This thesis explores the impact of whole-person development programmes on the development of managers. The research on which this thesis is based is in two stages. The initial stage compared the ways in which personal development plans were created in 14 organisations and identified that the means by which the plans were created had a significant effect on the enthusiasm and commitment of the learners. This led to a review of management development programmes to try and identify in more detail the factors that influence impact and outcomes. Interviews were conducted with 55 individual learners, 11 subordinates and 21 line managers and explored how these managers learnt, what they learnt and what impact this learning had on them and their organisations. These participants came from five case study organisations who provided a range of management development opportunities. The learning that seemed to have had most significant impact centred around 'soft skills'. This is particularly interesting because it is these soft skills that have proved to be difficult to develop and assess. There emerged some key themes that help explain these changes. The first step in this journey of development is that managers should know themselves. Much management development focuses on the external world and the development of knowledge and skills that are 'out there' - understanding budgets, where business strategy comes from, what a good appraisal looks like and so on. The really effective managementdevelopment programmes placed considerable emphasis on the internal world. This development of the internal world focuses on both knowledge and skills - what are my strengths and weaknesses, how do I normally react when put under pressure, what techniques can I use to overcome my reluctance to deal with conflict? Two processes appear to be essential if individuals are to develop greater internal skills and self-knowledge: feedback opportunities and support mechanisms. Those that have received structured feedback within a supportive and trusting environment have used this to change themselves for the better, becoming more proactive, more self-confident and more empathic in their dealings with others. Feedback can play a positive role in enhancing self-esteem through increasing selfknowledge. However feedback is not always welcomed. In an unsupported environment, feedback can be perceived as threatening when it tells the individual something that they did not know about themselves and are not ready to integrate into their selfknowledge. In these circumstances a vicious circle is set up. Support from those that the learner has come to trust appears to be crucial if feedback is to be warmly received. Once an individual has integrated such feedback into their selfknowledge and accepted it, there would appear to be an increase in the value attached to feedback and the desire to seek it out

This study investigated the relatic~mship between social support networks and their effects on sexual behavior during adolescence. The PSS-Fr and the PSS-Fa (Prociando & Heller, 1983) were used to establish the participants' overall perception of their social support networks from their friends and from their family. The Healthy Oakland Teen Survey (Ekstrand et al., 1996) was used to measure the perceived prevalence of risk behaviors among friends of the adolescents, attitudes regarding sexually active students, sexual behavior, and social networks. The predicted result of the experiment was that the strength of an adolescent's social support network would be a predictor for teenage pregnancy. A relationship was found between family support and the number of sexual partners.

Social support is important for health and well-being and has been associated with reduced isolation in rural communities. Support from family and friends may become increasingly important as one ages, and may enable some seniors to remain living in their communities. The purpose of this project was to understand variation in the social support resources of older adults in rural Canada. This included variation in seniors social networks, support networks, tasks and services received, and exchange patterns. Methods included secondary analysis of a national telephone survey of adults aged 65 and older residing in rural Canada. Four key findings emerged. First, there was variation in the connections seniors had to family and friends. While some seniors had social networks averaging two people, others had social networks averaging 17. Who is present in social networks sets limits on who can be recruited into the support network. Second, who gets recruited from social networks into support networks varies. On average, social networks comprised 10 people, but support networks averaged three people. Spouses, children, middle-aged and local social network members were most likely to be recruited into support networks. However, recruitment depended on who was available to provide support. Third, not everyone receives support. Findings revealed that 15 percent of seniors who had a social network reported receiving no support, while nine percent who received support had few people who provided help with tasks like housework and shopping. While some of that group may not need support and/or are providing help to others, some seniors may have only one or two people to rely on. Fourth, rural older adults are not passive receivers of support. Many provide a high number of tasks to family and friends, helping build social ties and maintain supportive relationships. These findings point to the need for rural communities to be vigilant about evolving support needs of older residents. If seniors have few people who provide them with support, or if they rely on non-kin, who will provide care if needed? Services will be needed to fill the gap, and these services are not always available in rural areas.

No description available.

