This quantitative exploratory study surveyed 64 South African clinical psychologists' opinions of the insanity defence. Clinical psychologists are increasingly becoming meaningful contributors to the judicial process in South Africa with regard to criminal incapacity. It is therefore considered important to canvas their opinions. To the author's knowledge this is the first research on psychologists' opinions of the defence in South Africa, possibly internationally. A standardized Likert scale developed by Skeem and Evans-DeCicco (2004) to gauge jury views on the insanity defence in the United States was used as the data collection tool. This research employed an overall correlational research design. Due to heterogenous variances the more liberal assumptions of non-parametric tests were used to extrapolate findings. The bulk of opinion rested in the moderate to ambivalent support ranges, with few strongly positive or negative opinions of the insanity defence. Significant results suggest that female psychologists, regardless of race, showed less support of the insanity defence than their male counterparts. Furthermore, those whose primary therapeutic orientation was psychodynamic had less support than those who practiced other modalities. However, a disappointingly small sample size and low reliability of the scale makes the generalisability of the results tentative, and thus further research is needed to verify these findings / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The literature in psychology repeatedly hints at identity representation as important in transforming the discipline of psychology in contemporary South Africa. It simultaneously names curriculum, race and gender as areas of silence within the discipline. These literatures coexist with the reality that few psychologists work in public health services, where approximately eighty six percent of South Africa’s population who cannot afford private health care, receive their services. Community psychology is generally viewed as the area of study that prepares practitioners to work in public health service. Thus the intersections of identity, community, psychology and community psychology become important. Yet no contemporary studies that systematically and empirically examine community psychology and identity, exist in South Africa. The current study therefore aims to examine identity and community psychology from a multi-levelled perspective in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This work draws on multiple theoretical strands, broadly united under a social constructionist framework, to examine community psychology in the organisation of the university, in terms of student and practitioner perceptions (and therefore constructions) of community psychology and in the everyday talk of psychologists about their professional identities. The four studies of which this project consists use complementary quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A survey of all psychology departments, combined with interviews with one community psychology teacher in each department, examines teaching, learning and research practices in community psychology. The second study constitutes a survey of all psychology Honours students in the Western Cape whereas the third study surveys the perceptions about community psychology among senior psychologists in the Western Cape. The fourth and final study in this series uses three focus groups where senior psychologists, based in the greater Cape Town area, talk about their professional identity. The quantitative data were analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequencies and cross-tabulations. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and discourse analysis as analytical tools. While the quantitative data do not consistently suggest a link between community psychology, race and gender, there are some areas, such as community work, in which this link is apparent. The nature of such a link is not clear. However, in the qualitative work, the link between community, psychology and identity is centrally situated in the constructions and practices of universities, students and practitioners. Community psychology is constructed as psychology for black people in terms of both who delivers services and who clients are. This represents parameters of inclusion and exclusion not only for community psychology but for psychology, as a whole. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly in relation to organisational transformation in universities.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The importance of delivering psychological services, particularly in disadvantaged communities is acknowledged by policy makers. Yet, little information exists about how communities view psychologists and psychological services. This study explores how key informants and primary health care service users in a peri-urban community in the Western Cape perceive psychologists and their profession. Focus groups were conducted with primary health care service users and in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants. Results were content analysed. These results indicate that this community’s conceptualisation of psychology incorporates both Western and indigenous notions and concepts which are utilised simultaneously. Psychology is viewed positively as a profession that can aid individuals and groups in dealing with and resolving intra- and interpersonal problems and conflicts. Those with mental health problems are still subject to a great deal of stigmatisation. The fear of being labelled makes the utilisation of the services of a psychologist or other mental health professional highly unlikely in several instances. This problem is exacerbated by issues related to the availability of and access to such services, as well as the quality of available care. Nonetheless, these participants state that psychologists themselves can make a positive contribution to addressing these issues, starting with active involvement in communities and providing information regarding the nature and value of the work they do. This information is critical if we are to design and implement comprehensive intervention strategies that allow for meaningful and informed participation within communities.

