Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Some salespeople cope with the chronic stress that accompanies sales jobs better than others. That is, while all salespeople possess some ability for coping with job stress, some coping mechanisms work better than others. Thus, it is critically important to identify the coping mechanismwhich are associated with the most positive organizational outcomes (i.e., higher performance, increased retention). Research on the coping mechanisms of salespeople is in its exploratory stage. Increased knowledge concerning how salespeople cope with chronic job stress would help researchers and managers to clarify why certain job outcomes occur instead of others (i.e., performance, retention, and burnout). This study proposes and tests a set of relationships pertaining to the dimensionality and the outcomes of salespeople's coping styles. The model identifies the antecedents of coping style and proposes three types of coping style salespeople employ to reduce job stress- emotion focused coping (EFC), problemfocused coping (PFC) and action oriented coping (AOC). It also elucidates the outcomes associated with EFC and PFC styles. The empiricalfindingssuggest that among salespeople, those who use PFC possess a more pronounced internal locus of control, perceive higher social support, and project higher continuance commitment, and higher self efficacy than those who use EFC. The findings also suggest that salespeople who use PFC tend to be more satisfied and express greater well being than those who use EFC. Additionally, salespeople who use EFC tend to exhibit greater propensity to burnout and greater tendency to withdraw than those who use PFC. The model holds considerable promise froma managerial standpoint. Because the model partially predicts whether the outcome of a particular coping style will be positive or negative, managers can train their salespeople to cope with job stress more effectively. Additionally, it may be significantly helpful to those who recruit salespeople. Sales recruiters ought to be able to identify applicants with a greater orientation toward an internal locus of control. Internally driven individuals are more likely to use a problem focused coping style. In the context of hiring salespeople, this knowledge can be of crucial importance.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / South African paramedics are thought to be exposed to a high number of critical incidents as compared to paramedics elsewhere (Ward, Lombard & Gwebushe, 2006). Therefore, South African paramedics are at particular risk of suffering from negative effects associated from the exposure to critical incidents. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning which paramedics attach to the experience of “critical incidents” (Mitchell, 1983). This information may be beneficial for those working in Emergency Medical Services in South Africa to further understandings of paramedics’ experience of work related trauma. Five paramedics, sourced from both public and private ambulance service, between the ages of 27 and 36 years old, who have had between 8 to 12 years of working experience were interviewed regarding their lived experiences of critical incidents. The semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed based on the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework suggested by Smith and Osborn (2008). The analysis of each of the participant’s transcripts provided four master themes, some of which are supported by superordinate themes. The master themes are: 1) Experiencing the trauma of critical incidents, 2) Experiencing in the “World” of EMS, 3) Intrinsic factors and active attempts of coping with stress, and 4)Personal consequence of being a paramedic. For most of the participants, their narratives highlighted that the organisational variables were considered to be more important than the nature of the critical incidents they experienced. Critical incidents were deemed traumatic as there was a disparity between the participant’s expectations of what was expected and what they were confronted with in “reality”. In addition, the participants described forming an emotional bond with their patients or the patient’s family, which added to their distress. The participants’ narratives emphasised the importance of the role of the EMS organisation in influencing their experiences. Despite employing a number of coping strategies to mediate the effects of organisational as well as critical incident stress, the participants reported experiencing longterm negative psychological symptoms that have impacted on their personal and familial lives. These findings support the growing body of knowledge that demonstrates that organisational variables play an important role in either mediating or exacerbating posttrauma outcomes.

