O Programa Articuladores da Atenção Básica, iniciativa da Secretaria Estadual da Saúde de São Paulo (SES-SP), objetiva apoiar o processo de qualificação da Atenção Básica no estado e oferecer suporte técnico aos municípios na reorientação do modelo de atenção em saúde. O Programa estabeleceu uma nova função profissional, a do articulador da atenção básica. Destacam-se, dentre os pré-requisitos para execução dessa nova função, habilidades de comunicação e negociação. Devido à escassez de informações na literatura sobre o Programa, e à falta de clareza quanto ao papel desempenhado, na prática, por esses novos profissionais, delineamos este estudo com o objetivo de compreender e analisar a forma como os articuladores da atenção básica significam sua atuação profissional. Buscamos, ao mesmo tempo, oferecer contribuições da Psicologia sobre o processo de comunicação e sua relação com esta nova proposta. Participaram deste estudo treze articuladores alocados em quatro Departamentos Regionais de Saúde (DRS) que formam a Rede de Atenção à Saúde XIII do estado de São Paulo (DRS de Ribeirão Preto, Araraquara, Franca e Barretos). As entrevistas individuais e semiestruturadas foram gravadas em áudio e, posteriormente, transcritas na íntegra. A análise do corpus possui delineamento qualitativo com respaldo teórico nas contribuições do movimento construcionista social em Psicologia, realizada a partir das seguintes etapas: 1ª) transcrição das entrevistas; 2ª) leitura em profundidade das transcrições; 3ª) organização temática e produção de sentidos. Os resultados são apresentados em dois momentos. O primeiro, em que analisamos a prática do articulador a partir de dois temas principais: a) A implantação do programa; e b) A prática do articulador; e o segundo em que apresentamos a análise sobre o processo de comunicação envolvido nesta função, também dividido em três temas principais: a) O que fazem, tema que descreve as ações; b) Como fazem, tema que analisa a comunicação envolvida a partir de dois modelos de comunicação, o transmissional e o construcionista social; e c) Reflexões sobre a mudança do modelo de atenção e a prática do articulador da atenção básica. De modo geral, concluímos que o Programa dos articuladores possui grande potencial para promover mudanças positivas que possibilitam a mudança do modelo de atenção, levando em consideração, ao mesmo tempo, a realidade local. Porém, na prática a atuação dos profissionais se mostra ainda em construção, oscilando entre o papel informante e o papel transformador. O modo como os profissionais significam sua prática e se comunicam com os demais delineia os objetivos traçados e resultados decorrentes de sua atuação. Esperamos, ao descrever os principais recursos teóricos e técnicos necessários ao desempenho dessa função, contribuir com o entendimento da prática do articulador da atenção básica, bem como contribuir para a participação da Psicologia no campo das políticas de saúde. (FAPESP, nº 2012/17264-8). / The Articulators of Primary Healthcare Program, an initiative by the Health State Secretary of São Paulo (SES-SP), aims to support the qualification process of Primary Healthcare in the state area, and to offer technical support to the municipalities in the reorientation of the healthcare model. The Program established a new professional function the articulator of primary healthcare. Communication and negotiation abilities are highlighted as requirements for the carrying out of this function. This study was designed because of the scarcity of information about this Program on scientific literature and because of a lack of clarity regarding the role that these professionals play in practice. The study aims to understand and to analyze how articulators of primary healthcare signify their professional work. We seek, at the same time, to offer contributions from Psychology about the communication process and its relations to this new proposal. Thirteen articulators participated in this study. They work in four Regional Departments of Health (DRS) that compound the Healthcare Network number XIII of the state of São Paulo (Ribeirão Preto, Araraquara, Franca and Barretos DRS). Individual and semi structured interviews were audio recorded and later fully transcribed. The analysis of the research corpus is a qualitative design, theoretically supported by the contributions of the social constructionist movement in Psychology. The analysis was carried out in the following stages: 1st) interview transcription; 2nd) deep reading of the transcripts; 3rd) thematic organization and meaning making. The results are presented in two moments. In the first moment, we analyze the articulators practice from two themes: a) Implementation of the Program; and b) The articulators practice. In the second moment we present the analysis of the communication process that is part of this practice. This moment is divided in three main themes: a) What they do, a theme that describes their activities; b) How they do it, a theme that analyzes the communication involved from the standpoint of two models of communication (transmissional and social constructionist); and c) Reflections about the changes in the healthcare model and the primary healthcare articulators practice. In general, we concluded that the Articulators Program has a great potential to promote positive changes that make the transformation of the healthcare model possible, at the same time that it takes into consideration the local reality. However, in practice, the work of the professionals is still found under construction, coming back and forth between the roles of informant and change maker. The ways how the professionals understand their practices and how they communicate with each other design their objectives and the results their work bring about. In describing the main theoretical and technical resources required by this professional function, we expect to contribute to the understanding of the practice of the articulators of primary, as well as to contribute to the participation of Psychology in the field of health policies. (FAPESP, grant number 2012/17264-8).

