The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adolescents' perceptions of their parents' encouragement to lose weight and physical activity habits (i.e., exercise habits and sedentary behaviors) and their own physical health-related fitness (HRF) and psychological well-being. Results of structural equation modeling revealed both similarities and differences between boys and girls. Specifically, parental sedentary behavior and encouragement to lose weight related to girls HRF. Among boys, only encouragement to lose weight related to HRF. When inspecting the relationship between HRF and psychological well-being, HRF related to body satisfaction, but not depressive symptoms, among both boys and girls. Results of this study highlight the complex influence that parental perceptions have during adolescent development.

Text in Afrikaans / Divorce is a prominent phenomenon that affects thousands of children in South Africa. The point of departure for this research is that children in divorce situations require therapeutic guidance in order to manage their experience of loss. The research problem formulated was concerned with the lack of guidelines for Gestalt play therapists to address those losses experienced by children during the latency period. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to provide a guideline in order to ensure a meaningful therapeutic experience for children in the latency period. In order to reach this goal, the research process was guided by qualitative research. Triangulation was used as a data collection technique, in order to achieve this goal of investigating children who experience loss and behavioural responses. The value and suitability of Gestalt therapy during the therapeutic management process was examined. Stemming from the process and integration of results obtained in the empirical investigation, guidelines consisting of six diverse phases were developed and explicated. The goal of the research was therefor achieved with the application of: A guideline for Gestalt play therapists in addressing loss through divorce in children in the latency period. / Social work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Text in Afrikaans / Divorce is a prominent phenomenon that affects thousands of children in South Africa. The point of departure for this research is that children in divorce situations require therapeutic guidance in order to manage their experience of loss. The research problem formulated was concerned with the lack of guidelines for Gestalt play therapists to address those losses experienced by children during the latency period. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to provide a guideline in order to ensure a meaningful therapeutic experience for children in the latency period. In order to reach this goal, the research process was guided by qualitative research. Triangulation was used as a data collection technique, in order to achieve this goal of investigating children who experience loss and behavioural responses. The value and suitability of Gestalt therapy during the therapeutic management process was examined. Stemming from the process and integration of results obtained in the empirical investigation, guidelines consisting of six diverse phases were developed and explicated. The goal of the research was therefor achieved with the application of: A guideline for Gestalt play therapists in addressing loss through divorce in children in the latency period. / Social work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

This study examined relationships among epistemic beliefs, achievement goals, self-regulated learning, cognitive strategy use, and academic performance for 131 sixth graders and 100 eighth graders.

The goal of this study is to point out the influence of earlier experiences, and in particular the experiences in utero, on the identity formation of the adolescent. Although the identity problem is generally associated with the development during the adolescent years, the researcher strives to point out the relation between identity problems as they manifests in later years, and the intra-uterine experiences. The research view this problem from three different angles: i. A study that examines the identity problem as it occurs during adolescence, as well as the causes of the problem. This study points out the main characteristics of the identity problem, as well as the way it manifests during the adolescent years. ii. A study of psycho-neurobiological models offers an explanation of the influence of memory on behaviour. This study gives the neurological explanation of how and why the very first experiences that are encoded in memory, have a distinct and prevailing influence on the behaviour of the individual. The encoding of memory takes action as soon as there is sufficient neurological development - this occurs at some stage in the development of the fetus in utero. The behaviour is not controlled by the past experiences, but by the perceptions and associations that are formed during encoding of memory. iii. A description of regressive therapies that enable the researcher to retrieve the memory from the subconscious mind, and reframe the perceptions and associations that were formed through earlier experiences, in order to change the behaviour. Two types of therapies are discussed - hypnosis and kinesiology. A qualitative study is performed on three respondents. This study points out the significance of the intra-uterine experiences on the development of the identity problem as it manifests in later years. It also indicates the fact that, although the past experiences can never be changed, the perceptions and associations that were formed during the encoding of the memory of the experience can be changed through reframing. The reframing of the experiences and the reformation of perceptions and associations have a definite and positive effect on the behaviour of the individual. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The aim of this study was to do group work with 10 girls staying in a shelter in order to contribute to their adjustment. Lewin's field theory and the General Systems Theory were utilized to ground the group work. The epistemological framework of the study was exploratory and involved an in depth analysis of the group experiences of the participants. Unstructured interviews were also conducted with the participants. Hermeneutics as a method of analysis was applied to analyse data. The following themes captured the experiences of the girls: trust versus mistrust, connection and disconnection, alienation and isolation, emotionally overwhelmed versus security, being labeled/stigmatized, security versus insecurity, and hope versus hopelessness. This study provides a better understanding of the life worlds of girls staying in a shelter. It could also contribute to a greater awareness of the experiences of abused girls who stay in a shelter. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / The research was directed at setting up guidelines for the counsellor dealing with the adolescent in a multicultural environment. The supposition of the study was that the adolescent in a multicultural environment should be treated by the counsellor with cultural empathy, understanding and insight. This process should be free from stereotyping and prejudice. Guidelines were set up using a combination of Gestalt philosophical principles, existing literature and semi-structured interviews with cultural therapy experts. For the purpose of this study Thomas and Rothman's intervention research model was applied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain information on the adolescent in therapy, which was combined with information found in literature in order to set up guidelines for counsellors. The researcher concludes that the counsellor dealing with the adolescent in a multicultural environment, has to possess sufficient cultural knowledge, cultural efficiency and cultural empathy to achieve a successful theurapeutic outcome. Guidelines for the counsellor who works with adolescents in a multicultural environment were set up successfully to bridge the current lack of knowledge in the field. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

This study focuses on the therapeutic interventions by mental health practitioners when faced with rebellious youths. Rebelliousness refers to the act of defying lawful authority or a resistant way of relating to authority or convention. It is manifested in, amongst others, withdrawal, deviance, delinquency, antisocial behaviour, and suicide. To date there are no interventions for rebellious youths per sé. Rebellious youths are often treated with traditional strategies which are often ineffective and show little promise for eliminating rebellious behaviour. Research has revealed that teen problem behaviours stem from "life-problems" such as psychosocial stressors. Therefore treating the adolescent for substance abuse, for example, is treating him/her for the wrong reasons. It is no surprise that many adolescents who have undergone intervention programmes for specific behaviour problems relapse soon after they are released from the programmes. The study focuses on integrating different strategies in order to combat rebelliousness in adolescence and beyond. This holistic approach argues that all treatments share certain curative processes. Therefore each treatment works best when it is combined with other aspects of treatment. For this reason, individual, family and group therapy were combined together with school strategies. The results of this study indicate that combining procedures that are designed to improve problematic behaviour in teenagers are viable forms of treatment. / Educational Studies / D.Ed.(Psychology of Education)

This study examined the prevalence and the nature of truancy among early adolescent learners attending secondary schools in the Education Management and Development Centre (EMDC) in the eastern metropole of the Western Cape. The main purpose of the study was to answer the following question: How can secondary school educators, in loco parentis, be equipped with the required skills and resources in order to deal with the issue of truant behaviour among early adolescent learners? A comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore the character and extent of truancy. Thereafter, various theories of child development were highlighted, followed by a synopsis comprising different dimensions of the development of the early adolescent learner. The empirical investigation was carried out through quantitative as well as qualitative research methodology. A focus group interview was conducted with six learners, offering them an opportunity to express their perceptions and experiences as truants. Interviews were conducted with principals to obtain their impressions regarding truant behaviour. Thereafter, a questionnaire, which investigated truancy related aspects such as interaction with peers, parents and caregivers' involvement in learners' school activities, educators' influence on learners' school work and learners' self-esteem regarding their schooling, was administered to three hundred learners. The quantitative investigation revealed significant aspects about truant behaviour, indicating that predominantly more male than female learners (173 male and 26 as in the case of the present study) display this type of behaviour, truants generally originate from single parent families, and that they experience their educators and learning environments as extremely negative. Finally, two in-depth case studies were conducted on two learners, one identified as a truant and the other as a non-truant respectively. The purpose of the in-depth studies was to explore possible differences in their experiential worlds. Although the qualitative data is not generalisable, the findings of the case studies have revealed significant differences in the life worlds of the two learners. Comparatively speaking, it appears that non-truant learners are significantly better adjusted on all their functioning levels than truant learners. The results of the empirical investigation were compared with relevant findings which emerged from the literature study. Based on the present investigation, the study was concluded by offering a range of recommendations to secondary school educators, in loco parentis, empowering them in addressing the phenomenon of truancy among early adolescent learners in the Western Cape with its distinctive problems. / Educational Studies / D. Ed.(Psychology of Education)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / The goal of this study is to understand the phenomenon of self mutilation by adolescents, with whom there is no developmental or mental barrier, from an educational-psychological perspective. A literature study was undertaken to investigate the nature, classification, causes and treatment of self mutilation, as well as the Educational Psychological Relations Theory. The self mutilation of adolescents was placed within the Educational Psychological Relations Theory framework. The research results showed that selfmutilation, with adolescents with whom there is no developmental or mental barrier, is a symptom of disharmonic intra- and interpsychic processes, as it is understood within the Educational Psychological Relations Theory. Self mutilation is used as a coping mechanism to regulate unpleasant emotional experiences. The empirical study also showed that an impoverished educational climate contributes to the development of self mutilation by adolescents. / Die doel van hierdie studie is om die verskynsel van selfmutilering by adolessente, by wie daar nie ontwikkelings- of geestesgestremdheid aanwesig is nie, vanuit 'n opvoedkundig-sielkundige perspektief te verstaan. Aan die hand van die literatuurstudie is die aard, klassifisering, oorsake en behandeling van selfmutilering, asook die Opvoedkundig-Sielkundige Relasieteorie verken. Die Opvoedkundig-Sielkundige Relasieteorie is as raamwerk gebruik waarbinne die verskynsel van selfmutilering by adolessente ondersoek is. Die navorsingsresultate het aan die lig gebring dat selfmutilering, by adolessente by wie daar nie geestes- of ontwikkelingsgestremdheid teenwoordig is nie, 'n simptoom is van disharmoniese intra- en interpsigiese gebeure soos dit verstaan word binne die Opvoedkundig-Sielkundige Relasieteorie. Selfmutilering word gebruik as 'n verdedigingsmeganisme waarmee onaangename belewinge gereguleer word. Die empiriese studie het ook getoon dat 'n onbevredigende opvoedingsklimaat 'n groot bydrae lewer tot die ontwikkeling van selfmutilering by adolessente. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with specialiation in Guidance and Counseling)