Organisations all over the world have attempted to decrease at–risk behaviour by targeting at–risk acts, exclusive of safe acts, and using corrective feedback, reprimands, or disciplinary actions to motivate behaviour change. Research has shown that this approach was useful but did not improve since it was a reactive approach and not proactive. In an attempt to stem the tide of safety related incidence they have implemented Behaviour–based Safety. However, as is the case with other initiatives, this one also showed early results but started to plateau towards to end. Aside from safety behaviour, demographic variables and constructs such as sense of Self–esteem, Self–efficacy and Work Locus of Control have a direct effect on the associated safety behaviour of employees. These styles may either be effective or ineffective, or have a direct impact on the demonstrated safety behaviour within the petrochemical company. The purpose of this research study was to determine the possible relationship between individual characteristics, specifically Self–esteem, Self–efficacy and Work Locus of Control, and safety behaviour. A convenience survey design was used. The sample of 201 represented managers, supervisors and employees in a petrochemical company. A battery of four questionnaires were utilised, namely Self–esteem, the Generalised Perceived Self–efficacy Scale (GPSES), the Work Locus of Control Scale (WLOC) and a Safety Behaviour scale specifically designed for this study. In this research study, individual characteristics and safety behaviour is conceptualised. Individuals with a high self–esteem may have an accurate, justified, balanced appreciation of their worth or value as a person and their successes and competencies. Self–efficacy can be conceptualised as a general, stable trait, which relates to individuals' beliefs regarding the ability to mobilise their motivation, cognitive resources and actions to comply with demands from a situation. In respect of locus of control it refers to individuals' beliefs regarding their behaviour and the outcomes thereof. Individuals with an internal locus of control believe that outcomes in their lives are the result of their own internal attributes, as opposed to individuals with an external locus of control who believe that outcomes in their lives are beyond their control. Cronbach alpha coefficients and factor analysis were used to determine the reliability and validity of the tests. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, skewness and kurtosis) were used in the compiling of the profile of safety behaviour and individual characteristics as manifested in the group. In summary, results of the present study indicate that Self–esteem, Work Locus of Control, and Generalised Self–efficacy are significant predictors of safety behaviour. However, there is much to be known about the exact nature of the traits (whether or not these are indicators of the broader core self–evaluations construct) and the processes by which they affect these outcomes. In light of the similar correlations of the traits with satisfaction and performance observed here, and the high correlations among the traits, future research considering these traits together appears warranted. Recommendations for further research were made, as well as recommendations with regard to the company concerned. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Organisations world-wide, but most especially in South Africa, are exposed to radical change in the economic, political, social, demographical and technological arenas. They are also exposed to the effects of the world economy, structural reforms and international competition which lead to transformations in the labour market. Consequently job insecurity became more wide spread as organisations engaged in downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring; or all three simultaneously, in an attempt to survive these difficult economic conditions. This changing world of work is perhaps most evident in changes in the psychological contract. Employees are expected to give more in terms of time, effort, skills, and flexibility, whereas they receive less in terms of career opportunities, lifetime employment, and job security. This violation of the psychological contract is likely to have dire consequences such as a reduction in work engagement, because it erodes the notion of reciprocity, which is crucial in maintaining well-being. Long-ten job insecurity will M e r more impact an employee's overall life situation since economic as well as other highly valued aspects of life will be perceived as being under threat. Thus job insecurity has the potential of becoming more stressful than job loss in that the coping process may be inhibited by the uncertainty of the event. Although the experience of job insecurity is a reality in the South African context as well as worldwide. Only a limited number of programmes were implemented in the past to address the problem. Furthermore, there is a lack of research regarding the causal (dispositional and situational) factors in job insecurity and the relationship with the psychological forces (sense of coherence, work locus of control and dispositional optimism) in the financial industry in South Africa (Gauteng). The objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between job insecurity and psychological well-being which was measured in the form of sense of coherence, work locus of control and dispositional optimism. The research method proceeded by using a cross-sectional research design with a survey technique to collect data from a stratified, random sample of employees within various job levels of a financial institution in Gauteng. The measuring battery consisted of four questionnaires namely the Job Insecurity Questionnaire (JIQ), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), The Work Locus of Control Scale (WLOC) and the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) Questionnaire. The data analysis were conducted with help of the a SAS-programme to perform statistical analysis regarding reliability and validity of the measuring instruments, descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation coefficients and regression analyses. Conclusions were drawn from the findings and recommendations were made for the organisation and future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Organisations world-wide, but most especially in South Africa, are exposed to radical change in the economic, political, social, demographical and technological arenas. They are also exposed to the effects of the world economy, structural reforms and international competition which lead to transformations in the labour market. Consequently job