The focus of the study is on restorative experiences and the relationship between these experiences and psychological well-being. The variety of experiences that people experience as restorative were explored, as well as how often these experiences occurred. A working definition were written since no generally accepted definition of restorative experiences exists. A checklist with 22 categories of restorative experiences has also been drawn up. Students completed psychological well-being questionnaires and the results were used to form two groups: one with higher and one with lower levels of psychological well-being. The two groups were compared in terms of the restorative experiences present in their lives. Nature emerged as the most popular restorative environment. Rest was the most popular category with subcategories for sleep and holidays. Interpersonal contact was also a popular category for both groups. The categories for eating and drinking and activities that are damaging to the body showed important differences between groups in terms of popularity and frequency. The group with the higher levels of psychological well-being shows signs of a healthier lifestyle and they have a greater capacity to postpone gratification. In addition, they show fewer signs of substance dependency, fewer symptoms of psychological disorders and less avoidance than the group with the lower levels of psychological well-being. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

African refugees and immigrants are arriving in Manitoba in vastly increasing numbers and a review of the literature indicates that they are experiencing barriers to successful integration. The goals of this research are to understand the experiences of Sierra Leonean newcomers with seeking support and identify specific needs and services that might be helpful. Using qualitative methods, interviews were conducted with Sierra Leonean newcomers. The analysis of the data indicates that newcomers want financial independence and to fit into Canadian life. The process to get their foreign credentials accredited is difficult and affects their ability to gain economic security. They rely on informal networks with other Sierra Leoneans for assistance to acquire resources when they are unable to get help from service providers. As well, newcomers are concerned about their community image, feelings of isolation and sacrificing all of their dreams. Recommendations from this study include the need to recognize and support African community leaders in connecting with newcomers to share accurate and vital information. In addition, services for employment and the accreditation of foreign credentials should be appropriate, affordable and timely. Changes to policies and to the provision of settlement services are necessary to improve the accessibility and availability of resources required for the successful integration of African newcomers.

Introduction: Interpersonal relationships are beneficial for people with a learning disability (PWLD), acting as a protective barrier against transition difficulties, social stigma and negative outcomes such as physical and mental health problems. The social networks of PWLD are, however, often more restricted than those of the general population. There has been very little research which has explored the views and experiences of PWLD about their social and sexual relationships. A systematic review of the qualitative research surrounding the sexual relationships of PWLD was conducted. Eleven studies were reviewed, which revealed five themes: ‘A lack of knowledge regarding sexual relationships’, ‘Sexual relationships as restricted and regulated’, ‘Sexual relationships perceived as wrong’, ‘Sexual relationships being desired’, and ‘Sex as a negative experience’. Positive developments in the attitudes of others and supports were described, but the impact and influence of stigma, assumption, ignorance and a lack of autonomy regarding sexual relationships were dominantly reported. However, the findings of the reviewed studies must be considered with caution due to methodological limitations. The current study aimed to build on the existing qualitative research by exploring the experiences and perceptions of both sexual and close relationships for PWLD. Method: Data were gathered from ten PWLD using one to one semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Five super-ordinate themes were identified; ‘Relationships feeling safe and being useful’, ‘Who’s in charge?’, ‘Struggling for an ordinary life’, ‘Touching people in relationships’ and ‘Hidden feelings’. The findings were shared with participants who confirmed their relevance in the lives of PWLD. ‘Touching people in relationships’ is presented separately within a journal article format. Discussion: The findings suggest that fundamental components of close relationships were feeling safe and receiving some form of positive gain. The lack of agency participants experienced limited the development of these aspects, whilst also preventing the ability to live an ‘ordinary existence’, which included physically intimate relationships for many individuals. Finally, participant’s feelings were generally unclear, which could be related to being interviewed by a relative stranger or emotional expression difficulties. Based upon these findings it is considered that those who support PWLD should focus their assistance on addressing negative attitudes and redressing the power imbalance to facilitate an ‘ordinary existence’ for these individuals, which may indirectly enable them to naturally develop safe and useful relationships. It is also possible that reducing the barriers and stigma surrounding close relationships would open up communication regarding this area, which could indirectly promote PWLD ability to express their emotions regarding relationships. Conclusions: The research provides a greater insight into the lived experience of close relationships for PWLD. Participants valued close relationships that were safe and useful, but their ability to develop and maintain these was described as being restricted by other people and service rules. It is proposed that those supporting PWLD need to balance protective action against the freedom and choice required to develop and maintain close relationships, as restricting the already limited social networks of this population will negatively impact upon their quality of life.

<p>Social media and mobile technology now provide consumers with the opportunity to continuously document or reflect on their moment-to-moment internal and external experiences. For instance, "tweets" are often written while one is consuming some experience, just as other forms of social media may be used in their respective ways for documentation or reflection while an experience is unfolding. But what effect does verbal documentation or reflection have on consumers' enjoyment of their time? The authors propose that when consumers can verbally document or reflect about topics other than the current experience, increased mind wandering can occur, which can help lead to reduced enjoyment. Testing the theoretical model through five experiments, the authors show that verbal documentation or reflection during an experience can reduce enjoyment, regardless of whether that experience is generally enjoyable or generally unenjoyable. However, the same effect does not occur when consumers are specifically asked to verbally document or reflect only about the experience they are taking part in. Verbal documentation or reflection right after an experience ends, which does not increase mind wandering during the experience, can lead to increased enjoyment when consumers are specifically asked to verbally document or reflect only about the experience they just took part in. Implications for the use of social media for verbal documentation and reflection by consumers and marketing managers are discussed.</p> / Dissertation

With a new national curriculum, the New Zealand Ministry of Education has created a new learning area – Learning Languages. From 2010 all schools will have to show they are moving towards providing programmes for language learning for all students from Years 7 to 10. In preparation for this, primary and intermediate schools have been increasingly offering diverse programmes of language learning to their students, and high school language teachers have noticed an increase in knowledge and experience from their Year 9 entrants to language classes. This gives rise to the question of how teachers at high schools are able to manage language classes where students have a very diverse range of experiences of learning another language. This study is a case study from one high school on the phenomenon of language learning, as experienced and explained by nine Year 9 students. The students are asked to explore their current and previous language learning experiences in group interviews, and especially to discuss the issues which they have found in their classes. The students are from diverse backgrounds, with different experiences of learning another language. Their discussion is honest and wide-ranging as they talk about their experiences, giving reasons for their language choice, and explaining what they like and don’t like about their learning. They offer opinions on co-operative learning, mixed-level classes and the difficulties and benefits of learning another language and they make suggestions about what helps them learn best. A recurring theme in their discussion is one of relationships – family connections which may make a particular language more attractive, teacher-pupil relationships which foster learning, and, more especially, the peer-relationships which support (or occasionally inhibit) learning, and provide social support and a social network of friends. Overwhelmingly, they say they would rather study with their friends in a mixed-level class, than learn in a class which is streamed to their own level. Analysis of data further reveals that identity negotiations, which may not be recognised by the students themselves, play a part in the learning process. The study concludes with recommendations for practice and pedagogy, based on the students’ conversations. The four recommendations are about diversity – exploring the extent of diversity in the classroom, creating an environment which supports diversity, creating programmes which allow diverse students to learn together and creating opportunities for them to learn from each other.

This study is a minor field study and is sponsored by Swedish Development Cooperation Agency. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and struggles with continuing reducing the national maternity mortality rate in order to satisfy WHO millennium targets. In order to improve the maternal care in Nepal an understanding of midwives experiences is needed. This study aims to explore midwives experiences from working in the Nuwakot region in Nepal from a transcultural caring perspective. The study uses a qualitative methodological approach. Unstructured interviews were performed during April 2015 at health posts in remote mountain villages in the region of Nuwakot, Nepal. Seven midwives, two men and five women were involved. By analyzing the interviews with a qualitative content analysis several categories emerged. The result shows that midwives working in a rural area of Nepal today experience several challenges in their work based on cultural influences; challenging family hierarchy, dangerous home deliveries, villagers lack of education, patients arriving too late, patients distrust in medicine and lack of resources but happy to help. The conclusion is that in order for Nepal to keep improve their maternal care, midwives needs to develop an understanding of the patient and the family’s cultural beliefs. The result can be used to reflect on how the patient's cultural beliefs can affect the midwives when performing their work in a rural area of Nepal. It can also be used to develop the midwifery education in Nepal by improving midwives’ meeting with patients and their families with cultural needs.

Antalet vuxna som lever med fetma har enligt WHO fördubblats sedan 1980. Kirurgiskt ingrepp såsom gastric bypass är den metod som leder till hållbar viktminskning. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur patienter som genomgått viktminskningskirurgi kan uppleva stödet före, under och efter operation. Studien har en narrativ fenomenologisk ansats, berättelserna har analyserats genom meningskoncentrering, strukturering och tolkning. Studien innefattar berättelser från fem informanter som valdes genom handplockat urval. Resultatet visar att de flesta informanter upplever ett fint stöd från omgivningen under processen. Missnöjet riktar sig mot sjukvården och det först efter operationen. Informanterna upplever sig som ensamma och saknar sjukvårdens förståelse. Den bristfälliga uppföljningen genererar i svårigheter för patienterna att med tiden följa de kostrekommendationer som angavs. En samtalskontakt som stöd för hållbar viktminskning och för undvikande av bristsjukdomar är att rekommendera.

This study has examined definitions of sex and virginity loss and the influence of gender, religiosity, middle school sex education, and the importance of virginity on those definitions. The study also tests the applicability of social exchange theory to explain how undergraduates define sex and virginity loss. Vaginal intercourse was most often considered to be sex and virginity loss, followed by anal sex and oral sex. The results indicate that women tend to consider more behaviors to be sex and virginity loss than men. Religion and middle school sex education were minimally important. Both viewing virginity as a gift and the importance of maintaining virginity until marriage were related to definitions of sex and virginity loss. Results indicate that the application of social exchange theory in predicting classification of behaviors as sex and virginity loss were mixed. With oral sex receiving the most variation as to whether or not it is sex and virginity loss and being an activity in which young people frequently participate, sex education programs should provide greater attention to oral sex and the associated health risks. / Department of Sociology

The object of the research is experiences in Doris Lessing’s autobiography volumes Under My Skin and Walking in the Shade. The aim of the research is to analyse the development of life experiences in Lessing’s autobiography books Under My Skin (1994) and Walking in the Shade (1998). The objectives are the following: 1) to survey Philippe Lejeune’s theory about autobiography; 2) to review the Simone de Beauvoir’s theory on feminism; 3) to carry out analysis of the sources in the aspect of development of female narrator’s experience. The methodology of the research is based on: 1. Theoretical and cultural ideas about autobiography dissemination are best illustrated in Philippe Lejeune’s landmark essay The Autobiographical Pact (1975). According to Lejeune, autobiography, relying on personal experiences is more concentrated on the internal processes of a person. The leading European critic and theorist deal with the narrator’s and character’s identification with the author and emphasize the importance to remember the time when autobiography was written and the cultural attitudes and beliefs of that time. 2. Simone de Beauvoir’s book The Second Sex (1989) one of the first major feminist’s texts, explores the role of a woman in society, grounding on literature, myth and history. Its central thesis is that women are made rather than born. On the basis of this statement elaborated in the theoretical part of the BA Thesis, the development of experiences of the narrator in the... [to full text] / Tyrimo objektas – patirtys Dorisės Lessing autobiografijos knygose „Po mano oda“ ir „Vaikščiojimas šešėlyje“. Šio darbo tikslas yra išnagrinėti gyvenimo patirties raidą Dorisės Lessing autobiografinėse knygose „Po mano oda“ (1994) bei „Vaikščiojimas šešėlyje“ (1998). Uždaviniai: 1) apžvelgti Philippe’o Lejeune’o autobiografijos teoriją; 2) apžvelgti Simonos de Bovuar feminizmo teoriją; 3) atlikti šaltinių analizę moters pasakotojos patirties aspektu. Tyrimo metodikos pagrindimas: 1. Teorinės ir kultūrinės autobiografijos plėtros idėjos geriausiai atsispindi garsiausioje Philippe’o Lejeune’o apybraižoje „Autobiografinis paktas“ (1975). Pasak Lejeune’o, autobiografija priklauso nuo žmogaus asmeninių patirčių ir atskleidžia vidinius asmens procesus. Kritikas nagrinėja pasakotojo ir personažo susitapatinimą su autoriumi, akcentuoja laikotarpio, kuriuo ji buvo parašyta, bei tuo metu vyravusių kultūrinių normų svarbą. 2. Simonos de Bovuar knyga „Antroji lytis“ (1989), pripažinta vienu pirmųjų svarbesnių feministinių tekstų, nagrinėja moters vaidmenį visuomenėje, remiantis literatūra, mitais ir istorija. Pagrindinė knygoje išsakoma mintis yra ta, kad moteris yra „pagaminama“, ja negimstama. Remiantis šiuo teiginiu, detalizuotu bakalauro darbo teorinėje dalyje, bus analizuojama pasakotojo patirties plėtra autobiografinėse knygose. Šių dviejų autobiografijų autorė Dorisė Lessing yra viena svarbiausių XX amžiaus britų rašytojų. Knygose pasakojama istorija moters, kuri, paliesta pirmojo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

There has been a significant increase in the number of Down Syndrome (DS) births over the past 3 decades in South Africa. This means there are increasingly more mothers, children with DS and family members experiencing the stressors associated with the condition. However, the increase in DS births has led to the advancement of related medical and educational interventions, resulting in more families with a child with DS overcoming these stressors and discovering the positive aspects of having a child with DS. This study aimed to uncover these positive aspects by exploring the positive experiences of a sample of mothers of a child with DS, with the hope that the findings will help society to move away from its focus on the stressors of having a child with DS to instead concentrating on the many ways in which families can cope with these stressors. As part of the research process, face-to-face interviews were conducted as a qualitative approach to gain an in-depth understanding of this research topic. The interviews were all recorded by means of a tape recorder. There is only one hospital in the Western Cape Metropole area that specialises in this condition, and that hospital was consequently selected as the location for this research, since all mothers of children with DS are referred to this hospital. A purposive sampling method and the criterion sampling strategy were used for the selection of these five mothers with whom interviews were conducted in the hospital’s developmental clinic The main findings of the research include both the difficult and positive experiences of being a mother of a child with DS. Two of the major themes that arose in terms of the difficult experiences were: (1) having to make many adjustments to one’s life to accommodate unpredictable health implications, developmental delays, negative perceptions, and unprofessional conduct; and (2) the difficulty of dealing with emotions, emotions of: fear, aloneness, and grieving. The mothers’ positive experiences generally developed out of their attempts to find coping mechanisms for the above challenges, and these positives centre on support, resources, faith in God, accepting the condition, a positive attitude and bonding with their child with DS. The predominant finding in terms of participants’ own recommendations for new mothers of a child with DS was for them to learn to accept the condition. Other findings addressing ways of coping with the condition were as follows: persevering, being hopeful, taking it one day at a time, having awareness and understanding of the diagnosis, being around positive people, attending regular appointments, seeking out guidance and support for your child’s development, loving your child, enjoying your child, and being present in every moment. / Thesis (MSW (Forensic Practice))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013