Emotional awareness is a basic skill underlying emotional intelligence and forms a critical part of the holistic development of children. This skill is described as a person?s capacity to be in contact with his/her emotions and to effectively express emotions. Emotional awareness can enhance the social skills, academic performance, interpersonal relationships, and positive behaviours of children in middle childhood. Middle childhood is the life stage when children enter the formal school system. The school system primarily emphasises the academic performance of children. However, children also need psychosocial skills in order to adapt to the demands of school and effectively function within the school system. Emotional awareness can thus benefit children within the school environment. Emotional awareness is regarded as a cognitive skill that can be taught to children, for example by means of an emotional awareness programme. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an emotional awareness programme that was developed for children in middle childhood within the school context. For this purpose, the programme was presented to a sample of 55 children in middle childhood in a public school in the Free State Province. A quantitative research approach, based on a quasi-experimental comparison group pre-test post-test research design, was followed. Data was collected and analysed by means of a standardised measuring instrument, the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale for Children (LEAS-C). The research findings indicate that the respondents that attended the emotional awareness programme, showed enhanced levels of emotional awareness. Thus, it could be stated that the emotional awareness of children in middle childhood can be enhanced through their exposure to an emotional awareness programme. Based on the research results, it is recommended that public schools in South Africa consider the implementation of similar programmes in the school environment. It is further recommended comparative studies are conducted in other public and private schools in South Africa. / Emosionele bewustheid is n vaardigheid onderliggend aan emosionele intelligensie en vorm n kritiese deel van die holistiese ontwikkeling van kinders. Emosionele bewustheid word beskryf as n persoon se vermoë om in kontak met sy/haar emosies te wees en emosies effektief uit te druk, en kan kinders se sosiale vaardighede, akademiese prestasie, interpersoonlike verhoudings en positiewe gedrag bevorder. Die middekinderjare is die lewensfase waarin kinders die formele skoolsisteem betree. In die skoolsisteem word daar hoofsaaklik klem gelê op kinders se akademiese prestasie. Suksesvolle aanpassing en funksionering in die skool vereis egter ook dat kinders oor genoegsame psigososiale vaardighede beskik om by die eise van die skoolomgewing aan te pas. Emosionele bewustheid kan dus voordele vir kinders in die skoolomgewing inhou. Emosionele bewustheid word beskou as n kognitiewe vaardigheid wat aan kinders geleer kan word, byvoorbeeld deur middel van n emosionele bewustheidsprogram. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die effektiwiteit van n emosionele bewustheidsprogram wat vir kinders in die middelkinderjare in die skoolomgewing ontwerp is, te evalueer. Vir hierdie doel is die betrokke program oor n tydperk van twee maande aan n steekproef van 55 leerders in n openbare skool in die Vrystaat aangebied. n Kwantitatiewe kwasi-eksperimentele navorsingsbenadering, gebaseer op n vergelykende groep voortoets natoets navorsingsontwerp, is gevolg en data is ingesamel en geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van n gestandardiseerde meetinstrument, die Vlakke van Emosionele Bewustheidskaal vir Kinders (LEAS-C). Die navorsingsbevindinge dui daarop dat die respondente wat aan die emosionele bewustheidsprogram deelgeneem het, verhoogde vlakke van emosionele bewustheid getoon het. Derhalwe kan dit gestel word dat die emosionele bewustheid van kinders in die middekinderjare verhoog kan word deur hul blootstelling aan n emosionele bewustheidsprogram. Op grond van die navorsingsresultate word daar aanbeveel dat openbare skole in Suid-Afrika die moontlikheid oorweeg om soortgelyke programme in die skoolomgewing aan te bied. Daar word voorts aanbeveel dat vergelykende navorsingstudies in ander openbare- en privaatskole in Suid-Afrika herhaal word. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

