Syftet med detta arbete är att utforska betydelsen av musik vid avsked hos sörjande människor. Internationell och skandinavisk forskning inom närliggande områden har i större utsträckning beaktat musikens terapeutiska och psykologiska roll. I Sverige saknas i stort sett forskning inom detta ämne. Studien är av kvalitativ art där narrativ analyseras utifrån ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv och det empiriska underlaget i uppsatsen består av 12 livsberättelser av efterlevande i sorgegrupper. De berättar om sorg och förlust samt på vilka sätt de relaterar till musik i samband med begravningen och vidare under den efterföljande sorgeprocessen. Av intervjuerna i semistrukturerad form framkom ett material som presenteras i resultatkapitlet. Musikens roll vid rituella avsked har förändrats idag. Anhöriga är mer delaktiga än tidigare. Musik väljs utifrån personliga kriterier. Musik som förknippas med positiva minnen tillsammans med den anhörige kan ge en upplevelse av igenkänning. Att använda musikterapi under sorgeprocessen eller att lyssna på egenvald musik kan vara ett kraftfullt redskap som förmedlar hopp och tröst till sörjande människor. / The aim of this study is to examine the role of music at the condolence in the grieving persons. In related areas, international and Scandinavian research have explored the therapeutic and psychological role of music. This topic has been missing in earlier Swedish research. The study has a qualitative approach and the analytical prism used for the semi-structured interviews was informed by a hermeneutic method. The empirical basis of the essay is based on 12 life stories of survivors participating in grief support groups. The interviews talk about grief and loss and the ways in which they relate to music at the funeral and during the grieving process. The material which emerged from the interviews in semi-structured form is presented in the results section. The role of music in the ritual condolences has changed. Relatives are now more involved in choosing music than in the past. Music is selected based on personal criteria. Music associated with positive memories of the loved one can convey emotions of recognition. Music therapy during the grieving process, or listen to music of own choice, may act as a spiritual force that gives hope and consolation to the grieving persons.

In creative industries such as the gaming industry, the failure rate is typically higher in relation to many other industries. This is usually due to the constant need of innovation and the extreme competition in the industry of gaming. Firms in this industry take on multiple innovation projects, which inherently have a high rate of failure. Literature has previously stressed and focused on the importance of failure and how it can enhance learning that can be a crucial asset for any organization. However, failure brings along negative emotions that can slow down or block the learning process of an individual or an organization at large. In an industry where failure is common, it is important for the management to tackle this issue. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the approach the management of small gaming firms take in order to normalize failure. In this study, the data has been collected qualitatively while using a thematic analysis to recognize consistent themes and patterns, which arise from the primary data that was collected. By conducting four semi-structured interviews with two different companies (2 interviews each), we found that both companies have a similar attitude regarding project failure. Both companies either expect failure to happen or even encourage it. One of our key findings was that both companies emphasize failing fast, which allows them to save time, money and resources as well as helps some members of the organization to react less emotionally to the termination of a project. Empirical results were then discussed and analyzed by judging whether the actions these companies took can be classified as a way of normalizing failure. We concluded that there was evidence for management employing various methods of action that would eventually lead to normalization of failure. Some of these actions included the fail fast attitude, failure supportive slogans and the thought of planning for failure beforehand.

Natural disasters are increasing in both number and severity, causing the number of people being displaced by disaster to rise as well. Hurricane Katrina provides a particularly poignant example of the human impact of disaster, and of inadequate disaster response, especially where housing is concerned. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans exposed a gap in the approach to housing survivors of natural disasters, especially at the interim housing level. The FEMA trailer - which was only intended to house survivors temporarily but, in many cases, became a long term housing solution, - provided shelter for survivors, but did not account for their psychological well-being. The loss of one’s home can be a traumatic experience, as people identify their sense of self with their home. Therefore, it is crucial to reinstate this sense of home, and in turn provide continuity to the sense of self, early on in the recovery process. Rebuilding after a natural disaster is a long process. Because of this, disaster housing needs to be able to evoke a sense of home and ownership so that inhabitants can connect with their environment and reinstate their daily routines. This helps them to rebuild their lives. The proposed project attempts to do this by allowing for flexibility and choice in both the design and daily use of the house. The house transitions from temporary to permanent housing, allowing for a dialogue between inhabitant and environment to begin early on in the recovery process, and to persist. The design is informed by theories on place making, elements of home, dwelling, as well as loss and the grieving process.

