Drawing on themes of relationship, addiction, loss and love, this collection explores, through a series of nonfiction memoir essays, the author's movement toward a mature masculinity. He offers this series of works with hopes that others, too may find some measure of insight, acceptance, and not least of all, humor in the puzzles, contradictions, and small glimpses of light afforded by the gift of being human.

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Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology is a profession which entails a broad spectrum of working activities. One of these activities is workplace counselling which forms a significant part of the internship programme. However, interns often lack the necessary skills to provide counselling. In order to function in a counselling role, the I-O psychologist should have the necessary training to be equipped with counselling skills. It is evident from previous studies that I-O psychology practitioners often feel they lack the ability to counsel individuals sufficiently. Therefore it is important for I-O psychology students to focus on their development to become effective counsellors by focussing on their inter- and intrapersonal skills as part of the skills package as a counsellor. Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) is one way of measuring a person’s intrapersonal skills in terms of the individual’s intention to change and grow. The main aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of PGI among I-O psychology students. Participation in this study was limited to I-O psychology students (N = 568). The students differed in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and language. The results provided the researcher with an indication of what the students’ intention to grow and develop as an individual entails in order to provide a basis for further research, namely to develop a training programme for I-O psychology students as workplace counsellors.. The PGI of the students were measured by means of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS). This is a nine-item instrument with a six-point Likert type scale ranging from 0 (definitely disagree) to 6 (definitely agree). The results indicated that PGI is prevalent among the I-O psychology students. Furthermore, the study showed that PGI is relevant to all gender and ethnic groups amongst I-O psychology students. Significant differences were found for the different ages and languages. From the results it is recommended that higher education institutions adapt training programmes to foster personal growth initiative amongst I-O psychology students. Future research can also make use of the PGIS-II to measure PGI as this is the latest version of the construct. In terms of the organisation it is recommended that I-O practitioners should be more growth focussed. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology is a profession which entails a broad spectrum of working activities. One of these activities is workplace counselling which forms a significant part of the internship programme. However, interns often lack the necessary skills to provide counselling. In order to function in a counselling role, the I-O psychologist should have the necessary training to be equipped with counselling skills. It is evident from previous studies that I-O psychology practitioners often feel they lack the ability to counsel individuals sufficiently. Therefore it is important for I-O psychology students to focus on their development to become effective counsellors by focussing on their inter- and intrapersonal skills as part of the skills package as a counsellor. Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) is one way of measuring a person’s intrapersonal skills in terms of the individual’s intention to change and grow. The main aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of PGI among I-O psychology students. Participation in this study was limited to I-O psychology students (N = 568). The students differed in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and language. The results provided the researcher with an indication of what the students’ intention to grow and develop as an individual entails in order to provide a basis for further research, namely to develop a training programme for I-O psychology students as workplace counsellors.. The PGI of the students were measured by means of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS). This is a nine-item instrument with a six-point Likert type scale ranging from 0 (definitely disagree) to 6 (definitely agree). The results indicated that PGI is prevalent among the I-O psychology students. Furthermore, the study showed that PGI is relevant to all gender and ethnic groups amongst I-O psychology students. Significant differences were found for the different ages and languages. From the results it is recommended that higher education institutions adapt training programmes to foster personal growth initiative amongst I-O psychology students. Future research can also make use of the PGIS-II to measure PGI as this is the latest version of the construct. In terms of the organisation it is recommended that I-O practitioners should be more growth focussed. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The thesis is in two parts. Part I examines the possibility of a humanistic science of persons. The failure of the psychometric approach to personality research is described. It is argued that psychometrics denies the common-sense, everyday-life basis of its procedures. Then, with the aim of constructing a true science of persons, some of the concepts of a philosophy of the person are introduced. Finally, it is suggested that a science of persons would be a science of interpretation. A methodology for such a science is set out, along with the examples of research which has exploited these methods. In Part II, a programme of substantive research is presented. The aim is to investigate those experiences which individuals claim lead to their personal 'growth'. Two 'growth' movements - Transcendental Meditation and encounter groups - are studied as social-psychological phenomena. The methods used are personal accounts and participant observation. These activities are described as constituting unique identifiable 'regions of social reality'. It is concluded that they resemble forms of art such as novels or films more than forms of therapy or education. The implications of this conclusion are explored in a final Chapter.

Faculty of Humanities, School of Education, Master of Education research report. / This is a retrospective case study of an intervention aimed at transforming communication and interpersonal relations in a small company in South Africa. The objective was for the Innergize consultancy to integrate black factory workers and white office staff across race and class into one team by healing the psychological effects of Apartheid. The research questioned how change would be recognised and if it could be sustained within an organisation. The workshop method used by Innergize separated the two groups so that conflict within the groups could be resolved, personal growth facilitated and attitudes towards race surfaced. Then the staff joined together and continued the process through communication, cultural exchange and gender awareness. The staff developed on a personal level, interpersonally, and a climate of trust resulted. The success was partly due to individual attention given to each person, clearing the past before addressing the present, and offering tools for sustaining the process. Structures were set up to sustain changes at the organisational level, however the project ended abruptly, due to a number of factors. The study concluded that in order for a transformation process to be successful at both interpersonal and organisational levels, management must remain committed to a longterm process. Keywords: managing diversity; attitudes; healing; race; organisational change; personal growth; South Africa; workshops; communication.

