The aim of this dissertation was to critically analyse Terry Pratchett’s Johnny Maxwell trilogy in terms of three areas, namely Pratchett’s use of various fantasy techniques; how comedy and satire function as distancing mechanisms; and how fantasy and comedy function in accordance with Erikson’s and Bettelheim’s theories concerning identity formation in adolescent and child readers. The primary aim of this dissertation was therefore to provide a literary reading of Pratchett’s trilogy, Only You Can Save Mankind (1992), Johnny and the Dead (1993) and Johnny and the Bomb (1996). However, it also acknowledges the possible didactic and developmental benefits of the books. The trilogy is entertaining, exciting, witty and child-friendly (Baldry cited in Butler, James and Mendlesohn, 2004:41), but it is also clear that Pratchett endeavours to challenge his child readers by presenting everyday situations from foreign and unusual perspectives. This dissertation argues that, as Baldry states, Pratchett ‘expands the thinking of his young readers with new ideas or unconventional ways of looking at familiar ideas’ which will ultimately help them consider their own lives in alternative and perhaps even more meaningful ways (quoted in Butler, James and Mendlesohn, 2004:41). The idea of ‘distancing techniques’ is vital for this study, because it proposes that readers can be transported from their Primary Realities (in which they live and function on a daily basis) into Secondary Realities or worlds which are unlike the Primary Reality in form and composition, but not unlike them in the way they function. Once this removal has taken place, bibliotherapists argue that readers are able to look back upon their primary world with new insight into their sense of industry and identity and also into the way their primary reality functions and the way they function within it. J.R.R. Tolkien (1985:35) explains that ‘…fact becomes that which is manipulated by the fantasy writer to produce a keener perception of the primary world and a greater ability to survive in it’. Owing to Pratchett’s specific comic brand of fantasy, a discussion of his comic and satiric techniques is also presented. Part of this discussion again concentrates on the ability of comedy to act as a distancing mechanism, while another discusses how Pratchett uses comedy to satirise certain aspects of society. As Bergson (1911:17) states in his book, Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic, laughter is a way of ‘correcting men’s manners’. Pratchett thus makes use of various comic techniques to mock and ridicule certain features of society, such as its obsession with television, its materialism, or its obsession with computer games. This research is important as the fantasy genre is often considered to be mere popular fiction, to which parents and school teachers are frequently averse. However, with the increase in sales of fantasy works over the past decade, especially in adolescent and children’s fantasy, study of the genre and its possible influence on readers is becoming increasingly necessary. This dissertation undertakes to show that fantasy works can be both complex and satisfying literary works while they also have a positive influence on child readers. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / English / unrestricted

Immigration is a contributing factor to population growth in the United States. Ethiopian immigrants who are residing in the United States constitute the second-largest African immigrant group next to Nigeria. The effect of immigrants' identity formation and acculturation process on their social and emotional wellness has drawn behavioral and social scientists' attention. Still, limited research has been devoted to exploring Ethiopian immigrants' acculturation and identity formation processes and how these processes shape 1.5- and second-generation immigrants' perceptions of mental health-related issues. This phenomenological study explored identity formation, acculturation processes, and mental health beliefs in 1.5- and second-generation Ethiopian immigrants. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants. Inductive analysis was used to determine the emergence of 4 themes: (a) participants' acculturation struggle, (b) ethnic identity challenges, (c) protective factors that helped participants to sustain and overcome the challenges and difficulties they faced through the acculturation and identity formation processes, and (d) heritage-based mental health perceptions. These findings have the potential to generate multicultural awareness among immigrants' parents, social workers, educators, policy makers, and mental health providers regarding the challenges young immigrants encounter during the acculturation and ethnic identity formation processes

