Dans cette thèse, nous nous penchons sur les effets que peut avoir la discrimination sociale sur le bien-être des personnes qui en sont victimes, et en particulier, sur les stratégies psychologiques que ces dernières mettent en œuvre pour s'en protéger. Parmi les cognitions qui susceptibles de faire office de « tampon », certaines sont liées directement à l'appartenance groupale et donc potentiellement spécifiques à l'expérience de discrimination. Dans une première partie théorique, nous nous attardons sur une définition précise des concepts qui nous intéressent et décrivons en détail la littérature pertinente à notre sujet. Le premier chapitre traite de la notion de discrimination en elle-même, et de ses différences avec des concepts voisins, tels la stigmatisation, le bas statut et la privation relative. L'objectif de cette première section est de préciser notre objet d'étude. Dans un second chapitre, nous abordons la multitude de données existant sur les liens entre discrimination et bien-être, ainsi que les modèles correspondants, notamment ceux de rejet-identification (Schmitt & Branscombe, 2002), de « discounting » (Crocker & Major, 1989) et du stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Cette section nous permet de conclure que l'impact de la discrimination sur le bien-être est loin d'être simple et direct, et met en lumière la résilience des individus qui sont victimes de traitements injustes dus à leur appartenance groupale. Parmi les facteurs de protection à la disposition des personnes discriminées, un certain nombre dépendent directement de ce groupe vilipendé. Nous nous y intéressons dans le troisième et dernier chapitre de l'introduction théorique, en passant en revue les éléments qui permettent de penser que l'identification, l'entitativité, la perception de support social et/ou de discrimination groupale et le soutien à l'action collective puissent être des cognitions protectrices du bien-être. La partie empirique de la thèse vise à investiguer plus avant ces effets protecteurs. En nous intéressant à des groupes discriminés réels (immigrés africains, femmes, infirmiers) ou manipulés (étudiants de l'UCL), nous tentons de cerner plus précisément les relations entre discrimination, cognitions groupales et bien-être. Au travers d'études de laboratoire (chapitres 1 et 2), de terrain (chapitres 3 et 4) et longitudinales (chapitre 5), nous mettons en évidence l'existence d'effets qui semblent spécifiques à certains des groupes étudiés. Notamment, la discrimination groupale a un effet protecteur sur le bien-être dans deux grandes catégories sociales (femmes et immigrés africains), ce qui ne semble pas être le cas dans un groupe professionnel (infirmiers/ères). D'autre part, l'identification au groupe se révèle un concept multidimensionnel dont les différentes facettes ont des effets parfois opposés. Notre conclusion invite le lecteur à la circonspection quant à l'applicabilité de modèles universels à la problématique de la discrimination. Ainsi, si les cognitions groupales peuvent être protectrices du bien-être, c'est sous certaines conditions, dans certains groupes, et non pas comme une panacée valable pour tous. Nous insistons également sur l'importance de distinguer discrimination groupale et personnelle, ainsi que différentes facettes du concept d'identification. Enfin, les études de terrain et les expériences de laboratoire semblent constituer des investigations complémentaires à mener idéalement de concert. / This thesis deals with the cognitive strategies that discriminated individuals use to shield themselves from the aversive effects of social discrimination. More especially, we are interested in group-linked cognitions which are specific to the experience of discrimination, namely identification, perception of group discrimination, entitativity, social support (or solidarity) and the belief in collective action. In the theoretical part, we spend some time defining our concepts. We first distinguish personal discrimination from other related concepts, like relative deprivation, status in social identity theory or stigmatization. We then review the broad literature on the relationship between perceived personal discrimination and well-being. To conclude this first part, we underline the evidence that links group cognitions (identification, group discrimination, entitativity…), perceived personal discrimination and well-being. This first part is only available in French. In the empirical part (in English), we present five studies that gather evidence for the protective properties of group cognitions, with different social categories, among them women, African immigrants and junior nurses, in laboratory (chapters 1 and 2) or natural settings (chapters 3, 4 & 5). We also contrast cross-sectional (chapter 4) and longitudinal data (chapter 5) in order to investigate causality concerns. We conclude our work by stressing the importance of considering group cognitions in relationship to specific groups, and not as a panacea that would be applicable and protective for every single discriminated individual in the same way. We further emphasize the necessity of treating group and personal discrimination as two distinct phenomena, as well as the importance of considering identification as a multi-facetted construct.