M.A. / Szasz (1961), in a book entitled, "The Myth of Mental Illness", argues about the age-old debate, whether the diagnosis of mental illness is culturally related or not. In today's multicultural milieu, clinicians are confronted with this same problem. For the purpose of the present qualitative study, Ancestral Possession (AP) and Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), will be considered. The initial purpose of the study was to explore the fields of Ancestral Possession (AP) and Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) amongst black subjects, and to explore how these two phenomena are understood within a cultural context. Due to practical problems encountered in finding a black subject diagnosed as suffering from MPD, the subject focus had to be slightly altered. The aim of the study was changed to investigating MPD, as a Western culture diagnosis, and AP, as an African culture diagnosis, and comparing these two phenomena. The phenomenological approach was used as a theoretical basis for the study. It was assumed that since this study focuses on subjective experiences, the phenomenological approach would be more applicable. Two case studies (MPD and AP) comprise the data of this study. A video tape, consisting of interviews of the two case studies, is part of the data, including a literature study on both phenomena. The data analysis focused on comparing the personal background of the two case studies and the manifestation and treatment of both phenomena within their cultural contexts. The differences and similarities that emerge, are discussed. It was found that there are some similarities and also some differences between the two phenomena. Similarities are found, for instance, in the symptom profile of the two phenomena. The core personality in MPD usually presents with a fragile appearance (physical and psychological) and will report losing time (having time that is unaccounted for, because other personalities had taken over). The same thing happens with isiguli (literally, patient), a person who is being called by the ancestors. She looks sick, she will find herself in places without knowing how she got there. In both phenomena the subjects appear tormented before integration. The two conditions are also alike in terms of their effect on the central personality. The ancestral spirits and the alter personalities seem to play the same role of enabling the core personality to be well-functioning. In terms of the differences found between the two phenomena, ancestral possession is socially approved in the African culture whereas multiple personality disorder is considered an illness from the Western perspective. The role of socio-cultural factors seems to complicate matters. As enculturation continues and white South Africans are becoming traditional healers, it would be interesting to see how many black South Africans will in future, be diagnosed as suffering from MPD as there are very few, if any, at present. In terms of etiological factors, MPD is usually a result of trauma whereas ancestral possession is a religious experience. The results were inconclusive in that some aspects, for instance, physiological manifestation of AP could not be clearly explained. This is due to the fact that there has not been any laboratory research done to examine the chemical and physiological changes of traditional healers when under the influence of ancestral spirits. As opposed to that, MPD subjects have been reported to have alter personalities that would indicate different EEGs and some other physiological differences.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of selected demographic variables and personality variables to industrial arts teaching. The groups under investigation were: the national group (A) of 156 American Industrial Arts Association teacher of the year recipients and the national group (B) of 163 randomly selected industrial arts teachers. The personality variables were those variables as measured by Jackson's (1974) Personality Research Form (PRF). Data collected from the population groups, as measured by the PRF and as reported on the demographic questions, were analyzed using the statistical procedures of multiple analysis of variance combined with t-tests and chi-square tests of significance. Simultaneous confidence intervals were calculated for the personality variables for both groups "A" and "B" following Morrison's (1976) Multivariate Statistical Methods. The two nationally identified groups of industrial arts teachers were found to be different in respect to both the demographic variables and personality profiles. The AIAA award recipients tended to be older, more experienced, and had earned generally higher degree levels than did those industrial arts teachers of the randomly selected group (B). The AIAA award recipients were generally teaching in larger schools, unit laboratories, and were more satisfied with industrial arts as a profession than those of the "B" group. The group (B) of randomly selected industrial arts teachers were more often found to be teaching in smaller schools, yet similar size communities, and in general industrial arts laboratories, as well as being somewhat less satisfied with industrial arts teaching as a profession than were those of the "A" group. The AIAA award recipients tended to possess a somewhat higher need for achievement and cognitive structure combined with a somewhat lower need for aggression, autonomy, and play than did those of the "B" group. These tendencies would suggest persons who would appear to be striving, accomplishing, purposeful, more precise, definite, and more meticulous than other industrial arts teachers. These persons would also appear to be less aggressive and less quarrelsome. They appear to be more generally manageable, dependent, less carefree, and less pleasure seeking than the group of randomly selected industrial arts teachers. The return rate of 71.8 percent for the AIAA award recipients as compared to only 49.1 percent for the randomly selected industrial arts teachers would suggest a stronger interest in professional activities or at least a stronger need to be involved. The two national groups of industrial arts teachers were found to be quite different in comparison to the PRF normative group of college men. Both groups of industrial arts teachers were found to possess personality profiles which tended to suggest persons who were less rebellious, less likely to change, more manageable, conforming, precise, meticulous, and needed structure more than those of the normative group. Furthermore, the AIAA award recipients were more reflective of persons who tended to be accomplishing, industrious, careful, sympathetic, protective, neat, systematic, and more disciplined than those of the normative group of college men. The AIAA recipients tended to be more approval seeking, socially sensitive, and generally more desirous of credit than the normative group. The industrial arts teachers of the "A" group also tended to be less reckless, impatient, impulsive, and less carefree than the college men of the normative group. / Ph. D.