O campo da terapia familiar tem se desenvolvido a partir de diferentes contribuições teóricas e epistemológicas. Um dos desenvolvimentos recentes da terapia familiar tem se dado a partir da emergência do movimento construcionista social em ciência, levando, dentre outras mudanças, a uma maior ênfase nos processos de comunicação no contexto terapêutico. Considerando a crescente utilização das contribuições do construcionismo social pelos profissionais brasileiros envolvidos na prática clínica, consideramos relevante compreender como tem se dado essa transmissão de conhecimentos do campo teórico para o campo clínico. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo qualitativo é investigar a difusão do discurso construcionista social entre um grupo de terapeutas familiares brasileiros, focando em como este se constitui em um aporte útil para sua prática clínica. Foram entrevistados 14 terapeutas familiares, do sexo masculino e feminino, psicólogos, cuja atividade profissional atual envolve o trabalho com famílias, e possuem responsabilidade docente em institutos de formação em terapia familiar. As entrevistas foram gravadas em áudio e transcritas literalmente e na íntegra. A análise das informações foi realizada a partir das propostas construcionistas sociais em ciência. Parte do processo de análise e discussão dos resultados foi realizada em conjunto com a Profa. Sheila McNamee, Ph.D., durante um estágio de pesquisa na Universidade de New Hampshire. Na análise das entrevistas, focamos em dois eixos de discussão. Primeiramente, discutimos o que os participantes descrevem como sendo o construcionismo social, evidenciando as principais ideias e conceitos do construcionismo que norteiam sua prática e seu posicionamento como terapeutas. No segundo eixo, discutimos de forma crítica e reflexiva três maneiras distintas pelas quais os participantes aplicam as ideias construcionistas na prática, enfatizando implicações, possibilidades e limites que advêm deste uso. Ao longo de toda discussão dos resultados, articulamos a análise proposta com aspectos da difusão do construcionismo entre os participantes. Concluímos, a partir deste estudo, que a difusão do construcionismo social está atrelada às formas pelas quais os terapeutas atribuem utilidade aos conceitos teóricos descritos na literatura. Além disso, a sensibilidade ao construcionismo social é um aspecto da prática clínica que oferece diferentes formas dos terapeutas relacionarem-se com as abordagens do campo da terapia familiar, trazendo convites à prática da auto-reflexividade por parte dos terapeutas. (FAPESP) / The field of family therapy has been developed based on different theoretical and epistemological contributions. One of the recently developments of family therapy has taken place based on the contributions of the social constructionist movement in science, leading to an emphasis on the communication processes in the therapeutic context. Considering this increasingly expansion of social constructionists ideas among professionals involved in clinical practice, it is important to know how theoretical knowledge has been incorporated into professional midst. The aim of this study is to investigate dissemination forms of social constructionist discourse among a group of family therapists, focusing on how these ideas are a useful contribution for their clinical practice. We interviewed 14 family therapists, men and women, psychologists, who work with family counseling, and are responsible for teaching social constructionism in family therapy training institutes. All interviews were recorded and literally transcribed. The analysis was carried out based on social constructionisms contributions for research practice. Part of this analysis process was developed in partnership with Professor Sheila McNamee, Ph.D., at the University of New Hampshire, during a research internship. We have divided the meanings made with our participants in two major pillars: Firstly, we discuss the participants definition of social construction, highlighting its main ideas and concepts that guide their clinical practice. Secondly, we critically and reflexively discuss three forms by which our participants apply social constructionism in their practice, emphasizing implications, possibilities and constraints that emerge as a consequence. Throughout these discussions, we articulate our analysis with aspects of dissemination of social constructionisms ideas among the participants. We conclude that the propagation of social constructionists ideas is tied to the utility that family therapists attach to the theoretical contributions of social constructionism. Also, the sensitivity to social constructionisms ideas offers the professionals specific forms by which they can relate to other approaches in family therapy practice. In this sense, this study enhances the importance of self-reflexivity as a quotidian practice of the family therapist. (FAPESP)

