Text in Afrikaans / Summary in English and Afrikaans / This study analyses the adolescent's peer pressure and the handling thereofby the adolescent, the parents, teachers and educational psychologist. The literature confirms that peer pressure is a multidimensional phenomenon. Certain factors such as the parent's behavioural- and cognitive functioning, the adolescent's social competence and susceptibility to peer pressure influence his compliance to peer pressure. Processes such as identification, internalization, modelling and coercion are involved in this compliance. The implementation of a mentor system and suggested program at school and the teaching of social-, decisionmaking, problemsolving- and selfassertiveness skills will help the adolescent to use peer pressure positively. The educational psychologist can support the adolescent and parents through individual, family and group therapy. / Hierdie studie handel oor die ontleding van portuurgroepdruk by die adolessent en die hantering daarvan deur die adolessent self, die ouers, onderwysers en opvoedkundige sielkundige. Die literatuur bevestig dat portuurgroepdruk 'n komplekse fenomeen met verskeie dimensies is. Verskeie faktore soos die ouers se gedrags- en kognitiewe funksionering, die adolessent se sosiale bekwaamheid en sy vatbaarheid vir portuurgroepdruk bei:nvloed sy toegewing aan portuurgroepdruk. Prosesse soos identifikasie, internalisasie, modellering en dwang is by die toegewing aan portuurgroepdruk betrokke. 'n Voorgestelde program vir die skool, die implementering van 'n portuurmentorprogram en die onderrig van sosiale-, besluitnemings-, probleemoplossings- en selfgeldingsvaardighede kan die adolessent help om portuurgroepdruk te gebruik. Die opvoedkundige sielkundige kan die ouer en adolessent deur individuele-, gesins- en groepterapie bystaan. / Educational Studies / M. Education (Guidance)

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Die doel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om te bepaal of daar 'n verwantskap tussen stres en die persoonlikheidsweerstandsbronne koherensiesin, gehardheid en lokus van beheer is. Middelvlakbestuurders (n=103) het selfbeoordelingsvraelyste oor stres, sin vir koherensie, gehardheid en lokus van beheer voltooi. Die resultate van die Pearson produkmoment korrelasie en chi-kwadraattoetse toon dat daar 'n statisties beduidende verwantskap tussen stres en koherensiesin, gehardheid en lokus van beheer is. Dit blyk dat middelvlakbestuurders met 'n sterk koherensiesin beter in staat is om stres te hanteer as bestuurders met 'n lae koherensiesin. Hierdie bestuurders maak dus sin uit werkstressors en beskou lewenseise as betekenisvol en uitdagend. Die resultate dui aan dat bestuurders met 'n hoe inteme lokus van beheer en outonomie minder stres ervaar en beter toegerus is om die negatiewe invloed van stres teen te werk as bestuurders met 'n lae lokus van beheer en outonomie. Volgens hierdie navorsing het gehardheid nie 'n invloed op die ervaring van stress. / The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between stress and the resiliency sources of sense of coherence, hardiness and locus of control. Managers (N=l 03) at middle management level completed self-report questionnaires on stress, sense of coherence, hardiness and locus of control. Results from the Pearson product moment correlation and chisquare tests, indicate a statistical significant relationship between stress and sense of coherence, hardiness and locus of control. It seems as if managers at middle management level with a strong sense of coherence experience lower levels of stress than managers with a low sense of coherence. These managers derive sense from work stressors and view life's demands as meaningful and challenging. These results indicate that managers with a strong internal locus of control and autonomy will be better equipped to cope with stress than managers with a low locus of control and autonomy. According to this study hardiness does not have an effects on stress. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

This project attempts to explain impulsive behavior which is described here as behavior that cannot be explained by a rational thought process. There will be a concentration on the direct relationship between perceptions of equity and the intention to quit.