This study explores high-performing male psychology students’ narratives of identity. The rationale for undertaking this study is that men presently represent a shrinking minority within the academic and professional practice of psychology in South Africa. While much quantitative research has noted gendered trends within the field, there remains a paucity of qualitative data on these men’s thoughts and experiences within the South African context. A narrative research design, underpinned by an interpretative phenomenological epistemology, was employed to explore this topic in a participant-led manner. The unique life stories of the six male participants, recruited from third-year, honours and masters psychology courses, were explored through an open-ended narrative interview that was later followed by a semi-structured interview. Both interviews were audio-recorded and the interview transcripts were subjected to a two stage inductive thematic analysis in which emergent themes were interrogated both for each participant and between participants. The first round of data analysis yielded thirty thematic codes according to which these participants’ narratives of identity could be interpreted and during the second stage of analysis these codes were clustered into six master themes which were mapped onto the secondary research questions informing this study. Thematic analysis revealed: (1) active efforts by the participants to defy hegemonic gender norms and (re)define masculinity through engagement in what is traditionally defined as “women’s work” in their adoption of a care-giver role by providing emotional support to others while also attempting to redefine psychology as a profession that is not exclusively feminine. (2) These participants reported selecting their career option on the basis of passion as opposed to pragmatics by valuing their desire to engage in this field over hegemonic concerns with prestige and earning-potential. However, such considerations were peripheral rather than absent in their narratives. (3) Consistent with previous findings, these men all reported experiencing life struggles as a route to developing empathy and therefore exhibited elements of the wounded-healer model. (4) Those men who are pursuing careers neuropsychology and industrial psychology showed an interest in humanity (scientists) fostered by feelings of difference while those in therapeutic orientations report developing a desire to help (helpers) based on experiences of marginalisation. While the participants differed as to whether they were more inclined towards the more traditionally masculine values of science or the more traditionally feminine values of care, they all reported a desire to both help and understand as professional psychologists. (5) While diversity and difference were reported by these men to contribute to an enhanced sense of empathy and social interest, they mentioned such a sense of difference having developed from the experience of early geographic movement and exposure to multiple cultures. This seems to have fostered a keen social awareness that contributed to a growing interest in the different lifestyles that people and communities enjoy which they now study and work with as aspiring psychologists. (6) Furthermore, their dynamic and changing world is suggested to have garnered a love of variety and iterative sense of self which has permitted continuing development in professional psychology as they report finding the personal growth and development endemic to the field to be an important part of how they understand themselves. Findings of the research which may broadly map directions for future research include a lack of conflation by these men of sexual orientation and masculinity suggesting that homosexuality is not necessarily understood as a contravention of masculine norms not suggested by previous research findings. Importantly, while feelings of difference were explored in this study, race was a shared silence during the interviews and further investigation into the experiences of black men aspiring to become male psychologists in the South African context is considered vital to enhancing our understanding of the diverse body of professionals in South African psychology.

M.A. / Career counselling is an activity that influences a wide range of people, from primary school age, to adults in their fifties and sixties. Current writers on the subject, for example Hansen (1997), and Gysbers (1998) are increasingly bringing out the view that career development is a life span issue, and that it affects other life roles. This view should also be seen in conjunction with post-modern approaches to careers and work. These approaches emphasise the rapid technological changes of the 1990's, and the increasing unpredictability and uncertainty in careers. These factors create new and demanding roles for career counsellors, who will have to increase their range of skills. The above factors illustrate the importance of career counselling, and the purpose of this study is to attempt to fill a perceived gap in the literature, and provide more information on the status and standing of career counselling in South Africa as practised by registered psychologists. Questionnaires were issued by mail to a sample of registered psychologists, and their responses form the data for this study. Aspects to be investigated include the training of career counsellors, how long they have been in practice, what tests they use, which counselling methods they follow, and what their opinions are concerning the practice of career counselling in South Africa. A theoretical overview of career counselling models is presented, and an examination of recent trends in career counselling is set forth. A quantitative analysis will provide a more detailed breakdown of the responses of the members of the sample, while a qualitative analysis will list the main themes detailed by the respondents. Projections are undertaken to illustrate possible scenarios concerning the amount of time available for psychologists to provide career counselling for students. The recommendations arising from the study may be summarised as follows. Ensure that career guidance programs be installed in as many schools as possible. Increase the amount of training that career counsellors receive, and examine the possibility of specialisation in career counselling. Attempt to increase the role that businesses play in the career counselling process at schools. Ensure that the needs of minority and disadvantaged groups are met. Implement further research to examine which other groups besides registered psychologists are performing career counselling.

D.Ed. / The goal of this study is to design a model that could guide and direct the educational psychologist in the facilitation of the client's self-knowledge for career management: The rationale of this study is based on the fact that previously the educational psychologist, as career counsellor, had to counsel within specific limiting boundaries. In terms of career counselling this meant that he simply guided the client to make the correct career choice. Career management was not considered by the educational psychologist as part and parcel of career counselling. The need for career management is reinforced by the view of the Gauteng Education Department that education in South Africa is seen as a process of lifelong education. Career counselling should therefore be conducted in such a way that it ensures lifelong dividends. Self-knowledge can be seen as the basis for career management. The educational psychologist should possess specific knowledge and skills in order to facilitate self-knowledge in such a way that a client is empowered to manage his own career in a changing career market. The main purpose of this study will therefore be: the, development and description of a model that could serve as a guide to the educational psychologist in the facilitation of a client's self-knovViedge in order to empower him to do career management. To be able to meet this goal the following sub-goals are set: the exploration and description of the concepts necessary for self-knowledge in order to do career management by means of a literature study; the generation of the provisional model; the evaluation and the refinement of the provisional model on the basis of recommendations made by the model development experts and peer group • the writing of a manual for educational psychologists regarding the operationalisation of the final model. The execution of the development of the model will be discussed in three phases. During phase one the model is developed and described by means of a literature research. The model is functional, therefore the survey list of Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach (1968:435), is used to identify and classify the concepts in the study. A concept analysis of the central concept "self-knowledge for career management" is performed and a theoretical definition is:formulated. During phase one the main concepts and their relationships to the central concept are described in the form of relational statements. These statements do not only highlight the relationship between the concepts, but also lay a sound foundation for the conceptual framework on which the provisional model "self-knowledge for career management" is based. During phase two the provisional model is evaluated and refined by model development experts and the peer group. According to the r,ecommendations and the relevant critique, the model is refined and the final model described. The final model describes the structure of the model, as well as the process to facilitate self-knowledge for career management. During phase three a manual is written on how to operationalise the model, which serves as a guideline to the educational psychologist.

