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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-219). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Text in Afrikaans / Die studie handel oor die persoonlikheidsamestelling van die beskeie leerling in die senior sekondere skoolfase. Twee sienings van beskeidenheid blyk uit die literatuur, naamlik beskeidenheid as 'n deug en beskeidenheid as manifestasie van innerlike onsekerheid. Daar is in diepte gekyk na beskeidenheid as persoonlikheidseienskap en die invloed van beskeidenheid op die relasievorming en selfaktualisering van die kind. Beskeidenheid gaan gepaard met persoonlikheidseienskappe soos terughoudendheid, beskroomdheid, geinhibeerdheid, ontoereikende assertiwiteit en vry van aanmatiging en dit behels 'n onvermoe tot selfbevordering. Verder manifesteer sake soos sosiale angstigheid, openbare selfbewustheid, vrees vir sukses en swak selfevaluering ook in beskeidenheid. Die leerling se relasievorming en selfaktualisering word deur beskeidenheid gekortwiek. Die Hoerskool Persoonlikheidsvraelys is in 'n empiriese ondersoek op 'n aantal standerd 9-leerlinge afgeneem. Geen tipiese perrsoonlikheidsprofiel kon vir beskeidenheid saamgestel word nie. 'n Aantal persoonlikheidseienskappe wat met beskeidenheid verband kan hou, het egter in die ondersoek na vore gekom. / This study concerns the personality composition of the modest pupil in the senior secondary school. Two views of modesty are discussed in the literature, namely that it is a virtue and that it is a sign of inner uncertainty. An in-depth study is made of modesty as a personality characteristic and its influence on the pupil's relationship formation and self-actualisation. Modesty is associated with such personality characteristics as reserve, timidity, inhibition, unassertiveness and lack of arrogance. It implies an inability to promote oneself. Modesty is also a manifestation of social anxiety, self-conciousness, a fear of success and low self-evaluation. It handicaps the relationship formation and self-actualisation of pupils. The High School Personality Questionnaire was administered to a group of Standard 9 pupils in an empirical study. No typical personality profile could be compiled for modest pupils. Several personality 'characteristics emerged from the study which may be associated with modesty. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (met spesialisering in Voorligting)

L’adolescence est une période de développement au cours de laquelle les individus expérimentent les premières activités sexuelles, investissent de nouveaux objets tout en s’éloignant de leurs parents. Ce profond remaniement peut conduire les adolescents à une prise de risque accrue, y compris dans la sexualité, et à une chute de l’estime de soi. Ce travail propose d’étudier les relations entre le style d’attachement (secure, insecure ambivalent et insecure évitant) à la mère et au père à l’adolescence et le type de sexualité engagée (sentimentalisée, corporalisée, évitée ou encore à risque). L’estime est considérée dans cette étude comme une variable intermédiaire dans les interactions entre l’attachement perçu aux parents et la sexualité des adolescents. Pour tenir compte des évolutions pubertaires et cognitives durant l’adolescence, la prime adolescence et la late adolescence sont étudiées séparément. Les sept études à la prime adolescence et à la late adolescence composant ce travail rendent compte que les différents styles d'attachement des adolescents à leur parent influence les modalités d'entrée dans la sexualité des adolescents avec la réactivation des angoisses d'abandon et d'intrusion avec une sexualité plus précoce, plus chaotique et désaffectivée pour les adolescents ayant un attachement insecure ambivalent ou évitant. La figure parentale semble jouer un role spécifique dans la sexualité des adolescentes / Adolescence is a period of development during which people experiment with their first sexual activities, explore new paths and distance themselves from their parents. This life changes may lead adolescents to increased risk-taking, including in sexuality, and to a loss of self-esteem. This work proposes to study the relations and the nature of the bond (secure, insecure ambivalent and insecure avoidant) with the mother and the father between the adolescence and the kind of sexuality held (sentimentalized, corporalized, avoided or risky). Self esteem is considered in this study as an intermediate variable in the interactions between the attachment perceived by parents and the sexuality of adolescents. To consider the pubertal and cognitive evolution during adolescence, the prime adolescence and the late adolescence are studied separately.. The sexual behavior of secure adolescents is reflected in their high self-esteem, with ease in intimate relations (both affective and physical) and a more sentimentalized and less risky sexuality. The ambivalent adolescents are more precocioulsy involved in sexual interactions and exhibit a more risk-taking sexuality, in the fear of rejection or abandonment. For the avoidant adolescents, they are less interested by the emotional implication of sexuality, and less oriented toward the sexual experiences with girls (attachment to the father) during the prime adolescence, without necessarily being sexually inactive in their late adolescence. In these relations, self-esteem is a real mediator for the attachments secure and insecure avoidant.