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) in an African context. This self-report questionnaire, referred to as the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory -Revised Form (ZTPI-RF) consists of 20 items representing the five subscales of the original scale, namely: Past-Positive, Past-Negative, Present-Hedonistic, Present-Fatalistic and Future. The ZTPI-RF was completed by participants (N=1050) from urban (n=451) and rural (n=599) areas in the North-West Province of South Africa, together with a number of measures of psychological well-being. These scales, which were included for criterion-related validity purposes, were the Affectometer 2 (short version) (Kammann & Flett, 1983), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985), Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1987, 1993) and the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979). Results regarding the reliability and construct validity of the ZTPI-RF and its subscales were unsatisfactory. Qualitative data was also obtained, and analyzed by means of direct content analysis to help establish a picture of how time perspective prevails in an African context, and to determine whether time perspective is associated with psychological well-being. Qualitative results showed that participants from an African context were strongly oriented toward the present and that social support played the most prominent role regarding participants' attitude toward the present. It was concluded that the ZTPI-RF is, in its current form, not reliable for the determination of time perspective of individuals from an African context, and that a longitudinal qualitative approach might be best suited to obtain information about the nature and dynamics of time perspective in an African context. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

The aims of this research about learners affected or orphaned by HIV/AIDS was to determine, by means of a case study, the psychological well-being of learners affected or orphaned by HIV/AIDS; the general performance of these learners at school; the nature and extent of social support they get from their schools, family, community and society; and the physical well-being of these learners; as well as to make suggestions for an ecosystemic psycho-social support of these learners in order to enhance and strengthen their psycho-social well-being. The literature review highlighted that, as a result of HIV/AIDS, new family forms are emerging, such as "skipgeneration" families, where the parent generation has succumbed to HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and the families are made up of grandparents and orphaned grandchildren, and child-headed families, where grandparents are not available to care for orphaned grandchildren. The case study of this research revealed that parental illness and the death of parents of adolescents affected and orphaned by HIV/AIDS are causes of these adolescents' emotional trauma and grief, stress, scholastic problems, stigmatization and discrimination, missing out on educational opportunities and experiencing poverty. The empirical research also revealed that these children and adolescents do not get the necessary familial support from their relatives, especially immediately after the death of their parents. On the basis of both the literature review and the empirical research findings, the researcher made suggestions for an ecosystemic psycho-social support of learners affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in order to enhance and strengthen their psycho-social well-being. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Research has shown that men treated for localized prostate cancer (PC) experience physical side effects of treatment that can compromise emotional well being (EWB). Psychosocial factors such as social support can buffer decrements in EWB associated with cancer treatment. The Social Cognitive Processing (SCP) model proposes that communication between the patient and their social support network results in greater processing of cancer adjustment related information and that such processing mediates the relationship between social support and better EWB. Few studies have investigated this relationship in PC populations. The current study sought to evaluate the SCP model in a sample of men who have undergone treatment for localized PC. The study (N=260) was conducted in an ethnically (37% Caucasian, 37% Hispanic, 15% African American) and demographically diverse sample using a cross-sectional design. After controlling for factors significantly associated with EWB (ethnicity, medical co-morbidities and number of years of education), results indicated that higher levels of social support were significantly related with higher levels of EWB (beta=.30, p<.01). Results also showed that two measures of cognitive processing (illness coherence and cognitive processing as a coping strategy) partially mediated the relationship between social support and EWB (illness coherence: z=2.28, p<.05; cognitive processing as a coping strategy: z=2.00, p<.05). Furthermore, perceived stress appeared to moderate the overall mediation model (beta=.91, p<.01) such that cognitive processing mediated the relationship between social support and EWB for individuals perceiving low levels of stress (z=1.90, p<.05), but not for individuals perceiving high levels of stress (z=.09, p>.05). Results suggest the importance of cognitive processing and perceived stress as potential targets for future intervention work designed to improve the psychosocial adjustment of PC patients following treatment.