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El trabajo que presentamos a continuación responde a motivaciones personales surgidas desde la experiencia profesional y docente en la Psicología de los Grupos y en su actividad de conducción y facilitación. El tema de las características propias de los participantes que promueven diferencias de grado, intensidad, saliencia, duración, etc, de fenómenos grupales, es uno de los problemas actuales en la investigación debido a sus consecuencias sobre el grado de conflicto (González, 1997), el aprendizaje (Mugny y Doise, 1983), el rendimiento (Peiró, 1987), etc. ¿Tanto puede afectar una distinta composición al desarrollo grupal? Esta idea hace pensar que atendiendo a las distintas composiciones de un grupo podemos maximizar o minimizar determinados aspectos básicos sobretodo por la trascendencia que el conocimiento de los procesos básicos puede tener en los ámbitos aplicados. Si pensamos en una organización, en un contexto determinado, podemos optimizar el diseño a través de la idiosincrasia grupal concreta con la distribución adecuada de género en la composición grupal. Podemos tener la opción a manipular un grupo si comprobamos o no la relevancia de la variable en el proceso grupal, caracterizando un grupo con vías a propiciar óptimos resultados grupales y organizacionales. El objetivo general de este trabajo consistirá en la comprobación de fenómenos empíricos de género, como proceso básico, en la conformación intra e intergrupal, y también verificar si la estructura de un grupo va a depender sistemáticamente tanto de su conformación intragrupal como intergrupal. Estructura y proceso deben considerarse como coordenadas básicas e inseparables a partir de las cuales se organiza y desarrolla la vida de grupo. Desde el punto de vista sistémico todo sistema vivo posee una estructura más o menos consistente definida por unos elementos y por un conjunto de procesos que poseen un movimiento dinámico, de ahí también el nombre de dinámica grupal como se ha conocido la Psicología de los Grupos, que hace que la estructura sea más o menos estable (MacGrath, 1970). El conjunto de relaciones determina modos diferentes de relación (cooperación, competición) entre las unidades o sistemas (Estrategor, 1995). Sabemos, además, estrategias procesuales de mediación que propicien dinámicas de interacción más satisfactorias intrapersonal e intragrupalmente, es evidente, por tanto, que estructura y proceso interaccionan, e influencian mutuamente. La interacción grupal determinada e influida por las pertenencias categoriales sexo, raza, etc. nos permiten centrarnos en el proceso de interacción de la identidad de los miembros y la mayor o menor cooperación-competición grupal. Por tanto, las temáticas conceptuales de la investigación que desarrollamos vienen dadas por: la identidad, el género y las aportaciones cooperativas y su grado en el contexto grupal, como el título de la tesis indica. Para ello planteamos este trabajo en siete capítulos con la siguiente estructura. - En el primer capítulo ofrecemos, como primera aportación, una visión conceptual general a través de las fichas bibliográficas del Psychological Abstract de los principales descriptores utilizados en esta investigación. El análisis de diferencias y similitudes compartidas entre los descriptores de las fichas ha sido analizado mediante un instrumento que presentamos como novedad denominado "Biblo" realizado por Cornejo (1998). Su particular interés radica en proporcionar el panorama teórico desarrollado hasta el momento actual en torno a los conceptos utilizados y su interrelación o inexistencia de la misma. De esta manera valoramos los contextos de investigación donde se han trabajado específicamente, y analizar las lagunas teóricas por su ausencia. - El segundo capítulo trata de ofrecer la conceptualización de la identidad personal y social desde las perspectivas teóricas relevantes. Las diferencias y semejanzas de las mismas, en relación a sus interrelaciones, sugerimos la influencia del género en su saliencia diferenciada en ambas identidades. - En el capítulo tercero nos centramos en la variable género y su influencia en la identidad personal y social. Revisamos el estudio del género concretándolo en una visión psicosocial con el fin de analizar el papel del género en las investigaciones que se han realizado desde este punto de vista. El objetivo de esta revisión es clarificar la diferencia de identidad social y personal y la relación del género en forma distinta a la propuesta de Lorenzi-Cioldi, hace una década (1988). - En el cuarto capítulo busca dar un nuevo sentido a los conceptos de cooperación y competición, no como antagónicos, sino como elementos pertenecientes a dimensiones distintas. - En el capítulo quinto exponemos el lugar del estudio del género relacionado con los grupos, en temáticas como, el estatus social ocupado por ambos géneros, y la implicación de los grupos de alto y bajo estatus en la dinámica intra e intergrupal, así como la incidencia de mayoría y minoría desde el punto de vista étnico y de género. - El capítulo sexto se refiere al planteamiento y el diseño de la investigación experimental. Realizamos una aportación desde la teoría de los juegos como situación idónea de experimentación de la realidad social, por sus características similares. Analizamos el papel del ordenador estructuralmente en la investigación psicosocial como metodología fundamental, capaz de aprehender la complejidad de dichos fenómenos. - Finalizamos el trabajo con el capítulo de análisis, discusión de resultados y conclusiones.