No description available.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo abordar as experiências de haitianas e haitianos residentes na cidade de Porto Alegre. Com o propósito inicial de dar visibilidade para os novos fluxos migratórios que chegam ao Brasil, foi realizada uma etnografia na Vila Esperança Cordeiro e seu entorno, na Zona Norte da cidade, entre os anos de 2014 e 2016. Neste trabalho, a migração é problematizada como uma forma de resistência, em que o ato de migrar pode ser compreendido como uma ação adotada em face das vivências no país de origem e estando relacionada à luta por direitos humanos tanto na relação mantida com o Haiti como na inserção no Brasil. Abordo como a noção de resistência permeia a esfera local, nacional e global, sendo inicialmente pensada a partir da sua presença na história haitiana e na relação com a diáspora haitiana. Destaco que as noções de agência e de resistência são elementos que perpassam todo o campo etnográfico. A ideia de resistência é problematizada a partir das contribuições de Scott, que destaca as estratégias de resistência cotidianas. Inspirada pela antropologia da experiência, principalmente a partir de Das e de Fassin, abordo a importância de dialogar com os interlocutores ressaltando suas vozes através das histórias de vida, dos testemunhos e narrativas. Neste ponto, a partir das contribuições de Spivak, destaco as especificidades das experiências das mulheres haitianas, compreendendo quais são as dinâmicas de solidariedade existentes nas suas relações que se contrapõem à imposição do silenciamento e invisibilidade da mulher. Acompanhei ao longo da pesquisa etnográfica os espaços que eram percorridos e as relações que iam se formando, a partir das quais pude perceber a formação de diferentes redes de apoio. A noção de rede abordada neste trabalho tem como inspiração as contribuições de Latour sobre o movimento de seguir os atores e suas inovações e de Ingold acerca da compreensão dos fluxos e contra-fluxos. Acompanhando as redes percorridas pelos(as) migrantes em campo foi possível elaborar um “mosaico” destas redes, percebendo que ao longo do trajeto estas redes vão se cruzando e não estão isoladas. É a partir destas questões que esta dissertação busca compreender alguns aspectos vivenciados por haitianas e haitianos em Porto Alegre, destacando, porém, as suas contribuições enquanto uma etnografia que dialoga com uma realidade específica e localizada. Por fim, este trabalho incita a reflexão sobre estratégias voltadas para a inserção e o respeito à dignidade humana das e dos migrantes. / This dissertation aims to approach the experiences of Haitian dwellers in Porto Alegre city. With the initial purpose of standing out the new migratory flows that have achieved Brazil, there was performed an ethnography work at Vila Esperança Cordeiro and its surroundings in the north zone of Porto Alegre between 2014 and 2016. In this work, migration is problematized as a way of resistance, in which the act of migrating can be understand as a chosen action regarding to the individuals’ experiences in the mother country. The resistance is related to the fight for human rights as much in the relationship kept with Haiti, as in the insertion in Brazil. I seek the approaching of how the resistance notion permeates the local, national and global spheres, initially being conceived from its presence in Haitian history and in the relation with the Haitian diaspora. I highlight that the ideas of agency and resistance are elements that pervade the whole ethnographic work. The conception of resistance is problematized regarding to the contributions of Scott about everyday resistance strategies. Inspired by the anthropology of experience, specially by Das and Fassin, I approach the importance of dialoguing with the interlocutors while stressing their voices through their life stories, their testimonies and narratives. At this point, and from the contributions of Spivak, I emphasize the specificities of Haitian women experiences, realizing which are the existent dynamics of solidarity among their relationships that stands as opposition against the pressures to make them mute and invisible. During the ethnographic research, I observed the spaces in which the individuals went through, as well as the relationships they stablished. According to that observations, I could realize the shaping of distinct social support networks. The conception of network approached in this work has as inspiration the contributions of Latour about the movement of following the actors and their innovations. Besides of Latour, the contributions of Ingold about the comprehension of flows are also considered. Following the networks roamed by the migrants in field, it was possible to build a “mosaic” of that networks and perceive that, along the paths, they intersect each other and are not isolated. It is based in all the issues exposed that this dissertation aims to understand some aspects experienced by Haitian individuals in Porto Alegre. I highlight the contributions of this research as an ethnography that dialogues with a specific and localized reality. Lastly, this dissertation encourages the reflection about strategies directed to the insertion and respect regarding to the human dignity and to migrants.

A certain community within the southern region of Texas has consistently been linked to escalating poverty, high crime rates, low educational achievement, and poor physical and mental health. For the purpose of this research, this community will be referred to as Community X. Although some researchers have found that sense of community and supportive social networks are associated with healthy mental and physical functioning, others have suggested that in a debilitated community social networks can facilitate psychological distress and a strong sense of community is difficult to develop. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the combination of 3 Social Network Index (SNI) scores and 4 Sense of Community Index 2 (SCI-2) scores that affect Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) scores. For the 106 Community X resident participants, as the SNI number of embedded networks increased, K10 scores tended to increase, indicating higher levels of psychological distress (consistent with the negative effect research). In a cluster analysis, two clusters emerged in which one cluster (n = 67) had positive z-score means on all SNI indices and all SCI-2 subscales, while the other cluster (n = 39) had all negative z-score means. The cluster with all positive scores had lower K10 psychological distress scores (consistent with the positive effect research), but the difference was not statistically significant. The mixed results indicated that comparative research is needed to control for communities of varying ecological distress to better relate psychological distress to sense of community and the valence of social networks to facilitate positive social change health policies and interventions that are ecological-distress sensitive.