Prior research on maternal postpartum care, the transition to motherhood, pelvic floor dysfunction, and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has revealed that postpartum women are often denied the basic information, instruction, and preventive strategies necessary for optimal postbirth rehabilitation and psychological well-being. Employing a dual framework of self-determination theory and personal growth initiative (PGI) theory, this quantitative study utilized a cross-sectional design to investigate if autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction predicted PGI in postpartum women. Differences in autonomy, competence, relatedness, and PGI between PFMT practicing and nonpracticing postpartum women were also examined. A web-based survey method was employed to collect data from 229 postpartum women, which consisted of 121 women not practicing PFMT and 108 women practicing PFMT. The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale measured autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The PGI Scale-II measured PGI. Standard multiple regression and 4 independent-samples t tests were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that autonomy, competence, and relatedness predicted PGI. There were no significant mean differences between PFMT practicing and nonpracticing women. These findings have implications for positive social change such that the medical community and policy makers can utilize the fulfillment of postpartum women's needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness to improve women's odds for optimal adjustment and adaptation to life after childbirth.

Towards a mature shame culture seeks to identify new tools for social change through a deeper understanding of the social psychology of shame and guilt. The study takes as its starting point a suggestion by Richard Hauser and Hephzibah Menhuin-Hauser that many personal and social crises can be interpreted through the lens of a late 20th Century transition from a guilt culture to an 'infantile' shame culture. Implicit in this is the need to develop more socially mature forms.This idea is placed in the context of praxis for personal/social growth drawing on previously unpublished material from the Hauser's archive. The study then explores a theoretical framework for understanding the social psychology of emotions in general, and shame in particular. It draws on affect psychology, micro-sociology and social attachment theory. Shame is located primarily as a social emotion, with a normative function of monitoring social bonds between people - rather than, as it is usually framed, as a 'self-conscious', 'negative' and 'pathological'emotion. This reframing of the experience highlights the 'salutogenic' function of shame in building and strengthening relationships. In this frame much of what is commonly thought of as 'shame' can be seen to be the result of unacknowledged shame, where other emotions are bound to the sense of shame and carried as 'toxic' memories of unresolved shame experiences. This pattern of unresolved shame can be seen at the root of the personal and social pathologies of violence and alienation.The study charts how attempts to communicate this salutogenic perspective on shame led to an experiential education workshop Working with shame. It draws on the experience of participants in this workshop in a variety of settings (including anger management programs, workshops at men's gatherings, and community professional development training, and other group work). Interview data is used to illustrate how the masking of the physiological expression of shame, principally with anger and/or fear, interrupts the affective/emotional signals between people that would normally result in empathic responses an salutogenic outcomes. Finally, the study explores how this perspective on shame might inform social crisis-intervention programs at community level; and how it might be applied to the larger, and longer-term challenge of bringing about cultural change. It suggests key features that mark the transition from 'infantile' to 'juvenile' forms of shame and some of the factors limiting further growth towards shame-maturity. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Flera studier har pekat på viktiga faktorer för att hälsa och återgång till yrkeslivet ska vara möjliga men hur detta i praktiken ska ske och vilka rehabiliteringsåtgärder som är mest effektiva är otillräckligt belagt. Studien har genom intervjuer med sju kvinnor med stressrelaterade störningar granskat hur en tillfriskningsprocess kan upplevas och vad som upplevs som meningsfull hjälp i samband med den. Deras tillfriskning har inneburit en kamp och ett starkt personligt engagemang. Beslutsamhet och målinriktning var förutsättningar för att få ta del av rehabiliteringsåtgärder. Kvinnorna i studien har upplevt ett stort personligt ansvarstagande för sin tillfriskning men de har också betonat vikten av bekräftelse från en förstående omgivning. En stor besvikelse har uttryckts gentemot Försäkringskassan och i vissa fall arbetsgivare för bristande förståelse, stöd och hjälp. Genom bland annat kampandan har kvinnorna utvecklat sin självkännedom och sin livssituation.</p> / <p>Several studies have identified factors associated with the promotion of health and return to work. But knowledge is insufficient of how this is practically done and which rehabilitation methods are most effective. This study aimed to shed light on women’s experiences of their rehabilitation process and also experiences of meaningful support associated with the process. Interviews were done with seven women with stress-related disorders whose recovery involved great efforts and a great deal of personal responsibility. The respondents’ determination was a condition for receiving the needed rehabilitation measures. They also emphasized the importance of social support and an empathetic attitude from others. Respondents expressed disappointment with the way The Swedish Social Insurance Agency and employers have handled and treated them. Through the struggles women in this study have endured, they’ve achieved personal growth and the awareness needed to change their situation of life.</p>

<p>Mentoring has gained a great deal of popularity across various professional fields and disciplines over the past few years. More recently, planned mentoring has become an important form of intervention with young people (Philip, 2003). Although mentoring can be an effective strategy for dealing with youth, the mentoring is only as good as the relationship that develops out of the process between mentors and mentees and the match that is made between the two parties. The number of mentor programmes that is running continues to grow yet the quality of these programmes remains unknown as this area lacks agreed upon sets of standards and / bench marks that could be used to determine the effectiveness of these programmes (Sipe, 1988 -1995). The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the mentors&rsquo / perceptions of the effectiveness of a mentor training programme run by Big Brother Big Sister South Africa.</p>