insecurity became more wide spread as organisations engaged in downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring; or all three simultaneously, in an attempt to survive these difficult economic conditions. This changing world of work is perhaps most evident in changes in the psychological contract. Employees are expected to give more in terms of time, effort, skills, and flexibility, whereas they receive less in terms of career opportunities, lifetime employment, and job security. This violation of the psychological contract is likely to have dire consequences such as a reduction in work engagement, because it erodes the notion of reciprocity, which is crucial in maintaining well-being. Long-ten job insecurity will M e r more impact an employee's overall life situation since economic as well as other highly valued aspects of life will be perceived as being under threat. Thus job insecurity has the potential of becoming more stressful than job loss in that the coping process may be inhibited by the uncertainty of the event. Although the experience of job insecurity is a reality in the South African context as well as worldwide. Only a limited number of programmes were implemented in the past to address the problem. Furthermore, there is a lack of research regarding the causal (dispositional and situational) factors in job insecurity and the relationship with the psychological forces (sense of coherence, work locus of control and dispositional optimism) in the financial industry in South Africa (Gauteng). The objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between job insecurity and psychological well-being which was measured in the form of sense of coherence, work locus of control and dispositional optimism. The research method proceeded by using a cross-sectional research design with a survey technique to collect data from a stratified, random sample of employees within various job levels of a financial institution in Gauteng. The measuring battery consisted of four questionnaires namely the Job Insecurity Questionnaire (JIQ), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), The Work Locus of Control Scale (WLOC) and the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) Questionnaire. The data analysis were conducted with help of the a SAS-programme to perform statistical analysis regarding reliability and validity of the measuring instruments, descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation coefficients and regression analyses. Conclusions were drawn from the findings and recommendations were made for the organisation and future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

The new world of work has an enormous impact on the work-life of employees. Retrenchment, early retirement, unemployment and the demand for better performance are the result of massive restructurings, outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions. The old Psychological contract, as well as lifelong employment, is becoming obsolete in a changing world of work. This leads to increased job insecurity in the workplace. There is substantial evidence in the literature that job insecurity is damaging to psychological health. Job insecurity in not only damaging the individual but impacts negatively on the organisation. Job insecurity leads to mistrust, lack of commitment and general dissatisfaction. In the end it will have a definite impact on organisational performance. The empirical objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between job insecurity, psychological well-being and the relationship with future literacy. A cross-sectional design with an availability sample (n =. 459) was used. The sample was subjected to a specific programme of future literacy training (Map Your Life). Questionnaires were completed prior to the training programme. The reliability and construct validity of the measuring instruments acceptable. (Cronbach alpha coefficients adhere to the cut-off point of > 0,70) with the exception of the Dispositional Optimism Questionnaire (Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0,64). Future literacy is an unknown concept and it was necessary to conceptualise the concept. No instrument to measure future literacy existed and it was necessary to compile such an instrument. A questionnaire consisting of 18 items was compiled to measure future literacy. Factor analysis revealed two factors that measured future literacy. Factor One was named Positive Mindset Towards Future Possibilities and Factor Two, Anticipating, Planning and Preparing for Future Changes. The Cronbach alpha for Factor One was 0,76 and 0,8 1 for the second factor. Results indicated statistical signiticant correlations (of a medium effect) between job insecurity, self-efficacy, dispositional optimism and work locus of control. Self-efficacy and dispositional optimism correlated negatively with job insecurity, indicating that job insecurity decreases as self-efficacy and dispositional optimism increases. The results also indicated a significant negative correlation (medium effect) between job insecurity and future literacy. This implies that as job insecurity decreases future literacy increases. The negative correlation between future literacy and job insecurity indicates that candidates who are future literate experience less job insecurity. When candidates with high and low scores on future literacy were compared with one another, candidates who scored low on all the scales of future literacy experienced high levels job insecurity. Candidates who demonstrated high levels of future literacy experienced significantly lower job insecurity. Black employees experienced significantly higher levels of future literacy when compared to White employees. Multiple regression analysis indicated that self-efficacy, dispositional optimism, work locus of control and future literacy predicted job insecurity when controlling for biographical variables. Limitations and recommendations regarding future research, as well as recommendations for the organisation were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

