they would like or feel ready to change. / Social Science (Mental Health) / Thesis (M. Soc. Science)--University of South Africa, 2001. / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

This thesis constitutes a narrative description of the evolution of my therapeutic self during my training as a clinical psychologist. During the telling of this story, I review the ways in which I was perturbed by the mix between the various theories and the various contexts visited during the years of my post-graduate training. I have described and critically compared my responses to the following models: psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, first-order cybernetic, and secondorder cybernetic (covering the first, second and third movements). Throughout, I have attempted to track the development of a congruent, personal therapeutic self while simultaneously assuming that this self is constantly coming-into-being. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie navorsing word die interpersoonlike proses waardeur betekenissisteme deur dialoog in die terapeutiese konteks geko-konstrueer word, beskryf en gelllustreer, aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie. Hierdie navorsing is gegrond in 'n kubemetiese epistemologie wat impliseer dat probleme, oplossings en realiteite nie as 'n objektiewe realiteit beskryf kan word nie, maar eerder as 'n konstruksie van die observeerder. Terapie word beskryf as 'n dialektiese proses tussen die terapeut en die klient waarin betekenissisteme geko-konstrueer word. Die proses waardeur realiteite deur vertelling in terapie geko-konstrueer word, word gepunktueer in terme van 'n dialektiese beskrywingsproses tussen die sensoriese ervaring (dit sluit in kognitiewe verstandsprosesse wat deur konstruktivistiese teoriee verklaar word), en die beskrywing daarvan in taal (wat deur sosiale konstruktivisme verklaar word). In hierdie rekursiewe proses word betekenissisteme as intersubjektiewe fenomeen geskep en ervaar deur die individu betrokke in dialogiese en interaksionele prosesse. / This research illustrates and describes, through the use of a case study, the interpersonal process through which meaning systems are co-constructed by means of dialogue in the therapeutic context. The research is founded on the cybernetic epistemology which implies that problems, solutions and realities cannot be described as an objective reality, but rather as a construction ofthe observer. Therapy is described as a dialectic process between the therapist and the client in which new meaning systems are being co-constructed. The process in which realities are co-constructed through narratives, are punctuated in terms of a dialectic process of description between the sensory experience (that includes cognitive mental processes which are explained through constructivism), and the description thereof in language (which is explained through social constructivism). In this recursive process meaning systems as an intersubjective phenomena are created and experienced by the individual in dialogical and interactional processes. / Psychology / M.A. (Kliniese Sielkunde)

This study focuses on the cybernetic complementarity of stability and change in family therapy. Stability and change involve both the client and therapist, and is a selfreferential process where the observer is part of that which is observed. One couple was involved in ten therapy sessions. During the action research cycles of planning, acting and reflecting, the principles of systems theory, cybernetics and second cybernetics were implemented. A team consisting of one lecturer and two students were actively involved throughout all the phases of the research process. During therapy, the therapist focused on stability to facilitate change in the structure of the couple's organizational system. The research served as a good example of how punctuation of two complementarity processes (stability and change) can enable and empower clients to autonomously reflect on their own behaviour, and to make decisions regarding patterns they would like or feel ready to change. / Social Science (Mental Health) / Thesis (M. Soc. Science)--University of South Africa, 2001. / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

This thesis constitutes a narrative description of the evolution of my therapeutic self during my training as a clinical psychologist. During the telling of this story, I review the ways in which I was perturbed by the mix between the various theories and the various contexts visited during the years of my post-graduate training. I have described and critically compared my responses to the following models: psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, first-order cybernetic, and secondorder cybernetic (covering the first, second and third movements). Throughout, I have attempted to track the development of a congruent, personal therapeutic self while simultaneously assuming that this self is constantly coming-into-being. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie navorsing word die interpersoonlike proses waardeur betekenissisteme deur dialoog in die terapeutiese konteks geko-konstrueer word, beskryf en gelllustreer, aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie. Hierdie navorsing is gegrond in 'n kubemetiese epistemologie wat impliseer dat probleme, oplossings en realiteite nie as 'n objektiewe realiteit beskryf kan word nie, maar eerder as 'n konstruksie van die observeerder. Terapie word beskryf as 'n dialektiese proses tussen die terapeut en die klient waarin betekenissisteme geko-konstrueer word. Die proses waardeur realiteite deur vertelling in terapie geko-konstrueer word, word gepunktueer in terme van 'n dialektiese beskrywingsproses tussen die sensoriese ervaring (dit sluit in kognitiewe verstandsprosesse wat deur konstruktivistiese teoriee verklaar word), en die beskrywing daarvan in taal (wat deur sosiale konstruktivisme verklaar word). In hierdie rekursiewe proses word betekenissisteme as intersubjektiewe fenomeen geskep en ervaar deur die individu betrokke in dialogiese en interaksionele prosesse. / This research illustrates and describes, through the use of a case study, the interpersonal process through which meaning systems are co-constructed by means of dialogue in the therapeutic context. The research is founded on the cybernetic epistemology which implies that problems, solutions and realities cannot be described as an objective reality, but rather as a construction ofthe observer. Therapy is described as a dialectic process between the therapist and the client in which new meaning systems are being co-constructed. The process in which realities are co-constructed through narratives, are punctuated in terms of a dialectic process of description between the sensory experience (that includes cognitive mental processes which are explained through constructivism), and the description thereof in language (which is explained through social constructivism). In this recursive process meaning systems as an intersubjective phenomena are created and experienced by the individual in dialogical and interactional processes. / Psychology / M.A. (Kliniese Sielkunde)