Both popular clinical folklore and the findings of empirical research have suggested a relationship between cognitive rigidity and suicidal behavior. Specifically, it has been hypothesized that individuals deficient in the capacity for flexible thought become increasingly hopelessness and suicidal in the face of high levels of environmental stress. That is, these persons are thought to be cognitively unprepared to deal with negative life events. The present study sought to evaluate this model with hospitalized psychiatric patients placed on suicidal precautions status by hospital staff. Suicidal and non-suicidal control subjects completed measures of life stress, depression, cognitive rigidity, hopelessness, and suicidal intent. In addition, these subject also completed two measures of interpersonal problem-solving. Suicidal subjects were found to report higher levels of negative life stress in the previous year than members of the control group. Suicidal subjects were also significantly more cognitively rigid and the rigidity appears to have been reflected in their performance on the interpersonal problem-solving measures. Overall, suicidal subjects were observed to be poorer problem-solvers than the non-suicidal control group members on both measures of interpersonal problem-solving skills. More specific analyses showed that these subjects were not able to generate as many potential solutions to interpersonal problems from their own lives and when asked to evaluate these solutions, the suicidal subjects tended to rate them more negatively than did the control subjects. Suicidal subjects were also less likely than control subjects to employ these alternatives when subsequently attempting to solve the presented problem. Additionally, the suicidal subjects tended more often to implement irrelevant solutions. Although the suicidal subjects were significantly more hopeless than the non-suicidal subjects, it appears that this variable contributed independently to the level of suicide intent, rather than resulting from cognitive rigidity and interpersonal problem-solving deficits. Results are interpreted as supporting Beck's (1979) viewpoint that both deficits in problem-solving skills and hopelessness need to be addressed in the treatment of suicidal patients. / Ph. D.

This study utilized a longitudinal design, to assess the relationship between measures of problem solving skill, self-appraised problem solving ability, and coping style and measures of adjustment: suicidal ideation, depression, psychological symptomotology, general well-being, and the number of visits to the campus health center. Using multiple regression equations, the direct relationships of the cognitive variables to the measures of adjustment were tested. In addition, interactive effects of the cognitive variables with stress, as predicted by the diathesis-stress hypothesis, originally forwarded by Schotte & Clum (1982) were also examined. Findings demonstrated that the cognitive variables had main effects on the measures of adjustment. Many variables also interacted with stress to account for additional variance in the measures of adjustment. It was also found that the variables accounted for independent variance in predicting adjustment. Problem solving skill, self-appraised problem solving ability, and coping style were separate and distinct predictors of the process of assimilating or accommodating to stressful events. / Ph. D.

This study examined problem-solving and causal attributional styles as possible diatheses for depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation, given the onset of a stressor. In order to evaluate the predictive validity of these models, subjects were evaluated prospectively, before the occurrance of a naturalistic stressor, namely a midterm examination. Subjects were administered a modified version of the Means-Ends Problem Solving Scale (Platt & Spivack, 1975) to evaluate their problem-solving ability on a hypothetical task, the Problem Solving Inventory (Heppner, 1986) to evaluate perceived problem-solving ability, and the Attributional Style Questionnaire (Peterson, et al., 1982) to evaluate their causal attributional styles. The Life Experience Survey (Sarason, et al., 1978) was administered to evaluate other stressors in the subjects lives. Hypotheses included: 1) actual problem-solving deficits, 2) perceived problem solving deficits, and 3) an internal, stable and global causal attributional style will interact with both measures of stress to predict depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Results supported each of the hypotheses, though the diatheses differed in their predictive ability depending upon the measure of stress used or the criteria examined. / Master of Science

The present study tested a stress-problem-solving and stresssocial support etiological model for depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation for a group of Asian foreign students in the United states. Problem-solving skills and social support were hypothesized as two mediators between life stress and dependent variables, such as depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation. The results from a series of stepwise regression analyses and a path analysis supported the hypothesis. The results were also compared with other significant studies in this area and similar findings from cross cultures were addressed. The important role of social support and problem-solving confidence in depression and hopelessness were discussed. The results also suggest that depression and hopelessness may be two separate and complementary pathways in the etiology of suicide ideation. In addition, two new measures for life stress and social support for this specific population were designed and employed in the study. Satisfactory psychometric properties of these two new scales were indicated, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, concurrent validity, incremental validity, and construct validity. Results from factor analysis and regression analyses for factors of the new scales were also discussed in relation to depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation. Given the correlational nature of the study, some precautions regarding how to interpret the results were discussed. / Master of Science