O cuidado às famílias das/os usuárias/os dos serviços de saúde mental é aspecto valorizado pelo modelo de atenção biopsicossocial e importante para efetivação da Reforma Psiquiátrica brasileira. Apesar disso, ainda é um desafio no cotidiano dos serviços. Para atender a esta necessidade, a literatura aponta a Educação Permanente em Saúde (EPS) como um recurso para o desenvolvimento desse cuidado, junto às/aos profissionais de saúde. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral entender como o processo conversacional contribui para o desenvolvimento da proposta da EPS e para a formação profissional para o cuidado às famílias de usuários/as de serviços de saúde mental. Para tanto, foram realizados dois processos formativos, com base na proposta da EPS, com dois grupos de profissionais de dois serviços públicos de saúde mental de um município de médio porte do estado de São Paulo. Ao todo, 18 profissionais participaram da pesquisa. A partir desses encontros, as conversas foram gravadas, transcritas e analisadas, utilizando a perspectiva construcionista social como guia teórico-epistemológico. A análise foi realizada com os seguintes objetivos específicos: identificar momentos críticos na interação, como marcos do processo conversacional, que indicam a ocorrência de reflexões e transformação de sentidos com relação à prática com famílias em saúde mental; analisar o uso de Registros Reflexivos como recursos conversacionais para a promoção de reflexões e transformação de sentidos. Com isso, cada um dos processos de EPS realizados foi nomeado a partir de características do seu processo conversacional e, para cada um deles, momentos críticos foram delimitados. No processo Caixa de marimbondo as conversas do grupo em torno das dificuldades do trabalho com famílias provocaram na facilitadora um sentimento de paralisação que, quando explicitado, gerou um momento crítico que permitiu ao grupo refletir sobre os espaços de reunião e seus efeitos. Já no processo Primavera entre os dentes as conversas sobre diferentes questões relacionadas ao cuidado às famílias promoveram transformações de sentido relacionadas à importância do trabalho desenvolvido pelas profissionais, à possibilidade de participação das famílias, à prática interdisciplinar e à importância do processo de EPS desenvolvido. Com isso, é destacada a centralidade do processo conversacional para que a EPS ocorra, sustentando a tese de que a facilitação pautada na responsividade fornece a base para construção de contextos de formação para o trabalho com famílias em saúde mental. / The Brazilian Psychiatric Reform predicts family care as a central aspect for treatment of people who suffers with psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, it is still a challenge in everyday services in Brazil. To meet this need, literature and health policy point to Permanent Healthcare Education (PHE) as a way to promote this care. This research aimed to understand how conversational process contributes to develop the PHE proposal and to promote professional formation for taking care of family members in mental health services. To do so, two educational processes were carried out, based on the PHE policy and proposal, with two groups of professionals from two public mental health services in a medium-sized municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 18 professionals participated in the research. The conversations were, then, recorded, transcribed and analyzed, using the social constructionist perspective as a theoreticalepistemological guide. The analysis was performed with the following specific aims: identify critical moments in the interaction, considered as landmarks of the conversational process, which indicate the occurrence of reflections and transformation of meanings regarding the practice with family members in mental health care; analyze the use of Reflexive Records as conversational resources to promote reflections and transformation of meanings. Thus, each of the PHE-processes was named from the characteristics of its conversational process and, for each of them, critical moments were delimited. In the \"Hornet\'s nest process the group\'s conversations about the difficulties of working with family members provoked a feeling of paralysis in the facilitator which, when expressed, generated a critical moment which led the group to reflect on meeting spaces and their effects. In the \"Holding the spring\" process, conversations about different issues related to care practices with family members promoted changes in meanings related to the importance of care practices developed by professionals, to the possibility of participation of family members, to interdisciplinary practices and to the importance of the PHE process developed. With this, the centrality of the conversational process in order to PHE to occur is highlighted, supporting the thesis that facilitation based on responsiveness provides the ground for building educational contexts for working with family members in mental health services.

