Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. (Community Psychology) degree in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2009. / The researcher developed an ubuntu re-cultivation programme, titled "the Enhancement of Interpersonal Effectiveness" (EIE), for reducing aggressive antisocial behaviour through education and training workshop sessions that encourage participatory learning. The programme was applied on 16 incarcerated male indigenous African offenders in a maximum security prison. The participants ranged in age between 26 and 40 years (mean=3I.I years) and their education stretched from Grade 7 to 12 (mean Grade 10.2). Residential accommodation split the participants into two groups of 9 and 7, which made their facilitation manageable. Baseline performances of participants were established on the Carlson Psychological Survey (CPS) and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). The profiles of the CPS showed that the participants had entrenched antisocial behaviour lifestyles and manifestations of feelings of ill-health which included anxiety and depression. The AQ revealed tendencies towards high levels of aggression, anger and hostility. Four, one hourly EIE intervention sessions, were administered per week for six weeks. Post-intervention profile analyses of the AQ revealed significant reductions in 10 of the 16 participants. The reductions occurred in an average of two of the following 5 AQ components: anger, hostility, physical aggression, verbal aggression and indirect aggression. There were also reductions of antisocial ideation on the CPS of half of the participants. The CPS profiles also showed remission of anxiety and depression in 10 participants. The EIE Examination Assignment and the Programme Evaluation Questionnaire indicated that the majority of participants increased their knowledge and skills for constructive social relationships. The findings support the recommendation for the inclusion of EIE as a regular psychological education and training programme for male indigenous African offenders in the correctional centre and other correctional centres with a climate conducive for learning and development.

Interpersonal partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide public health problem. As a result of IPV, victims report high rates of physical and behavioral disabilities. Help-seeking behaviors are key to obtaining support on facing and managing IPV. Cultural practices such as machismo, marianismo, and familismo are related to keeping quiet and remaining in an abusive relationship in Latinas. Difficulties in sharing emotions, setting interpersonal boundaries, and communicating needs are also behavioral barriers to seeking help in this population. All these factors are associated with social disconnection which reduces victims’ chances of obtaining support in risky situations. Although several programs have been developed for helping victims of IPV, more evidence on adaptions to particular cultural and interpersonal struggles faced by Latinas’ victims is needed. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) proposes that therapeutic relationships based on intimacy can help victims of IPV to identify characteristics of those relationships that provide help when they need it. In this theoretical article, several FAP-based strategies aid therapists working with Latinas’ victims of IPV in strengthening clients’ interpersonal functioning and defeating cultural barriers when seeking help. / La violencia de pareja (IPV, por sus siglas en inglés) es un problema de salud pública mundial que genera altas tasas de discapacidades físicas y conductuales. Los comportamientos para buscar ayuda son claves para brindar soporte en el afrontamiento y el manejo de la violencia de género. El machismo, marianismo y familismo son prácticas culturales relacionadas con conductas de guardar silencio y permanecer en una relación abusiva en mujeres latinas. Asimismo, las dificultades para compartir emociones, establecer límites interpersonales y comunicar necesidades también son barreras para buscar ayuda. Estos factores están asociados a la desconexión social que reduce las posibilidades de que las víctimas sean apoyadas en situaciones de riesgo. Aunque se han desarrollado diversos programas psicológicos y sociales para ayudarlas, se necesita más evidencia sobre adaptaciones que respondan a los factores culturales e interpersonales propios de las mujeres Latinas víctimas de IPV. La Psicoterapia Analítica Funcional (FAP) propone que las relaciones terapéuticas basadas en la intimidad pueden ayudarlas a identificar características de relaciones que brindan ayuda cuando ellas la necesitan. En este artículo teórico se describen diferentes estrategias basadas en FAP con el fin de que los terapeutas que trabajan con Latinas víctimas de IPV puedan ayudarlas.