The purpose of this study was to examine whether intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest religious motivations mediate the relationship between the religious philosophy and perceived well-being of believers. The intrinsic-extrinsic-quest paradigm has been the dominant measure of religious motivation for more than 3 decades. However, the different effects of intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest motivation on the well-being of believers has not been tested on a stratified, purposeful sample of the major world religions. A quantitative, quasi-experimental research design was used with an online, self-report questionnaire and mediation analysis to examine the effects of religious motivation on the relationship between religious philosophy and well-being. A stratified, purposeful sample of 763 members of the major world religions completed assessments of religion and well-being. Linear regressions revealed that intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest religious motivations were three distinct constructs, that they do exist across the world religions, and that they mediated the relationship between different religions and well-being, depending on which predictor and outcome variables were being examined in the mediation triangle. Positive social change is possible for counselors, therapists, psychologists of religion, religious leaders, and laypersons at the individual and societal level through knowing which religious beliefs, motivations, and practices are associated with positive affect, satisfaction with life, the fulfilment of basic human needs, eudaimonic well-being, and better physical health. Individuals come to religion mainly during times of personal crises as a way of coping, expecting urgent results, and these findings illuminate the effectiveness of their chosen coping strategy.

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Under the hopeful atmosphere of Turkey's accession to full membership to European Union, Turkey became oriented towards realizing extensive legal and constitutional amendments, as well as juridical reforms in restructuring the contemporary body of law and judicial institutions based on the promise of strengthening access to justice mechanisms and improving human rights laws and practices in Turkey that was shaped by the discourses of democratic governance, rule of law, and economic progress. At the beginning of the second decade of 2000, the affective atmosphere in Turkey abruptly changed by a series of national and international crises, leading into an impasse in the ordinary life in Turkey. This dissertation aims to examine the promise of legal change as the history of the present of law and legal practice in Turkey. Focusing on everyday personal and professional practices of avukats (attorneys) in addressing the legal issues of gender and sexuality, I explore how the narratives of legal change historically inform the aesthetic formation of the contemporary body of law, as well as the differences between ordinary and professional bodies. Building on theories of affect and queer theories, I argue that the law constitutes both a historical site of socio-cultural belonging and an everyday social space within and through which professional bodies become oriented towards generating the possibilities of socio-legal change, depending how their personal and professional experiences and encounters shape their everyday legal practices and how they reside within judicial and professional positionalities in practicing the law. / Doctor of Philosophy / Starting from early 2000s, the contemporary body of law and judicial institutions underwent drastic changes, which accelerated by Turkey's accession to full membership to European Union. Under the discourses of democratic governance, rule of law, and economic progress, Turkey realized extensive legal and constitutional amendments, as well as juridical reforms with an emphasis on strengthening access to justice mechanisms and improving human rights laws and practices in Turkey. A series of national and international crises, which broke out at the begging of the second decade of 2000s, led Turkey to enter into a political and economic deadlock. In this dissertation, I examine the historical meanings attributed to the body and practice of law in discussing how the legal professional bodies are affected from the recent crises. Focusing on everyday personal and professional practices of avukats (attorneys) in addressing the legal issues of gender and sexuality, I explore how the historical narratives concerning legal change shaped the conventions of the form and content of the law, as well as the differences between the personal and professional identities. I argue that law constitutes a historical site in which socio-cultural norms and hierarchies are negotiated and a social space within and through which professional bodies negotiate the possibilities of social change, depending on how they shape their everyday personal and professional practices and how they position themselves within judicial and professional relations.

Efeitos térmicos em teorias de calibre em (2+1) dimensões são estudados em espaços onde as coordenadas podem ou não comutar. No caso comutativo, a dependência com a temperatura do tensor de polarização é calculada a um laço em teorias envolvendo tanto bósons quanto férmions. Como aplicação, são calculados os processos de blindagem em tais modelos, chegando ao interessante resultado de que cargas magnéticas não sofrem tais efeitos na QED3. Uma prova válida em qualquer ordem de perturbação é desenvolvida, confirmando este comportamento. Em teorias não comutativas, são estudadas as correções a um laço ao coeficiente de Chern-Simons, sendo encontrado que não existe o fenômeno da mistura UV/IR na teoria Chern-Simons-Higgs. O comportamento assintótico de tal coeficiente é analisado no regime de altas temperaturas. Vários outros aspectos envolvendo os efeitos térmicos em teorias de Chern-Simons são explorados. / Thermal effects in (2+1)-dimensional gauge theories are studied in both commutative as well as noncommutative manifolds. In the first situation, the finite temperature polarization tensor is computed a tone loop for fermionic and bosonic couplings. As an application, the screening masses are evaluated and it is found the surprising result that magnetic charges are not screened in QED3. It is demonstrated that this result holds to any order in pertubationtheory. In the noncommutative case, the one loop correction to the Chern-Simons coefficient is studied, and it is found that there is no UV/IR mixing in the Chern-Simons-Higgs model. The asymptotic behavior of such coefficient is analised in the high temperature regime. Several other interesting aspects involving thermal effects of Chern-Simons theories are also discussed.

