Terror management theory predicts that when people are reminded of their own mortality (mortality salience), they cling more strongly to cultural worldviews which provide them with a sense of security (Greenberg et al., 1986). For some people, this reaction to mortality salience also involves derogation of, and discrimination against, “other” people and cultures. An increasing tendency towards sensationalism in the news media has resulted in even more frequent reminders of vulnerability and death (e.g., terrorism, violent crime, health and safety concerns). In two experiments involving 868 introductory psychology students, the present research examined the extent to which their (a) support for authoritarian social policies relevant to Canada and (b) authoritarian attitudes in general are influenced by mortality salience. Specifically, right-wing authoritarianism, attachment security, and political orientation were measured in participants in both experiments. Participants were then prompted to think about either their own mortality or about another aversive experience having nothing to do with mortality. Next, participants were asked their opinions regarding authoritarian social policies (Experiment 1) and beliefs indicative of right-wing authoritarianism (Experiment 2). Multiple regression, analysis of variance, and t-tests revealed that individuals with (a) high pre-existing right-wing authoritarian attitudes and (b) conservative political beliefs increased their support for authoritarian social policies following mortality salience (Experiment 1). In contrast, individuals with (a) high attachment security and (b) moderate political beliefs decreased their support for right-wing authoritarian beliefs following mortality salience (Experiment 2), although the former relationship only approached statistical significance. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the news media, for social policies and political opinions, and for social justice.

In early modern Sweden, intentional blasphemy was regarded as one of the most serious crimes one could commit. Blasphemy was termed “Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae” – “a crime against Our Heavenly Majesty” and was subject to the death penalty. From the 1680´s it was possible to be pardoned from death sentences already delivered by the courts of appeal by applying to the “Judiciary Inspection”, (Sw. Justitierevisionen) In early modern times the definition of blasphemy was influenced by the medieval scholastic view according to which God was perfect. The sourcematerial for the present thesis are 110 petitions for mercy in cases of blasphemy that came up before the council during the period 1680-1789. The cases studied can be divided into the following categories: Blasphemy against God, blasphemy against the sacraments, deliberate assignations wiht the Devil and “other blasphemies”. There was no Church law in Sweden before 1686 and a common law for the whole country did not exist before 1734. The Bible´s ten Commandments where added as an appendix to the already existing medieval laws, reiterated in 1608. An individual found guilty of blasphemy underwent both secular and church punishment. At least nine individuals (we lack information about some cases due to material that has been lost) where not pardoned by the council. The secular punishments included death by beheading or burning at stake, when the sentence was reduced some kind of corporal punishment – running the sauntlet, flogging, imprisonment on a diet of bread and water or a life time of labor. Church punishment was public shaming and meant that the accused had to sit on a special chair in church during the services and publicly ask God and the members of the congregation for forgiveness. This kind of punishment was meted out in Sweden until the late 18th century.Blasphemy is a complicated act that should be defined according to the norms of the society in which it occurs. There are two processes that have to be taken into considerations when studing the crime of blasphemy in early modern Sweden – the centralization of the government and the unification of the church according to the Lutheran creed.In the early modern society people lived in what has been called a “religious culture”, where religion was self-evident, collective concern. Within this context atheism, in the modern meaning of the word, was supposedly unimaginable.The theoretical framework of the study is inspired by Peter Burke’s theories of the reformation of popular culture. Measurements taken by the elite have usually been regarded as active and aggressive, while popular culture has been regarded a homogeneous passive mass that adjustes itself to demands from above. One of the primary aims of this thesis is to study how verbal statements, actions and attitudes reflected popular conceptions that could either be close to or far distant from the learned ideas of the elite. By dividing popular attitudes discerned in the cases studied into four groups corresponding to a kind of mental strata, a more varied image of popular culture is achieved. Blasphemy in early modern Sweden was a crime committed mainly by men, especially when it comes to expressing ideas about the Devil or attempting to contact him. Very few women were accused of blasphemy; of 117 individuals accused, only nine were women.