Despite many positive outcomes associated with emotion coaching, factors related to individual differences in emotion coaching have yet to be explored. The current study examined cultural differences in the role of maternal characteristics, specifically emotional awareness and emotion regulation, as determinants of emotion coaching. These findings will facilitate culturally desired emotion socialization practices leading to optimal emotional development of children. In the current study, I translated two English-based questionnaires into Chinese to assess maternal emotional awareness and emotion coaching. Next, I examined relations of reappraisal, suppression, and emotional awareness to maternal emotion coaching. I also investigated the role of maternal emotional awareness as a mediator in the relation of maternal use of reappraisal and suppression to maternal emotion coaching in both Chinese and American cultures. Participants included American (n=164) and 163 Chinese (n=163) mothers. Maternal emotional awareness was measured using subscales of Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Emotion regulation strategies were assessed using Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. To measure emotion coaching, mothers completed Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions questionnaire. Structural equation models were estimated to examine how maternal emotional awareness and emotion regulation related to emotion coaching. Results confirmed the reliability and validity of the Chinese questionnaires. Maternal emotion coaching did not include mothers' views about negative emotions because equivalence could not be established across Chinese and American cultures; therefore, the emotion coaching discussed in this study is different from previous research on emotion coaching that typically involves responses to negative emotions. Maternal emotional awareness was associated with their emotion coaching in both samples and the strength of the association was not different across cultures. However, relations of reappraisal and suppression to emotional awareness and emotion coaching were different across Chinese and American samples. Emotional awareness mediated the relation of reappraisal to emotion coaching only in the American sample. Additionally, emotional awareness was a mediator of the relation of suppression to emotion coaching in both samples. Overall, the findings of this study supported that maternal emotional awareness and use of emotion regulation strategies are important determinants of maternal emotion coaching in both cultures. / Ph. D.

Emotional awareness refers to a person's ability to identify and describe one's emotions and the emotions of others. It assists people to manage and control their emotions and is an important skill underlying effective psychosocial functioning. Emotional awareness is a core component of emotional intelligence. For children, the capacity for emotional intelligence and emotional awareness can hold advantages such as enhancing their interpersonal and communication skills, academic performance, coping skills and self-esteem. Emotional awareness can thus assist children with their adjustment to and academic performance in school. Emotional awareness is regarded as a skill that can be taught to children. The goal of this study was thus to evaluate an emotional awareness programme that was developed for children in middle childhood within the educational setting (Knoetze, 2012). The study was based on a quantitative research approach. A quasi-experimental comparison group pre-test post-test research design was followed, according to which the effect of the programme could be determined by comparing pre-test and post-test data of an experimental and a comparison group. The respondents were children in middle childhood attending a private school for learners with learning disabilities. A standardised measuring instrument, the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale for Children (LEAS-C) was used to collect data. / Mini Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