Children of alcoholics (COAs) are those who grow up in a home where one or more parent is an alcoholic; once adulthood is achieved, they are referred to as adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). Several risk factors have been identified as a potential result from exposure to an alcoholic environment; however there is a dearth of literature exploring resilience in this population. Descriptive Narrative Inquiry was used to explore the question, Describe the qualities, processes, or internal motivational factors which have facilitated resilience for adult children of alcoholic parents. Two ninety-minute life history interviews were conducted with four participants, including the researcher. The participants were female, middle class, university students who considered themselves to be adult children of alcoholics who are resilient. A composite narrative was used to depict the results of this study, combining the data from each participants life story. The narrative was written in the first-person through the character of Sophie, and the data included is the result of a narrative analysis from the transcripts of the participants data. The narrative depicts the developmental stages of the participants lives, including childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and the present. Their experiences of growing up in an alcoholic home were documented at each stage. A thematic analysis was conducted, extracting the common themes, meaning made, and personal characteristics that were generated within and across participants that contributed to their development of resilience. The results are discussed in four major themes: Being in Relation: Others Create a Difference; Belief Systems: Spirituality, Religion, and Values; The Self: An Evolving Being; and Alcoholism: Meaning in Itself. It is through the dialogue of the participants experiences of resilience that awareness creates opportunity for advocacy for children and adult children of alcoholics. The implications of this research in relation to the experiences of resilience are discussed for children and adult children of alcoholics, educators, and counsellors. Directions for future research are addressed.

Children of alcoholics (COAs) are those who grow up in a home where one or more parent is an alcoholic; once adulthood is achieved, they are referred to as adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). Several risk factors have been identified as a potential result from exposure to an alcoholic environment; however there is a dearth of literature exploring resilience in this population. Descriptive Narrative Inquiry was used to explore the question, Describe the qualities, processes, or internal motivational factors which have facilitated resilience for adult children of alcoholic parents. Two ninety-minute life history interviews were conducted with four participants, including the researcher. The participants were female, middle class, university students who considered themselves to be adult children of alcoholics who are resilient. A composite narrative was used to depict the results of this study, combining the data from each participants life story. The narrative was written in the first-person through the character of Sophie, and the data included is the result of a narrative analysis from the transcripts of the participants data. The narrative depicts the developmental stages of the participants lives, including childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and the present. Their experiences of growing up in an alcoholic home were documented at each stage. A thematic analysis was conducted, extracting the common themes, meaning made, and personal characteristics that were generated within and across participants that contributed to their development of resilience. The results are discussed in four major themes: Being in Relation: Others Create a Difference; Belief Systems: Spirituality, Religion, and Values; The Self: An Evolving Being; and Alcoholism: Meaning in Itself. It is through the dialogue of the participants experiences of resilience that awareness creates opportunity for advocacy for children and adult children of alcoholics. The implications of this research in relation to the experiences of resilience are discussed for children and adult children of alcoholics, educators, and counsellors. Directions for future research are addressed.

Binge drinking as one of the alcohol consumption patterns, affects the quality of life of the drinker, significant others and the society in general. It contributes to negative social, economic and health effects on social support networks. This sub-study of the five year trans-disciplinary Alcohol study analysed the existing quantitative data of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The broad aim of the Alcohol study is to gain a better understanding of the alcohol consumption patterns and the causes and consequences of binge drinking amongst South African. The overarching aim of this sub-study was to identify the socioeconomic effects of binge drinking on support networks with a view to contributing to a development of a relevant, integrated and coherent strategy to address alcohol abuse and misuse in the selected areas of the study. The study adopted a mixed methods approach by combining the qualitative and quantitative paradigms to understand the phenomenon of binge drinking and its effects on support networks more adequately. A literature study was undertaken to firstly understand the broader context of the social aspects of alcohol abuse in South Africa, and secondly, to understand social support, social support networks and social network analysis in relation to binge drinking from a conceptual and theoretical framework. Unpacking of the concepts social support, social support networks and social network analysis provided a base to argue that social support networks are affected by binge drinking because the drinker and networks such as family and service providers are interrelated and interdependent. Relevant theoretical frameworks that support this view that person and environment are related and cannot be separated because one affects the other as well, were used to substantiate the argument. Binge drinking was further cross tabulated with other relevant variables to further understand the alcohol consumption patterns. The profile of social problems from the PURE data provided a picture of the challenges in the demarcated areas. As such poverty, low educational level and income were used as markers of socio-economic position. Having identified binge drinking as one pattern of alcohol consumption used in the communities, the study further identified the socio-economic effects experienced by support networks through semi-structured interviews with a schedule and focus groups. The family members and service providers as key informants were identified as support networks. The identified family support network representatives were children, spouse, parents and a sibling and they explained their experiences with a binge drinker. Specific themes of social support were used to describe their experiences of support. These themes are: types of support provided; recipient perception, reciprocal support and behaviour of the provider. The results indicated that support networks are negatively affected by binge drinking because social support is not provided as expected. Performance of roles is compromised and binge drinkers socially constructed views of being justified to abuse of alcohol in that they themselves were exposed to the same situation as children, thus the children are expected to accept their drinking and the socio-economic situation. The community support networks were interviewed to obtain information on the alcohol abuse and socio-economic conditions in the selected communities and to identify the intervention strategies employed to combat the alcohol abuse problems. Suggestions to enhance intervention strategies are proposed focusing on assessment of risk and risk environment, targeted interventions, multi-level synergistic intervention and multi-disciplinary roles and partnerships. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.