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study investigated the effect of an Argumentation Instructional Model (AIM) on the preservice teachers‘ ability to implement a Science-IK Curriculum in selected South African schools. I examined what instructional practices the pre-service teachers engage in when they introduce scientific explanation and whether those practices influence learners‘ ability to construct scientific explanations during a natural science unit of a South African school curriculum. My study began with a pilot study of 16 pre-service science teachers who completed a B.Ed university module, Science for Teaching, which included an IK component. Data collection for main study took place from 2010 to 2011, and used questionnaires, face-to-face and reflective interview protocols, case studies, lesson plans and classroom observation schedules. I took videos and audios of each of the pre-service teacher‘s enactment of the focal lesson on argumentation and then coded the videotape for different instructional practices. The study investigated firstly, what currently informed teachers‘ thinking, knowledge and action of IK. Secondly, the research questioned how teachers interpreted and implemented IK in the science classroom. A sample of the three pre-service teachers were followed into their classrooms to investigate how they specifically implemented Learning Outcome Three using argumentation instruction as a mode of instruction and what approaches relevant to the inclusion of IK were developed. The study found that the three pre-service teachers used three very different approaches through which IK was brought in the science curriculum. An assimilationist approach, that brings IK into science by seeking how best IK fits into science. A segregationist approach that holds IK side-by-side with scientific knowledge. Lastly, an integrationist approach makes connections between IK and science. The approaches developed by the pre-service teachers were found to be informed by their biographies, values, cultural backgrounds and worldviews. Meticulously, the study explored how shifts were being made from a theoretical phase at the university where the pre-service teachers engaged IK to an actual phase of implementation in their school science classrooms. Finally, I attempted to explain why the pre-service teachers interpreted and implemented IK in the way they did. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study investigated the effect of an Argumentation Instructional Model (AIM) on the preservice teachers‘ ability to implement a Science-IK Curriculum in selected South Africanschools. I examined what instructional practices the pre-service teachers engage in when they introduce scientific explanation and whether those practices influence learners‘ ability to construct scientific explanations during a natural science unit of a South African school curriculum. My study began with a pilot study of 16 pre-service science teachers who completed a B.Ed university module, Science for Teaching, which included an IK component. Data collection for main study took place from 2010 to 2011, and used questionnaires, face-to-face and reflective interview protocols, case studies, lesson plans and classroom observation schedules. I took videos and audios of each of the pre-service teacher‘s enactment of the focal lesson on argumentation and then coded the videotape for different instructional practices. The study investigated firstly, what currently informed teachers‘ thinking, knowledge and action of IK. Secondly, the research questioned how teachers interpreted and implemented IK in the science classroom. A sample of the three pre-service teachers were followed into their classrooms to investigate how they specifically implemented Learning Outcome Three using argumentation instruction as a mode of instruction and what approaches relevant to the inclusion of IK were developed. The study found that the three pre-service teachers used three very different approaches through which IK was brought in the science curriculum. An assimilationist approach, that brings IK into science by seeking how best IK fits into science. A segregationist approach that holds IK side-by-side with scientific knowledge. Lastly, an integrationist approach makes connections between IK and science. The approaches developed by the pre-service teachers were found to be informed by their biographies, values, cultural backgrounds and worldviews. Meticulously, the study explored how shifts were being made from a theoretical phase at the university where the pre-service teachers engaged IK to an actual phase of implementation in their school science classrooms. Finally, I attempted to explain why the pre-service teachers interpreted and implemented IK in the way they did.