The changing work environment has caused individuals to revise and change their career decisions. This creates career uncertainty, which has become a widespread problem, particularly for students. When this problem is not addressed, it leads to career indecision, or less optimal choices which could influence career opportunities and quality of life. Career indecision could impact on organisations, resulting in problems such as person–job adjustment, lack of engagement and burnout. Although research on career uncertainty is available internationally, there is limited research on career uncertainty and its antecedents in the South African context. Career uncertainty can have short– and long–term effects on the individual. This study therefore contributes toward the gap in research on the antecedents of career uncertainty. Given that career uncertainty is a problem that individuals are constantly confronted with, it is important that the antecedents of this be investigated. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the antecedents of career uncertainty according to the literature; 2) determine if socio–demographic characteristics (gender, career guidance, help from parents, help from other individuals and work experience) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 3) determine if personality characteristics (self–esteem, self–efficacy and neuroticism) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 4) determine if career decision–making difficulties are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 5) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of career uncertainty; and 6) determine if academic performance is a significant predictor of career uncertainty. A non–probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate antecedents of career uncertainty in a sample of university students. Career uncertainty was measured by one item The changing work environment has caused individuals to revise and change their career decisions. This creates career uncertainty, which has become a widespread problem, particularly for students. When this problem is not addressed, it leads to career indecision, or less optimal choices which could influence career opportunities and quality of life. Career indecision could impact on organisations, resulting in problems such as person–job adjustment, lack of engagement and burnout. Although research on career uncertainty is available internationally, there is limited research on career uncertainty and its antecedents in the South African context. Career uncertainty can have short– and long–term effects on the individual. This study therefore contributes toward the gap in research on the antecedents of career uncertainty. Given that career uncertainty is a problem that individuals are constantly confronted with, it is important that the antecedents of this be investigated. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the antecedents of career uncertainty according to the literature; 2) determine if socio–demographic characteristics (gender, career guidance, help from parents, help from other individuals and work experience) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 3) determine if personality characteristics (self–esteem, self–efficacy and neuroticism) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 4) determine if career decision–making difficulties are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 5) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of career uncertainty; and 6) determine if academic performance is a significant predictor of career uncertainty. A non–probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate antecedents of career uncertainty in a sample of university students. Career uncertainty was measured by one item consisting of four categories: I am very sure; I know exactly what career I will pursue (n = 228), I am fairly sure what career I will pursue (n = 416), I am not sure at all which career I will pursue (n = 135) and I do not plan to follow a career (n = 3). For the objective of the study, categories one and two were grouped together with participants who were fairly certain which career they would follow, while participants in category three represented participants who were uncertain. Category four was not included as only three participants within that category answered. In total, 644 students were (fairly) certain, while 135 were uncertain. These two groups were enclosed as a dependent variable in the logistic regression. The results of this study showed that work experience influences career uncertainty to some extent. This is supported by previous research. Furthermore, it was found that self–esteem also influences career uncertainty to some degree. However, these two variables were only significant in the first steps of the logistic regression. Furthermore, the results showed that career decision–making difficulties share a significant relationship with career uncertainty. The study also found that significant antecedents of career uncertainty include: a lack of information about the decision–making process; a lack of information about occupations; inconsistent information due to internal conflict; a lack of information about ways of obtaining information; and inconsistent information due to external conflict. In conclusion, exhaustion, cynicism and dedication were also found to be significant antecedents of career uncertainty. Based on these results, this study suggests that student burnout and student engagement influence an individual’s level of career uncertainty. Recommendations were made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Student intention to drop out is a concern for higher education institutions as well for their students. Students with the intention to drop out may eventually drop out and contribute towards the already high dropout rates, which are causing economic damage. Students leaving their institution have vast financial consequences for their institution, as institutions obtain grants from the government according to their success rates. Although previous research has been conducted on students’ intention to drop out, it is limited, especially when looking at possible predictors that are specific to the South African context. This study contributes towards the gap in research regarding the possible predictors of student intention to drop out. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the possible predictors of student intention to drop out according to the literature; 2) determine if self-evaluation traits (self-esteem and self-efficacy) are significant predictors of student intention to drop out; 3) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of student intention to drop out; 4) determine if social support (social support from parents and general social support) are significant predictors of student intention to drop out; and 5) determine if career decision-making difficulties are significant predictors of student intention to drop out. A non-probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate possible predictors of career student intention to drop out in a sample of university students. Student intention to drop out was measured by one item consisting of two categories: I have no intention to drop out (n = 501), and I have an intention to drop out (n = 280). These two groups were enclosed as a dependent variable in the logistic regression. The variables included in the final model predicted between 13% (Cox and Snell) and 18% (Nagelkerke) of the variance in intention to drop out. The results of this study suggest that self-esteem had an influence on student intention to drop out. Furthermore, it was found that cynicism and dedication have a significant relationship with student intention to drop out. Lastly, lack of information about ways to obtain information also indicated a significant relationship with student intention to drop out. Thus, it may be concluded that self-esteem, burnout and engagement and lack of information about ways of obtaining information have an influence on students’ intention to drop out. Recommendations were made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Disruptive Innovation, according to the term’s founder Clayton Christensen, is defined as a specific type of innovation that is able to capture the lower-end of the market through quality, feature, or cost differences and leverage this position to achieve higher market share. Entrepreneurs who utilize disruptive innovation strategies have been historically able to create products and services that achieve massive financial and cultural success. Theories of personality characteristics have been previously applied to entrepreneurial activities, but not used to bridge the gap between developmental experiences and market success. Cross-industry analysis of ten top entrepreneurial business leaders from retail, food services, and consumer electronics allows for the identification of certain personality characteristics and influences present in the early lives and careers of highly successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs can be categorized according to inherent skills and personality characteristics, which suggest either revolutionary or architecturally brilliant product or service creation. Patterns of conceptual product ideation and business model evolution show that there are similarities between experiences in an entrepreneur’s formative years and the implementation of a business model and strategy. Implications of highly successful business models as they relate to marketplace dynamics include financial success, cultural impact, and institutionalization. To varying degrees, disruptive entrepreneurs are able to institutionalize their business concepts in order to ensure lasting success in their respective marketplaces.

2/2 Abstract: In the present work we deal with a specific class of factors with the assumed potential to determine (refine) the preferred lexical meaning in case of ambiguity. A required feature of these factors is that they don't depend on the nature of any particular communication situation, but should be exclusively related to the person of the speaker or listener and some of his personality, sociolinguistics and other characteristics, i.e. traditional factors such as context, time-space characteristics, are deliberately excluded. The preferred lexical meaning was studied by means of a questionnaire survey in the sample of respondents. The analysed data were the initial immediate associations reported by the respondents in the association test for each of the thirty selected ambiguous words. The respondent was confronted with individual test terms in isolation outside of any context or specific communication situation. Under these assumptions, the ability of selected respondents' characteristics such as gender, age, education, geographical area of their life, profession or hobbies of the respondent can be examined to what extent they can be the explanatory factors of the lexical meaning of the first choice in the test expressions. In addition to the specific findings concerning the factors of lexical...

