The birth of a child is a life-changing event in a woman's life. However, women's subjective experiences of giving birth have not been extensively researched, while the literature reflects an inherent realist approach. This has resulted in a decontextualised account of this critical event in women's lives. This conceptual study discusses the body of knowledge on the birthing experience from a widened perspective that includes not only the birthing woman, but also the people she interacts with and the context in which birth is embedded. The study comments on the way birth is managed in technological society and how its inherent Newtonian epistemology impacts on a woman's experience of birth. Ecosystemic epistemology is presented as an alternative approach which provides an holistic understanding of this experience. A reconceptualisation is proposed which acknowledges the social construction of birth. Lastly, the alternative birth movement as a more holistic approach to birth is discussed

How people survive and thrive through adversity is a question which has prompted much research. There is little agreement on the definition of resilience beyond the basic idea of "bouncing back", resulting in many studies which offer contradictory and confusing information. This study sought to organise the literature into broad conceptual categories, and attempted to explain some of the differences in definitions and research methods at the level of paradigm. A need to reconceptualise resilience was identified and undertaken in view of input from ecosystemic, cybernetic and postmodem paradigms. Attention was given especially to the role oflanguage, meaning and description, and the role of the observer/researcher in such a reconceptualisation. Guidelines were offered for approaching research in future. Finally, the context of the researcher was examined in an attempt at self-reflexivity as part of the process of research as proposed in the reconceptualisation. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Can psychotherapeutic interventions be introduced in a playful manner to families and children affected by HIV / AIDS? Working from an ecosystemic worldview, this dissertation undertakes an investigation into the possibilities of working with HIV / AIDS affected children and families in South Africa in a playful manner in psychotherapy. Through a process of co-creating and reflecting, the narratives of four psychotherapists are used to describe their experiences of playfulness and psychotherapy with HIV / AIDS affected persons. These narratives are presented against a background of a research literature discussion of HIV / AIDS and play in therapy. It is argued that playful psychotherapeutic interventions with HIV / AIDS affected children and families are possible, given four criteria. Firstly, the basic resource requirements, food, clothing and transport, of the children and family members must be in place before emotional needs can be adequately addressed. Secondly, children should be allowed in the therapeutic space with the rest of the family. Thirdly, psychotherapists should be trained to make psychotherapy more child friendly. Lastly, these therapists should be willing to engage in a playful manner with their clients, and not fall prey to the stigma of HIV / AIDS. / Dissertation (MA (Counseling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study describes the personal experience of heath care workers after a needle stick injury. The process of enquiry is embedded in a post modernistic ecosystemic perspective to elicit common themes in the health care workers’ (HCW) experiences of a Needle stick injury (NSI). Themes that emerged related mainly to the participants experience after having had a NSI. In the HCW environment HIV/AIDS is very well known disease. It is ironic that the HCW system at large is in denial regarding the dangers which the HCW’s face on a day to day basis working in a ‘mine field’ where every patient is a potential life threat to the HCW. From an ecosystemic stance one can clearly see the ecological principle at play. The HCW system seems to be stuck in a negative feedback process as the status quo is maintained by the defence/coping mechanisms. Adaptation seems to be limited. This inability to compensate leads to the disillusionment of the HCW who has to use ‘acceptable’ defence/coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma of being threatened by HIV/AIDS. The researcher found it constructive to use psychodynamic language, as defence mechanisms are psychodynamic concepts, to describe the process of the HCW system. As Keeney (1983) said that we are not surrounded, in a world of opposition, but rather in a realm of both/and dichotomies. The one cannot exit without, nor be discarded for, the other. Therefore, it could be suggested that an understanding of both systems and psychodynamic concepts may be a helpful tool in understanding and describing the processes of human interaction within an ecosystemic framework. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

In 2016, over 47,000 youths in the state of Florida were served by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation services. While on probation, these youths were exposed to 2 different, and potentially conflicting disciplinary management systems. Youth are under the authority of juvenile probation officers (JPOs), who are bound to a consequence-based management approach. This approach is guided by negative reinforcement. The youths are simultaneously engaged with staff from diversion programs, many of which are strengths-based and guided by positive reinforcement. According to the ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict, exposure to incongruent systems can have negative effects such as confusion and ineffectiveness. By applying a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, I explored the responses to this convergence point from the perspective of 9 strengths-based school counseling staff members who supervise the youth that navigate between these 2 different behavior modification systems. This sample of 9 staff members also work directly with JPOs. Data were collected using iterative versions of semistructured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Findings revealed that conflict did exist at the convergence point, and that cohesion, on varying levels, also existed, and that solutions to the philosophical incompatibility have emerged. This research contributes to social change by illuminating the possible conflict inherent in implementing incongruent approaches to behavior management, which may inform policymakers regarding program management for juvenile justice.

My study is informed by a partnership initiated between Gun Free South Africa and the Department of Education (District Tshwane South) with the concern of addressing violence in schools. Schools are often seen as professionalised and distant from their local communities. Learners belong to the very communities that are distanced from the school. They bring to school the unresolved issues from their families and interpersonal relations within the community. The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of violence by a school community and how they cope with it. The study was informed by a qualitative and instrumental case study design within an interpretivist paradigm. Furthermore, the study was guided by an integrated conceptual framework derived from an asset-based and ecosystemic model, coping theories and the management system adapted from Babbie (2001). To address this I incorporated a variety of strategies such as interviews, collages, timeline and concept mapping through which a crystallisation of data could be obtained. I also used informal observations and visual data as additional data generating methods. Through a thematic analysis approach the study reveal the existence of violence as a challenge to the school community, and impacts directly or indirectly to their well-being. The study has further indicated that the perpetrators are known to the victims. The findings of the study suggest that on the basis of the integrated conceptual framework support structures could be mobilized, building partnerships between local schools and the community to provide a firm foundation for educational renewal and community regeneration and to contribute directly to the strengthening and development of the school community. The information gathered might also assist policy developers in developing support and intervention programmes for the restoration of school safety. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / MEd / unrestricted

Couple therapy is a frequently sought domain by couples who experience problems in their relationships. Couple therapy has been researched intensively, but few studies incorporate a holistic account of the therapeutic process. This study aims to explore and integrate the therapist's and the couple's experiences of change in the context of couple therapy. The ecosystemic epistemology and the narrative metaphor forms the foundation from which the therapy and the research is approached. Qualitative research methods are employed from within a naturalistic paradigm which allows for personal and unique meanings to emerge. Rich descriptions of the therapist's and the participant's stories of change are provided. Multiple perspectives are offered in the stories which reveal the reciprocal motions between the therapist's and the couples' change processes. Recurring themes are extracted from the stories which punctuate the pivotal change processes that were experienced by the therapist and the couples during the therapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in English / This exploratory study creates a post-modern narrative context for psychotherapy and extends these ideas to an individual living with a psychiatric disorder, namely obsessive-compulsive disorder. The present study explores OCD through the ecosystemic perspective and aims to obtain a holistic understanding of an individual's experience of living with OCD and to describe the recursive connections between OCD and the individual's ecological context. This investigation includes the re-authoring therapy of Michael White and David Epston and the application of their ideas to the individual's life story. A qualitative method within the naturalistic paradigm is employed focussing on the unique experience of the individual, which allows for an understanding of the individual's personal meaning. The dominant narratives, that emerged from the individual's life story, were deconstructed. Significant shifts in attribution of meaning took place. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

The aim of this study was to explore the self-concept of battered South African women. The ecosystemic approach was used to ground the battering experience. This qualitative framework was exploratory and also included an in-depth analysis of the battering experiences as narrated by abused women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data obtained were analysed through the use of the hermeneutic method. The following were the themes that emerged out of the narratives: dominance, control versus loss of control, connection versus disconnection, security versus insecurity, and feelings of degradation. The study provides a holistic understanding of battering and its impact on women’s selfconcept. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Research indicates that the number of individuals diagnosed with neurological, learning and psychiatric disorders has shown a sharp increase in recent years. An increasing acknowledgement of the importance of narratives and discourses in constructing social reality has stimulated much debate on the consequences of diagnosing individuals with such diagnostic labels. The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which such individuals construct meaning from their experiences of adapting to their diagnostic labels by reframing them as interpersonal metaphors. In service of this aim, a social constructionist epistemology was adopted and discourse analysis was used to analyse the results from three participants’ interview data. The results indicate that participants managed to construct meaning from their experiences with their diagnostic labels through a reframing process that serve to promote positive perceptions of self in relation to others. Furthermore, this meaning-construction process appears to be a reflective and interactional one, in that it relies on a negotiation of meanings between people in a retrospective fashion. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)