I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Professor Bowman, for providing valuable input as I pursued this important topic. I would also like to thank Professor Krauss, my unofficial Psychology advisor. I would like to thank my parents who raised me to value empathy. Our family-dinner conversations weren’t always pretty, but they served me well as I made the trek from Cincinnati, Ohio to Claremont, California. As we were encouraged to speak, we were required to listen and to try to understand different viewpoints. We didn’t always agree, but the confinements of our home forced us to understand not only other beliefs, but the reasons behind those beliefs. Finally, this thesis and my experience at Claremont McKenna College taught me that empathy for most humans is a choice. This choice can mean the world to both the recipient and the provider.

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This study investigated the nature of opinions and attitudes expressed in letters to South African newspapers regarding selected incidents of interracial controversy, namely the Botes (2010) and Forum for Black Journalists (FBJ) (2008) incidents. A qualitative and quantitative content analysis of these letters was conducted to gauge the attitudes that writers displayed towards members of their cultural group (ingroup) and members of other cultural groups (outgroups). The results of the qualitative analysis indicated that individuals in a racial group have different perspectives of in- and outgroup members. The results of the quantitative analysis, however, showed that the majority of writers tend to display positive attitudes towards ingroup members and negative attitudes towards out groups. The dominance of positive attitudes towards ingroups and negative attitudes towards outgroups can be attributed to myths and discourses circulating in postapartheid South Africa and the current social climate in general. The study concluded that although individuals’ attitudes may differ from the stark negative attitudes displayed towards outgroups during the apartheid era, negative attitudes towards outgroups persist. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication Science)

Hazing is an ancient, universal practice. In past and modern societies, the need to join a group is an aspect of our humanity. The process of joining a group frequently includes the need to be hazed in order to legitimate full membership. This study uses the theoretical frameworks of Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu’s perspectives of social order, Henri Tajfel and John Turner’s theory of social identity, and Albert Bandura’s theory of moral disengagement to look at individuals joining groups. In particular, the study has sought to ascertain why those who haze are motivated to act. A grounded theory has been developed through interviewing young adults, who while in positions of leadership as Grade 12 learners in Gauteng schools, planned hazing activities. The grounded theory shows that hazing while enacted by an individual is not solely driven by that person, but rather hazing is a means of cultural reproduction. The mechanism through which hazing occurs focuses on achieving a sense of belonging, conforming to a given culture and consenting to hazing. The hazer is motivated to pass on aspects of the school’s culture, namely school traditions, hierarchical structures, means and standards of discipline, and showing appropriate respect to others. The hazer believes that this can be achieved as those being hazed will comply if they can avoid being humiliated. The developed theory is grounded and was verified through interviewing stakeholders in the school community who had extensive knowledge of the school culture and of Grade 12 learners. / Ukufikisa kungumkhuba wasemandulo, owenziwa emhlabeni wonke. Emiphakathini yasendulo neyenamuhla, isidingo sokuhlanganyela neqembu elithile yinto eyingxenye yobuntu bethu. Inqubo yokuhlanganyela neqembu elithile kuvame ukufaka kukona isidingo sokufikiswa ukuze umuntu abe yilungu ngokuphelele. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzisa izinhlaka zemiqondo yezinzululwazi ezingoMichel Foucault noPeter Bourdieu wokuhleleka kwezenhlalakahle, umbono kaHenri Tajfel noJohn Turner wokuzibandakanya kwabantu kwezenhlalo kanye nombono ka-Albert Bandura wokuziphatha ngendlela engahambisani nemigomo yokulunga ukuze kubukwe abantu abajoyina amaqembu. Ngokusempeleni, ucwaningo lufuna ukubheka ukuthi labo abafikisayo bakhuthazwa yini. Umqondo wenzululwazi wakhiwa ngokuba kubuzwe intsha esencane imibuzo, intsha eyayihlela izinhlelo zokufikisa eyayisezikhundleni zokuhola abafundi ngenkathi yenza iBanga 12 ezikoleni zaseGauteng. Umbono wenzululwazi ozinzile uveza ukuthi ukufikiswa, yize kwenziwa umuntu oyedwa kusuke kungaholwa yilowo muntu kuphela, kodwa ukufikiswa kuyindlela yokukhiqiza kabusha ngokwesiko. Indlela okwenziwa ngayo lokhu kufikisa igxile ekufezeni umuzwa wokuba yingxenye yabathize, ukuguqukela osikweni nasekuvumeleni ukufikiswa. Lowo okunguye ofikisayo usuke efuna ukudlulisela phambili izingxenye zamasiko esikole, njengemikhuba, ukwakheka ngokushiyana kwamazinga, izindlela nemigomo yokuziphatha kahle, kanye nokubonisa inhlonipho kwabanye. Lowo okunguye ofikisayo ukholelwa ekutheni lokhu kungafezwa njengoba labo abafikiswayo bezokwenza lokho okuthiwa abakwenze inqobo nje uma bezogwema ukuhlukunyezwa. Umqondo wenzululwazi osunguliwe uzinzile futhi waqinisekiswa ngokufaka ababambiqhaza imibuzo emiphakathini yezikole eyayinolwazi olunzulu maqondana nesiko lesikole kanye nabafundi beBanga 12. / Thupiso ke mokgwa wa kgale, wa lefase ka bophara. Ditshabeng tsa kgale le tsa mehleng ye, tlhoko ya go tsenela sehlopha ke karolo ya botho bja rena. Tshepetso ya go tsenela sehlopha gantsi e akaretsa tlhoko ya thupiso go kgonthisisa boleloko bjo bo feletsego. Nyakisiso ye e somisa mahlamo a teori a Foucault, dipono tsa Pierre Bourdieu tsa thulaganyo ya setshaba, teori ya Henri Tajfel le John Turner ya boitshupo bja setshaba, le teori ya Albert Bandura ya tlogelo ya melawana ya boitshwaro go lekola batho ba ba tsenelago dihlopha. Ka kakaretso, nyakisiso ye e lekile go kgonthisisa gore gobaneng bao ba rupiswago ba hlohleletswa go tsea magato. Teori ya kgoboketso le tshekatsheko e tsweleditswe ka go botsisa baswa dipotsiso bao, ge ba sa le maemong a boetapele bjalo ka barutwana ba Mphato wa 12 dikolong tsa Gauteng, ba rulagantsego ditiro tsa go sira. Teori ya kgoboketso le tshekatsheko e laetsa gore thupiso bjale ka ge e diragatswa ke motho ga e susumetswe ke motho yoo a le nosi, eupsa thupiso ke mokgwa wa pusoloso ya setso. Mokgwa wo thupiso e diregago ka wona o tsepeletse go fihlelela boikwelo bja go amogelega, go latela setso se se filwego le go dumelelana le thupiso. Morupisi o hlohleletswa go fetisetsa dikarolo tsa setso tsa sekolo, e lego ditso tsa sekolo, dibopego tsa haerakhi, mekgwa le maemo a tayo, le go laetsa tlhompho ya maleba go ba bangwe. Morupisi o dumela gore se se ka fihlelelwa bjalo ka ge bao ba rupiswago ba obamela ge ba ka thibela go goboswa. Teori ye e hlabolotswego e kgobokeditswe le go sekasekwa gomme e ile ya tiiswa ka go ka botsisa bakgathatema dipotsiso sekolong sa setshaba bao ba nago le tsebo ye e tseneletsego ya setso sa sekolo le ya barutwana ba Mphato wa 12. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)