Text in Afrikaans / Die volwassene wat 'n professionele beroep beoefen, vervul nie net die rol van professionele beroepsbeoefenaar nie, maar is ook 'n voltydse leerder (student), tuisteskepper en landsburger. Hierdie verskillende rolle kan s6 veeleisend raak dat die volwassene oorweldig voel en in spanningsituasies of te midde van 'n vol program, onvanpaste. besluitnemingstrategiee aanwend. Die openbaring van onvanpaste besluitnemingsgedrag sluit in die onvermoe om • die kern van die probleem te formuleer • alternatiewe te genereer en te evalueer • die besluit te neem, te implementeer en te evalueer 'n Empiriese ondersoek is onderneem om te bepaal watter besluitnemingstrategiee deur professionele volwassenes bemeester behoort te word en of die andragoog die volwassene tydens die afhandeling van die besluitnemingsproses moet bystaan. Die faktore wat 'n rol by besluitneming speel, is ook behandel. Die navorser se eie voorstelling van die besluitnemingsproses, wat as opsomming van die literatuurstudie beskou kan word, is as raamwerk gebruik om vrae te genereer wat in die vraelys opgeneem kon word, asook om onderhoude te voer. Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking van die ondersoek is dat professionele volwassenes tydens die besluitnemingsproses op ondersteuning aangewese is en dat besluitnemingskonflik verlig kan word indien 33 belangrike besluitnemingsvaardighede bemeester is. Verder is gevind dat daar beduidende verskille is ten opsigte van die besluitnemingsvermoe van die agt verskillende beroepsgroepe wat by hierdie navorsing betrek is, asook tussen manlike en vroulike respondente en Afrikaanssprekende en Engelssprekende respondente. Die algemene gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom is, is dat sommige professionele volwassenes onderpresteer wat besluitneming betref en dat hulle in besonder op begeleiding aangewese is. Die andragoog wat as besluitnemingskonsultant optree, sal hom dit spesifiek ten doel stel om sy medevolwassene wat ontoereikende besluitnemingsgedrag openbaar, te begelei tot die vorming van 'n realistiese besluitnemingsidentiteit. Verder word 'n nuwe, meer omvattende uiteensetting van die besluitnemingshandeling vanuit die Sielkundige Opvoedkunde voorgestel wat ten doel het om 'n meer indringende beskrywing van die konatiewe handeling daar te stel as wat tans in die opvoedkundige sielkundige teorie te vind is. / The adult who practises a profession, does not only fulfil the role of a professional career person, but is also full-time learner (student), homemaker and citizen. The adult tries to meet the demands of all these different roles and may at times feel unable to cope. In a situation where there is great tension or in the midst of time constraints, this may give rise to the implementation of inappropriate decision-making strategies. Inappropriate decision-making behaviour manifests itself in the inability to • recognise and define the problem • generate and evaluate alternatives • take the decision, implement it and evaluate the result An empirical investigation was undertaken to determine which decision-making strategies should be mastered by professional adults and if the andragogue should assist the adult during the execution of the decision-making process. The different factors which play a role in decision making, are also discussed. The researcher's own representation of the decision-making process is presented and this may be regarded as a summary of the literature study. This representation was also used as a framework to generate questions which were used in the questionnaire and during the interviews. The most important conclusion of the investigation is that professional adults are dependent on support during the execution and completion of the decision-making process. Decision-making conflict can be alleviated if 33 important decision-making skills are mastered. It was further concluded that there are significant differences between the decision-making abilities of the eight different occupational groups involved in this investigation, and between the decision-making abilities of male and female respondents, as well as Afrikaans and English speaking respondents. The general conclusion is that some professional adults show signs of underachievement with respect to decision making and that they are in particular dependent on guidance. The andragogue who acts as a decision-making consultant will aim to guide his colleagues who display inadequate decision-making behaviour, to form a realistic decision-making identity. Furthermore, a new and more comprehensive description of the act of decisionmaking in the Psychology of Education is suggested, aimed at contributing to the proper description of the conative act. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)

