Humans are relational beings, as they are constantly in interaction with others and with their environment. In schools, learners spend at least nine years of their lives in formal schooling, and the relationships they have with their teachers are bound to have an impact on their self-configuration. According to the Field theory, the Bioecological theory and the Dialogical theory of self, which were used as theoretical frameworks for this study, individuals’ self-configuration is impacted by their environment, experiences and interactions with others. The focus of this study was on Grade 7 learners’ self-configuration experiences within the teacher-learner relationship. Grade 7 learners are at the beginning of the adolescent phase, which is characterised by many changes, transitions, challenges and uncertainties. One of these transitions is the forthcoming transition from primary school to high school and a healthy self-configuration could assist learners to adapt to these changes in a positive manner. The research was qualitative in nature and made use of the case study method. This allowed the researcher to use data gathering approaches through which the subjective experiences of the participants could be explored. Twelve participants volunteered to take part in this study, and data was gathered by means of individual interviews as well as group discussions. All interviews and group discussions were voice and video recorded, where after they were transcribed and analysed by means of thematic analysis. The analysis allowed for data to be organised into meaningful themes. It was found that learners’ experiences of relationships with teachers are both positive and negative. Self-regulation in learners takes place through encouragement and disapproval from teachers, as well as through lessons learnt from teachers and from past experiences. Further studies around self-configuration and teacher-learner relationships are recommended, in order to make teachers more aware of the importance of the teacher-learner relationship, and also to determine what the obstacles are in developing supportive and caring teacher-learner relationships. By highlighting the importance, and by determining the obstacles, more meaningful teacher-learner relationships could be encouraged and developed in order to enhance learners’ self-configuration experiences. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Challenging behaviour poses problems for teachers globally and yet very little research has been done with regard to the teacher-learner relationship and what challenging behaviour does to the teacher. The goal of this study was to explore teachers’ experiences of challenging behaviour within their relationships with learners that display challenging behaviour regarding teacher’s self-configuration. A qualitative approach was pursued in the form of an interpretive descriptive design in order to gain a better understanding of the teachers’ self-configuration experiences. For the purpose of this study the field theory was used as the theoretical framework, viewing teachers in their environment, specifically focusing on the teacher-learner relationship. A total of 12 teachers were purposefully selected from a school in Observatory, Johannesburg. The data were collected through in-depth interviews. Additionally, incomplete sentences were used to enrich data and to enhance trustworthiness. Triangulation was ensured by using two data collection methods to increase the credibility and validity of the results. The interviews and incomplete sentences were recorded via audio recording equipment. The recordings were then transcribed in order to identify emerging themes and subthemes. Thematic analysis was used once the data had been transcribed in order to gain meaningful information. This study revealed teachers’ self-configuration experiences in their relationships with learners with challenging behaviour and experienced their relationships with these children as a foundation for self-configuration. Teachers’ self-configuration is embedded in their different selves at school and their love and passion for teaching are reduced due to negative emotions. Experiences within the relationship escalate to the home environment and challenging behaviour causes stress for teachers. Teachers viewed challenging behaviour as behaviour that is an internal challenge for the learner, but also behaviour that is directed externally towards the teacher and other learners. Trust and respect, class size, individual attention and communication were identified elements contributing to self-configuration within the teacher-learner relationship. This study showed the importance of relationships in the school context and specifically focused on teachers’ self-configuration. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Humans are relational beings, as they are constantly in interaction with others and with their environment. In schools, learners spend at least nine years of their lives in formal schooling, and the relationships they have with their teachers are bound to have an impact on their self-configuration. According to the Field theory, the Bioecological theory and the Dialogical theory of self, which were used as theoretical frameworks for this study, individuals’ self-configuration is impacted by their environment, experiences and interactions with others. The focus of this study was on Grade 7 learners’ self-configuration experiences within the teacher-learner relationship. Grade 7 learners are at the beginning of the adolescent phase, which is characterised by many changes, transitions, challenges and uncertainties. One of these transitions is the forthcoming transition from primary school to high school and a healthy self-configuration could assist learners to adapt to these changes in a positive manner. The research was qualitative in nature and made use of the case study method. This allowed the researcher to use data gathering approaches through which the subjective experiences of the participants could be explored. Twelve participants volunteered to take part in this study, and data was gathered by means of individual interviews as well as group discussions. All interviews and group discussions were voice and video recorded, where after they were transcribed and analysed by means of thematic analysis. The analysis allowed for data to be organised into meaningful themes. It was found that learners’ experiences of relationships with teachers are both positive and negative. Self-regulation in learners takes place through encouragement and disapproval from teachers, as well as through lessons learnt from teachers and from past experiences. Further studies around self-configuration and teacher-learner relationships are recommended, in order to make teachers more aware of the importance of the teacher-learner relationship, and also to determine what the obstacles are in developing supportive and caring teacher-learner relationships. By highlighting the importance, and by determining the obstacles, more meaningful teacher-learner relationships could be encouraged and developed in order to enhance learners’ self-configuration experiences. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Challenging behaviour poses problems for teachers globally and yet very little research has been done with regard to the teacher-learner relationship and what challenging behaviour does to the teacher. The goal of this study was to explore teachers’ experiences of challenging behaviour within their relationships with learners that display challenging behaviour regarding teacher’s self-configuration. A qualitative approach was pursued in the form of an interpretive descriptive design in order to gain a better understanding of the teachers’ self-configuration experiences. For the purpose of this study the field theory was used as the theoretical framework, viewing teachers in their environment, specifically focusing on the teacher-learner relationship. A total of 12 teachers were purposefully selected from a school in Observatory, Johannesburg. The data were collected through in-depth interviews. Additionally, incomplete sentences were used to enrich data and to enhance trustworthiness. Triangulation was ensured by using two data collection methods to increase the credibility and validity of the results. The interviews and incomplete sentences were recorded via audio recording equipment. The recordings were then transcribed in order to identify emerging themes and subthemes. Thematic analysis was used once the data had been transcribed in order to gain meaningful information. This study revealed teachers’ self-configuration experiences in their relationships with learners with challenging behaviour and experienced their relationships with these children as a foundation for self-configuration. Teachers’ self-configuration is embedded in their different selves at school and their love and passion for teaching are reduced due to negative emotions. Experiences within the relationship escalate to the home environment and challenging behaviour causes stress for teachers. Teachers viewed challenging behaviour as behaviour that is an internal challenge for the learner, but also behaviour that is directed externally towards the teacher and other learners. Trust and respect, class size, individual attention and communication were identified elements contributing to self-configuration within the teacher-learner relationship. This study showed the importance of relationships in the school context and specifically focused on teachers’ self-configuration. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In this study the researcher explored and described the utilization of Gestalt play therapy concepts and techniques in order to strengthen the sense of self of the pediatric hematology/oncology patient. Literature studies were compiled to examine the concepts of the pediatric hematology/oncology patient, sense of self and Gestalt play therapy. These literature studies provided the theoretical frame in which the study was executed. During the empirical study qualitative data was gathered by means of unstructured interviews within an instrumental case study. Eight therapy sessions were conducted with the participant in order to explore how Gestalt play therapy concepts and techniques could be utilized to strengthen the sense of self of the pediatric hematology/oncology patient. Following the analysis of the data the researcher was able to describe how the Gestalt play therapy concepts and techniques were utilized to strengthen the sense of self of the pediatric hematology/oncology patient. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