A partir da Reforma Psiquiátrica, observamos uma valorização da participação da família no tratamento, buscando por alternativas de atenção a esses familiares nos serviços. Acrescentando ao debate os desafios da aproximação da clínica ao Sistema Único de Saúde, o conceito de clínica ampliada surge, associando a noção de subjetividade à de cidadania e enfatizando a importância de lidar com a singularidade de cada situação concreta como parte de contextos e relações sociais. Em consonância com essas preocupações, existe, em um Hospital-Dia de Psiquiatria, um Programa de Assistência Familiar. Dentre diversas atividades oferecidas nesse programa, as Reuniões Familiares são o contexto específico de estudo desta pesquisa. Essas reuniões são conduzidas a partir de contribuições da terapia familiar de uma orientação construcionista social, que tem como foco os processos de construção e transformação de sentido. A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar a aproximação de uma prática com famílias (as reuniões familiares) à noção de clínica ampliada no cuidado em saúde mental. Especificamente, visou: a) compreender o processo de produção de sentidos nessa prática, analisando a construção de recursos conversacionais na interação, bem como seus efeitos para as transformações de sentidos de problema e de si ao longo do processo; e b) descrever como esses recursos contribuem para a ampliação da prática clínica com famílias. Para isso, 33 reuniões familiares (os atendimentos de três famílias) foram acompanhadas na instituição. Essas sessões foram gravadas em áudio e transcritas integralmente, constituindo-se, assim, o corpus de pesquisa. Uma compreensão construcionista social sobre a prática de pesquisa orienta metodologicamente este trabalho. Todas as sessões foram submetidas a uma análise temático-sequencial do processo de produção de sentidos. A partir disso, descrevemos a negociação e transformação de sentidos em torno de um problema considerado, pelo paciente e pela família, como central em suas vidas. Para cada caso, o principal recurso conversacional construído no processo terapêutico foi analisado e descrito. São eles: a) convidar o social para dentro do individual; b) tecer o diálogo familiar; e c) conhecer a si em outras vozes. A análise de cada caso considerou: como algo foi construído como um problema a ser trabalhado; como o uso do recurso se deu; e que efeitos esse uso produziu no decorrer do caso. Oferecemos como tese uma leitura construcionista social para a clínica ampliada, chamando atenção para como a ampliação da clínica se produz a partir dos efeitos de determinados modos de se relacionar no contexto das práticas. É no momento interativo que profissionais e pacientes, ao conversarem sobre suas questões de saúde, conjuntamente criam entendimentos sobre quem são, o quê são seus problemas e o que podem fazer com relação a eles. Discutimos como o uso dos recursos se constrói nas interações e contribui para a prática da clínica ampliada. Descrevemos essas práticas como politicamente implicadas. Em última instância, a pesquisa descreve recursos práticos para profissionais interessados em trabalhar em um enquadre crítico e transformador no cuidado em saúde mental / Since the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform, we have witnessed an increased value of family participation in treatment. Alternatives of attention to family members in the context of services have been sought. When the challenges of bringing clinical practices into the Unified Health System are added to the debate, the concept of the expanded clinic arises, and this concept associates the notions of subjectivity and citizenship. Emphasis is placed on the importance of dealing with each concrete situation as part of contexts and social relations. A Program of Family Care in a Psychiatric Day Hospital exists in line with these concerns. This program offers several activities for families. Family Reunions are amongst these activities, and they are the specific context of this research. The contributions of a social constructionist orientation for family therapy guide family reunions with a focus on processes of meaning making. This research aimed to analyze the approximation of a practice with families (family reunions) to the notion of the expanded clinic in mental health care. The research specifically aims to: a) understand the process of meaning making in this practice, while analyzing the construction of conversational resources in the interaction, as well as their effects to the transformations of the meanings of problem and self throughout the process; and b) describe how these resources contribute to the expansion of clinical practices with families. Thirty-three family reunions (three family cases) were followed in the institution. These sessions were audio recorded, and fully transcribed, in order to constitute the research corpus. A social constructionist understanding about research practices is the methodological guide for this investigation. All sessions were submitted to a thematic-sequential analysis of the process of meaning making. We have described the negotiation and transformation of meanings about a problem that was considered, by the patient and by their family, as central to their lives. For each case, the main conversational resource constructed during the process was analyzed and described. These conversational resources are: a) inviting the social into the individual; b) weaving family dialogue; and c) knowing yourself in other voices. The analysis of each case considered: how something was constructed as a problem to be worked out; how the use of the resources was carried through; and the effects the use of this resource created throughout the case. We offer, as our thesis, a social constructionist reading of the expanded clinic, where we call attention to how the expansion of clinical practice is crafted from the effects that particular ways of interacting create in the context of practices. It is in the interactive moment that professionals and patients jointly generate understandings about who they are, what their problems are, and what they can do in relation to them, while they talk about their health issues. We discuss how the use of these resources is constructed in interactions, and how this use can contribute to the practice of the expanded clinic. We also describe clinical practices as politically committed. The research ultimately describes practical resources for those professionals interested in working within a critical and transformative frame in mental health care

Massmedias framställning av socialbidragstagare   -     en diskursanalys av språkliga konstruktioner i svensk dagspress       Författare: Jennifer Engström           Institutionen för socialt arbete Examensarbete 15 hp Socialt arbete Socionomprogrammet             Höstterminen/Autumn term 2017 Handledare/Supervisor: Lennart Räterlinck English title: Mass media's representation of social welfare receivers – a discourse analysis of linguistic constructions in Swedish daily press Abstract  English title: Mass media's representation of social welfare receivers - a discourse analysis of linguistic constructions in Swedish daily press Svensk titel: Massmediers framställning av socialbidragstagare - en diskursanalys av språkliga konstruktioner i svensk dagspress Author/författare: Jennifer Engström   The purpose of this study was to examine how social welfare receivers is portrayed and constructed in Swedish daily press. The empirical data have consisted of twenty-one articles from the main national newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet. The study had a qualitative disposition and the selection was made strategically to make sure the empirical data would be relevant to the study’s issues. The theoretical starting point was extracted from social constructivism and from Foucault’s theory about power and his discourse concept. The analysis was done with help of Foucault’s discursive analytic methods with focus on power, entities positioning, what was implicit in the articles and whom was given the space to be heard.   It was found that the descriptions of social welfare receivers were often negative and contained assumptions that were seldom expressly explained. The rhetoric constructions may contribute to the legitimation of the marginalisation of social welfare receivers in Sweden through the focus on political, financial and work-related aspects. The result showed that social welfare receivers were considered to be uneducated and incapable in most of the articles. The result also showed that the main point of view was from the author to the article or political.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disorder marked by the refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and excessive fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. This eating disorder is most prevalent among young women. Most research on hospitalized AN patients has been quantitative, and the experiences and perspectives of young women struggling with AN are underrepresented in the literature. Using a social constructionist and relational cultural lens, the research question addressed in the current study was What are AN participants’ experiences of helpful and not helpful factors in hospitalized care that affect recovery, motivation, and subjective well-being? The study used a narrative approach, where eight young women aged 1725 were interviewed regarding their stories of being treated in general or paediatric wards for AN. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify salient themes in the research interviews. The young women identified factors grouped into six main theme clusters that either helped or hindered their recovery during their time in the hospital, including: Staff Knowledge and Training, Treatment Experiences, Identity, Negative Treatment Impact, Abandonment, and Relationships. Implications of the findings for research, theory, and practice are discussed. / Graduate

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Ulwaluko is a Xhosa word that refers to male circumcision, an initiation ritual performed to transform boys into men. The ritual is supposed to instill good moral and social values. Research has demonstrated that, the practice of Ulwaluko has undergone many changes primarily because of urbanization, acculturation and the emergence of back-door circumcision schools amongst other things. This has culminated in instances of moral decline such as criminal activity, drug abuse, risky sexual behaviour and inhumane behaviour among some of the initiates. There has been a recent upsurge in research on Ulwaluko in South Africa. However, lacking in this body of scholarship is a focus on how Ulwaluko constructs masculinities. This served as the motivation for my study. Given the above, my study explored the role of Ulwaluko in the construction of masculinity in men at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1994; Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005) was used as a theoretical framework conceptualizing this study. The study utilised a qualitative framework and data was collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Seven participants aged from 19 to 32, consented to be part of the study. These were recruited using purposive sampling. The ethical considerations of the study adhered to the guidelines stipulated by UWC. Data was transcribed, and analysed using thematic decomposition analysis. The findings of this study indicate that Ulwaluko constructs masculinity in hegemonic ways. Through hegemony it establishes, maintains and retains control over young men, boys and women. It constructs an idealised masculine identity that is morally upright, faced with ritual challenges and burdened by a prescriptive set of masculine role expectations. This study also shows the self-reflexive, critical and imaginative engagement by men as they negotiated Ulwaluko‟s ideal masculinity. Such contestations resulted in the creation of rival masculinities. It also demonstrates how subject position(s) impact understandings and constructions of masculinities. This study provided a richer and more nuanced contextual understanding of the psychosocial realities of men who underwent Ulwaluko

This thesis is about medical doctors with immigrant backgrounds who work in Sweden. Based on 15 qualitative interviews with medical doctors with immigrant backgrounds, this thesis explores the medical doctors’ feeling of professional belonging and boundary work. This thesis focuses mainly on the doctors’ experiences of being part of the Swedish medical profession while, at the same time, being regarded as ‘different’ from their Swedish medical counterparts. It starts off with the idea that medical doctors with immigrant backgrounds may have, or could be regarded as having, contradictory social positions. By virtue of being part of the Swedish medical profession, they belong to one of the most privileged groups in Swedish society. However, due to their immigrant background these doctors do not necessarily occupy a privileged position either within their profession or in society in general. This thesis shows that doctors with immigrant backgrounds feel that they are not perceived as full-fledged doctors, which seem related to how they are somewhat ‘othered'. The results show that these doctors cope with being seen as different from doctor with non-immigrant backgrounds, by using the notion of ‘migranthood’ as a resource in negotiations in everyday work life but they also do what they can to overcome the boundaries of ‘Swedishness’. Belonging should therefore be seen as having a formal and an informal side, as getting a Swedish license does not automatically mean that you feel belonging to, in this case, the Swedish medical profession. This seems to put doctors with immigrant backgrounds in a somewhat outsider within position, which seems having to do with boundaries between who is included in the ‘us’ and in the ‘them’. Lastly, these findings indicate that sociologists need to expand the understanding of professional groups to also include boundary work within these groups. In order to do so, this thesis argues that sociological theory on professional groups could be combined with sociological theory about social positions as that is one way to understand the outsider-within position that these doctors (and presumably other skilled migrants) have to cope with.

Abstract My doctoral thesis deals with the content conflicts involving the constructivist conception of knowledge and learning and the didactic models of environment education as a part of the environment's social determination and interpretation processes, i.e. environmental discourses. I also study how the determination of the reflexivity of modernity is reflected in the constructivist conception of knowledge and learning through the presuppositions included in it related to the formation of social reality and social construction of nature. Thirdly, I try to identify the common cultural heritage of the unreflected nature of institutional environmental education and its research, the conflicts between environmental discourses, and the prevailing definition of the reflexivity of modernity. I maintain that public environmental discourses influence the institutional forms of environmental education through the levels of the social construction of nature. I also suggest that the differing ideas about the reflexivity of modernity can be classified into different levels, and didactic models of environmental education can be classified into different types. The different levels and the different types can be distinguished from each other on the basis of how they conceptualise the relation between the theoretical category of the social construction of nature and its practical manifestations, environmental discourses and environmentally oriented education. I maintain that the different types of didactic models for institutional environmental education favour cultural reflection. In reality they do not, however, reach that level. The basic theoretical problem involving institutional environmental education is based on two main factors: a) scientisation of environmental problems, b) personalisation of environmental problems. The constructivist conception of knowledge and learning aim at understanding the ecological and sociopolitical consequences of an environmental crisis, but not at reflecting on the foundations of the environmental crisis. Environmental education as an institution is bound up in three ways with the prevailing limited environmental discourses: a) The problems in the constructivist conception of knowledge and learning can be basically interpreted as reflections of conflicts in the prevailing environmental discourses and of paradoxes in the prevailing social order, b) The goals, contents and methods of environmental education are like a compressed description of the goals, contents and means of prevailing environmental policy processes, c) Environmental education as socialisation is quite important in legitimising prevailing limited environmental discourses. / Tiivistelmä Väitöskirjassani tarkastelen institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen konstruktivistiseen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsitykseen sekä ympäristökasvatuksen didaktisiin malleihin sisältyviä sisällöllisiä ristiriitoja osana ympäristön yhteiskunnallisia määrittely- ja tulkintaprosesseja eli ympäristödiskursseja. Tarkastelen myös sitä, miten moderniuden refleksiivisyyden määrittely heijastuu sisältämiensä sosiaalisen todellisuuden rakentumista ja luonnon sosiaalista konstruointia koskevien ennakko-oletusten välityksellä ympäristökasvatuksen konstruktivistiseen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsitykseen. Kolmanneksi hahmotan institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen ja sen tutkimuksen reflektoimattoman luonteen, ympäristödiskurssien ristiriitojen ja hallitsevan moderniuden refleksiivisyyden määritelmän yhteistä kulttuuriperustaa. Tutkimuksessani väitän, että julkiset ympäristödiskurssit vaikuttavat ympäristökasvatuksen institutionaalisiin muotoihin luonnon sosiaalisen konstruoinnin tasojen välityksellä. Väitän myös, että yhteiskunta- ja kulttuuriteorioiden eriävät määritelmät moderniuden refleksiivisyydestä on eroteltavissa eri tasoihin ja ympäristökasvatuksen didaktiset mallit ovat vastaavasti luokiteltavissa eri tyyppeihin. Nämä eri tasot ja tyypit ovat eroteltavissa toisistaan sen perusteella, miten ne käsitteellistävät luonnon sosiaalisen konstruoinnin teoreettisen kategorian ja sen praktisten ilmentymien, ympäristödiskurssien ja ympäristöön orientoivan kasvatuksen välisen suhteen. Analyysin perusteella väitän, että institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen didaktisten mallien eri tyypeissä kannatetaan kulttuurista reflektiota. Todellisuudessa ne eivät kuitenkaan saavuta tätä tasoa. Institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen didaktisten mallien ja ympäristökasvatuksen tutkimuksen teoreettinen perusongelma rakentuu kahdesta tekijästä: a) ympäristöongelmien tieteellistämisestä ja b) ympäristöongelmien yksilöllistämisestä. Ympäristökasvatusta koskevassa tutkimuksessa esitetty konstruktivistinen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsitys ja sen perustalle rakennetut ympäristökasvatuksen didaktiset mallit kohdistuvat ympäristökriisin ekologisten, sosio-poliittisten ja kulttuuristen seurausten ymmärtämiseen, mutta eivät ympäristökriisin perusteiden reflektointiin. Ympäristökasvatus instituutiona on sidoksissa vallitseviin rajallisiin ympäristödiskursseihin kolmella tavalla: a) konstruktivistisen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsityksen sisältämät ongelmat ovat lähtökohtaisesti tulkittavissa heijastumiksi vallitsevien ympäristödiskurssien sisältämistä ristiriidoista ja vallitsevan sosiaalisen järjestyksen sisältämistä paradokseista, b) ympäristökasvatuksen tavoitteet, sisällöt ja menetelmät ovat kuin tiivistetty kuvaus vallitsevien ympäristöpoliittisten prosessien päämääristä, sisällöistä ja keinoista, c) ympäristökasvatus sosialisaationa on varsin merkittävä vallitsevien rajallisten ympäristödiskurssien legitimoija.

Magister Artium - MA / Recent research has indicated a significant increase in the crystal methamphetamine abuse in the Western Cape. The study aimed to provide an understanding of the interaction of the social and historical contexts in relation to the life experiences and perceptions of a young person residing in the Cape Flats. Primarily the study aimed to explore the factors that influenced the participant to use crystal methamphetamine. It adopted a social constructionist epistemological perspective and employed Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework. The subsystems of the ecological systems theory include the individual who is influenced by the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem and the chronosystem. This was a qualitative research study that employed an intensive case study. Data was obtained through series intensive semi-structured interviews that were approximately 40 - 70 minutes in duration. The participant is a coloured female, aged 28 years from a high-risk community in the Cape Flats. Prior to the interview process, relevant permission was obtained from the participant, which allowed the interviews to be conducted and recorded. The data was then analysed using a narrative analysis. The themes that emerged from the research findings include: childhood trauma; sexual abuse during childhood; social milieu and norms; adolescent delinquency; the cycle of abuse; understanding crystal methamphetamine use and the consequences of crystal methamphetamine use. Findings with regard to the individual factors included psychological well-being, depression and negative affectivity, feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideations, loneliness, past abuse of legal substances, adolescence, delinquency and childhood sexual abuse. The influential factors that emerged within the microsystem were lack of family support, dysfunctional family dynamics, childhood abandonment, uninvolved parents, several custodial parents, childhood disequilibrium, parental modelling and family drug use. Further findings within the microsystem included peer influence viz. direct persuasion of drug use, peer exposure of drugs, experimentation, delinquent behaviour, gang-related involvement and peer group acceptance. The mesosystemic findings included, lack of emotional support or attachments, social support, lack of structure as well as relocating to numerous schools and homes. Findings located in the exosystem were the availability and accessibility of drugs in all the communities in which the participant lived. Findings in the macrosystem included the social environment of the individual, including the social norms of the community and the home setting as well as the norm of violence, crime and gangsterism. The information and knowledge accumulated would optimistically contribute to addressing the paucity of qualitative literature and present knowledge to improve intervention and prevention strategies. / South Africa