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This study’s contribution to knowledge is the contextualizing of emotional awareness as a prerequisite for becoming emotionally intelligent, and developing a program to educate emotional awareness, as a developmental ability, within the educational system. Emotional intelligence is a familiar and widely recognized term, but is in fundamental nature more of a broad and overreaching outcome, rather than an ability. This research focused on children in the middle childhood developmental phase and how emotional awareness can be taught to them. An Emotional Awareness Program (EA Program) was developed and implemented within the classroom context and its effectiveness was evaluated to determine whether the EA Program did have an influence on emotional vocabulary, emotional expression and the general level of emotional awareness displayed by the learners. Being emotionally aware, benefits children on different levels of their functioning. Various authors, as cited in this study, conclude that relationships, self-esteem, academic performance, independent functioning and self expression all benefit from the development of emotional awareness. Entering the school setting is often the child’s first move into relationships with peers and adults other than family members. Learners spend most of their waking lives, during their middle childhood, in school. Many aspects necessary for emotional education may be found within the school environment. These consist of peer relationships, empathy for others, problem-solving, developing a regard for the feelings of others and coping with difficult situations or emotions. A child suffering physical and emotional abuse, neglect, trauma or insufficient stimulation presents neurological deterioration in neurons (the “building blocks” of the brain). Diminished brain functioning may result in anger, emotional episodes and disruptive behaviour as methods of emotional expression in some learners. Neurological damage, suffered in this manner, can be reversed via the intervention of a caring adult. This interaction stimulates healthy neurons, and causes them to migrate to the area that suffered damage, thus illustrating the immense role educators are required to play in the future development and restoration of neurological health of some learners. The educational system is ideally positioned to deal with children from a holistic perspective by addressing not only their cognitive and physical needs, but also their emotional and subsequent social needs. Furthermore, the development of the emotional awareness of educators will equip them with the necessary insight into the emotional needs of learners. It is anticipated that emotional awareness will benefit learners in general and have a positive ripple effect on schools and communities as a whole. The study found that the Gestalt approach is best suited for the research study, as it presupposes that the child is “a whole and complex being”; and considers, as a backdrop, the child’s development regarding awareness and the influence that this has on their progress. It was noted from the study that this viewpoint is not always the point of departure of the current school set-up. This investigation was executed using a quantitative research approach, with a structured method of inquiry. This consisted of the formulation of a specific and constant hypothesis, a predetermined research process and a standardized questionnaire. The researcher wanted to measure the effectiveness of an EA program on specific variables such as the learners’ ability to: <ul> <li> be in contact with their emotions; </li><li> discriminate between different emotions; </li><li> verbalize and take ownership of their emotions; </li></ul> This study resorted within the description of applied research, as it was undertaken to acquire new knowledge and was primarily directed towards practical objectives. It focused on a practical problem; the need for an EA Program for children in middle childhood that was scientifically tested within the South African Education System. Within the context of applied research, intervention research was applicable to this study as it aimed to develop technology, useful to the educational profession. The design and development sub-type of intervention research best encompassed the researcher’s intent to design and develop technology, namely the EA Program, to implement the program (intervention) and to evaluate the effectiveness thereof for further implementation within the education system. A quasi-experimental design namely the comparison group pre-test – post-test design was utilized. A standardized questionnaire entitled Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS-C), developed by Dr. Jane Bajgar and Dr. Richard Lane (2003), was used as the measuring instrument. This questionnaire was developed specifically so that its use of language, the length and content of the form would be child appropriate. The study focused on children in the middle childhood developmental phase, which proved to be the phase where emotional awareness begins to play an important role. Children in this phase are particularly susceptible to new knowledge as they have already obtained the basic cognitive abilities (reading, writing and reasoning) necessary to comprehend the content of the EA program. The following conclusions were derived from the execution of this research study: Emotional awareness seemed to be a relatively unfamiliar term in comparison with the widely recognized and renowned term, emotional intelligence. This study positioned emotional awareness as a prerequisite for emotional intelligence; as it is a practical awareness of cognitively obtainable knowledge regarding the emotions of self and others. Emotional intelligence on the other hand is achieved through constructive and optimal emotional awareness abilities. Based on the research findings, and as suggested earlier, it appears that the education system is particularly well positioned to address the emotional development of a large percentage of the school going population. It is assumed that emotional awareness can be cognitively educated and educators are equipped with the necessary educational skills. The education system is thus further favourably equipped to educate emotional content due to the fact that cognitive development is their field of expertise. The research findings indicated that the EA Program succeeded to a great extent in developing emotional vocabulary, higher level emotional responses and the accompanying ability of emotional expression within the experimental group. This measured increase was derived from a seven week exposure to the EA program, which may be indicative of the results that could be achieved with daily exposure to emotional learning, and a healthy emotional setting within the school environment. Obtaining higher level emotional vocabulary is evidently accompanied by emotional expression as the appropriate vocabulary, which is necessary to express the emotional experience accurately. Emotional expression abilities were addressed in particular by the EA Program, and the empirical results suggest that the emotional vocabulary of respondents did expand. A caring educator, well equipped with insight into emotional awareness, may in many instances prove to be a safety net for many learners. This may well serve as a catalyst for reprogramming the brain of the emotionally scarred learner to trust, and risk getting back in the circle of life again, a better alternative than having the learner only surviving by adopting “fight‟ or “flight‟ strategies. Educators must become equipped with the knowledge to comprehend the possibly diminished brain development of the rebellious, aggressive, emotional or introverted learner. This will ensure that their response to such learners has emotional development at heart rather than further emotional harm. Educators should therefore be in touch with their own emotional awareness as well. Indeed, it may prove interesting to determine the value that would be added to the quality of education in South Africa through emotional awareness training to educators. The education system as a whole possesses a responsibility and accountability regarding the educational wellbeing of their learners, as emotional health pre-determines the learners’ ability to thrive. This study made a valuable contribution to the field of both social work and education in their collective aim to develop and empower children. It is recommended that the common grounds where these two professions may meet should be further explored to determine where such a partnership can add further value to the South African educational setting. Providing an emotionally safe and secure classroom atmosphere requires further exploration, as it is an additional factor relating to the ability of learners to excel in class. Existing literature suggests that peer relationships and self-esteem will also benefit from emotional awareness, but the development of these two variables was not tested in this study, and may be a topic for further research. It would be significant to repeat this study on a national level to determine the current emotional level of primary school learners. Comparative studies to determine the differences in emotional awareness of learners in urban and rural areas, or within different ethnic backgrounds may also be of value. This will assist in determining the South African situation regarding emotional awareness and to develop the means to enhance it within the South African education system. This study demonstrated that emotional awareness is an easily comprehendible term which can be easily educated but presents vast benefits. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The focus of this research study is on establishing emotional awareness in the child in her middle childhood that finds herself in a children's home. Emphasis is placed on the effect that structured Gestalt group therapy has on the development of emotional awareness in the child in a children's home and how it can be utilized to positively support the process of emotional awareness. The main aim of the study is to investigate, evaluate and describe the impact of structured gestalt group therapy on the emotional awareness of the child in a children's home, for play therapists to use within this context. / SOCIAL WORK / MDIAC (PLAY THERAPY)