M.A. (Psychology) / A survey of the literature which concerns this study, indicated the tremendous confusion which exists in the field of Sport Psychology. Many researchers investigated various divergent factors and drew conclusions without attempting to formulate links with existing research. The lack of specific cultural research in South Africa, served as motivation for undertaking this research project.The aim of this study was to compare three groups of successful swimmers (Olympic swimmers, successful and unsuccessful provincial swimmers) in relation to certain temperament traits. The research hypothesis suggested that such traits might be the using factors for differential success levels in swimming. These traits included; Sensation Seeking, Nervous System Type, Introversion-Extraversion, and General Anxiety competitive anxiety. Self Concept was also investigated. The sample consisted of 58 competitive swimmers drawn from the 1992 South African Olympic Swimming Team, and the Eastern Transvaal and Transvaal Provincial Swimming Teams. The Olympic Team comprised the most successful group, while the remainder of the sample was subdivided into two groups (Successful and Unsuccessful Groups). The distinction was based on whether the individual swimmers had won medals and made the final of their respective races at the South African National Championships ...

M.A. (Psychology) / This study was motivated by the relative lack of research pertaining to the following aspects ofperfectionism: ~ The differences between the personality structure of high and low perfectionists. ~ The trend in available research in respect of perfectionism to regard the high perfectionist individual as maladapted and the low perfectionist individual as normal. ~ The possible association between parental styles and the development of perfectionist behavior in children. The literature describes perfectionism as a multi-dimensional construct. Perfectionism is perceived as consisting of both intra- and interdimensional aspects. The focus of the perfectionist can either be on the self (self-oriented perfectionism), on others (olher-oriented perfectionism) or on expectations from the outside world (socially prescribed perfectionism) (e.g. Hewitt &Flett, 1991a). According to a number of research studies the perfectionist is lnclned to suppress emotions (e.g. Smith, 1990) and harbour irrational thought patterns (e.g. Flett, Hewitt, Blankstein & Koledin, 1991). Interpersonal problems arise because the perfectionist, for example, isolates herself socially, criticizes others (Smith, 1990) and has an extreme need for control within interpersonal relationships (e.g. Mental Health Net, 1999). In spite of research regarding the association between perfectionism and certain personality traits there remains a dearth of findings concerning personality structure and perfectionism in women...

M.A. / In this study it is assumed that psychological factors are playing an increasingly important role in the success of rugby teams in a professional era. One such a factor is that of group dynamics and specifically that of group cohesion. In this study, the use of another psychological construct, personality, in the improvement of cohesion is investigated. The personality profiles of the players in a particular team are analysed to determine the possible effects that the personalities of the players could have on the cohesion in the team. In this regard, the Jackson Personality Inventory —Revised is used to plot the personality profiles of all the players. Only scales of the inventory, that are relevant to cohesion, are being used. The relevancy of these particular scales are determined by the literary review of the cohesion construct, which includes the definition and essence of cohesion. Correlation studies would have to determine the true correlation between cohesion and the selected scales of the inventory. General tendencies in the team regarding the profiles and consequent influence on cohesion are discussed as well as the individual profiles of each one of the members of the team. In this regard, the possible influence that a particular player's personality profile could have on the cohesion in the team, is indicated and discussed. It is concluded that the use of personality profiles could be seen as a framework from which coaches and managers of rugbyteams could make use of in order to improve the cohesion in the team.

M.A. / The present study was undertaken in an attempt to understand and ascertain the relation between personality traits and posttraumatic stress (PTSD) in the South African Police Service (SAPD) leading to chronic illness and work-related dysfunctions. The specific hypothesis for this study will show that by means of the Comrey Personality Scales (CPS) a statistic significant distinction between police officers with PTSD and police officers without PTSD exists. The testing of the hypothesis entailed a group of 120 functional police officers that consists of white, male nonofficers. They worked in the Pretoria area of the SAPD. The PTSD status of the subjects was assessed by means of the PTDS Interview Guide of Watson, Juba, Manifold, Kucala and Anderson (1991). Police officers that met the criteria for PTSD by means of the PTSD Interview Guide were place in one group (PTSD-group, n = 414. Police officers that did not meet the criteria were placed in another group (Non-PTSD-group, n = 79). Personality traits were measured by means of the CPS. There was a significant difference between the personality traits of the PTSDgroup in comparison with the Non-PTSD-group. The PTSD-group appears to be more compulsive and ordered, more introspective, more neurotic, more sensitive and more defensive in comparison with the Non-PTSD-group. It is postulated that these personality traits can possibly cause policemen to be more susceptible for the development of PTSD.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Previous research has found that the clarity of information provided to raters about women managers’ performance affects ratings of their competence, likeability, and overall evaluation. The current study sought to contribute to this literature by examining whether individual differences of raters can explain the reason for differential performance evaluations of male and female managers, despite them both performing equally. For this purpose, the current research extended the findings of Heilman and colleagues by replicating their methodology while introducing a moderator variable, the rater’s Implicit Person Theory (IPT). The IPT differentiates people into either entity theorists (that is, those who believe that behavior is trait-based and therefore fixed and stable) and incremental theorists (those who believe that behavior is situationally mediated and hence, changeable). Specifically, it was proposed that the effects found in the previous study would be stronger when the rater possessed an entity theory as opposed to an incremental theory. In doing so, this research attempted to provide an understanding of why male and female managers might be given different ratings, all other things being equal. Analyses revealed results that were consistent with, as well as some that were quite inconsistent with, previous findings. Rater IPT was found to have a significant effect on ratings provided by male participants but not those of female participants. Other findings and implications are discussed and limitations and future research directions are stated.