Text in Afrikaans / Die volwassene wat 'n professionele beroep beoefen, vervul nie net die rol van professionele beroepsbeoefenaar nie, maar is ook 'n voltydse leerder (student), tuisteskepper en landsburger. Hierdie verskillende rolle kan s6 veeleisend raak dat die volwassene oorweldig voel en in spanningsituasies of te midde van 'n vol program, onvanpaste. besluitnemingstrategiee aanwend. Die openbaring van onvanpaste besluitnemingsgedrag sluit in die onvermoe om • die kern van die probleem te formuleer • alternatiewe te genereer en te evalueer • die besluit te neem, te implementeer en te evalueer 'n Empiriese ondersoek is onderneem om te bepaal watter besluitnemingstrategiee deur professionele volwassenes bemeester behoort te word en of die andragoog die volwassene tydens die afhandeling van die besluitnemingsproses moet bystaan. Die faktore wat 'n rol by besluitneming speel, is ook behandel. Die navorser se eie voorstelling van die besluitnemingsproses, wat as opsomming van die literatuurstudie beskou kan word, is as raamwerk gebruik om vrae te genereer wat in die vraelys opgeneem kon word, asook om onderhoude te voer. Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking van die ondersoek is dat professionele volwassenes tydens die besluitnemingsproses op ondersteuning aangewese is en dat besluitnemingskonflik verlig kan word indien 33 belangrike besluitnemingsvaardighede bemeester is. Verder is gevind dat daar beduidende verskille is ten opsigte van die besluitnemingsvermoe van die agt verskillende beroepsgroepe wat by hierdie navorsing betrek is, asook tussen manlike en vroulike respondente en Afrikaanssprekende en Engelssprekende respondente. Die algemene gevolgtrekking waartoe gekom is, is dat sommige professionele volwassenes onderpresteer wat besluitneming betref en dat hulle in besonder op begeleiding aangewese is. Die andragoog wat as besluitnemingskonsultant optree, sal hom dit spesifiek ten doel stel om sy medevolwassene wat ontoereikende besluitnemingsgedrag openbaar, te begelei tot die vorming van 'n realistiese besluitnemingsidentiteit. Verder word 'n nuwe, meer omvattende uiteensetting van die besluitnemingshandeling vanuit die Sielkundige Opvoedkunde voorgestel wat ten doel het om 'n meer indringende beskrywing van die konatiewe handeling daar te stel as wat tans in die opvoedkundige sielkundige teorie te vind is. / The adult who practises a profession, does not only fulfil the role of a professional career person, but is also full-time learner (student), homemaker and citizen. The adult tries to meet the demands of all these different roles and may at times feel unable to cope. In a situation where there is great tension or in the midst of time constraints, this may give rise to the implementation of inappropriate decision-making strategies. Inappropriate decision-making behaviour manifests itself in the inability to • recognise and define the problem • generate and evaluate alternatives • take the decision, implement it and evaluate the result An empirical investigation was undertaken to determine which decision-making strategies should be mastered by professional adults and if the andragogue should assist the adult during the execution of the decision-making process. The different factors which play a role in decision making, are also discussed. The researcher's own representation of the decision-making process is presented and this may be regarded as a summary of the literature study. This representation was also used as a framework to generate questions which were used in the questionnaire and during the interviews. The most important conclusion of the investigation is that professional adults are dependent on support during the execution and completion of the decision-making process. Decision-making conflict can be alleviated if 33 important decision-making skills are mastered. It was further concluded that there are significant differences between the decision-making abilities of the eight different occupational groups involved in this investigation, and between the decision-making abilities of male and female respondents, as well as Afrikaans and English speaking respondents. The general conclusion is that some professional adults show signs of underachievement with respect to decision making and that they are in particular dependent on guidance. The andragogue who acts as a decision-making consultant will aim to guide his colleagues who display inadequate decision-making behaviour, to form a realistic decision-making identity. Furthermore, a new and more comprehensive description of the act of decisionmaking in the Psychology of Education is suggested, aimed at contributing to the proper description of the conative act. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)