High prevalence rates exist for physical (i.e., threatened or actual physical force) and relational (i.e., actions meant to harm another’s social relationships) aggression within early adolescence, and these behaviors lead to detrimental social, physical, and mental health outcomes. Thus, there is a need to identify risk and protective processes related to these subtypes of aggression, especially those that can inform violence prevention efforts. Prior studies including early adolescents have shown emotion dysregulation to be a risk factor for aggression. However, few studies have incorporated the emotional competence process of poor emotional awareness, which may be a risk factor for emotion dysregulation and, in turn, for aggression. Furthermore, little research has assessed relations between subtypes of emotion dysregulation (i.e., anger and sadness) and physical and relational aggression. The current study examined longitudinal relations between poor emotional awareness and these subtypes of emotion dysregulation and aggression, as well as concurrent pathways between the emotion dysregulation and aggression variables. Exploratory tests for gender differences were also conducted. Rating scales were collected from 528 sixth graders (51% girls, 49% boys; missing data n = 8) and their teachers over a six month period in the fall and spring of the school year. Across the full sample, 65% of students identified as African-American, 19% European-American, 2%, Hispanic Latino, 11% Multiracial, and 3% as “Other”(missing data n = 8). Results indicated no significant differences by gender in the strength of relations between study variables. Poor emotional awareness was not directly related to changes in subsequent frequency of physical or relational aggression. However, poor emotional awareness at Time 1 was associated with later rates of anger and sadness dysregulation. Furthermore, an indirect effect was found for poor emotional awareness on both physical and relational aggression via anger dysregulation, and this was true for student- and teacher-rated outcomes. Sadness dysregulation showed a negative concurrent association with teacher-rated physical aggression; and there was an indirect effect of poor emotional awareness on teacher-rated physical aggression via sadness dysregulation. Study findings have important implications for theoretical treatises, youth violence prevention programs, and future directions for research, which are all discussed.

This research aims to understand, describe and analyze the hidden dimensions of leadership that can nourish leader-follower relationships. Additionally, by analyzing empirical illustrations combined with the theories presented in the literature, we have developed a framework for leading smoothly, which can provide insights into the leadership activities that leaders and executives can benefit from. Our findings on leading smoothly emerged during our analysis and interpretation of two case studies and our literature review, and led us to concentrate on emotional and communicational dimensions of leadership. Concerning crisis and turbulent times as one of the most challenging situations for performing leadership activities, we present two case studies related to leadership approaches during crises. One of the case studies is about the leadership of BP‟s former CEO Tony Hayward during the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and the second case is about the leadership of the former CEO of Johnson &amp; Johnson during the Tylenol crisis in 1982. While analyzing the cases, the emotional and communicational approaches of leaders are examined. Furthermore, these case studies facilitate the identification of the aspects that smooth leadership activities and their impacts on the leader follower relationships. Consequently, the study discusses the emotional and communicational dimensions of leadership and presents the framework for leading smoothly as a different perspective for embellishing the interaction between the leader and the follower, which can provide an understanding of the subtle ways of leading.

The present study examines the relationship of emotional awareness to anticipatory psychophysiological markers and performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The IGT is a computerized card game that simulates real-life decisions through uncertainty of reward or punishment. The participant’s goal is to make advantageous card choices. Anticipatory somatic markers of physiological arousal, like electrodermal activity and heart rate, have been proposed to bias decisions in the IGT. The central hypothesis is that a participant’s emotional awareness is related to their ability to make advantageous decisions through biasing psychophysiological responses. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale was used to assess each participant’s emotional awareness. Less emotional awareness was associated with enhanced performance on the IGT. However, anticipatory physiological arousal (electrodermal activity and heart rate) and emotional awareness yielded no significant relationships. Findings suggest a need for further research on cognitive models, such as the expectancy valence model, in relation to decision-making.

The focus of this research study is on establishing emotional awareness in the child in her middle childhood that finds herself in a children's home. Emphasis is placed on the effect that structured Gestalt group therapy has on the development of emotional awareness in the child in a children's home and how it can be utilized to positively support the process of emotional awareness. The main aim of the study is to investigate, evaluate and describe the impact of structured gestalt group therapy on the emotional awareness of the child in a children's home, for play therapists to use within this context. / SOCIAL WORK / MDIAC (PLAY THERAPY)