South Africa's equity legislation demands the incorporation of persons with disabilities in the workforce. Owing to the unique challenges that these people face, they need well-developed salutogenic characteristics such as sense of coherence, self-efficacy and locus of control in order to integrate effectively into mainstream environments. The objective of the research was to explore these salutogenic constructs in the hearing-impaired adult population and to note differences between the different sub-groups within the sample (N = 63). A biographical form and combination of salutogenic questionnaires were employed to measure these constructs. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were utilised to analyse the data. The results showed statistically significant inter-group differences in all three salutogenic constructs. These differences were found for age groups, onset of deafness, deafness category, primary school attended, hearing status of spouse and parents, and level of qualification. / Industrial and Organizational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The primary aim of this research was to determine whether there is a relation between locus of control, transformational leadership and management success. One hundred and one shift overseers completed selfevaluation questionnaires on locus of control and transformational leadership. Thereafter, in turn, the managers completed evaluation questionnaires on the work performance of the shift overseers. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed statistically significant interrelations between internal locus of control, autonomy and transformational leadership. The three scales of management success also showed a strong positive correlation. Canonical correlations indicated that only one variant could be interpreted and that high internal control and high autonomy are associated with high transformational leadership and laissez faire leadership style. According to the literature overview, a positive relation exists between internal locus of control, transformational leadership and management success as well as organisational performance. An attempt is made to account for these diverse findings in terms of the relevance of a performance model within an organisational context. / Die primere doel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om te bepaalof daar 'n verband is tussen lokus van beheer, transformasionele leierskap en bestuursukses. Eenhonderd en een skoftoesighouers het selfbeoordelings-vraelyste oor lokus van beheer en transformasionele leierskap voltooi. Daarna het die bestuurders beoordelingsvraelyste oor die skoftoesighouers se werksprestasie voltooi. Die Pearson korrelasietoets het getoon dat daar statisties beduidende verbande is tussen interne lokus van beheer, outonomie en transformasionele leierskap. Die drie skate van bestuursukses het onderling sterk positief gekorrelleer. Kanoniese korrelasies het aangedui dat slegs een variaat interpreteer kan word en dat hoe interne beheer en hoe outonomie geassosieer is met hoe transformasionele leierskap en lae laissez faire-leierskapstyl. Die literatuurstudie het getoon dat daar 'n positiewe verband is tussen interne lokus van beheer, transformasionele leierskap en bestuursukses asook organisasie-prestasie. Verklarings vir hierdie teenstellende bevindings word gegee aan die hand van die relevansie van 'n prestasiemodel binne 'n organisasiekonteks. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The aim of this study was to demonstrate how postgraduate students cope with the stress induced while adjusting to the various proposal and research report writing phases they are involved in. It is further purported that difficulties in adjusting to the various proposal and research report writing phases and lack of support lead to students experiencing stress. The population consisted of 815 students enrolled for masters and doctoral programmes at Unisa for the 2012 academic year. This study employed the Stress and Support Questionnaire for University Students to determine the stress postgraduate students encountered while adjusting to the proposal and research report writing phases they were in. Furthermore, this questionnaire was also used to understand how these students use support as a coping mechanism. The various research hypotheses were tested using an explanatory mixed method research design. The population consisted of 815 students enrolled for masters and doctoral programmes at Unisa for the 2012 academic year. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Strata software and Microsoft Excel. Statistical analyses included tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and chi-square tests. The results demonstrated that students experience stress during the adjustment process to the various research report writing phases. However, masters students showed higher levels of stress while adjusting to the research report writing phases, compared with doctoral students. Some of the doctoral students reported that they felt fewer levels of stress, because they were already exposed to postgraduate studies and were aware of what is expected. Furthermore, students who reported feeling stress to a large extent indicated the reasons to be a lack of support from supervisors, delayed and insufficient feedback, lack of financial support, lack of social support, procrastination, and balancing work and studies. Some of the students iv indicated that they do not feel any stress at all because they have surrounded themselves with people who have travelled the path, and their environment is conducive to study. Support from colleagues at work, supervisors, friends and family have also shown to help students adjust to the research report writing phases of their programmes. Although some of the students indicated that they do not experience stress, it is imperative that interventions be designed for those students who do experience challenges when adjusting to the research report writing phases. / Psychology / MA (Psychology)

Existing scales were modified and factor-analysed through "prepilof' and pilot studies for exploring relations between academic motivation, achievement, and cognitive factors such as locus of control (LOC), attributions, perceived self-determination and ability. Distinct, conceptually meaningful factors emerged. Thirty-seven hypotheses were tested on Unisa students. Among notable findings were: • Internal LOC related to academic motivation, but treating LOC as a set of distinct factors rather than a bipolar dimension offered more insights (e.g. "Impotence" rather than other external LOC factors related negatively to · achievement). • Little was gained from categorising attributions according to Weiner's dimensions. • Intrinsic motivation and "identified regulation" related positively to motivation. • Students' (especially unsuccessful students') expectations of success and perceptions of their ability were over-estimated. • Different factors related to motivation and achievement in different cultural groups. • Although motivation and achievement are usually positively related, this did not apply to disadvantaged groups. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