Natural disasters are increasing in both number and severity, causing the number of people being displaced by disaster to rise as well. Hurricane Katrina provides a particularly poignant example of the human impact of disaster, and of inadequate disaster response, especially where housing is concerned. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans exposed a gap in the approach to housing survivors of natural disasters, especially at the interim housing level. The FEMA trailer - which was only intended to house survivors temporarily but, in many cases, became a long term housing solution, - provided shelter for survivors, but did not account for their psychological well-being. The loss of one’s home can be a traumatic experience, as people identify their sense of self with their home. Therefore, it is crucial to reinstate this sense of home, and in turn provide continuity to the sense of self, early on in the recovery process. Rebuilding after a natural disaster is a long process. Because of this, disaster housing needs to be able to evoke a sense of home and ownership so that inhabitants can connect with their environment and reinstate their daily routines. This helps them to rebuild their lives. The proposed project attempts to do this by allowing for flexibility and choice in both the design and daily use of the house. The house transitions from temporary to permanent housing, allowing for a dialogue between inhabitant and environment to begin early on in the recovery process, and to persist. The design is informed by theories on place making, elements of home, dwelling, as well as loss and the grieving process.

Death is one of the few certainties in life. It comes to all of us, but the way in which we deal with it will vary according to a range of social and cultural factors. Based on my mother's experiences since being widowed, this dissertation has undertaken a qualitative research method to examine how Hindu widows express their mourning in their context, thereby defining their experiences of widowhood. The aim of this dissertation is to give voice to the mourning experiences of Hindu widows. By examining these constructions of mourning experiences, one is able to gain an understanding of grief from a cultural perspective, which may serve as a guide for professional counsellors and academics in their endeavours to provide much needed support and understanding for bereaved Hindu women. The epistemological framework is social constructionism. In this study five Hindu widows were interviewed with the intention of providing readers and fellow researchers with insight into their narratives, and the data was hermeneutically analysed. The participants' stories were interpreted and categorised into themes. This study allowed for elaborate and detailed descriptions about Hindu widows' experiences to surface, with the view that this study will broaden the way Hindu widowhood is thought of. Analyses reveals that within patriarchal society, Hindu widows appear inadequately prepared for their widowhood. As a result they experience financial, emotional and psychological difficulties, which make adjusting to widowhood a challenge. The perspective this study hopes to argue for is broader, inclusive, collaborative engagement and thinking in respect of Indian widowhood / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The work deals with the last things of the man from dying, through fear of death, burial and funeral rituals, to the demands that are placed on the funeral service. The work is not focused only on the actual experience of dying and his last period of life, but great attention is paid to survivors, particularly in the context of grieving, coping with loss and consultancy for survivors. In this thesis is provide space for all the various topics that are related to the last things of the man - funeral, cemeteries and funeral services that work closely with the survivors, who come to arrange a funeral. Summarizes the statutory regulations, codexes and regulations, which funeral services must at all times observe. It also mentions the role of undertaker and function of consultancy for survivors.

This thesis explores mothers' reactions to, and methods of dealing with, the sudden death of a child, using a constructivist approach. The study focusses on the meanings that mothers construe in relation to the sudden death of their child and the role of these constructions in her "recovery" from this loss. It also explores the grieving process, the effect of the loss on the mother, including a focus on changes in her value system, her role as a mother and as a wife, as well as the impact of this loss on the family system. The study was conducted on the basis of qualitative research methodology, making use of the case study method. The sample consisted of three mothers, selected purposively. The data gathered was analysed inductively. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