Neste trabalho estudamos as teorias de gauge puras (sem campo de matéria) na rede em três dimensões. Em especial, estudamos a subclasse das teorias topológicas. A maneira como denimos e tratamos as teorias de gauge e diferente, mas equivalente, à forma usual apresentada em [2, 3]. Definimos estas teorias via o formalismo de Kuperberg, que é um formalismo puramente matemático de um invariante topológico de variedades tridimensionais. Este formalismo, embora bastante abstrato, pode ser adaptado para descrever as classes de modelos das teorias de gauge na rede, e traz várias vantagens, pois possibilita que tratemos de teorias topológicas e não topológicas, além da fácil identicação dos limites topológicos da função de partição. Estudamos também a classe das teorias chamadas quase topológicas, que podem ser pensadas como deformações de teorias topológicas. Em particular, consideramos teorias de gauge com grupo de gauge Z2, que é o grupo de gauge mais simples possível com dinâmica não trivial. Dentro das teorias de gauge, identicamos as classes de modelos que são quase topológicos, além de outras classes nas quais a função de partição pode ser trivialmente calculada. A função de partição foi calculada explicitamente no caso quase topológico em duas situações: sobre a esfera tridimensional S3 e sobre o toroS1x S1x S1x, que representa uma rede com condições periódicas de contorno. Dois modelos físicos de teorias de gauge, ainda com grupo de gauge Z2, foram estudados: o modelo com ação de Wilson SW = Pfaces [Tr(g) - 1] e o modelo com ação spin-gauge SSG = Pfaces Tr(g). No limite de baixa temperatura ambos os modelos mostram-se ser topológicos, enquanto que no limite de alta temperatura mostraram-se ser trivialmente calculáveis. / In this work we studied the class of models of pure lattice gauge theories (without matter elds) in three dimensions. Especially, we studied the subclass of topological theories. Lattice gauge theories were dened in an unusual way, unlike the description shown in [2, 3]. We dened lattice gauge theories via the Kuperberg\'s formalism [4], which is a mathematical model for a topological invariant of 3-manifolds. Such formalism, although completely abstract, can describe the class of models of lattice gauge theories because it can describe both topological and non topological theories, besides it provides an easy identication of the partition function topological limits. We also studied the class of theories called quasi topological, which can be thought as deformations of topological theories. As an example, we consider Z2 as gauge group, because it is the simplest group that does not imply trivial dynamics. Inside this class of models we identify the subclasses of quasi topological theories and also other classes in which the partition function can be trivially computed. The partition function was explicitly computed in two situations: on the 3-sphere S3 and on the 3-manifold S1 x S1 x S1 that represents periodic boundary conditions. Two physical models were studied: the model with Wilson\'s action SW(conf)1 and the model with spin-gauge action SSG(conf)2. In the low temperature limit both models shown to be topological and in the high temperature limit they could be trivially computed.

Neste trabalho estudamos as teorias de gauge puras (sem campo de matéria) na rede em três dimensões. Em especial, estudamos a subclasse das teorias topológicas. A maneira como denimos e tratamos as teorias de gauge e diferente, mas equivalente, à forma usual apresentada em [2, 3]. Definimos estas teorias via o formalismo de Kuperberg, que é um formalismo puramente matemático de um invariante topológico de variedades tridimensionais. Este formalismo, embora bastante abstrato, pode ser adaptado para descrever as classes de modelos das teorias de gauge na rede, e traz várias vantagens, pois possibilita que tratemos de teorias topológicas e não topológicas, além da fácil identicação dos limites topológicos da função de partição. Estudamos também a classe das teorias chamadas quase topológicas, que podem ser pensadas como deformações de teorias topológicas. Em particular, consideramos teorias de gauge com grupo de gauge Z2, que é o grupo de gauge mais simples possível com dinâmica não trivial. Dentro das teorias de gauge, identicamos as classes de modelos que são quase topológicos, além de outras classes nas quais a função de partição pode ser trivialmente calculada. A função de partição foi calculada explicitamente no caso quase topológico em duas situações: sobre a esfera tridimensional S3 e sobre o toroS1x S1x S1x, que representa uma rede com condições periódicas de contorno. Dois modelos físicos de teorias de gauge, ainda com grupo de gauge Z2, foram estudados: o modelo com ação de Wilson SW = Pfaces [Tr(g) - 1] e o modelo com ação spin-gauge SSG = Pfaces Tr(g). No limite de baixa temperatura ambos os modelos mostram-se ser topológicos, enquanto que no limite de alta temperatura mostraram-se ser trivialmente calculáveis. / In this work we studied the class of models of pure lattice gauge theories (without matter elds) in three dimensions. Especially, we studied the subclass of topological theories. Lattice gauge theories were dened in an unusual way, unlike the description shown in [2, 3]. We dened lattice gauge theories via the Kuperberg\'s formalism [4], which is a mathematical model for a topological invariant of 3-manifolds. Such formalism, although completely abstract, can describe the class of models of lattice gauge theories because it can describe both topological and non topological theories, besides it provides an easy identication of the partition function topological limits. We also studied the class of theories called quasi topological, which can be thought as deformations of topological theories. As an example, we consider Z2 as gauge group, because it is the simplest group that does not imply trivial dynamics. Inside this class of models we identify the subclasses of quasi topological theories and also other classes in which the partition function can be trivially computed. The partition function was explicitly computed in two situations: on the 3-sphere S3 and on the 3-manifold S1 x S1 x S1 that represents periodic boundary conditions. Two physical models were studied: the model with Wilson\'s action SW(conf)1 and the model with spin-gauge action SSG(conf)2. In the low temperature limit both models shown to be topological and in the high temperature limit they could be trivially computed.