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die doel van hierdie studie was om die verwantskap tussen persoonlikheidstipes en 'n salutogeniese konstruk naamlik sin vir koherensie te ondersoek. Persoonlikheid is vanuit 'n behavioristiese sowel as humanistiese paradigma ondersoek en sin vir koherensie vanuit 'n salutogeniese paradigma. Die studie is uitgevoer onder middelvlak bestuurders in 'n finansiele instelling waarvan die totale populasie in 'n gegewe geografiese gebied betrek is. Twee meetinstrumente, naamlik die lewensorientasievraelys (OLQ) en die Myers-Briggs tipe indikator (MBTI) is gebruik op die populasie van 57 bestuurders. Pearson produkmoment-korrel asiekoeffisiente is bereken en 'n variansie-ontleding is gedoen. Die resultate van hierdie studie toon dat daar nie 'n beduidende verband is tussen persoonlikheidstipes en sin vir koherensie nie. Die aanname word gemaak dat 'n verwantskap tussen die twee konstrukte moontlik gevind kan word indien 'n meer geografies verspreide en heterogene proefgroep gebruik word waarin al die persoonlikheidstipes verteenwoordig is. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality types a11d a salutogenic construct, namely sense of coherence. Personality has been investigated from a behaviouristic as well as a humanistic paradigm and sense of coherence from a salutogenic paradigm. This study has been done on persons on middle management level in a financial institution of which the total population has been approached in a given geographical area. Two measuring instruments, namely the Orientation To Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) have been used on the population of 57 managers. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient has been calculated and a variation analysis has been done. The results of this study show that there is no significant relation between personality types and sense of coherence. It is supposed that a relationship between the two constructs might be found if a more heterogenic and geographically spread experimental group is used in such a way that all the personality types are represented. / Psychology / M.A. (Bedryfsielkunde)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Actually, the increase on combat sport practitioners, as such the changing among modality is evident. Therefore, it is important to investigate which real motivations to practice of such sports. Additionally identify personality characteristics of these athletes is important because this variable could be influence on competition performance. The aim of the current study was to identify the motivations for sports and main personality characteristics and finally, to correlate the two variables. To do so were evaluated 150 athletes, age over 18 years, of both sexes, from four combat sports (Boxing, Wrestling, Judo and Taekwondo). Two instruments were used: Scale of Reasons for Sports Practice (SRSP) and the model of Big Five Personality (BFP). The results showed that, on motivational dimensions, skills with higher scores were health and technical, indicating the great importance that these variables have to combat sports athletes. The results showed that personality of Combat sports athletes had as a major feature of Kindness. Finally, after correlate the motivation to sports with personality characteristics in combat sports athletes, we conclude that there is no correlation between the variables studied. / Atualmente o crescimento no número de praticantes de esporte de combate, bem como a rotatividade entre modalidade é evidente. Portanto é importante investigar quais as reais motivações para a prática desse tipo de esporte. Adicionalmente identificar características de personalidade desses atletas também é importante, pois essa variável também pode exercer influência no desempenho durante uma competição. O presente estudo objetivou identificar as motivações para a prática esportiva, as principais características de personalidade e por fim, correlacionar as duas variáveis. Para isso foram avaliados 150 atletas de 4 modalidades de esportes de combate (Boxe, Luta Olímpica, Judô e Taekwondo) com idade superior a 18 anos, de ambos os sexos. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos: Escala sobre Motivos para a Prática Esportiva (EMPE) e o modelo de Cinco Grandes Fatores da Personalidade (CGF). Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que as dimensões motivacionais que receberam maior pontuação foram saúde e técnica, apontando o quanto essas variáveis têm importância para atletas de esportes de combate. Quanto aos traços de personalidade, podemos afirmar que os atletas praticantes de esportes de combate possuem como característica de personalidade mais pontuada a Amabilidade. Por fim, correlacionando o tipo de motivação à prática esportiva aos traços de personalidade em atletas de esporte de combate, concluímos que não há correlação entre as variáveis estudadas.

This study examined personality characteristics of dental students at Faculty of Dentistry at Kuwait University and investigated the relationships between personality characteristics of these students and their preferred teaching methods. In order to assess personality characteristics, The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) was used. For teaching method categorization Grasha’s (2002) classification was used. This research builds knowledge about personality traits as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory® of dental students in Kuwait. Further, it adds knowledge about teaching methods preferred by dental students. Two surveys, the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator® Form M and a brief learning preference for teaching methodology survey, served as data collection instruments. Twenty-seven out of 43 dental students were interested in participation. Twenty-three (53.4%) students completed both surveys. After the data were analyzed, no dominant personality types among the dental students surveyed was uncovered. There were, however, four types slightly more represented than others. This study did find some correlations between certain subgroups and preferences for teaching methods. The study also found that students perceived Hybrid and Demonstrator methods as both the most preferred and most beneficial. Overall, the findings support that there is association between personality and preferences of teaching method and there is a preference of a teaching method over the other in dental education in general.

Объектом исследования явились личностные характеристики женщин. Предметом исследования стали различия личностных характеристик у женщин с нормальным и избыточным весом. Магистерская диссертация состоит из введения, двух глав, заключения, списка литературы (174 источника) и приложений, включающих в себя бланки применявшихся методик, результаты определения наличия избыточного веса, результаты проверки гипотезы о соответствии распределения полученных данных нормальному распределению, описательные статистики, таблицы корреляций между индексом массы тела и показателями методик. Объем магистерской диссертации 169 страниц, на которых размещены 3 рисунка и 12 таблиц. Во введении раскрывается актуальность проблемы исследования, разработанность проблематики, ставятся цель и задачи исследования, определяются объект и предмет исследования, формулируются основная, частные и дополнительная гипотезы, указываются методы и эмпирическая база, а также этапы проведения исследования, теоретическая и практическая значимость работы. В первой главе были рассмотрены понятия нормальной, идеальной и избыточной массы тела, психологические аспекты и причины избыточного веса, систематизированы данные о психологических аспектах и причинах избыточного веса, видах и психологических аспектах пищевого поведения; проанализированы отечественные и зарубежные исследования личностных характеристик женщин с избыточным весом. Выводы по первой главе представляют собой итоги по изучению теоретического материала. Вторая глава посвящена эмпирической части исследования. В ней представлено описание организации и методов проведенного исследования и результатов, полученных по всем использованным методикам: пятифакторному опроснику личности «Большая пятерка» («Big five»); опроснику измерения агрессивных и враждебных реакций А. Басса и А. Дарки; Тесту-опроснику самоотношения; методике измерения самооценки Дембо – Рубинштейн. Также в главе представлены результаты корреляционного анализа индекса массы тела и личностных характеристик женщин. Выводы по главе 2 включают в себя основные результаты эмпирического исследования. В заключении в обобщенном виде изложены результаты теоретической и эмпирической частей работы, а также результаты проверки выдвинутых гипотез, обоснована практическая значимость исследования. / The object of the research was the personal characteristics of women. The subject of the study was the differences in personal characteristics in women with normal and overweight. The master's thesis consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, a list of references (174 sources) and annexes, including the forms of the applied methods, the results of determining the presence of excess weight, the results of testing the hypothesis that the distribution of the obtained data corresponds to the normal distribution, descriptive statistics, tables of correlations between body mass index and method indicators. The volume of the master's thesis is 169 pages, which contain 3 figures and 12 tables. The introduction reveals the relevance of the research problem, the elaboration of the problem, sets the goal and objectives of the research, defines the object and subject of research, formulates the main, particular and additional hypotheses, indicates the methods and empirical base, as well as the stages of research, the theoretical and practical significance of the work. The first chapter considered the concepts of normal, ideal and overweight, psychological aspects and causes of overweight, systematized data on the psychological aspects and causes of overweight, types and psychological aspects of eating behavior; analyzed domestic and foreign studies of the personal characteristics of overweight women. Conclusions for the first chapter represent the results of the study of theoretical material. The second chapter is devoted to the empirical part of the study. It contains a description of the organization and methods of the study and the results obtained by all the methods used: the five-factor personality questionnaire "Big five"; a questionnaire for measuring aggressive and hostile reactions by A. Bass and A. Darka; Self-attitude questionnaire test; Dembo - Rubinstein self-assessment methodology. The chapter also presents the results of a correlation analysis of body mass index and personal characteristics of women. Conclusions from Chapter 2 include the main findings of the empirical study. The conclusion summarizes the results of the theoretical and empirical parts of the work, as well as the results of testing the hypotheses put forward, substantiates the practical significance of the study.

No description available.

Diploma thesis ,,Personality Traits of Students and Assistant Jobs" The thesis deals with personality characteristics of students and professionals doing a job of a social service worker. The purpose was to find out whether professionals and students doing such job have necessary personality preconditions for their profession. The theoretical part describes personality preconditions required for this profession and, at the same time, warns of features that are unsuitable for it. It also includes information about pitfalls associated with this profession and methods of prevention and intervention that may help social service workers to cope with these pitfalls. Within the framework of the survey, answers to the asked questions demonstrated that students and professionals in this field don't have good preconditions for doing the job. Some of them seem to have been affected by a "syndrome of a helper" when choosing this profession. The conclusion of the thesis emphasises the importance of education, preventive programmes, self-experience training and supervision as prevention of pitfalls.