This is a qualitative study that researches the definition and meaning of resilience in intimate relationships. A constructivist perspective guides the theoretical framework of this study and a systemic approach to intimate relationships provides a theoretical foundation. Apart from an extensive literature survey, three different sources of information were included in this study on relational resilience. Three family therapists were interviewed to gain some understanding of their experiences with couples in distress. Three participant couples examined visual stimuli (excerpts of couple interactions from five films) and discussed their responses and personal experiences in semi-structured interviews. The participants’ themes were analysed through thematic network analysis in order to explore their definitions of resilience in light of their own experiences. It was found that resilience in intimate relationships can be defined as the ability of the couple to endure adversity. It involves the relational capacity to adapt, grow, and recover from adversities and it includes relational processes that allow the couple as a system to rebound from shared difficulties and become more resourceful. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology))

Adolescents, like all individuals, have a need to belong. Consequently, during the adolescent period, adolescents battle with the establishment and maintenance of meaningful relationships. Most of them, unfortunately, do not succeed to establish and maintain such relationships because of a lack of skills to do so. It appears, therefore, that If adolescents are to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize, they need to be taught interpersonal skills. One of the skills that they should be taught is the self-disclosure. As such, the first part of the literature study was devoted to the discussion of self disclosure. The study of literature revealed that self-disclosure has many aspects, the main ones being the nature of the self-disclosure content, self-discloser target, and concealment. In the second part of the literature study, attention was paid to the nature of interpersonal relationships with special reference to adolescents' relationships. The malysis of interpersonal relationships revealed that the establishment and maintenance, is well as the collapse of interpersonal relationships follow a particular pattern. Data concerning perceptions, beliefs and attitudes held by adolescents towards selflish closure in their interpersonal relationships was gathered by means of various Techniques. Parents' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards their adolescent children's perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure in interpersonal relationships were also assessed. The results of the empirical study revealed that adolescents hold selfdefeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes that make it difficult for them to handle selflisclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize. These perceptions, beliefs and attitudes may not change easily as their parents, the most important component of the adolescents' significant others, seem to be modelling self-defeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure. Lastly, a few guidelines to assist adolescents to handle self-disclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize were given. / Thesis (D. Ed.)

Digital media have become an integral part of many people’s everyday lives and constitute an intimate presence therein. Utilizing the concept of digital intimacy to focus on these recent developments, this doctoral dissertation takes the perspectives of feminist cultural studies and affect theory to analyze how digital media are becoming more intimate and how in turn intimacy is remediated within digital cultures. This research brings together three different strategic examples of digital intimacy. The first is chosen from the context of online hate and harassment, and works to counteract digital forms of intimidation. The second is from the world of software development training initiatives tailored for women and designed to make them digitally intimate. The third investigates the digital subculture around ASMR (‘autonomous sensory meridian response’), which is an intimate multi-sensory stimulation induced by such things as online video clips. It is argued that these three initiatives are good illustrations of contemporary gender relations in digital cultures, and also do digital media differently. This  means that they develop and apply sometimes straightforward, sometimes rather playful strategies to counteract gender-based inimicalities (such as forms of discrimination or exclusion, or objectification) within digital cultures. The thesis argues that such digitally intimate strategies can be utilized analytically in order to contribute to contemporary feminist internet politics. / Digitala medier har blivit en integrerad del av och en intim närvaro i många människors vardag. Med hjälp av begreppet digital intimitet, som tar dessa förändringar på allvar, analyserar denna avhandling hur digitala medier blir mer intima och hur intimitet remedieras i digitala kulturer. Detta görs utifrån perspektiv hämtade från feministiska kulturstudier och affektteori. Tre olika strategiska exempel på digital intimitet diskuteras. Det första exemplet hanterar näthat och trakasserier online och utgör ett slags  motståndsstrategier. Det andra handlar om utbildningsinitiativ inom programmering riktade till kvinnor, ämnade att ge kvinnor större digital tillgång, närhet och närvaro. Det tredje fallet undersöker den digitala subkulturen kring ASMR (’autonomous sensory meridian response’), en intim multi-sensorisk stimulering som ofta understöds av videoklipp online. Det hävdas här att dessa strategiska exempel, först och främst, synliggör samtida genusrelationer i digitala kulturer, men även visar hur digitala medier gör genus på nya sätt. Med detta menas att i medierna både bevaras genuskonventioner och tillämpas nya, ibland lekfulla strategier för att motverka könsrelaterad fientlighet inom digitala kulturer. Avhandlingen hävdar att de tre studerade strategierna för digital intimitet kan användas analytiskt för att bidra till en samtida feministisk internetpolitik.