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Antes e Depois do Trauma.pdf: 525194 bytes, checksum: 2e6655e8a26c7524859107cb1b2f1fdc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-06-06 / Stress is a natural adaptative attempt that mammals use to deal with threatening situations. This process causes series of physiological reactions that happen in cycles that begin and end. However, there are situations where this reaction processes have no end because of stressing agent intensity. It happens in traumatic events that request more time to cope with and adapt to that situation. Living a stressing trauma can cause the development of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), defined by certain symptoms that persist for more than a month. The PTSD gravity is related to a subjective situation evaluation, which is associated to the personal ability to deal with traumas. This ability is modeled by many factors, including the subjective vision of reality, related to others and to themselves, which is entitled, according to Parkes (1998), Assumptive Worldviews. This concept is based on the Intern Operative Model of Attachment Theory, from John Bowlby, which will be the theoretical base of our analysis. The goal of this work is to study the relation between the Assumptive Worldviews and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in individuals submitted to situations defined by themselves as traumatic. The qualitative methodology has been used in order to describe in details and understand the phenomenon using data collected. As tools, two semi-driven interviews were used: one intended to identify how much the individual was affected by the trauma; and the other intended to broach questions related to aspects from Assumptive Worldviews. The traumatic situation chosen is a bus accident that happened in 2004 and the individuals were two women. One of them was present at the accident and the other one was mourning the loss of her father. The data collected were later discussed and analyzed according to Attachment Theory / O estresse é um esforço adaptativo natural dos mamíferos para enfrentar situações ameaçadoras. Seu processo desencadeia uma série de alterações fisiológicas, que tem um ciclo com começo, meio e fim. Entretanto, há situações em que este processo reacional não se finda, devido à intensidade do agente estressor. Isso acontece nos eventos traumáticos, que exigem um tempo maior para elaboração e adaptação a situação. A vivência de um estressor traumático pode levar ao desenvolvimento do Transtorno de Estresse Pós-Traumático (TEPT), definido por um quadro característico de sintomas que persiste por mais de um mês. A gravidade do TEPT está correlacionada à avaliação subjetiva da situação, vinculada à capacidade pessoal de lidar com traumas, a qual é modelada, entre outras coisas, pela visão subjetiva da realidade, dos outros e de si mesmo, o que é denominado, segundo Parkes (1998), de Mundo Presumido. Este conceito está baseado no Modelo Operativo Interno da Teoria do Apego de John Bowlby, a qual será a base teórica de nossa análise. Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a relação entre Mundo Presumido e Transtorno de Estresse Pós-Traumático, em indivíduos submetidos a uma situação por eles definida como traumática. O método utilizado foi o qualitativo, buscando descrever detalhadamente e compreender o fenômeno por meio dos dados coletados. Como instrumentos, usamos duas entrevistas semi-dirigidas: uma com o intuito de identificar o quanto o participante foi afetado pelo trauma e outra para abordar questões relativas a aspectos do Mundo Presumido. A situação traumática eleita foi um acidente de ônibus ocorrido em 2004 e os participantes foram duas mulheres, uma presente no acidente, e outra enlutada pela morte do pai. Os dados coletados foram posteriormente discutidos e analisados com base na Teoria do Apego

This study investigates the role that African traditional beliefs and practices play in defining psychological problems, determines how these beliefs and practices manifest in a counselling relationship and explores how Western based forms of counselling manage these manifestations in counselling. This investigation is in the context of the on-going debate on the relevance of Western Psychological counselling in South Africa and the rest of Africa, including my experience during my internship to register as a Counsellor. It explores the impact of conducting counselling with clients whose worldviews are different from those of the counsellor and focuses on the impact of the client’s worldviews on psychological well-being, psychological ill health and the resolution of psychological problems. Psychological well-being, ill health and counselling were discussed from a Western perspective. The study found that the client participants defined their psychological problems in terms of their African traditional beliefs and practices. They communicated their presenting psychological problems in ways that created possibility of miscommunication between themselves and their counsellors, for example by using figurative language. There was also a clear distinction between how psychological problems are managed from an African traditional perspective (ritualistic) and a Western perspective (talking therapy). The study recommended the creation of specific departments in Universities to embark on research aimed at establishing foundational structures on which to build an African Indigenous Psychology as an alternative to Western Psychology. More comprehensive research on African people’s attitudes is, suggested, on what traditional Africans think of psychological counselling. Another recommendation accruing from the limitation on sampling in this study is that future studies should be conducted with larger and more diverse samples; moreover, data should be gathered on a wider variety of demographics and cultural belief systems and practices. To counter prejudice and ignorance, the counsellor ‘to be’ should study African culture and customs during their BA Honours studies. On-going training and workshops on cross-cultural issues from various cultures should be part of the counselling profession. More emphasis should be placed on prevention and therefore more mental health clinics in the rural areas need to be opened and general education on psychological issues and cultural integration be initiated. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Paradoxically, Karl Jaspers’ coming into his own in philosophy occurred in a book that has psychology in its title, namely Psychologie der Weltanschauungen (PdW) rendered in English: Psychology of worldviews. Similarly paradoxical is the fact that Jaspers rejected any normative content yet the book is full of normative stances, in favor of Bildung, of thinking, of knowledge and of intensity – the latter endorsing enthusiasm in science, communication, life and love, based on values that refer to the transcendent. Simultaneously, PdW is a very classical German philosophy book, that is based on Hegel, Dilthey and Kant, yet Jaspers linked them to enthusiastic thinkers such as Nietzsche and Kierkegaard and was opening thus the way to existence philosophy (Jaspers, Heidegger and the later French tradition of Sartre and Camus and others).:1. The term worldview 2. The term psychology of worldviews 3. The structure of Jaspers’ Psychologie der Weltanschauungen 4. Central concepts of Jaspers’ Psychologie der Weltanschauungen 5. A current perspective from psychology 6. References / Paradoxerweise fand Karl Jaspers' Selbstverwirklichung in der Philosophie in einem Buch statt, das Psychologie im Titel trägt, nämlich Psychologie der Weltanschauungen (PdW) in englischer Übersetzung: Psychology of worldviews. Ähnlich paradox ist die Tatsache, dass Jaspers jeglichen normativen Inhalt ablehnte, und dennoch ist das Buch voller normativer Haltungen, zugunsten der Bildung, des Denkens, des Wissens und der Intensität – letzteres befürwortet die Begeisterung für Wissenschaft, Kommunikation, Leben und Liebe, basierend auf Werten, die sich auf das Transzendente beziehen. Gleichzeitig ist PdW ein sehr klassisches deutsches Philosophiebuch, das auf Hegel, Dilthey und Kant aufbaut, Jaspers verband sie jedoch mit begeisterten Denkern wie Nietzsche und Kierkegaard und öffnete so den Weg zur Existenzphilosophie (Jaspers, Heidegger und die spätere französische Tradition von Sartre und Camus und anderen).:1. The term worldview 2. The term psychology of worldviews 3. The structure of Jaspers’ Psychologie der Weltanschauungen 4. Central concepts of Jaspers’ Psychologie der Weltanschauungen 5. A current perspective from psychology 6. References

This study investigates the role that African traditional beliefs and practices play in defining psychological problems, determines how these beliefs and practices manifest in a counselling relationship and explores how Western based forms of counselling manage these manifestations in counselling. This investigation is in the context of the on-going debate on the relevance of Western Psychological counselling in South Africa and the rest of Africa, including my experience during my internship to register as a Counsellor. It explores the impact of conducting counselling with clients whose worldviews are different from those of the counsellor and focuses on the impact of the client’s worldviews on psychological well-being, psychological ill health and the resolution of psychological problems. Psychological well-being, ill health and counselling were discussed from a Western perspective. The study found that the client participants defined their psychological problems in terms of their African traditional beliefs and practices. They communicated their presenting psychological problems in ways that created possibility of miscommunication between themselves and their counsellors, for example by using figurative language. There was also a clear distinction between how psychological problems are managed from an African traditional perspective (ritualistic) and a Western perspective (talking therapy). The study recommended the creation of specific departments in Universities to embark on research aimed at establishing foundational structures on which to build an African Indigenous Psychology as an alternative to Western Psychology. More comprehensive research on African people’s attitudes is, suggested, on what traditional Africans think of psychological counselling. Another recommendation accruing from the limitation on sampling in this study is that future studies should be conducted with larger and more diverse samples; moreover, data should be gathered on a wider variety of demographics and cultural belief systems and practices. To counter prejudice and ignorance, the counsellor ‘to be’ should study African culture and customs during their BA Honours studies. On-going training and workshops on cross-cultural issues from various cultures should be part of the counselling profession. More emphasis should be placed on prevention and therefore more mental health clinics in the rural areas need to be opened and general education on psychological issues and cultural integration be initiated. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om: 1. Die struikelblokke wat in terapie binne verskillende kulture voorkom, te ontleed. 2. Verskillende Westerse en nie-Westerse terapeutiese benaderings se toepassing op multikulturele terapie te ontleed. 3. Bestaande riglyne en modelle vir multikulturele terapie daar te stel, ten einde 'n model vir relasieterapie te ontwerp. 4. Ondersoek in te st el na die doeltreffendheid van relasieterapie op kliente uit verskillende kulture. Daar is 'n idiografiese model vir Opvoedkundige-Sielkundige terapie binne verskillende kulture ontwerp. Die model is enersyds gebaseer op 'n Iiteratuurstudie en andersyds op die beginsels van relasieterapie as Opvoedkundige-Sielkundige benadering. Die resultate het die volgende getoon: 1. Hindernisse in Opvoedkundige-Sielkundige terapie met persone uit verskillende kulture kan oorbrug word. 2. V erkryging van kulturele kennis oor die klient asook selfondersoek deur die terapeut vergemaklik multikulturele Opvoedkundige-Sielkundige terapie. 3. Aan die hand van die model vir relasieterapie binne verskillende kulture kan doeltreffende multikulturele terapie uitgevoer word. 4. Die model bied riglyne vir terapie binne verskillende kulture. / The purpose of this investigation was: 1. To analyse impediments appearing in therapy within different cultures. 2. To analyse the application of different Western and non-Western therapeutic approaches on multicultural therapy. 3. To bring about existing guidelines and models for multicultural therapy, in order to design a model for relation therapy. 4. To examine the effectiveness of relation therapy on clients from different cultures. A model was designed for multicultural Educational Psychological therapy. The model is based on a study of literature as well as the principles of relation therapy as an Educational Psychological perspective. The results have shown the following: 1. Obstacles in educational psychological therapy with persons from different cultures can be bridged. 2. Attainment of cultural knowledge of the client as well as introspection by the therapist facilitate multicultural educational psychological therapy. 3 . The model for relation therapy within different cultures can be utilised effectively for therapy 4. The model offers guidelines for multicultural therapy. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

This research explores differences in environmental worldviews and connections to the land globally and more specifically in a case study of NGOs working in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest. The aims of this project are to investigate different environmental worldviews expressed between western NGOs and non western local NGOs and to pose these questions 1) what environmental worldviews and ethics are at play in addressing conservation globally and specifically in the Cloud Forest of Ecuador? 2) How do these worldviews influence models for conservation? 3) How do locally-run projects differ from foreign NGOs in addressing the combined needs of the environment and the people in Ecuador? I work to establish a framework for comparing the environmental worldviews of foreign environmental NGOs that of local NGOs, by researching environmental worldviews around the world as influenced by culture, society, history and religion. By using research on case studies done by Jim Igoe, Carolyn Merchant, John Schelhas and Max Pfeffer, I explore the dominant Western worldview of conservation and how its introduction of the National Park model has impacted local communities globally. By comparing this Western worldview of conservation via preservation in National Parks to the nonwestern worldview of integrative models for conservation, I hope to establish a framework for how looking at conservation from the perspective of local communities may prove more beneficial to the future of conservation projects globally. This case study centers around four main community-based conservation projects in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest and asks how their grassroots operations differ from the Ecuadorian National Park system in their efforts to educate and support local communities. This project proposes to dissect these projects designed by local and foreign NGOs to see how they are shaped by their environmental worldviews and whether that worldview includes just the needs of the environment or takes into account the needs of the people as well. This is done through a combination of participant observation and semi-structured open-ended interviews. All data in this ethnography is qualitative and draws on three bodies of literature that serve as frames or approaches to this topic: environmental worldviews, political ecology, and environmental justice. By using these three approaches I show that the environment and ultimately efforts for conservation do not exist within a vacuum but rather lay within a broader context of beliefs, society, and history. / Graduation date: 2012