The category of Registered Counsellors was created to provide psychological service at primary level to previously disadvantaged communities, yet there is lack of public and professional knowledge concerning this category. This study aimed at finding reasons why people choose to become registered counsellors and what their relevance and future is in South Africa. Social constructionism is the epistemological framework for this qualitative investigation. Three registered counsellors aged between 27 and 31 were chosen for this study using a combination of purposive and snowball sample technique. Rich data were collected through open ended interviews. This approach was chosen as the most relevant because it helped in giving a voice to the three ‘registered counsellors’ which in turn helped in getting a holistic understanding of the participants’ point of view. Thematic analysis technique was used to identify key themes. The main themes identified in comparative analysis were the following: the need to help, feeling of fulfillment, working in a multidisciplinary team, registered counsellors as first point of entry, experiencing barriers in terms of lack of recognition, confusion between registered counsellors and other healthcare professionals; and the role of HPCSA. The results showed that the participants became registered counsellors because of the need to help others. The results also showed that registered counsellors are relevant in South Africa because their services are needed for the well-being of society. There is a future for registered counsellors in South Africa to close the gap in terms of mental health workforce shortage. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / The primary aim of this study is to investigate the different subsystems involved in a child custody case. By identifying the various patterns of interaction within each subsystem this work attempts to provide the clinical psychologist with a condensed frame of reference for the role of expert witness in cases of this nature. The study focuses therefore on the legal system in South Africa, the family system in the process of divorce as well as models of assessment used by practicing psychologists when giving expert testimony. In investigating the legal system, the study starts off by highlighting the premises from which the law derives its findings - in both constituted laws and judicial precedents. The best interests of the child as overriding standard is traced through various laws and judicial findings. The study then turns to the latest developments following the promulgation of the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act no 24 of 1987. The hesitancy and doubts that prevail among practitioners of the law concerning this Act are noted. the study initially looks at divorce, then moves on to the the children subsystem.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The current South African mental health context can be described as skewed in favour of the predominantly white, paying clientele in the private sector. The mental health needs of the predominantly poor, black population and people in rural areas are consequently left unmet. Community psychology is identified as a suitable approach to providing relevant psychological services to the South African population. However there are many structural barriers to the efficient practice of community psychology, which is further compounded by misconceptions and discouraging connotations attached to this field of practice. The overarching aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of registered psychologists regarding different aspects of community psychology. A further aim was to explore the current practice patterns of registered clinical, counselling, research and educational psychologists in the Cape Winelands district. A postal survey was undertaken, which incorporated both quantitative and qualitative components. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to all psychologists in the Cape Winelands district who have been registered with the Professional Board of Psychology of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for at least three years. The data was analysed using frequencies and descriptive statistics as well as content analysis. In this study psychologists raised diverse opinions about community psychology, barriers to service delivery, service providers and users of such services. It appears that despite numerous calls for a more relevant psychology in the South African context, psychologists maintain a preference for the private practice setting. Suggestions were also made for changes so that the provision of community-based psychological services could be more attractive for mental health professionals in South Africa.

Considering the high incidence of suicide in the South African context, the fact that suicide is considered an occupational hazard for psychologists, with more than half experiencing the suicide of a patient in their career and the dearth of post-suicide qualitative research among psychologists, the purpose of this study is to explore and describe the experience of psychologists after the suicide of their patient, and to develop guidelines as a framework of reference to assist psychologists in dealing with the suicide of their patient. In keeping with a social constructionist ontological and ecosystemic epistemological theoretical framework, data was collected by means of meaning-making conversations with six purposively selected psychologists, with a minimum of five years‟ experience and at least one year having passed after the suicide of their patient. The data was analysed independently by the researcher and an independent coder using Tesch‟s open and descriptive method. The present study found that, following the suicide of their patient, the participants were propelled into a myriad of acutely distressing emotions. They often described a suffocating sense of responsibility for the suicide and the lingering presence of their patient. The participants experienced feelings of guilt and self-doubt, often questioning their own professional competence. The post-suicide process was described as being both a personally and professionally isolating event, due to the sense of having to carry the burden of the suicide alone for ethical reasons and fear of social stigmatisation. The participants appeared to grapple with the paradoxical dance between their personal emotional realities and what they perceived to be “clinically” or “professionally” acceptable. Having gone through the traumatic experience of losing a patient to suicide, most of the participants eventually found new wisdom, which helped them become wounded healers. Based on these findings, post-vention guidelines with practical actions were developed to assist psychologists in dealing with the suicide of their patient. Recommendations are made with regard to suicidology research, suicide education and psychologists‟ practice. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)