Adolescents, like all individuals, have a need to belong. Consequently, during the adolescent period, adolescents battle with the establishment and maintenance of meaningful relationships. Most of them, unfortunately, do not succeed to establish and maintain such relationships because of a lack of skills to do so. It appears, therefore, that If adolescents are to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize, they need to be taught interpersonal skills. One of the skills that they should be taught is the self-disclosure. As such, the first part of the literature study was devoted to the discussion of self disclosure. The study of literature revealed that self-disclosure has many aspects, the main ones being the nature of the self-disclosure content, self-discloser target, and concealment. In the second part of the literature study, attention was paid to the nature of interpersonal relationships with special reference to adolescents' relationships. The malysis of interpersonal relationships revealed that the establishment and maintenance, is well as the collapse of interpersonal relationships follow a particular pattern. Data concerning perceptions, beliefs and attitudes held by adolescents towards selflish closure in their interpersonal relationships was gathered by means of various Techniques. Parents' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards their adolescent children's perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure in interpersonal relationships were also assessed. The results of the empirical study revealed that adolescents hold selfdefeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes that make it difficult for them to handle selflisclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize. These perceptions, beliefs and attitudes may not change easily as their parents, the most important component of the adolescents' significant others, seem to be modelling self-defeating perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards self-disclosure. Lastly, a few guidelines to assist adolescents to handle self-disclosure in ways that ought to enhance their interpersonal relationships so as to enable themselves to self-actualize were given. / Thesis (D. Ed.)

This is a qualitative study that researches the definition and meaning of resilience in intimate relationships. A constructivist perspective guides the theoretical framework of this study and a systemic approach to intimate relationships provides a theoretical foundation. Apart from an extensive literature survey, three different sources of information were included in this study on relational resilience. Three family therapists were interviewed to gain some understanding of their experiences with couples in distress. Three participant couples examined visual stimuli (excerpts of couple interactions from five films) and discussed their responses and personal experiences in semi-structured interviews. The participants’ themes were analysed through thematic network analysis in order to explore their definitions of resilience in light of their own experiences. It was found that resilience in intimate relationships can be defined as the ability of the couple to endure adversity. It involves the relational capacity to adapt, grow, and recover from adversities and it includes relational processes that allow the couple as a system to rebound from shared difficulties and become more resourceful. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology))

Digitized using a Konica Minolta 211 PCL Scanner. 300dpi (OCR). / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Intimate heterosexual relationships play a vital role in shaping the lives of many people, and have therefore become an important topic of research within psychology. The South African population is also currently faced with many prevalent psychosocial problems, such as HIV/Aids, rape, violence against women and divorce, which need to be contextualised within the context of intimate heterosexual relationships. Research on intimate heterosexual relationships has therefore become a priority. In order to determine directions and priorities for such research, the objective of this assignment was to provide a review of selected international and South African research on intimate heterosexual relationships. This review focused on: the definition and operationalisation of intimate heterosexual relationships; the salient theoretical frameworks used; the characteristics of participants; as well as the methodologies employed by relationship researchers. The review highlighted the following: A variety of terms is used by relationship researchers to conceptualise intimate heterosexual relationships which makes it difficult to integrate intimate heterosexual relationship research. Although theoretical frameworks like the social learning theory, cognitive behavioural theory and some metatheoretical perspectives such as postmodernism, feminism and social constructivism are utiiised, South African relationship researchers mostly have an atheoretical approach to research. A review of the research participants revealed that most participants in South African relationship studies are married adults. While the male-female ratio of the participants was balanced, the diversity of the South African population was not well represented in these studies. Researchers mostly used qualitative research strategies and employed the survey method of data gathering. Based on these findings, it was recommended that relationship researchers should recognise the need to clarify the relationship concepts used in their studies; attempt to incorporate better-known relationship theories; ensure that the South African population is well represented; and to combine qualitative research strategies with quantitative research strategies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMINGE: Intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings speel 'n deurslaggewende rol in die vorming van baie mense se lewens en het daarom 'n belangrike navorsingsonderwerp in sielkunde geword. Die SuidAfrikaanse populasie staar tans verskeie psigososiaie probleme so os MIVNigs, verkragting, geweld teen vrou en egskeiding in die gesig, wat almal binne die konteks van intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings gekonseptualiseer behoort te word. Navorsing oor intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings het daarom 'n prioriteit geword. Ten einde rigtings en prioriteite vir sulke navorsing te bepaal, was die doel van hierdie werksopdrag om 'n oorsig te voorsien van selektiewe internasionale en Suid-Afrikaanse navorsing oor intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings. Hierdie oorsig het gefokus op: die definisie en operasionalisering van intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings; die prominente teoretiese raamwerke wat gebruik is; die karaktereienskappe van die deelnemers; so wei as die metodologiee wat deur verhoudingsnavorsers gebruik is. Die oorsig het die volgende duidelik gemaak: 'n Verskeidenheid van terme word deur verhoudingsnavorsers gebruik om intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings te konseptualiseer en die die integrasie van intieme heteroseksuele verhoudingsnavorsing word daardeur bemoeilik. Alhoewel teoretiese raamwerke soos die sosiale leerteorie, kognitiewe gedragsteorie en sekere metateoretiese perspektiewe soos postmodernisme, feminisme en sosiale konstruktivisme gebruik word, het Suid-Afrikaanse verhoudingsnavorsers grotendeels 'n ateoretiese benadering tot navorsing. 'n Oorsig van die deelnemers van die studies het getoon dat die meeste deelnemers in Suid-Afrikaanse verhoudingstudies getroude volwassenes is. Terwyle die manvrou ratio van die deelnemers gebalanseerd was, is die diversiteit van die Suid-Afrikaanse populasie nie goed verteenwoordig in die studies nie. Navorsers gebruik meestal kwalitatiewe navorsingstrategiee en gebruik grotendeels die opame-metode van dataherwinning. Op grond van hierdie bevindinge, is daar aanbeveel dat verhoudingsnavorsers die behoefte aan die verheldering van verhoudingskonsepte in hulle studies moet herken; moet poog om meer bekende verhoudingsteoriee te inkorporeer; te verseker dat die Suid-Afrikaanse populasie goed verteenwoordig is; en kwalitatiewe navorsingsstrategiee met kwantitatiewe navorsingstrategiee moet kombineer.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The problem of this study was to assess the impact of growing up in an alcoholic family on adult personality strengths and to determine the perceived levels of autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin. The sample consisted of 115 volunteers, 84 women and 31 men, ages 22 years and older, who had at least one alcoholic parent. The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaires (16 PF) and the Family of Origin Scale (FOS) were administered. A 1 X 3 Chi Square Goodness of Fit analysis was used on each of the 16 personality factors to determine the personality strengths of adult children of alcoholics (ACA). A simple discriminate function analysis was used to determine the degree to which assessed strengths on the 16 PF discriminated self-reported levels of autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine which 16 PF were more closely related to perceived autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin as measured by the FOS.