This critical realist thesis seeks to understand how student, graduate and professional identities emerge in Emergency Medical Science (EMS) students at a South African University of Technology (UoT) as well as in professional paramedics in the Emergency Medical Care Services (EMCS). It further considers the construct of graduate attributes (GAs) and its relationship to emergence of identity and influence on curriculum design. The research design is that of a case study. The theoretical framework is critical realism whose depth ontology posits three domains of reality. Causal powers and generative mechanisms exist in the Real domain which cause events or phenomena to emerge in the Actual domain that are experienced in the Empirical domain. Using retroduction one may come to explore some of the causes for the event. Using Bhaskar’s concepts of identity, the self, absence and emergence, ontology and four-planar social being, a Bhaskarian explanatory framework of identity to explore the emergence of identity has been created. In exploring graduate attributes, a critical realist question is posed: “What must the world be like for GAs to exist” to explore the possibilities of the existence of GAs. It was found that student identity emerges diachronically in three moments, while professional paramedic identity starts to emerge during the third year of study mainly through the structure, culture and agency of workplace-based learning. In answer to the critical realist question it was found that GAs emerge from the neoliberalist commodification of universities. In seeking an alternative to GAs, traits and attitudes were explored. It was found that these emerge from curriculum, interplay of departmental structure, culture and agency of and from students’ being which makes them ontologically radically different from GAs. This study concludes that student, graduate and professional identities emerge from a person’s core constellational identity diachronically within four-planar social being and the interplay of structure, culture and agency. GAs cannot be related to the emergence of identity and curriculum design because of their ontology; however, if traits and attitudes are substituted for GAs, a close relationship does exist between emergence of identity, traits and attitudes and curriculum design.

No description available.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the current South African context the Government places a great deal of emphasis on the importance of adult training and development as a solution for addressing many social and economic problems. It is therefore important to investigate all aspects regarding the training context in order to optimise learning. The trainer plays an integral part within this system. Although literature regards the trainer as very important for training success, very little substantial research has been documented with regards to the influential factors on the training style orientation that trainers use when training adults. In order to investigate this problem, a study of the relevant literature is done. The following topics are examined for this purpose: The training system and the components thereof, andragogy and pedagogy as training style orientations, several trait theories of personality as the basis of the study, locus of control as a personality trait, and the influence of personality and more specifically locus of control within work-related settings. Three questionnaires were administered on a sample of 100 respondents, i.e. a Demographic questionnaire, the Training Style Inventory and the Locus of Control Inventory in order to generate data to investigate the research problem and hypotheses. The Demographic Questionnaire collected data regarding gender, age, qualifications, training experience, ethnicity, subject area of the training content, and type of organisation. The Training Style Inventory measured the training style orientation of the trainer respondents, and the Locus of Control Inventory was used to measure the locus of control of respondents. The results indicate support for the hypothesis that there is a statistical significant correlation between locus of control and training style orientation. More specifically, there is a statistically significant correlation between internal locus of control and the andragogical training style orientation, and also between external locus of control and the pedagogical training style orientation. The main objectives of this study were successfully achieved and documented. Conclusions and recommendations for further research are made. It is recommended that future research replicate the study with a greater and random sample of respondents, within the South African context. Also, investigating the effectiveness of the trainers as a result of their locus of control and training style orientation is an interesting possibility for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: DIE VERBAND TUSSEN LOKUS VAN BEHEEROPLEIERS EN OPLEIDINGSTYLORIËNTASIE Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering plaas groot klem op die belangrikheid van volwasse opleiding en ontwikkeling in die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse konteks as 'n moontlike oplossing vir etlike sosiale en ekonomiese probleme. In 'n poging om leer te optimeer, is dit dus noodsaaklik om alle aspekte binne die opleidingskonteks deeglik in oënskou te neem. Die opleier speel 'n baie belangrike rol in die sukses van die opleidingsintervensie. Alhoewel die opleier binne die literatuur wel as In belangrike rolspeler in die sukses van opleidingsintervensies geag word, is daar baie min navorsing gedokumenteer oor die faktore wat die opleidingstyl wat opleiers tydens intervensies gebruik, beïnvloed. 'n Studie van die beskikbare literatuur ondersoek hierdie probleem. Die volgende onderwerpe is vir die doelondersoek: Die opleidingstelsel en die komponente daarvan, andragogie en pedagogie as opleidingstyloriëntasies, verskeie persoonlikheidstrekteorieë as die grondslag van die studie, lokus van beheer as 'n persoonlikheidstrek, en die invloed van persoonlikheid en meer spesifiek lokus van beheer binne die werksplek. Die data wat nodig is om die navorsingsprobleem te ondersoek en die hipoteses te toets, is ingesamel deur 100 respondente elk drie vraelyste te laat voltooi, naamlik 'n Demografiese vraelys, 'n Opleidingstylvraelys en 'n Lokus van Beheer-vraelys. Die demografiese vraelys het inligting ingesamel ten opsigte van geslag, ouderdom, kwalifikasies, opleidingservaring, etnisiteit, onderwerp van die opleidingsinhoud en die tipe organisasie betrokke. Die Opleidingstylvraelys het die opleidingstyloriëntasie van die opleiers wat deelgeneem het aan die studie gemeet, en die Lokus van Beheer vraelys is gebruik om die lokus van beheer van respondente te bepaal. Die resultate bevestig die hipotese dat daar 'n statisties beduidende verband bestaan tussen lokus van beheer en opleidingstyloriëntasie. Daar bestaan verder 'n statisties beduidende verband tussen interne lokus van beheer en 'n andragogiese opleidingstyloriëntasie, en ook tussen eksterne lokus van beheer en 'n pedagogiese opleidingstyloriëntasie. Die hoofdoelwitte van hierdie studie is suksesvol bereik en gedokumenteer. Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing word ook gemaak. Die aanbeveling is dat toekomstige navorsing hierdie studie herhaal binne die Suid- Afrikaanse konteks. Die studie behoort ook 'n groter en ewekansige steekproef in te sluit. Die effektiwiteit van die opleiers as 'n resultaat van hul lokus van beheer en opleidingstyloriëntasie is ook 'n interessante moontlikheid vir verdere navorsing.