The purpose of this research study aimed to critically examine personal and professional issues related to a small group of visual arts MFA graduate students and myself as we participated in a semester-long course entitled, “Issues of Relevance and Character in the Fine Arts,” at a large public university in the United States. In the form of a colloquium series, the course aimed to explore a graduate student’s developing sense of self and its impact on the different roles he or she often embodies while pursuing an MFA in a School of Art. These roles include those of an individual, a student, an artist, a teaching assistant, and a future professional in the field of the visual arts. Employing a participatory action research methodology, I was also a participant in the study. I regularly documented the oral, written, and visual data that emerged from the participants’ considerations of their immediate circumstances both inside and outside the School of Art as well as their interactions with the reflexive pedagogies utilized in the colloquium sessions. This dissertation also reviewed research studies conducted on graduate student development, students in visual arts MFA programs, the historical development of the MFA degree, as well as faculty members in MFA programs and their curricular and pedagogical practices. Findings indicated the following: First, strong convictions seemed to be intrinsic to the participants’ pursuit of their MFA degrees. They appeared eager to learn about becoming a professional in the field, and each participant expressed interest in teaching the visual arts as instructors in higher education. Second, participating in a course such as “Issues of Relevance and Character in the Fine Arts,” seemed to offer the participants a receptive and reflective platform to convey the voices of the “characters” they embodied as MFA students. For example, the participants appeared to clarify intra- and interpersonal priorities, educational goals and artistic aspirations. Their personal and professional development was influenced by the complex relationships they shared with others in their MFA programs. The MFA participants grappled with the connections and disconnections that appeared to exist between their professors, peers, and themselves. A third theme addressed the impact of my participation within the study. With an established background in both teaching and taking courses in the studio arts and Art and Visual Culture Education, the findings suggest that I was able to empathize with the three other participants on several fronts. Fourth, the findings also address the curricular and pedagogical strengths and limitations of the course. The implications of this research study suggest the need for (a) more action research studies of MFA graduate students, as the methodology seemed to enhance the reflexive and exploratory nature of self-inquiry; (b) a series of required courses within MFA curricula that help graduates to systematically reflect upon their roles as graduate students in terms of their immediate goals, as well as their aspirations for the future; (c) research and professional development opportunities for faculty members so that they might become more aware of the ways that their MFA curricula and instructional practices influence a graduate student's sense of self both positively and negatively; and (d) research on how art and visual culture educators can be involved in assisting MFA graduate students and faculty members develop new perspectives related to their instructional and mentoring practices.

Background: People diagnosed with psychosis are often described as introvert, isolated and with little or no ability to create and maintain social relationships. While every angle of a phenomena is valid and important, we believe that the first-person perspective provides the only direct access to the diagnosed persons’ feelings and experiences. Aims: The aim of this study is to explore how a few people diagnosed with psychosis describe their experiences of social interaction. Method: This study is conducted in a Grounded Theory manner. An analysis has been performed on interviews made with five individuals, all diagnosed with a psychosis diagnosis. Results: The main result of this study is that the self-image is a core factor in the individuals experiences of, and initiative to, social interaction. The social interactions are linked to the individuals own relation to their diagnosis in a dynamic process where all components affect each other in the creating of the self-image. Conclusion: This study concludes that people diagnosed with psychosis is no different than other people when it comes to dreaming and longing for functional social relationships, but that they have some difficulties in actually finding them due to both social stigma and a poor self-image.

The thesis was designed to gain insight into how Alzheimer’s disease influences selfhood from first-personal accounts of illness. The focus of the study was narrowed further by concentrating on the autobiographies of individuals diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD). The purpose of this thesis was to analyze the autobiographies of individuals with EOAD with the aim of understanding their selfhood. In this thesis I argue that, Alzheimer’s disease may influence a change in self, however, the self is not lost entirely. This thesis draws on the philosophical conception of narrated self as it allows for one perpetually constructed self, whereby a change in self does not necessarily mean the self is lost entirely. Through an interpretive analysis of six autobiographical accounts of Alzheimer’s, this thesis demonstrates that Alzheimer’s disease influences a loss of sense of self but that autobiography enables individuals with Alzheimer’s to (re)construct self.