The problem of this study addressed how women experience the conflict variables of beliefs about conflict, anger arousal, conflict styles, and received and expressed violence as partners in love relationships and how these factors affect their reported satisfaction. Graduate women (M = 186) from University of North Texas completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), a subscale of Relationship Beliefs Inventory (RBI), the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI), and Interpersonal Conflict Tactics and Strategies Scale (ICTAS), and the Severity of Violence Against Women scale (SVAW). Data were analyzed using MANOVAs with ANOVAs to examine significant differences. Multiple regression procedures were used for the exploratory questions. Women reporting less satisfied relationships were expected to believe that disagreement was more destructive and to report higher anger arousal than those who were more satisfied. The hypotheses were supported. Women who were less satisfied also reported using less constructive conflict tactics and more destructive and avoidant tactics as well as receiving some forms of violence. Expressed violence was not significantly related to low satisfaction. Results suggested that these conflict variables are highly interrelated. Strong feedback loops may develop. Strongly held conflict beliefs may affect the use of destructive and avoidant conflict strategies and increase anger which may reinforce the conflict beliefs. Women who have received violence may use both destructive and avoidant tactics. Use of tactics that escalate then de-escalate conflict suggests that conflict strategies may not be mutually exclusive. However, when a woman is low in anger and has previously received violence from a partner, she may use more avoidant tactics. In contrast women who express violence to their partners may use all three conflict tactics including constructive tactics. This finding suggested that women may express violence as a last resort to get a reaction from their partners.

This diploma thesis explores the area of sexuality of older people, summarizes previously published theoretical knowledge in this area and is complemented by empirical research. It deals with aging and outlines the changes that may occur in humans during this process, especially in terms of development and transformation of sexuality. This thesis also pursues the perception of senior sexuality by his surroundings and the general public. This thesis also partially covers the issue of institutional care for the elderly. Objective: Mapping of senior population's behaviors and attitudes towards sex and their comparison across genders. Methods: Research conducted by a quantitative survey. Processing and interpretation of data regarding to the relevant age groups, which are based on a survey of sexual behavior carried out in 2013 and guaranteed by Prof. PhDr. Petr Weiss, Ph.D. a Doc. MUDr. Jaroslav Zvěřina, CSc. from the Institute of Sexology, 1st Faculty of Medicine at Charles University, Results: More than a half of the senior population in the Czech Republic does not feel the need to sexually realize themselves. For women this phenomenon is represented more strongly than for men. If older people are living in a stable relationship, they are more likely to keep active sexual life. The average frequency...