The purpose of this study was to investigate Taiwanese adolescent psychosocial development (i.e., autonomy and identity development) based on psychosocial theoretical models developed in western societies. Data were collected from both public senior high and vocational high schools in both urban and rural areas in Taiwan. Adolescent participants, with an average age of 17 years old, included 447 (about 54% were females) from urban areas, and 702 (62% were females) from rural areas. The results of this study revealed that Taiwanese adolescents from both urban and rural areas were similar to adolescent developmental ranges suggested in western theories. There were a few variations revealed in this study, such as scores of internal consistency, average scores of each scale, associations among indicators, and the numbers of youth classified of certain developmental status. In general, the relationships between factors and adolescent psychosocial developmental outcomes did not moderate by regional differences. Identity development of Taiwanese youth from both areas was more likely to be predicted by both situational (e.g., family income and school type) and agential factors (e.g., collectivism, parent attachment, and resiliency) than Taiwanese adolescent cognitive, emotional, and behavioral autonomy. Higher family income level and greater resiliency scores were positively associated with high autonomy and/or achieved identity status. Strong beliefs in collectivism and secure attachments with parents did not significantly correlate with autonomy but did correlate with foreclosure identity status. Across the analysis models in this study, resiliency was the strongest factor which was associated with high autonomous status and identity achievement. Implications and further recommendations for research and practical uses were further discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Arts, 2000 / This thesis explores in empirical fashion the contribution made by St Peter's Secondary School to South African literary history. It takes as its starting point the phenomenon of the first black autobiographies having been published within a ten-year period from 1954 to 1963, with all but one of the male writers receiving at least part of their post-primary schooling at St Peter's School in Johannesburg. Among the texts, repositioned here within their educational context, are Tell Freedom by Peter Abrahams, Down Second Avenue by Es'kia Mphahlele, Road to Ghana by Alfred Hutchinson, and Chocolates for My Wife by Todd Matshikiza. The thesis examines the educational milieu of the inter-war years in the Transvaal over and against education in the other provinces of the Union, the Anglo-Catholic ethos of the Community of the Resurrection who established and ran the school, the pedagogical environment of St Peter's School, and the autobiographical texts themselves, in order to plot the course which the autobiographers' subsequent lives took as they wrote back to the education which had both liberated and shackled them. It equipped them far in advance of the opportunities available to them under the colour bar, necessitating exile, even as it colonised their minds in a way perhaps spared those who never attended school, requiring a continual reassessment of their identity over time. The thesis argues that their Western education was crucial in the development of their hybrid identity, what Es'kia Mphahlele has termed `the dialogue of two selves', which was in each case worked out through an autobiography. The typical, if simplified, trajectory is an enthusiastic espousal of the culture of the West encountered in their schooling at St Peter's, and then a rejection out of a sense of betrayal in favour of Africa, eventually leading to a synthesis of the two. The thesis concludes that it was the emphasis on all-round education and character formation, in the British boarding school tradition, with its thrust of sacrifice and service, which helped to fashion the strong belief systems of Abrahams and Mphahlele's later years, namely Christian socialism and African humanism, which inform their mature writings.

Background:  Employees are the basis upon which a successful firm is built. Today, it is a talents market, and companies must prioritize their employer branding strategies and improve their employee value proposition to attract and retain the best talent. In addition, the pandemic’s disruption in everybody’s daily life caused "The Great Resignation," a phenomenon in which many people quit their employment owing to a lack of recognition and unpleasant working conditions. Consequently, businesses have an even greater challenge to identify and address the challenge to fulfill employees' values and needs. While traditional methods such as salary and other benefits are still necessary, they may not be sufficient for many potential employees who value a positive work environment and feeling connected to the company's goals. Therefore, a gap in literature was found regarding how personal values affect employees decision on choosing employers. Purpose: The objective of the thesis is to create a conceptual framework to explain and investigate the relationship between identity formation and employer branding - how personal values shape employees' decisions to stay or leave their jobs in the transition to a post-pandemic period.   Method: Semi-structured interviews from people in Generation Z and who operate in the white-collar sector, particularly in the "transition to post-pandemic period" was noted. A conceptual model was created from the theoretical background. The data from the interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis, which was carried out using a qualitative method with an abductive approach. Conclusion: The conceptual framework was used to investigate the relationship between identity formation and employer branding. Five contingent variables were identified; employer branding, identity formation, work-life balance, fresh-start mindset, and mobile technology with correlating hypothesises. The authors confirmed that four out of five hypotheses were accepted, except for the fresh-start mindset. The research highlights the importance of employers understanding the values and priorities of their employees to build a strong employer brand strategy. The study recommends that employers evaluate what employees value and form their strategy accordingly.

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Sedan resultatet av PISA-undersökningen 2012 publicerades handlar en övervägande del av skoldebatten om att finna åtgärder för att förbättra resultaten inom gymnasieskolan. Fenomenet rörande pojkars underpresterande har fått namnet “pojkkris”. Författarna till föreliggande studie avser att utmana bilden av ”den typiska killen” som underpresterar i kontexten för en rådande ”antipluggkultur”. Utifrån ett studie-och yrkesvägledarperspektiv är det aktuellt att undersöka vilka potentiella faktorer i en ”antipluggkultur” unga män upplever konstruerar identitet i förhållande till sin karriäridentitet. Syftet med föreliggande studie är således att undersöka hur en grupp högpresterande unga män ser på vad det är att vara en ”idealelev” vid det Naturvetenskapliga programmet. Vidare avser studien att undersöka vilka distinktioner de unga männen gör i relation till andra elevgrupper. För att tolka elevernas uppfattningar används sociologiska teorier. Begreppen fält och förmak avser förklara de unga männens syn på den omgivning de befinner sig i. De olika kapitalformerna, habitus, hegemonisk maskulinitet och begreppet distinktion används för att förklara informanternas identitetskonstruktion. För att besvara frågeställningarna används fokusgruppsintervjuer. De slutsatser som sammanfattningsvis görs är att unga mäns maskulinitetsideal i förhållande till hur en idealelev ska vara är komplex. Informanterna konstruerar bilden av en idealelev i termer av en man som får höga betyg i samtliga ämnen utan att behöva studera. Således kan det tolkas att de unga männen beskriver att en lyckad idealelev skall vara naturligt begåvade. / Since the results of the PISA-study 2012 were published, the majority of the current school policy has focused on measures to improve results in secondary schools. The phenomenon to boys underachievement has been named the "boy crisis". The thesis aims to challenge the image of the "typical guy" who underachieve in the context of an "anti-school culture”. Based on a guidance counsellor perspective it is necessary to observe the potential factors in an "anti-school culture" that young men experience constructing their identity in relation to their career identity. The author’s purpose is therefore to investigate a group of high-performing young men´s view of what it means to achieve the idealised image of a student. Sociological theories is used to interpret the students' perceptions. The concepts of fields and antichamber intends to explain the young men's views of their surroundings. The different capital forms, habitus, hegemonic masculinity and the concept of distinction is used to explain the informants' identity construction. Focus group interviews is being used in order to answer the research issues. The conclusive inference is that young men´s masculinity ideals, in relation to how an ideal student should be, is complex. The respondents construct the image of an ideal student in terms of a man who gets great results in all subjects without making an effort. In conclusion, it can be interpreted that the young men describe that a successful student should ideally be naturally talented.

This dissertation examines civilian mobilization amidst the Donbas war in Ukraine and the identity formation processes that it engendered. It focuses on ordinary residents of the frontline regions who voluntarily got together to address the humanitarian and military consequences of war in the absence of state support. It explores the micro-level dynamics of mobilization, particularly the demographic profile of volunteers, their motivations to join and their pathways to engagement. In so doing, it provides an account of how ordinary residents of seemingly passive regions became active in times of crisis. I use the concept of “identity formation” to analyze how war and war engagement have impacted citizen, gender, national and language identities of those active at the rear. The outbreak of war shattered habitual ways of thinking and acting and brought about new modes of belonging and meaning making for war volunteers. My findings suggest that successful volunteer efforts in wartime allowed volunteers to position themselves differently with respect to community, nation, and the state and to articulate new understandings of “good citizenship.” The shifting positioning of volunteers, as the research demonstrates, is inherently linked to the changing citizen regimes in Ukraine and the gendered conceptions of who counts as a legitimate member of the community. By employing ethnographic tools of inquiry, the dissertation provides an ethnographic account of wartime social change “from below” and speaks to larger social and political transformations in wartime using Ukraine as a case study. It does so with attention to the social-political environment within which collective action occurs and in relation to the new types of mobility, socializing and bonding it engenders.

Text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging, and social networking sites are changing the way people interact with each other. The popularity of these communication technologies among emerging adults in particular has grown exponentially, with little accompanying research to understand their influences on psychosocial development. This study explores the relationship between communication technology usage (text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging, and social networking) and adolescent adjustment among 268 high school students. It was hypothesized that use of communication technology would be related to psychological adjustment, including identity development, relationship attachment and peer conflict. Participants were recruited from three public high schools in central Florida (69% female, 81.9% White). Time spent using communication technology was significantly correlated with psychological symptom severity (i.e. anxiety and depression), identity distress, peer aggression, and existential anxiety. It was also significantly but negatively correlated with relationship avoidance. Degree of usage of communication technology for interpersonal communication was significantly correlated with peer aggression, relationship anxiety, and existential anxiety. Those with a preoccupied style (high in relationship anxiety, low in relationship avoidance) spent significantly more time using communication technology than those in the dismissive (high in avoidance, low in anxiety), fearful (high in both), and secure (low in both) styles. Further analyses and their implications for adolescent development will be discussed.