Efeitos térmicos em teorias de calibre em (2+1) dimensões são estudados em espaços onde as coordenadas podem ou não comutar. No caso comutativo, a dependência com a temperatura do tensor de polarização é calculada a um laço em teorias envolvendo tanto bósons quanto férmions. Como aplicação, são calculados os processos de blindagem em tais modelos, chegando ao interessante resultado de que cargas magnéticas não sofrem tais efeitos na QED3. Uma prova válida em qualquer ordem de perturbação é desenvolvida, confirmando este comportamento. Em teorias não comutativas, são estudadas as correções a um laço ao coeficiente de Chern-Simons, sendo encontrado que não existe o fenômeno da mistura UV/IR na teoria Chern-Simons-Higgs. O comportamento assintótico de tal coeficiente é analisado no regime de altas temperaturas. Vários outros aspectos envolvendo os efeitos térmicos em teorias de Chern-Simons são explorados. / Thermal effects in (2+1)-dimensional gauge theories are studied in both commutative as well as noncommutative manifolds. In the first situation, the finite temperature polarization tensor is computed a tone loop for fermionic and bosonic couplings. As an application, the screening masses are evaluated and it is found the surprising result that magnetic charges are not screened in QED3. It is demonstrated that this result holds to any order in pertubationtheory. In the noncommutative case, the one loop correction to the Chern-Simons coefficient is studied, and it is found that there is no UV/IR mixing in the Chern-Simons-Higgs model. The asymptotic behavior of such coefficient is analised in the high temperature regime. Several other interesting aspects involving thermal effects of Chern-Simons theories are also discussed.

Youth sex offenders are not a homogenous population. They differ in terms of race, social class, victim preferences (both in terms of age and in terms of whether the victim is known to the offender or not), their modus operandi to gain compliance, levels of aggression and physical violence, the types (“hands on” or “hands off”) and levels (level 1, 2, or 3) of offences and lastly their motivations for committing a sex offence. The motivations are linked to the risk factors to which an individual is exposed, for example, a youth that was previously sexually victimised could sexually act out his experiences. A qualitative approach was used in this study. The researcher aimed to gain a holistic comprehension of the risk factors that youth attribute to their sex offending behaviour and thus this was the most appropriate approach to use. A semi-structured interview schedule was used as the data collection method as this allowed the researcher the freedom to change the sequence and forms of the questions in order to follow up on responses. The function of this interview schedule was to direct the researcher to ensure that she covered all the themes needed to obtain the necessary data. The interview schedule was made up of nine categories, namely: biographic characteristics, academic performance, extramural activities, substance use, family substance use problems, family and community violence, emotional status, caring and attachment to family and peers, sexual abuse and knowledge about sex. After the interviews were conducted, the data was transcribed, analysed and interpreted. The researcher made use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to determine the emergent themes. The researcher eliminated the emergent themes that were impossible to label, or those deemed to be irrelevant to the study. Thereafter, the researcher clustered the emergent themes into sub-ordinate themes and validated these main and sub-ordinate themes. The researcher then provided a textural description to depict the experience and a structural description to depict the possible explanation of the experience of the respondents. Finally, a composite description provided the structure for the interpretation of the data. The researcher interpreted the main and sub-ordinate themes with relation to the literature review and the theories deemed useful in explaining the risk factors associated with youth sex offending, namely: Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory of personality development, Albert Bandura’s social cognition theory, William Marshall and Howard Barbaree’s integrated theory, and Neil Malamuth’s confluence model of sexual aggression. The analysis and interpretation of the data revealed certain possible risk factors that could contribute to the phenomenon of youth sex offending in South Africa. The researcher provided possible methods of addressing these risk factors. The dearth of knowledge regarding the phenomenon of youth sex offending highlights the need for further research and the researcher made several recommendations regarding future research prospects in order to address this social problem and to give youth sex offenders the best chance of adopting pro-social behaviour. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted