Written communication is an integral part of any organisation regardless of size or the nature of its business. The writer chooses words that should be understood by the readers. However, these words have been chosen based on a variety of factors, one of which is personality type, and the writer's personality type may differ from that of the readers. The research question underpinning this study is - In what ways, if at all, do personality types (as determined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and most frequently found in management positions), select and use different words and phrases when writing business communication? To investigate this question, the psychological type theory of Jung, the personality type theory of Briggs and Myers, and organisational communication theory are applied. The methodology used is descriptive research with the documents analysed using content analysis, employing NUD.IST Vivo in conjunction with manual assessment. The research findings confirm that each personality type does use different words, validating personality type theory and therefore, making a contribution to the expanding body of research in this field. The knowledge gained from this study has significance in areas related to organisations as well as education and communication theory.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-200).

Thesis (All-College Honors) - - State University of New York College at Cortland, [2006] - - Department of English. / Includes bibliographical references (p.49-50).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-247).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

In current times, to function successfully in the work environment, the ability to use a computer is essential. The introduction of computers into organisations has often met with resistance. The reason for this resistance must be identified and overcome if businesses are to realise the productivity gains of full computer usage. On the basis of the abovementioned problem the objective of this study is to test the relationship between age, sex, locus of control and personality type and attitudes toward computer use. A theoretical investigation was carried out to gather information on the variables under study which was used to compare with the results of the empirical study. From this study of 68 white collar respondents from a financial institution it can, in general, be concluded that peoples' attitude toward the personal use of computers is positive and not affected by the individual variables tested. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die doel van hierdie studie was om die verwantskap tussen persoonlikheidstipes en 'n salutogeniese konstruk naamlik sin vir koherensie te ondersoek. Persoonlikheid is vanuit 'n behavioristiese sowel as humanistiese paradigma ondersoek en sin vir koherensie vanuit 'n salutogeniese paradigma. Die studie is uitgevoer onder middelvlak bestuurders in 'n finansiele instelling waarvan die totale populasie in 'n gegewe geografiese gebied betrek is. Twee meetinstrumente, naamlik die lewensorientasievraelys (OLQ) en die Myers-Briggs tipe indikator (MBTI) is gebruik op die populasie van 57 bestuurders. Pearson produkmoment-korrel asiekoeffisiente is bereken en 'n variansie-ontleding is gedoen. Die resultate van hierdie studie toon dat daar nie 'n beduidende verband is tussen persoonlikheidstipes en sin vir koherensie nie. Die aanname word gemaak dat 'n verwantskap tussen die twee konstrukte moontlik gevind kan word indien 'n meer geografies verspreide en heterogene proefgroep gebruik word waarin al die persoonlikheidstipes verteenwoordig is. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality types a11d a salutogenic construct, namely sense of coherence. Personality has been investigated from a behaviouristic as well as a humanistic paradigm and sense of coherence from a salutogenic paradigm. This study has been done on persons on middle management level in a financial institution of which the total population has been approached in a given geographical area. Two measuring instruments, namely the Orientation To Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) have been used on the population of 57 managers. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient has been calculated and a variation analysis has been done. The results of this study show that there is no significant relation between personality types and sense of coherence. It is supposed that a relationship between the two constructs might be found if a more heterogenic and geographically spread experimental group is used in such a way that all the personality types are represented. / Psychology / M.A. (Bedryfsielkunde)

運動依從性在健康管理議題裡是非常重要的一環，現在的人經常感到身體不適而診斷結果卻正常，這種現象根據世界衛生組織的定義為「亞健康」或「健康的灰色地帶」。在高壓的工作環境或不正常的生活作息下，最容易有這些徵狀，儘管大家都知道長期規律的運動可以促進健康，實際實行的狀況卻不如預期的好。為了改善此狀況，本研究透過蘋果公司的套件(ResearchKit)開發行動應用程式來幫助使用者增加運動依從性。此套件內建許多模組供開發者與研究人員使用，如聲明宣告與問卷模組等，讓整個研究、開發流程更為快速有效。本研究流程遵行設計科學方法論來創造一個設計實體，即為本研究開發的應用程式「Active Track」。 在設計階段，本研究採用了「說服設計準則」中的「Tailoring」與「Reminder」設計方法，意圖強化、形塑甚或改變使用者對於目標行為的態度，透過本應用程式來激勵使用者改變自身行為，達到目標設定。目前市面上許多健康管理的應用程式皆已證實個性與說服科技之間的相關性，因此本研究採用了MBTI適性分析工具並設計出相對應的激勵文字訊息，期望透過此設計實體來協助使用者增加運動依從性。 在第一階段的實驗評估，我們於166個下載人次當中篩選出87個有效樣本來比較樣本之間的表現，其中有54人有接收激勵文字訊息，33人則無。平均而言，那些有收到激勵文字訊息的受測者，完成率較沒有收到激勵文字訊息的受試者高出百分之十五。然而在訊息類型與個性是否相符的比較實驗當中，訊息符合與不符合使用者個性的結果之間並無顯著差異。本研究之結果僅顯示出透過激勵文字訊息可以有效督促使用者完成運動目標。在第二階段的實驗中加入了「訊息重複性」、「回饋機制」因子來改良應用程式，研究結果顯示訊息的重複整體而言可以提升百分之二十三的完成率，其中適性結果為「理性」的受測者則有百分之二十七的提升，然而回饋機制設計在本研究並無統計顯著。 在兩階段的設計循環下，本研究證實透過Active Track重複地傳送激勵文字訊息可以協助使用者增加運動依從性，進而降低罹患疾病的風險，研究結果對於未來說服系統之開發以及其他醫療領域提升依從性之相關研究也提供了良好的參考價值。 / Adherence to an exercise schedule is valuable for health management. Nowadays, most people have experienced uncomfortable feelings but diagnostic data are normal. The phenomenon is called ‘sub-health’ condition, which is a state between health and disease. People are likely to experience discomfort if their working environment is stressful and their lifestyle is unhealthy. Therefore, a long period of commitment to adhere to physical activity programs is beneficial for people’s health. Although people would benefit from support to increase exercise compliance, adherence to physical activity plans is often very low. To address these shortcomings, this paper introduces a low-cost method–an iOS application developed using Apple Inc.’s ResearchKit–to help people adhere to their physical activity plans. ResearchKit provides various modules such as consent declaration and survey task for helping researchers create a research app more efficiently. We applied design science methodology to create a design artifact, namely Active Track. By including the “Tailoring” and the “Reminder” persuasive principles in Active Track to develop, strengthen, or change attitudes or behaviors, the design artifact can act as support instruments that stimulate and encourage users to comply with target behavior. Because studies of health-promotion apps have identified the correlations between personality and persuasive technology, we used the Myer–Briggs Type Indicator personality assessment to design motivational messages for each type of personality as a text reminder in Active Track. In the first evaluation stage of Active Track, we identified 87 valid participants (54 with motivational messages and 33 without motivational messages) from 166 downloads for performance comparison. On average, the completion rates of participants who were presented with motivational messages were 15% higher, but the difference in message matching experiment was not significant. The results demonstrated that our design approach is able to improve adherence on exercise plans by providing users with motivated messages. Therefore, we implemented repetitiveness and feedback intervention in a further design iteration and evaluated the improvement in Active Track by using these two new factors. The results showed that the repetitiveness factor enhanced the completion rate by approximately 23%; in particular, participants who were identified as having Thinking-type MBTI personalities exhibited an improvement of approximately 27% due to repetitive messages. However, feedback information had no significant effect on adherence. In summary, the findings of this study confirmed that Active Track can help individuals to improve their exercise adherence through repetitive motivational messages, reduce the risk of diseases, and provide useful insights for the future development of persuasive systems and studies into adherence enhancement for health care.

The purpose of the study was to explore the psychosocial factors involved in the susceptibility, experience and rehabilitation of injuries sustained in long-distance running in order to develop a biopsychosocial theoretical model that will help explain the experience of injury and the successful rehabilitation thereof in long-distance running. The study was approached from a biopsychosocial theoretical perspective. A mixed methods research design with the purpose of expansion and using 15 case studies was employed. Purposive sampling with a snowballing effect was used to select the 15 long-distance runners who were injured or had recently recovered from injury. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the participants. Furthermore, each participant completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. An examination of the participants’ experiences of injury reveals that injury has an effect on and is affected by the following factors: running history and training program; perceived benefits and disadvantages of running; personal understanding of injury; personality factors; psychological responses to injury; perceived causes of injury; approach to rehabilitation; and coping mechanisms. Furthermore, there is an inherent interplay of biological or physical, psychological and social processes involved in the experience of injuries sustained in long-distance running. Based on the findings of the study, the biopsychosocial model of long-distance running injuries is proposed. Although the model emanates from the experiences of the 15 participants in the study, it may be applied to long-distance runners in general. A long-distance runner’s experience of running is the core of the model. The model depicts how each of the factors noted previously has an effect on and is affected by injury; thus, showing the integral relationship between injury and each of the factors. Furthermore, the biopsychosocial nature of the model is also portrayed in the model. Cognizance is also taken that all long-distance runners are individuals and may respond to injury in a unique manner. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

The ultimate objective of the present PhD thesis is to propose effective instructional methods to be employed in teaching macroeconomics as an academic subject, their selection being determined by the personality type recognition of the students of economics-based academic programmes. First, a current state of academic education and an increase in the number of university/college students, schools and faculties are analysed. Within the sector of higher education institutions (HEI) providing academic training in economic sciences, the focus is on the rationale of the inclusion of macroeconomics in their syllabi. Having conducted the quantitative research, the MBTI questionnaire being employed to measure personality types, the composition of academic study groups in the chosen economics-based schools was examined from the viewpoint of the given typology. An analysis of currently applied forms and methods of instruction in macroeconomics at the Private University College of Economic Studies (PUCES) is accompanied by the interpretation of their impact on the academic achievements of particular personality types. Based on the research findings, appropriate teaching methods are matched with respective personality types and subsequently with the entire study group comprising different types of personalities. The present dissertation thesis consists of an introduction, seven chapters and a conclusion. The introduction presents the aim of the thesis, an overview of the current state of relevant research on the topic as well as research hypotheses and methodology. Chapter 1 explores the current state of HEI programmes affected by soaring numbers of students, HEIs and their faculties. Chapter 2 focuses on macroeconomics as a scientific discipline and an academic subject incorporated in the syllabuses of the selected HEIs. Chapter 3 concentrates on academic teaching, outlining the philosophies, modes and methods of academic instruction. In chapter 4, personality typologies are exposed, focusing selectively on their development, emphasising those with significant social influence. The MBTI personality typology is given special attention, corresponding basic personality dimensions, dispositions and study successfulness being considered. Chapter 5 describes the results of the research of the student groups' structure according to MBTI typology in five chosen HEIs, summarizing the outcomes from the schools being tested. In chapter 6, macroeconomics examination results achieved by PUCES students are displayed, being related to respective personality categories in compliance with the above typology. In the last chapter, optimal methods and instructional approaches are suggested for teaching particular personality types of students, the heterogeneous composition of the study groups being taken into consideration.