Bibliography: leaves 369-398. / xiv, 398, [19] leaves : ill., maps, ports ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / A comparative study of a selection of South Australian secondary schools during the period 1880-1919. The ideals of gender and national identity of the various schools are investigated through an analysis of archival records relating to their rhetoric, organisation and curricula. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 2000

Bibliography: leaves 369-398. / xiv, 398, [19] leaves : ill., maps, ports ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / A comparative study of a selection of South Australian secondary schools during the period 1880-1919. The ideals of gender and national identity of the various schools are investigated through an analysis of archival records relating to their rhetoric, organisation and curricula. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 2000

Zugl.: Freiburg (Breisgau), Univ., Diss., 2005

South Africa has been going through severe social changes over the past two decades. In light of these changes the present study aimed to understand adolescents’ expectations of their personal future. Based on the Theory of Possible Selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986) the present research addressed the overall question whether adolescents’ personal future plans incorporate the views they share about the present and the future of their social context. Social context was not only limited to factors such as gender, ethnicity and school environment, but also included both the daily lived experiences of inequality, as is the case in South Africa, and the projected social context of the future. A total of 631 pupils from four Gauteng high schools took part in this cross sectional study. The results support the hypotheses especially within the possible selves’ domain of academic achievement. The interrelatedness between possible selves and shared beliefs about the future of South Africa could, however, not be demonstrated. / Grow Your Own Timber Programme of the University of South Africa / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology (Research Consultation))

This thesis explores the impact and consequences of the teachings of the church, perceptions of The Divine [God] and of Mary, in the making of personal identity. In spite of secularisation and the prediction that the church would collapse in the face of modern science, recent evidence suggests that - in its various forms - religion, and belief in a higher power remain important and potentially powerful aspects in society. A foundation stone of the Christian faith is the doctrine of Imago Dei: humanity created in the image of The Divine. Although not male, The Divine is repeatedly spoken of - and addressed - in anthropomorphic masculine terms, but perceived in gender-specific stereotypical terms. Alongside The Divine - in the Roman Catholic Church - is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is spoken of in feminine terms, but is also perceived in gender-specific stereotypical terms. Although not officially considered to be divine, Mary fulfils important needs in the life of the believer and it is in this context that her influence is evaluated. The role of the church as a community - and social institution - is also explored, based on Giddens’ theories of identity development. Belonging to a church community can provide a context for relationship, continuity, and trust. However, this potentially positive environment can have negative implications on self-identity in that restrictions on self-expression and personal choice can be as limiting as the sense of belonging is liberating. The patriarchal nature of the church is deemed to be of immense relevance. In order to establish the role of the church, The Divine, and Mary in the making of self-identity, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve research participants belonging to Charismatic and Roman Catholic congregations, and Giddens’ criteria for self-identity development was used as the standard for evaluating participants’ personal sense of self-identity. Explored from the perspective of feminist theology, the findings of this qualitative research project suggest that it is more than gender language regarding The Divine that affects the agent’s perception of The Divine, and that the role of the church in identity formation is not uniform in its influence. It also concludes that perceptions of Mary can be influential in the development of selfidentity.