Games are a natural part of many people's everyday lives and have gone from being a divergent interest to become Sweden's biggest cultural export. As a result from this expansion, digital tools had to be further developed and through this progress these tools have reached new areas of usage, which has created new challenges for game developers. The games that offers a higher purpose than pure entertainment goes under the genre serious games. Serious games are used in various application areas such as; in the military, health care, education, business, and psychology, which is the framework of this thesis. By combining and unifying previous research grounded in psychology and game science I want to answer the questions: How can games be used as a therapeutic tool in a child's grieving process? and, Which features should such a game focus on? These questions are answered through the information gathered from two interviews conducted with respondents that have different expertise within the area of this study, this to reach a broader perspective. A child's grieving process can manifest itself in various ways depending on the individual's level of sensitivity. It is therefore difficult to draw any general conclusions on how such a game should be designed. All games have the opportunity to motivate and engage, but this is not unique to a serious game and therefore a measurement function is essential in a digital rehabilitation tool to provide the therapist with valuable information about the patient. The figurative language makes it possible for the child to communicate where the spoken language sometimes has limits. For older children social support can be important as it creates opportunities to meet others in similar situations and together work towards improvement. Grief is a non-linear process and can present itself in many different ways and it is therefore important that the game should offer various turn-outs to make it adaptable for the individual. / Spel är en naturlig del i många människors vardag och har gått från att vara ett mer avvikande intresse till att bli Sveriges största kulturexport. Expanderingen har även lett till att dessa digitala verktyg har fått utvecklats och hitta nya användningsformer som därmed skapar nya utmaningar för spelutvecklare. Spel som har ett högre syfte än den rena underhållningen hamnar under genren serious games och används inom olika användningsområden såsom försvaret, sjukvården, utbildning, affärsrörelser och psykologi vilket är ämnet för denna uppsats. Genom att kombinera och sammanföra tidigare forskning som bottnar sig i psykologin samt spelvetenskapen vill jag besvara frågorna: Hur kan spel användas som ett terapeutiskt verktyg i ett barn sorgeprocess? och Vilka egenskaper bör ett sådant spel fokusera på? Dessa besvaras genom granskning av tidigare forskning samt empiriskt insamlat material från två intervjuer med personer med olika specialistkunskaper för att få ett bredare perspektiv. Barns sorgeprocesser kan te sig väldigt olika beroende på individen och därför är det mycket svårt att dra några generella slutsatser för hur ett sådant spel ska designas. Spel har som möjlighet att motivera och engagera och detta är inget unikt för ett serious game, därför blir en mätningsfunktion avgörande i ett digitalt rehabiliteringsverktyg och ett sätt att förse terapeuten med information om patienten. Det bildliga språket gör det också möjligt för barnet att enklare förmedla sina känslor eftersom det talade språket kan vara en begränsning. För de äldre barnen så kan socialt stöd genom spelet vara viktigt för att kunna träffa andra i samma situation och tillsammans bearbeta sorgen. Sorgen är ingen linjär process och kan visa sig på olika sätt och därför bör spelet erbjuda olika tillägg för att kunna anpassas till den enskilda individen.

Please read the abstract in the section dissertation. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Text in Afrikaans / Rituals are part of our everyday life and are usually performed unconsciously. In this dissertation rituals are used consciously, within a therapeutic context, with the purpose to facilitate healing and growth. The aim of the research is to focus the readers' attention on the therapeutic potential of rituals and its value as an intervention strategy. The study concentrates on the grieving process. The researcher therefore specifically wants to show how rituals are used during grief counselling. The following research problem was investigated in the study: "What is the attitude, opinion and knowledge of professional caregivers concerning the use of rituals as a therapeutic tool during grief counselling?" Out of the research data the following hypothesis was formulated: - To grief over a loss is essential. Because of the basic properties and remedial functions of rituals, rituals can be a valuable therapeutic tool in the facilitation of this process. - There is an inherent connection between professional caregivers' attitudes, opinions and knowledge of therapeutic rituals and the regular and effective use of them during grief counselling. - The use of rituals during grief counselling is only one component in the comprehensive pastoral care of the bereaved. / Practical theology / M.Th.