A distinguishing characteristic of the current world economy is the decline in the number of industrial job opportunities which is also affecting South Mrica. The multi-ethnical and multicultural society of South Africa is also experiencing low economic growth rates, high population growth rates and an unacceptably high unemployment rate. Entrepreneurship currently plays an important role in the successful economies of the world. The small business can make important contributions to economic growth, job creation and social development. For this reason it is important that entrepreneurial behaviour be promoted in South Mrica. In previous research studies, researchers isolated different variables of entrepreneurial behaviour such as the environment, personal characteristics, values and personal background of individuals. Of these variables, only personal characteristics may be manipulated to advance entrepreneurial behaviour. The objectives of this study were to indicate whether certain biographical and demographical factors are related to an individual's behaviour towards the formation of a new enterprise and to indicate whether certain personal characteristics, namely achievement motivation and locus of control, are related to an individual's behaviour in the formation of a new enterprise. It was decided to compare four groups, namely white non-entrepreneurs, black nonentrepreneurs, white entrepreneurs and black entrepreneurs. Three factors of achievement motivation and three factors of locus of control were identified by means of factor analysis, and statistical analyses were done on the four different groups. To establish the above-mentioned relationships, the researcher made use of sophisticated statistical analyses. The following conclusion were drawn from the results: The models of achievement motivation and locus of control seem to predict membership of the group black entrepreneurs better than the group white entrepreneurs. Using the locus of control scales, membership of the group black entrepreneurs can be predicted well. The study revealed that there are differences between black groups and white groups (entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs) in South Africa. It is clear from the present study that there have to be additional factors, other than achievement motivation and locus of control, that influence entrepreneurial behaviour. The ethnic and cultural situation in South Africa also influences entrepreneurial behaviour in this country. / Business Management / D.Com. (Business Management)

This study determined the relationships among English oral communication apprehension, social interest, and locus of control of Far Eastern students, and examined whether differences exist in these variables, compared to gender, age, academic classification, major field of study, employment status, and length of study in the United States. Four instruments, including a demographic questionnaire, the Adapted Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24 (AFRCA-24), the Social Interest Scale (SIS), and the Rotter's Internal-External (I-E) Scale, were used to collect data from the sample of 240 Far Eastern students enrolled at North Texas State University in the fall semester of 1986.

Objectif : Il s'agit de comparer les professionnels du risque à une population tout-venant, dans les modes de réaction et d'adaptation au stress à travers l'évaluation de plusieurs dimensions (stress perçu, intensité du névrosisme, stratégie de coping, lieu du contrôle et degré de sévérité de l'ESPT) afin de mettre en évidence les différences, les similitudes et les relations entre ces variables. L'hypothèse selon laquelle les deux groupes (Sauveteurs et Pôle Emploi) se distinguent par le niveau de stress perçu, l'intensité du névrosisme, le niveau de contrôle, le type de coping et le degré de sévérité de l'ESPT a été formulée. Méthode : Population : 42 individus de sexe masculin, âgés de 24 à 55 ans (groupe étude : sauveteurs pompiers mer et montagne, gendarmes du PGHM, démineurs, pilotes hélico et mécaniciens navigants) et 42 individus (33 femmes et 9 hommes) âgés de 24 à 59 ans (groupe contrôle : conseillers du Pôle Emploi). Outils : 5 échelles ont été utilisées : la PSS (stress perçu), l'EPI (névrosisme-extraversion/introversion), l'échelle de Levenson (locus of control), la WCC (coping) et le QSPT (état de stress post-traumatique). Résultats : les résultats montrent que les sauveteurs présentent un faible niveau de stress perçu, un bas niveau de névrosisme, de LOC externe (P et C) et interne, un faible recours au coping émotionnel et à la recherche de soutien social ainsi qu'un degré de sévérité de l'ESPT plus bas que ceux retrouvés chez les conseillers du Pôle Emploi. En revanche, ces deux groupes ne se différencient pas significativement dans l'emploi du coping centré sur le problème. / Purpose: This study aims at comparing professional rescuers and ordinary people, the way they react and they adjust to stress on different levels (perceived stress, neuroticism intensity, coping strategies, locus of control and posttraumatic stress disorder severity level ) in order to highlight the differences, the similarities and the links between the variables. The following hypothesis has been expressed: both groups (rescuers and job councellors) are different regarding perceived stress, neuroticism intensity, locus of control, the type of coping and the postttraumatic stress disorder severity level. Method: Population: 42 male individuals aged 24 to 55 (survey group: sea and moutain firefighters, High Mountain Squad gendarmes, bomb disposal experts, helicopter pilots and mechanics) and 42 individuals (33 women and 9 men) aged 24 to 59 (control group: job councellors) Tools: 5 scales have been filled in : PSS (perceived stress), EPI (neuroticism – extraversion / introversion), the Levenson scale (locus of control), WCC (coping) and QSPT (posttraumatic stress disorder). Results: the results bring to light that the rescuers show a lower level of perceived stress, of neuroticism, of external (P and C) and internal LOC, of emotional coping, of social support searching and of PTSD severity level than the job councellors. However, both groups do not differ significantly regarding the problem-focused coping. Conclusion: the harmful influence of environmental factors on the personality seems to determine the adjustment to stress and its traumatic consequences.