Based on in-depth focus group and individual interviews, this thesis examines how Rhodes University students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds experience campus social life and how they subsequently use Facebook to perform, represent and negotiate their social identities. The study discusses utopian and dystopian positions and interrogates these theoretical perspectives in relation to the students‟ Facebook usage. The popularity and uptake of Facebook by students from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those here at Rhodes University, is a growing phenomenon, provoking questions about the relationship between social experiences, social identity and social networks. Rhodes University‟s social space has been identified by previous studies as modern, liberal, “elite” and divided along race and class lines. The ways in which students experience this campus social space relates to their subject positions and identities. The study employs different perspectives of identity construction to interrogate the students‟ subject experiences in home and school contexts before coming to Rhodes University. The students‟ subjective positions are primarily embedded in tradition and their subject positions are sometimes in tension or come in conflict with the modern and liberal elements permitted by the Rhodes University context. The students also experience and adopt modern and liberal elements in their lifestyles which are permitted within the Rhodes University social space. The thesis found that Facebook offers a platform which facilitates a social connectivity that influences how students perform their identities in relation to their offline social identities and lived social experiences. This study concludes that the mediated symbolic materials for the construction and negotiation of identity provided by Facebook are sometimes in tension with the demands of traditional subjectivities experienced by these students at Rhodes University. Facebook allows the students to reinforce and affirm the validity of their traditional identities in this modern and liberal space. However, it also emerged that Facebook facilitates and allows students who experience and incorporate the modern and liberal elements permitted at Rhodes University to represent and negotiate their subjective positions online. The findings of the study indicate that participants primarily communicate with their friends, families, relatives and acquaintances - people they know personally offline, in line with the theoretical position which argues that online relationships are primarily shaped by offline relationships.

The aim of the research was to determine the influence of adapted sport on the identity formation of adolescents with a mobility impairment. An empirical investigation was carried out to investigate the relationship between certain variables, such as social relationships and affective constructs, and the identity formation of adolescents with a mobility impairment as information emerged from the literature study. A sample of 140 adolescents with a mobility impairment was drawn using purposive sampling. An instrument to measure the identity formation of adolescents with a mobility impairment was compiled. The data, which were obtained from the implementation of the instrument, were analysed using qualitative content analysis techniques. The major findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in the identity of adolescents with a mobility impairment who participated in sport, compared with the identity of adolescents with a mobility impairment who did not participate in sport. There was however, a significant positive correlation between social relationships with friends and parents, and the identity formation of adolescents with a mobility impairment. There was also a positive correlation between affective variables and the identity formation of adolescents with a mobility impairment. The two positive affective constructs with the highest correlation were trustfulness and gregariousness. The negative construct with the highest correlation was depression. Based on the findings, conclusions were drawn and recommendations were made. The relationship of adolescents with their friends and parents, together with the health of adolescents, explained the largest proportion of the variance in the identity formation of adolescents with a mobility impairment, namely 42%. The remaining 58% of the variance in the identity formation has not been significantly explained as yet. The implications for parents and educators are clearly explained. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed.

In a study of psychological well-being, the researcher attempted to address the challenge of preventing mental illness and promoting mental health using an educational psychological perspective based on Unisa's Relations Theory. According to Relations Theory, humans are understood by the relationships they form. The intra-psychic interaction of the components of the intra-psychic structure (I/ego, self, identity and self-concept) is responsible for people's behaviour, with the essences (attachment of meaning, involvement, experience and self-actualising) and the prerequisites (the forming of relations , the life-world and climate) forming the basis of the structure. The researcher developed and administered a questionnaire on psychological well-being and conducted interviews, and on the basis of the findings reports that psychological well-being from an educational psychological perspective consists of a healthy and positive ego and self, clearly defined identities, positive thoughts and feelings, involvement in the life world, a positive and realistic self-concept and constructive self-talk, and self-realisation. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)