This thesis, which is in two parts, attempts to interpret in moral and spiritual terms those responses to bereavement that are often described as psychological. In part one human development is considered comparing religious, philosophical, scientific and psychological theories and a model of the 'core self' is proposed (body, mind and emotions) which responds to social and cultural influences in ways that can be considered moral and spiritual. Theories of duty, consequence and virtue are considered as well as Kohlberg's theory of justice reasoning and Gilligan's views about caring. Within spirituality notions of dualism and continuitydiscontinuity are noted and a tripartite view of spirituality as human, devotional and practical is proposed. The notion of stages in both moral and spiritual development is dismissed in favour of a model of inter-relatedness and interconnectedness, and a bereavement model of adaptation is also suggested to describe the process of grieving which is likened to development. Part two describes the research methods used to obtain data from 169 respondents: 28 children (5-11 years), 99 young people (11-18 years) and 42 adults, including key interviews with four 16/17 year old girls whose parent and/or sibling had died. Respondents discuss traditional religious beliefs and practices; the concept of a loving and/or just God; having a sense of the presence of the deceased; spiritualism and near-death experiences; 'living for the moment'; increased awareness of and empathy with other grieving people; constraints on hurting or harming people; valuing of life itself; funeral attendance, and the response of school staff to bereaved pupils.This study highlights the need for initial teacher training and ongoing INSET on bereavement issues and suggests that research is needed concerning pupil and staff opinions and experiences, and evaluation of school policies. The establishment of an educational centre for resources and information on loss, death and bereavement is also proposed.

The job of the clinical psychologist has been described as that of the 'scientist-practitioner', giving the impression that, in broad terms, it involves the practical application of psychological knowledge in a clinical setting. This study commences by critically examining the values of the 'science' and of the 'practice' involved, and reviewing the available literature on the religious values of clinical psychologists, prior to reporting an empirical investigation of the connections drawn by a group of Christian clinical psychologists working within the UK National Health Service, between their work, their professional values, and their religious commitment.The data on these values connections were gathered in an oblique rather than a direct fashion: the fourteen psychologists who participated, completed a repertory grid which measured their construing of situations at work in which they were highly conscious of their religious commitment. In a semi-stuctured interview, they spoke freely and personally about their understanding of the particular groupings of 'constructs' and 'elements' identified statistically by factoring the grid ratings.Five main themes emerged from a grounded theory qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts. These described workplace issues of enhanced performance and spiritual support; religious disclosure to colleagues, and to clients; value clash; value congruence; and the sense of broader involvement as psychologists who were also members of the Christian community. My overall understanding of what participants said about their grid results, was that these issues might most appropriately be interpreted as dimensions, on which they found themselves occupying variable rather than 'set' positions. Based upon this, I propose a tentative model of the connections between their religious and their work values, as the experience within the workplace, of perpetually shifting positions on the various dimensions identified by the analysis.Consideration is given to the shortcomings and to the implications of the study, and to reflections upon my own involvement as researcher. It is concluded that the status of the results reported, may best be as stimulus for the many lines of further investigation to which they could give rise.

The work of Jean Cocteau reveals connections, similarities and differences between him and the writers of the surrealist movement. In order to appreciate the links it is also necessary to examine the principles of Surrealism to determine the extent to which they have similar origins to some of Cocteau's own ideas. This line of inquiry leads to an examination of the part played by the work of Freud and Jung in inspiring both Surrealism and Cocteau. To a certain degree one is lead to question the association between Freud and Surrealism which has often been taken for granted and to look for the origins of surrealistic thought in more specifically French sources to which Freud also had access. Whilst it is difficult to bring about a rapprochement between Cocteau and Freud, there is a much smaller problem in comparing the work of Jung and that of Cocteau. There are striking similarities which indicate not only a divergence of thought between Cocteau and the surrealists but which also tempt one to extrapolate a direct link between Cocteau and Jung for which there is virtually no direct evidence. What is achieved in comparing the two is a greater understanding of the creative method of Cocteau, of the forces which drove him, and of his basic position as a child of the 20th century, yet as a poet of all ages. One begins also to have a clearer vision of the reasons which underlie his all important interest in mythology as a source of pure emotion and distilled poetic essence. For personal rather than artistic reasons a close rapport between Cocteau and the surrealist group is unthinkable as well as generally known, so that there is an enhanced interest not only in a direct comparison but also in comparing Cocteau with artists and poets who worked close to official movement but were not, at least for very long, part of it. Garcia Lorca is a Spanish writer in this position whose ideas and background so closely, resemble Cocteau's that it is almost surprising to find that he was at least tolerated if not completely accepted by the Surrealists; his friends Dalí and and Bunuel even joined the group formally. On the other hand Cocteau's proclaimed admiration for Garcia Lorca indicated at least some feeling in not being able to participate directly in the Surrealist experience. Comparing Cocteau with Lorca necessitates an examination of the creeds and ideals of them both, highlighting aspects of poetic power and creativity in the process. It is hoped to place in the context of 20th century thought the work of both Cocteau and the Surrealists. A continuity between the second half of the nineteenth century and the twentieth century should also be established and the manner in which the First World War acts as a watershed made clear. From the study Cocteau emerges as a more consistent and deeper thinker than he is often considered. The parallels found in the work which he presented in a variety of different artistic fields coupled with the overpowering sense of mission which begins to appear, dispel for ever the myths of the careless and carefree casual adolescent dilettante and reveal instead a conscious artist, a thinking poet, a careful craftsman and a profoundly proud human figure wrought with deep seated anxieties often masqued with flippancy. Undeniably however, consciously or unconsciously, whether or not the Surrealist liked the idea, there was an affinity between them and Cocteau which was sometimes a very close link and at others flared up into an open hostility which at least indicated that they were working in the same areas. Since it was the fashion at the time to accept the view of Freud as a scientist and a medical practitioner in the field of psychiatry, a view which he himself insisted upon, it has been felt justifiable to accept it, although nowadays he is partially discredited. The concept of the subconscious is also not considered favourably although it seemed real to Freud, Jung, the Surrealists and to Cocteau. Consequently it is desirable to work within the parameters of their imagination rather than to take the stance of modern behaviourist psychiatrists whose ideas are irrelevant to the literary uses made of the work of Freud and Jung.

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate by critical consideration the suitability of various approaches of inquiry for exploring and enhancing motivation intervention in contemporary organisations; in particular, to spell out the need for a critical systemic approach of inquiry in relation to a social context based on critical systems thinking ideas. The thesis explores the question concerning the inducements associated with motivation (to work) and what this may mean in different organisational contexts, while taking into consideration cultural differences that affect the way that motivation is addressed. Furthermore, it raises questions, about power relations in terms of processes involved in developing motivation. It also poses questions about ideological differences in the way that performance orientations may affect general lifestyles and ways of working. It is suggested in the thesis that it is important to consider motivation by looking at a diversity of motivation approaches and by seeing what can be learnt from each, and how each can be developed. It is shown how critical systemic learning can be advanced as a way of encouraging learning by means of ideology-critique. The need for a critical systemic approach to motivation is also shown by drawing on aspects of critical systems thinking and extending such thinking to cover motivation explicitly.

The focus of this study is the impact of fertility problems on couples as a unit. The meaning of fertility problems and how couples reported they communicated were the main areas of interest. A cross-sectional semi-structured interview study was employed. Ten couples were recruited via the Hull FVF unit and interviewed by the primary researcher. The interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Two super-ordinate themes emerged: Expectations of life -"What's it all about? " highlighted the lifecycle expectations people have; how when our expectations are not met one considers one's commitments and goals in life; and the impact of fertility treatment on all of these factors. Dealing with ongoing fertility problems - 'When it doesn't happen how we expect" presented the differing responses to ongoing infertility with feelings of resentment and acceptance emerging. Communication was revealed to play an important, yet complex, role in the experience of continued fertility problems. Women seemed to have a greater need for communicating, both with their partner and with others. The couples that reported effective communication were also more likely to report successfully managing any differences as well as satisfaction with their relationship. The themes were discussed in relation to previous theory and research; the stress and coping model was found to be helpful for guiding the research process, but did not seem sufficient to fully explain the depth of meaning the fertility problems had for the couples. Further research on couple communication is recommended. The main clinical implications of the study pointed to couples needing time out from treatment to process their experiences and for counselling to be offered more regularly at different points in time.

The thesis investigates the effects of false memory and belief in the paranormal on reports of events. The first chapter reviews the existing literature on false memory. The main theories of how false memory develops are described and the individual differences of those susceptible to false memories are considered. The paranormal belief literature is then examined, particularly with regard to the cognitive differences between believers and disbelievers. It is concluded that these differences would be suggestive of a relationship between paranormal belief and false memory. The second chapter considers the relationship between imagination inflation, paranormal belief and ESP. No correlation between the factors was found. The third chapter examines whether pre-event suggestion and belief in the paranormal can affect experiences of `ghostly' phenomena in an allegedly haunted location. Evidence for the effect of belief in the paranormal was found, but there was no effect of pre-event suggestion or an interaction between the two factors. The fourth chapter investigates the effects of positive and negative during-event suggestion and paranormal belief on reports of events in the seance room, and the fifth chapter explores the effects of duringevent suggestion on reports of a key bending video. There was some evidence that during-event suggestion is effective in altering reports of events, and the causes for this effect are considered. Paranormal belief was not shown to consistently affect acceptance of suggestion, but may affect reports of phenomena which are judged to be paranormal. The thesis concludes that during-event suggestion and negative suggestion are areas which offer great potential for further research. The relationship between paranormal belief and false memory development has not been demonstrated. However, it has been shown that belief and suggestion can affect the manner in which situations are attended to and interpreted.

The submitted publications address aspects of 'The Physicality of the Self from a psychoanalytic perspective and in so doing extend the remit of psychoanalytic thinking. Conscious and unconscious investment of personal meaning in physical exercise, body-oriented behaviour and physical dimensions of experience and communication is explored through presentation and discussion of clinical case examples and infant observation material. The embodied nature of our being is identified as an issue of key significance in psychoanalysis, where unconscious communication, much of which is non-verbal, is a central concern of both theory and practice. Ways of conceptualising psychosomatic disturbance are discussed, whether the disturbance emerges in physical symptoms without apparent organic underlay or in disturbed body-oriented behaviour such as eating disorders and self-injury. With regard to clinical practice, the central significance of receptivity to unconscious communication and capacity for containment (Bion 1962) is reaffirmed. The therapist's 'use of body' as part of the 'use of self Is discussed with particular reference to somatic communication in the transference - countertransference matrix. The primary context for the work is a contemporary object relations framework. The perspective on embodiment or'indwelling' developed by D. W. Winnicott and the post- Kleinian concept of 'psychic skin' are of particular Importance. The disciplines of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience and sociology constitute a secondary, broader, context and inform the discussion of changing perspectives on 'mind', 'body', 'health' and'illness'. A'continuum' model of self-care and self-harm is developed. The acronym 'cashas' is introduced to refer to 'culturally accepted self-harming acts/activities', behaviours which occupy a border area between good enough self-care and clinically relevant self-harm. Drawing on clinical material and research Involving practitioner discussion of clinical vignettes, arguments are advanced for the relevance and clinical usefulness of the 'continuum' model.