(in English): The topic of the thesis is submitted, as an adaptation of a new employee in the organization. Introducing the topic within its complexity, showing his particular aspects of psychophysiology, mainly psychological resilience, and the influence to stress. Works on maps of the current possibilities and knowledge relating to the adaptation of the work. Specific attention is applied to the adaptation of the organizational culture. Aim of the empirical part of the thesis is to analyze employee orientation program of the specific banking company, its organizational culture and the specific position to organize the adjusting options, further improvements to the existing program. To this end, we have used variety of wide methods, mainly the qualitative nature of its character.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in Emergency Medicine. Johannesburg, March, 2016 / Objectives: The aim of the current research was to determine the perception and experience of different emergency department occupational groups regarding workplace violence in the past 12 months and to determine the effect that it had on them in two government hospitals in Johannesburg, South Africa. Materials and Methods: The current research was a cross sectional, retrospective qualitative survey. Results: Eighty-six surveys (43%) out of the distributed 200 questionnaires were returned. Five surveys were unfilled leaving 81 surveys (40.5%) that are included in the analysis. Psychological violence was experienced by 73 % (n=51) of the participants while physical violence was experienced by 34.2% (n=27). Patients were the perpetrators of 61% and 67.9% of psychological and physical violence against staff members, respectively. Friends and family members who accompanied patients in the emergency department accounted for 27.4% psychological violence while this same set of people caused 17.3% of physical violence. Ninety-one percent of the participants reported that they did not receive any training courses on how to handle workplace violence incidents. Medical staff (doctors and nurses) were found to be at an increased risk to psychological violence. Conclusions: Workplace violence was commonly experienced by ED staff members. Majority of the incidents were in the form of psychological violence; however, a considerable percentage of the participants experienced physical violent incidents. Most of the violent incidents experienced were perceived to be preventable by majority of participants. This research supports the need for practical training and education of the ED staff members, on how to prevent and deal with issues related to ED WPV. / MT2016

Since the industrial revolution, work and family have been viewed as separate spheres, with women relegated to the family sphere. With the advent of women into the paid labor force, few studies have considered the potentially complex context of women's work and family experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of family structure, occupational status, and workplace relationships on women workers' perceptions of stress. The sample for this study included 379 women dental assistants and hygienists who responded to mailed questionnaires sent to the dental offices where they worked. The dependent variables used in this analysis were mental stress, physical stress, and four social stress items. Analysis of variance was performed for the family structure groups on physical, mental, and social stress items. Single parents and parents in general were especially stressed in terms of financial stress and marital stress. The second series of analyses included t-tests on stress by occupation. Dental assistants had more financial stress than hygienists. Hygienists had more mental stress than assistants. Workplace relationships were assessed in the full regression models. Frequency of talking with fellow workers was strongly and positively associated with financial problems. The full regression models supported the findings in earlier analyses that tensions from children and financial problems were associated with the presence of children in the home. The findings in this study suggest that for women workers, work and family do not occupy separate spheres. Women workers think about family matters at the workplace and discuss them with their other women workers. Further research needs to focus on women workers, especially those in traditionally female occupations, and the work and family connections for these workers. / Graduation date: 1992