Although numerous and divergent stressors are inherent to the professional life of a psychologist, research regarding burnout and its antipode, work engagement in psychologists is sparse. The current research sought to investigate the nature of and the relationship between job demands, job resources, burnout and work engagement in a group of South African psychologists. The Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) model was employed as the foundation from which to understand and explain the process of burnout development, as well as the process of maintaining work engagement. Personal interviews were conducted and qualitatively analysed to determine occupation-specific themes which were used to develop the Job Demands-Job Resources Scale for Psychologists (JD-JRSP). A group of South African psychologists in private practice (N =105) completed the JD-JRSP, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The statistical analyses of these instruments reflected that the JD-R model provides a meaningful basis for research into burnout and work engagement. The participants in this study reported low to moderate job demands with moderate to high job resources. In accordance with the underpinnings of the JD-R model, burnout scores were shown to be low, whilst the participants retained high levels of work engagement. The results suggest that job resources mitigate the debilitating effects of job demands and therefore protect against burnout, whilst promoting work engagement. The present study makes a unique contribution to the field as no other South African or international research has, to date, investigated these four constructs in psychologists. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The mining industry has been the bedrock of South African economy for more than a century, making an important contribution to employment opportunities, the gross domestic product and export earnings in the South African economy. Globally the mining industry is faced with a shortage of qualified talent to meet its production needs. Every year there are more people leaving than entering the mining industry to pursue job and career opportunities. The mining industry has to focus a lot on safety and health, training and development programmes, team building initiatives, and the recruitment and retention of affirmative action candidates in order to retain their valued staff. The mining industry also has to achieve production targets while at the same time assure that its employees are safe and happy workers. Therefore happy, productive and motivated employees are an important contributor to the stability and development within the mining industry. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between job demands, job resources, burnout and engagement of employees in the mining industry. The research method consisted of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. An availability sample (JV=199) from employees in the mining industry was taken. The Job Demands and Resources Scale (JDRS) (was used to measure job demands and job resources), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (was used to measure engagement) and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (was used to measure burnout). Descriptive statistics, product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SPSS programme. The results of this study indicated that job resources, namely organisational support (including the relationship with superiors, role clarity, information, communication, and participation) are positively related to growth opportunities (including variety, opportunities to learn, and autonomy), advancement and social support. Multiple regression analysis showed that the best predictors of engagement were organisational support, growth opportunities and work-life balance. The best predictors of disengagement were lack of resources, including growth opportunities and social support, and demands of overload and a lack of work-life balance. The predictors of burnout were overload and a lack of advancement opportunities Recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Although numerous and divergent stressors are inherent to the professional life of a psychologist, research regarding burnout and its antipode, work engagement in psychologists is sparse. The current research sought to investigate the nature of and the relationship between job demands, job resources, burnout and work engagement in a group of South African psychologists. The Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) model was employed as the foundation from which to understand and explain the process of burnout development, as well as the process of maintaining work engagement. Personal interviews were conducted and qualitatively analysed to determine occupation-specific themes which were used to develop the Job Demands-Job Resources Scale for Psychologists (JD-JRSP). A group of South African psychologists in private practice (N =105) completed the JD-JRSP, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The statistical analyses of these instruments reflected that the JD-R model provides a meaningful basis for research into burnout and work engagement. The participants in this study reported low to moderate job demands with moderate to high job resources. In accordance with the underpinnings of the JD-R model, burnout scores were shown to be low, whilst the participants retained high levels of work engagement. The results suggest that job resources mitigate the debilitating effects of job demands and therefore protect against burnout, whilst promoting work engagement. The present study makes a unique contribution to the field as no other South African or international research has, to date, investigated these four constructs in psychologists. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Vinyasa yoga, also known as power flow yoga, is growing in popularity in western cultures. Vinyasa yoga is characterized by moving with the breath and connecting the postures by a series of dynamic movement in between traditional yoga poses. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the intensity and metabolic costs of a typical Vinyasa yoga routine by measuring respiratory gas exchange, heart rate, and perceived rating of exertion. Secondary purposes were to determine whether there were differences between beginner and advanced practitioners and between males and females. Eight beginner (4 males and 4 females) and eight advanced (4 males and 4 females) yoga practitioners were tested while completing a Vinyasa yoga routine. Participants first completed a maximal aerobic test on a treadmill to determine maximal aerobic capacity, and to allow the assessment of relative workload during a subsequent yoga session. After adequate rest, the participant completed a 90-minute familiarization of the Vinyasa yoga session at his or her own skill level. After 4 – 7 days the participants returned, where the beginners completed the beginner routine and the advanced practitioners were randomly assigned to do either the beginner or advanced routine. The advanced practitioners came back on a separate day to complete the routine they had not yet completed. To allow participants to move freely, a portable system (Cosmed K4b2) was used to measure respiratory gas exchange (i.e. oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide output). A heart rate monitor was worn to collect heart rate data. Rating of perceived exertion was measured at set times throughout the session. The mean metabolic equivalents (METs) of Vinyasa yoga (4.7) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the 3.0 METs needed to achieve a moderate intensity based on the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. During the yoga session, 68 ± 10 minutes were spent above 3.0 METs (moderate intensity) and of those minutes, 16 ± 16 were spent above 6.0 METs (vigorous intensity). Based on the Canadian Guidelines for Physical Activity of 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity, three 90-minute Vinyasa yoga sessions a week can meet the recommendations for adults.

The ability to navigate with limited vision is a skill that is often employed in our daily lives. Navigating without vision to a remembered target has previously been studied. However, not much is known about the attention required to perform blind navigation. We examined the effect of aging and presence of obstacles on the attentional demands of blind navigation. We evaluated reaction time, navigation errors and average walking speed in an 8 meter walking path, with or without obstacles, in the absence of vision. Results showed that older participants had increased reaction time and increased linear distance travelled as opposed to young participants, that obstacles increased reaction time and decreased average walking speed in all participants, and that emitting the reaction time stimulus early in the trial increased the linear distance travelled. Interpretation of the results suggests that aging and presence of obstacles augments the attentional demands of blind navigation.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The study aimed to examine how motherhood is constructed by married working mothers and the impact thereof on their working lives. This qualitative study explored the individual experiences of 7 working married mothers with preschool aged children who reside in the Western Cape, South Africa. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The study was situated within a social constructionist theoretical framework which holds that it is through our interactions with others that we create, maintain and verify our ideas and perceptions of the world. The literature revealed that despite the advances made by women in society, the notion that women are still the primary nurturers and care-givers is still in existence. This view is largely dictated by the social and cultural expectations in society and further perpetuated by images portrayed in the media. The results of this study revealed that the social and cultural context of the participants holds a view of motherhood that is gendered, comprises ideals of a caring, nurturing and ever-giving mother and links motherhood to womanhood and the female identity. / South Africa

The ability to navigate with limited vision is a skill that is often employed in our daily lives. Navigating without vision to a remembered target has previously been studied. However, not much is known about the attention required to perform blind navigation. We examined the effect of aging and presence of obstacles on the attentional demands of blind navigation. We evaluated reaction time, navigation errors and average walking speed in an 8 meter walking path, with or without obstacles, in the absence of vision. Results showed that older participants had increased reaction time and increased linear distance travelled as opposed to young participants, that obstacles increased reaction time and decreased average walking speed in all participants, and that emitting the reaction time stimulus early in the trial increased the linear distance travelled. Interpretation of the results suggests that aging and presence of obstacles augments the attentional demands of blind navigation.

This study seeks to determine which job demands (role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload) and work or job resources (training, rewards, supervisory support, and service technology) are most closely associated with the three major components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). A related objective of the study is to ascertain which coping mechanisms seem to be relied on by frontline employees in dealing with the dysfunctional effects of burnout. Frontline bank employees in New Zealand serve as the study setting. Results and their implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.

Journalism plays an important role in our society. But what happens when a journalist decides to pursue a new profession? The loss of a journalist from a newsroom can have a significant impact, particularly when that journalist takes with them institutional knowledge and a history of the market. This study uses qualitative interviews with 12 former broadcast journalists to investigate what factors cause them to leave the field and what the implications are for the industry. Relying on burnout theory as a framework, this study reveals three key reasons broadcast journalists decided to walk away. First, they faced increasing demands including long or unconventional work hours, a tenuous work-life balance, difficult stories to cover, and doing more with fewer resources. Second, they endured difficult issues with management including unfulfilled promises, the increasing commercialization of news, unrealistic and unethical expectations, the consolidation of the industry, and a lack of appreciation. Third, they felt they were not adequately compensated. This study recommends more support and professional development for broadcast journalists, more cross-training opportunities, and improved financial compensation.

A mathematical expression was developed and tested which describes the relation between evapotranspiration and soil moisture. A general premise of this mathematical model is that the evapotranspiration-soil moisture relationship is determined by interaction of climatic, soil and plant factors. The basic model is dETa/dYs = -ke[1-(ETa/ETmx)] in which ETa is the actual evapotranspiration, Ys is the total soil water potential, k is a proportionality coefficient , E is the soil moisture extraction capacity of the atmosphere , and ETmx is the evapotranspiration that would occur from a particular crop-soil unit when soil moisture was not limiting. From this model the following expression was derived: ETa = (1/1+(Ys/Ys’)^[2.56/log (Ymi/Ymx)])g E0 where Ymx', Ys', Ymi are the soil potentials at which ETa is equal to 95%, 50% and 5% of ETmx' respectively; E 0 is the evaporation from a free water surface and expressed the evaporative demands of the atmosphere. The term g is a proportionality coefficient equal to ETmx/E0. A second formula was developed that expresses the same relationship in terms of soil water content, and was derived from the former by assuming a hyperbolic relationship between soil water potential and water content. These formulas, as well as various other models which are described in the literature, were tested using experimental data covering a wide range of climatic, soil and plant variables. It was concluded that: (a) Most models advocated in the literature are only adequate to describe the relation between evapotranspiration and soil moisture under particular climatic , soil and plant conditions. (b) The formulas derived from the proposed model provide a good fit for the evapotranspiration-soil moisture relationship under widely different circumstances. If proper values are chosen for the coefficients, these formulas yield relations that are similar to several of the models taken from the literature. Consequently, the proposed mathematical expression appears to be a general model of the manner in which plants use soil water under different vegetative and environmental conditions. (c) It seems possible to predict in a comparative way the pattern of soil water utilization in a soil-plant-atmosphere system . This may be done from a knowledge of the relations between the coefficients of the formulas and climatic, soil and plant factors influencing evapotranspiration.