Emerging adulthood, the period between 18 and 30 years of age, is particularly relevant for identity development. During this time, relational disconnections such as intimate partner violence (IPV) can inhibit the growth that occurs within interpersonal relationships. There has been little in-depth exploration of how emerging adult women describe the impacts of IPV on their sense of self. Using qualitative case study methodology, six young women shared their stories of IPV during open-ended narrative interviews and completed an exploration of their Possible Selves. Thematic analysis identified impacts of IPV relating to participants’ sense of self, future possible selves, and subsequent intimate relationships. The findings highlight participants’ self-descriptions of strength and resilience, as well as accounts of challenges and growth since the relationships ended. The findings have meaningful implications for theory and research on IPV for young women, and for counselling practice. / Graduate / kateborsato@gmail.com

Cette thèse s’intéresse à la question du diagnostic et du traitement à travers la psychothérapie narrativemédiatisée de syndromes avec hyperreligiosité consécutifs à un traumatisme crânio-cérébral sévère. Desétudes neuroscientifiques ont proposé l’hypothèse que hyperreligiosité post-lésionnelle constitue unetentative de réorganisation de la psyché dans un contexte d’ébranlement du sentiment de soi (Persinger,1993a ; 1993b ; 2003) et ont exploré différents postulats explicatifs de la récurrence de l’expériencereligieuse chez le sujet avec traumatisme crânio-cérébral. Mais un regard psychanalytique permetd’apporter des éléments essentiels à la compréhension de la psychopathologie post-lésionnelle marquéepar l’hyperreligiosité. Le démantèlement de l’appareil psychique, la régression psychique du patientavec une primauté des processus primaires, le retour en force d’agonies primitives, l’émergence detraumatismes antérieurs et l’expérience du handicap sont des conséquences de la lésion cérébrale àconsidérer dans le diagnostic et le traitement de ces syndromes.Cette thèse présente une méthodologie composée de trois enquêtes distinctes.Une enquête phénoménologique (# 1) sera ici présentée afin de pallier au manque de recherchescliniques au sujet des différentes manifestations sémiologiques de l’hyperreligiosité post-lésionnelle.Partant d’un échantillon de trente-deux sujets, elle aura pour objet (1) le recueil de données concernantl’expression sémiologique des syndromes avec hyperreligiosité et (2) l’identification de thématiquesexpérientielles chez des sujets ayant présenté une hyperreligiosité post-lésionnelle. Elle s’appuiera surla passation de deux questionnaires crées dans le cadre de cette étude : le questionnaire de l’expériencereligieuse et le questionnaire de l’émergence de de l’hyperreligiosité post-lésionnelle et des entretiensde recherche qui seront analysés selon la méthode de l’analyse phénoménologique interprétative. Uneenquête fondée sur des sources littéraires (# 2) aura pour objet l’analyse de la thématique existentiellede biographies religieuses écrites par de survivants devenus hyperreligieux après un traumatisme crâniocérébralsévère. Enfin, une enquête en clinique psychothérapique (# 3) sera centrale au sein de cetteétude parce que cette thèse s’intéresse à l’hyperreligiosité en tant que processus potentiellementréorganisateur de la psyché. A travers cinq études de cas et des mesures réalisées à travers des outils(échelle de pensée magique, échelle pensée-action-fusion et test BNIS), la partie clinique de cette thèseaura pour objet de mettre en avant la fonction adaptative de l’expérience religieuse et montrera commentle rétablissement du sentiment de soi est possible par l’utilisation d’actes créatifs, comme le dessin,l’écriture (biographique, poèmes) et le choix d’images, activités qui serviront d’appui restructurationpsychique et cognitive de ces patients. L’utilisation du questionnaire de l’expérience religieuse en tantque grille thématique permettra de considérer les données issues des trois enquêtes de cette étude selondes critères communs. / This dissertation focuses on the diagnosis and psychotherapeutic treatment of patients withhyperreligiosity secondary to a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The methodology of this workhas required three separate investigations. A first phenomenological survey (#I) based thirty-twosubjects sample had as an aim (1) to identify the clinical manifestation of syndromes withhyperreligiosity, and (2) to identify experiential themes in subjects who experienced post- lesionalhyperreligiosity. Two questionnaires were created and administered as part of this study: thereligious experience questionnaire, and emergence of post-lesional hyperreligiosity questionnaire.Research interviews analyzed following the interpretative phenomenological analysis method willcomplete the clinical data collection for this survey (#I). A second survey (#II) will consider theanalysis the existential themes of religious biographies written by TBI survivors who reportedrecurrent religious experiences secondary to a traumatic brain injury. A third and main survey(#III) provides a clinical analysis of the therapeutic support of patients with post-lesionalhyperreligiosity. Through five case studies and consistent (every 6 months) administration ofmeasurement tools (magical thinking scale, thought-action fusion scale and test BNIS), this surveydisplays through detailed case studies the adaptive function of religious experience and therestoration of the sense of self though the use of creative acts (drawing, writing biographicalnarratives and poems, commenting on images).Key