In general, adolescence is regarded as a period of growth between childhood and maturity. Children in this phase undergo a so-called developmental stage of the human life cycle. Consequently, family circumstances are of great importance. Adolescents in South African remarried families go through diverse and dynamic experiences with regard to forms of family or family types: biological families, single parent families, and remarried families. In social discourse, a biological family is widely believed to be the optimal set of circumstances for children, whereas a single parent family and a remarried family lack proper support for children. Is this true? Are the circumstances of adolescents in a remarried family an obstacle to their growth? The main purpose of this research was not to gather data about adolescents in remarried families and to add such data, but to understand adolescents’ stories in greater depth. With this in-depth understanding, this research attempts to bring together the outcomes of their told stories (local knowledge) and their community and the academic world. To do this, two main characters from remarried families joined the research project and the voices of two schoolteachers were included. In order to obviate probable biases on the part of the researcher, the two teachers took on the role of a reflection team. In unstructured conversational interviews, the researcher adopted a pastoral narrative approach, in accordance with a social constructionist perspective. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This thesis looks at the experiences and needs of pastoral counsellors and ministers regarding ethical dilemmas in performing their pastoral duties. Brief attention was paid to the nature of pastoral counselling and the challenges it faces in the South African context. The problem that arose is that pastoral counsellors have a difficult and ethically and psychologically dangerous task and are not necessarily adequately prepared for or supported in that task. As such it is a study conducted within the framework of practical theology. A social constructionist paradigm, supported by a narrative approach to research was chosen. Thus the research was of a descriptive, qualitative nature. The empirical research took on the form of unstructured interviews with pastoral counsellors and others who work in related circumstances. Eight themes were identified as playing a role in pastoral counsellors’ experiences of ethical dilemmas and ethical decision-making. They are: The role of God and faith in the life of the pastoral counsellor; pastoral identity; evangelisation, prayer and preaching; hermeneutics and the role of the Bible; training and the role of mentors; approach to ethics and ethical dilemmas. Professional ethics was also identified as a contributing factor in the literature review. It was shown that these themes cannot be separated from one another and all contribute toward pastoral counsellors’ way of thinking about and dealing with ethics. A further survey of philosophical issues – such as postmodernism, pluralism, relativism, social constructionism and the South African context – shed light on the challenges pastoral counsellors face in ethical dilemmas, as a result of the postmodern discourses that influence contemporary thinking about ethics in general and Christian ethics in specific. It also showed that thinkers within the church have proposed various useful responses to these challenges. This study has shown that the emerging profession of pastoral counselling is faced with great challenges in terms of ethics. Pastoral counselling in South Africa is unique, because of the unique nature of South African society. However, the goals and principles of pastoral counselling remain the same. The value of the Judeo-Christian community’s history and the legacy of hope that has been built by pastoral counsellors in the recent past cannot be underestimated. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted