Résumé. Nos mouvements sont souvent coordonnés avec ceux d'autres personnes. Ces coordinations interpersonnelles influencent la performance dans certaines activités sportives mais également le succès de nos interactions sociales dans la vie quotidienne. Les recherches passées ont permis de mieux comprendre les processus perceptivo-moteurs qui sous-tendent le contrôle des coordinations interpersonnelles et d'identifier l'influence de certaines contraintes informationnelles comme la façon avec laquelle un acteur prélève de l'information sur les mouvements observés. Il reste néanmoins souvent difficile de comprendre pourquoi nos mouvements se coordonnent plus facilement avec ceux de certaines personnes. A travers le cadre conceptuel et méthodologique de l'approche dynamique, nous tentons au cours de cette thèse de mieux comprendre les contraintes informationnelles qui influencent la dynamique des coordinations interpersonnelles. Pris ensemble, les résultats de nos études montrent que les coordinations interpersonnelles ne dépendent pas uniquement de la manière dont l'information est prélevée mais aussi de la nature de cette information. Nous mettons en évidence que les propriétés des mouvements avec lesquels nous nous coordonnons influencent les coordinations interpersonnelles. La dynamique de coordination dépend de la nature discrète ou continue, de l'amplitude, et de la coordination intrapersonnelle des mouvements des personnes avec lesquelles nous interagissons. Nous montrons également que le prélèvement de l'information, et plus généralement les processus perceptivo-moteurs sous-tendant les coordinations interpersonnelles sont affectés par la pathologie, ici la schizophrénie, mais sont améliorés par l'apprentissage, ici une habileté sportive. Ces résultats contribuent à une meilleure compréhension des contraintes informationnelles influençant la dynamique des coordinations interpersonnelles. Ils nous permettent de proposer des pistes prometteuses pour l'aide aux personnes montrant un déficit d'interaction sociale. / Abstract. Our movements are often coordinated to those of other people. Such interpersonal coordination influences the performance in sport activities but also the success of our everyday social interactions. Previous research led to a better understanding of the perceptivo-motor processes underlying the control of interpersonal coordination and identified the influence of some informational constraints such as how an actor pick up information on the movements observed. It is however often difficult to understand why our movements are more easily coordinated to those of some people. Using the conceptual and methodological framework of the dynamical approach, we aim in this thesis at further understanding the informational constraints influencing the interpersonal coordination dynamics. Collectively, the results of our studies show that interpersonal coordination does not depend only on how information is picked up but also on the nature of this information. We show that the properties of the movements with those we coordinate influence interpersonal coordination. The coordination dynamics depend on the discrete or continuous nature, the amplitude, and the intrapersonal coordination of the movements of the people with who we interact. We also show that the pick up of the information, and more generally, the percetivo-motor processes underlying interpersonal coordination are affected by the pathology such as schizophrenia, and improved by learning, sport skills for example. These results lead to a better understanding of the informational constraints influencing interpersonal coordination dynamics. They represent promising research directions to help people having a deficit of social interactions.

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In the South African context adolescents need to cope with societal and family-related stressors seen as everyday stressors, such as parental divorce, violence in communities, bereavement and pressure in schools. Research has shown that these everyday stressors could have negative effects on their well-being. It was further seen that such a high exposure to everyday stress like school-based stressors leads to an increase in unhealthy behaviour, such as smoking and alcohol use in early adolescents. It is for this reason that resilience in adolescence is such an important factor. With all the challenges and everyday stress experienced by early adolescents, the wellness and resiliency perspective adds a positive angle to adolescent functioning. Constructively coping with everyday stress can therefore lead towards well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore how early adolescents cope with everyday stress. A qualitative research method was used with an embedded case study research design. A voluntary sample was drawn, consisting of 15 South African early adolescents from two schools in Gauteng (ages 12 to 15 years; boys and girls). Data on the subjective experience of coping strategies with everyday stress was gathered through individual semi-structured interviews (ten participants) and drawings to aid the verbalisation of their coping strategies. A focus group discussion with a different set of five participants added to the richness of data and to crystallisation, as they discussed themes which emerged from the individual interviews. Data were analysed thematically and visually. The results indicated that early adolescents experienced different types of everyday stress which accordingly needed a variety of coping strategies. Participants coped using intrapersonal resources (existential belief, creative activities, cognitive coping), interpersonal strengths (family, friends, social media) and behaviour-focussed coping (physical activity, fine motor behaviour). These coping strategies linked with the six modalities outlined in Lahad’s BASIC Ph resiliency model, namely beliefs, affect, social interaction, imagery, cognition and physical activity. Of special interest was the clear indication of the role of social media as part of their coping strategies. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In the South African context adolescents need to cope with societal and family-related stressors seen as everyday stressors, such as parental divorce, violence in communities, bereavement and pressure in schools. Research has shown that these everyday stressors could have negative effects on their well-being. It was further seen that such a high exposure to everyday stress like school-based stressors leads to an increase in unhealthy behaviour, such as smoking and alcohol use in early adolescents. It is for this reason that resilience in adolescence is such an important factor. With all the challenges and everyday stress experienced by early adolescents, the wellness and resiliency perspective adds a positive angle to adolescent functioning. Constructively coping with everyday stress can therefore lead towards well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore how early adolescents cope with everyday stress. A qualitative research method was used with an embedded case study research design. A voluntary sample was drawn, consisting of 15 South African early adolescents from two schools in Gauteng (ages 12 to 15 years; boys and girls). Data on the subjective experience of coping strategies with everyday stress was gathered through individual semi-structured interviews (ten participants) and drawings to aid the verbalisation of their coping strategies. A focus group discussion with a different set of five participants added to the richness of data and to crystallisation, as they discussed themes which emerged from the individual interviews. Data were analysed thematically and visually. The results indicated that early adolescents experienced different types of everyday stress which accordingly needed a variety of coping strategies. Participants coped using intrapersonal resources (existential belief, creative activities, cognitive coping), interpersonal strengths (family, friends, social media) and behaviour-focussed coping (physical activity, fine motor behaviour). These coping strategies linked with the six modalities outlined in Lahad’s BASIC Ph resiliency model, namely beliefs, affect, social interaction, imagery, cognition and physical activity. Of special interest was the clear indication of the role of social media as part of their coping strategies. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014