The thesis deals with space responses in the Rorschach which are usually given into relation with oppositionality. The theoretical part focuses on the oppositionality phenomenon at a level of perception and personality and analyzes a variety of probable diagnostic meanings of space responses. The aim of empirical part is to verify the validity of space responses on a group of adolescent students. Results suggest that strong tendency to give space responses is not significantly related to the manifestation of oppositionality which was assessed by students' teachers. Discussion implies the need to interpret space responses in a context of an individual. Significantly higher occurrence of space responses was found in adolescent students compared to adult norms. The finding can point to a specific developmental need of independence which is typical for adolescents. Keywords: Rorschach test, Perception, Personality, Oppositionality, Adolescence

M.Ed. / During adolescence confusion in idendity can occur (Louw. 1990:463) as adolescents find themselves in a period of transition. During this phase of life a positive self -concept is extremely important. because it determines where the person will fit into society, choices he will make (louw. 1990:460) and whether he is successful in his relationship with his fellow men (Staples, 1991: I I I). It is therefore extremely important that adolescents accept themselves. Although information about self-concept development is available. the researcher found that some adolescents still suffer from low self-concept which might, if not addressed. become hindrances to optimal development and self-actualisation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-esteem in adolescents could be improved. A program based on Constructivistic principles was developed and ten adolescents actively participated therein for ten sessions of two hours each. Nine components of self-concept development was discussed, namely: what is self-concept; how is self-concept formed; the ideal self; proactive attitude; conflict resolution strategies; self-assertiveness and friends. The last session was reserved for the evaluation on the program and self-growth. The development of the respondents were assessed and video's were taken. Workbooks were also analyzed. Measures to ensure trustworthiness was kept in mind and the development of the respondents were discussed with their parents.

M.A. / The political situation in South Africa has changed over the past ten years to that of a democracy. A result of this dramatic change is the assemblage of various cultures within a given context, especially multicultural schools. From this the question arose whether adolescents of different cultures present with different levels of self-concept within multicultural schools. Furthermore, it was to be determined whether cultural identity correlates with self-concept. Literature regarding the self, culture and cultural identity was used to get a better understanding of the study at hand. The theoretical frameworks of Allport and Rogers were studied to determine underlining factors involved in the formation of the self-concept. The various dimensions of the self, including self-esteem and self-labelling, was investigated as well as recent research regarding the self-concept. Research has shown that the self-concept of Black people is directly connected to their cultural norms and reference group (Allen, 2000). Differences between individualistic and collectivist groups have been identified, as well as the effect it has on social roles and the definition of the self. Regarding the issue of self-esteem and cultural identity research has shown a strong positive correlation between the level of self-esteem and cultural identity. Research has also shown that pupils in multicultural schools have a better understanding of cultural diversity and tolerance. The effects of negative stereotyping and labelling on the self within a multicultural environment are however issues to be taken into consideration. Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) Social Identity Theory provided the focus on cultural identity. Research regarding cultural identity within South Africa, contributed to the understanding of in-group and out-group categorization and it has been found that association with a particular group determined definition of the self. From the literature used it thus became apparent that the self- concept and cultural identity is closely linked, although a multicultural environment could have an impact on the self. This formed the basis for conducting the research on the impact of a multicultural context on the self-concept. The instruments used comprised of a cultural identity questionnaire, as well as the Beck and SIP self-concept scales. Participants of three different cultural groups were used namely, Black, White and Coloured individuals. Participants, between the ages of 16-17 were given the questionnaires to complete on cultural identity as to determine their level of association with a particular group. The self-concept scales evaluated their self-concept as either positive or negative. Additionally, the participants’ cultural identity scores were statistically divided to create two groups, one which scored low and another which scored high on cultural identity and these groups were compared on self-concept. Thus, this study attempted to control for cultural identity in terms of its influence on self-concept within a multicultural context. Results have shown that there is a strong positive correlation between self-concept and a cultural identity. Both of the self-concept scales showed this correlation in regards to Cultural Identity. Furthermore, statistically significant difference between the self-concept scores of the different cultural groups namely Black, White and Coloured Participants was found. It can thus be stated that cultural identities have a role to play in the manner in which we perceive ourselves, and more research is needed in this area to fully understand the scope of it. Research in this matter may also have a positive effect on the understanding of integration of different cultures in South Africa, especially within the educational context.

This diploma thesis is focused on selected psychological aspects of racism. In the introduction, I define basic concepts of the problem and I present wider context of psychology of racism. The main focus of the thesis is put on psychological forms of racism, racist attitudes, stereotypes and prejudices and their measurement. An important part also deals with psychological roots of racism and psychological theories that explain racism. The next chapter is focused on the specifics of adolescence in the context of racism. The research part is an explicit and implicit measurement of the attitudes of adolescents towards ethnic or national minorities that play animportan role in the Czech Republic. 404 high school students participated in the research. In addition to the results of the individual parts of the research, it is also beneficial the correlation of the methods and the comparison with the previous studies, which indicates the complexity of the problem.

Etude 1- Objectif: Explorer les contributions relatives des facteurs socioculturels et psychopathologiques aux idéations suicidaires dans un échantillon d’adolescents issus de l’immigration (N=292). Bien que les événements de vie négatifs, les symptômes dépressifs, et l'individualisme sont des facteurs de risque, et l'attachement aux parents un facteur de protection chez les garçons et les filles, des différences de genre sont observées. Les traits limites (facteur de risque), l'assimilation et la marginalisation (les deux facteurs de protection) étaient des prédicteurs significatifs de l’idéation suicidaire chez les filles uniquement.Etude 2- Objectif: Explorer les différences ethniques (717 Français vs. 251 issus de l’immigration) concernant les facteurs de risques et de protection associés à l’idéation suicidaire dans une population d’adolescents. Les garçons issus de l’immigration rapportaient une sévérité d’idéation suicidaire plus importante que les garçons Français alors que les filles issues de l’immigration rapportaient une moyenne plus élevée à l’échelle de l’idéation suicidaire que leurs pairs Françaises. Des différences ethniques sont apparus significatives pour l’âge chez les garçons et pour les cognitions délinquantogènes, les traits limites et l’anxiété sociale chez les filles. Etude 3- Objectif : Explorer l’idéation suicidaire et les symptômes dépressifs en France par des analyses centrées sur les variables et sur les personnes dans un échantillon d’adolescents issus de l’immigration. La marginalisation prédisait significativement les idéations suicidaires alors que la discrimination perçue prédisait les symptômes dépressifs. Quatre classes latentes ont émergés de l’analyse : « Séparés-Intégrés », « Intégrés », « Indifférenciés » et « Individualisés ». Des différences significatives sont apparues entre les quatre profils culturels pour l’identité ethnique, la discrimination perçue et le stress acculturatif. En revanche, bien que la prévalence de l’idéation suicidaire et des symptômes dépressifs était élevée dans l’échantillon total et dans les profils culturels, aucune différence significative n’est apparue. Etude 4- Objectif : Identifier les aspects cognitifs et comportementaux qui sous-tendent les conduites suicidaires de 15 jeunes issus de l’immigration. Le suicide représente « un moyen de se libérer de la contrainte à simuler une identité » et « une reprise du contrôle ». Les dissonances culturelles, les distorsions cognitives, les cognitions identitaires favorisent l’émergence de comportements autodestructeurs et de stratégies de coping. Les aspects cognitifs et comportementaux, sous-tendus par des éléments culturels contradictoires, amènent ces adolescents à anticiper un possible rejet, qui susciterait une angoisse d’abandon. / Study 1- Aim: Explore the contributions of sociocultural and psychopathological factors to suicidal ideation among of 292 adolescents with an immigrant background. Although stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and individualism were risk factors, and attachment to parents a protective factor for both boys and girls, some gender differences emerged. Borderline traits (risk factor), assimilation and marginalization (both protective factors) were significant predictors only among girls.Study 2- Aim: Explore ethnic differences (717 French vs. 251 with an immigrant background) regarding risk and protective factors associated to suicidal ideation among adolescents. The frequency of serious suicidal ideation was higher among the ethnic minority males group compared to the French males group. The mean of suicidal ideation however was higher among the ethnic minority group of females. Ethnic differences were observed regarding the age among males in the prediction of suicidal ideation and self-serving cognitive distortions, borderline traits, and social anxiety among females. Study 3- Aim: Examine suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in France, both across variables and across persons in a non-clinical sample of adolescents with an immigrant background. Marginalization significantly predicted suicidal ideation whereas perceived discrimination significantly predicted depressive symptoms. Four latent classes emerged from analysis—“Separated-Integrated”, “Integrated”, “Undifferentiated” (characterized by adolescents who were not associated with any of the acculturation categories), and the “Individualized-Assimilated”. Significant differences appeared between the four classes for the indices of ethnic identity, perceived discrimination, and acculturative stress. Prevalence and mean score of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms were high among both the sample and the four acculturative profiles; however no differences between the four classes emerged.Study 4- Aim: Identify cognitive and behavioral aspects which underline suicidal ideation and attempts of 15 adolescents with an immigrant background. Suicide represents “a way to release itself from the constraint to feign an identity”, and to “regain control”. Cultural dissonance, cognitive distortions, identity cognitions emphasize the emergence of self-destructive behaviors and coping strategies. These cognitive and behavioral aspects, underlined by contradictory cultural elements, lead these adolescents to anticipate a possible rejection, which may cause a fear of abandonment.

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Because of its prevalence, depression has been described as a common cold in communities all over the world. Thus, the primary purpose of this research study was to provide guidelines and support to help late adolescent boys suffering from non-clinical depression. The objective of this research had been successfully achieved. The late adolescent boys who were interviewed were identified by their educators and their peers as non-clinical depressed. The data were collected by means of observation and phenomenological interviews. The researcher followed a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual method. In the second chapter the researcher describes the research design and method of the research. The approach to data collection, analysis and report writing to achieve the goal of this research study are also indicated. The third chapter deals with the phenomenological interviews that were conducted and the central themes that have been identified and categorised. The fourth chapter indicates guidelines to help and support late adolescent boys suffering from non-clinical depression. The research ensured trustworthiness to the participants during the research process. The researcher gained the confidence of the participants by spending time with them informally. The researcher ensured credibility of the research study by audio-taping the interviews conducted with the participants. Thereafter, the independent coder was given the transcribed interviews. Thereafter a consensus discussion was held with the independent coder. The researcher ensured that the research study was credible, transferable, dependable and confirmable. Ethical measures were also applied throughout the research. The researcher ensured that the participants would not be harmed, either physical or emotionally. The researcher ensured the participants of their anonymity. He did this by giving the participants pseudonyms and he made sure that the setting was not identifiable. Ethical measures were also applied throughout the research. The researcher ensured that the participants would not be harmed, either physical or emotionally. The researcher ensured the participants of their anonymity. He did this by giving the participants pseudonyms and he made sure that the setting was not identifiable. The participants were also informed about the advantages and disadvantages of participating in the research. The researcher received informed consent from the parents of the participants and from the principals of the schools where some of the interviews were conducted. He also obtained assent from the participants. All participants were informed about their privacy, benefits, withdrawal and the procedure to be followed. The researcher found late adolescent boys experience positive and negative challenges concerning non-clinical depression. They also experience role conflict related to their home circumstances and that conversation with others help keep depression at bay. The researcher found that the causes of nonclinical depression of late adolescent boys are poor family relationships and dysfunctional families. Guidelines were deducted from these results.