Since the change in the political dispensation in South Africa in 1994, South Africans are under increasing pressure to accept the new, changing order as a given. The institution where the research was carried out, the South African Secret Service (SASS), has also not escaped these changes and there have been various developments which indicate that some employees are not adjusting to these changes. The purpose of this research has been to determine to what extent a relationship exists between the presence or absence of certain psychological forces in individuals and the coping strategies which they use. The psychological forces were researched and analysed from the fortigenic paradigm, which is aimed at focusing on the origin of certain forces/strengths within man that are of cardinal importance for effective functioning. In the literature study the main focus was on aspects such as coping with change, after which the coping p cess and the various coping types and strategies were addressed. An important element of the literature study consisted of the profiles of copers and non-copers, which focused on the cognitive, emotional and conative fields/areas. Three different psychological approaches, namely pathogenesis, salutogenesis and fortigenesis were addressed, with emphasis on the latter. The fortigenic approach was analysed from the perspective of a number of forces, as identified by Strümpfer. A combination of a quantitative survey design and a qualitative research design (the phenomenological method) was used, with a sample population of 50 persons from the research environment within the SASS. In the research five qualitative measuring instruments (the Locus of Control Questionnaire of Scheepers, the Life Orientation Questionnaire of Antonovsky, the Personal Views Survey of Kobasa, the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire of Sherer & Maddux and the Self-Control Scale of Rosenbaum) and a qualitative instrument (the phenomenological interview) were used to determine the presence or absence of the fortigenic forces in the respondents. The measuring instruments were applied to the whole population, after which a stanine scale was used to identify persons with low and high scores according to the fortigenic construct. An interview based on the phenomenological approach was done with five persons with low and five with high scores. According to the results of the empirical study a statistically significant difference exists between the stanine scores of the five respondents with the highest scores and the five with the lowest scores and it is possible to subject these respondents to the qualitative measuring instrument. According to the qualitative measuring instrument (interview) there is a moderate to strong relationship between the strength of the employees' fortigenic forces and their ability to cope with organisational change. Three of the five employees with low stanine scores showed a strong resemblance to the profile of a non-coper, while two of the respondents showed a moderate resemblance. All five the respondents who achieved high stanine scores showed a strong resemblance to the profile of a coper. Recommendations are made for future study. / Thesis (MCom)--PU for CHE, 1999.

Contemporary South African higher education institutions have undergone many drastic changes in recent years with regard to the demographic composition of students and organisational structures. Huge demands in terms of transformation have been placed on these institutions while they have simultaneously been transforming from former Technikons to Universities of Technology. This causes staff to be faced with major changes which affect all aspects of the institution. The objective of this research was to investigate whether role overload, job satisfaction and locus of control could be used to predict turnover intention of employees in a higher education institution. Further objectives included empirically determining whether locus of control had a mediating effect between role overload, job satisfaction and turnover intention. A cross-sectional survey design was used and an availability sample was taken from a South African higher education institution («=210). Five measuring instruments were administered as part of a larger questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data and a series of regressions was used to test for the hypothesised mediating effect. The reliability coefficients obtained for the scales indicated that the Cronbach Alpha coefficients for qualitative role overload, job satisfaction and turnover intention were acceptable; however, those for quantitative role overload and locus of control were below the recommended cut-off mark. The results showed that there was a strong relationship between the dimensions of overload, indicating that the feeling of having too much to do in the time available is accompanied by the feeling that individuals do not have the skills to complete their required tasks. Furthermore, it was found that if employees feel that they have too much to do and that they do not possess the skills to complete tasks, they will be dissatisfied with their jobs. Both quantitative and qualitative role overload contributed to the participant's thoughts of leaving the institution and it was concluded that a satisfied employee is less likely to think of leaving the organisation. Locus of control had minimal relationships with quantitative and qualitative role overload, as well as with turnover intention. Locus of control was, however, found to be related to job satisfaction. Locus of control was found to be a poor predictor of turnover intention and did not mediate the relationship between role overload and job satisfaction on the one hand, and turnover intention on the other. It was concluded that job satisfaction was the strongest predictor of turnover intention. By way of conclusion, recommendations were made both for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Organisations all over the world have attempted to decrease at–risk behaviour by targeting at–risk acts, exclusive of safe acts, and using corrective feedback, reprimands, or disciplinary actions to motivate behaviour change. Research has shown that this approach was useful but did not improve since it was a reactive approach and not proactive. In an attempt to stem the tide of safety related incidence they have implemented Behaviour–based Safety. However, as is the case with other initiatives, this one also showed early results but started to plateau towards to end. Aside from safety behaviour, demographic variables and constructs such as sense of Self–esteem, Self–efficacy and Work Locus of Control have a direct effect on the associated safety behaviour of employees. These styles may either be effective or ineffective, or have a direct impact on the demonstrated safety behaviour within the petrochemical company. The purpose of this research study was to determine the possible relationship between individual characteristics, specifically Self–esteem, Self–efficacy and Work Locus of Control, and safety behaviour. A convenience survey design was used. The sample of 201 represented managers, supervisors and employees in a petrochemical company. A battery of four questionnaires were utilised, namely Self–esteem, the Generalised Perceived Self–efficacy Scale (GPSES), the Work Locus of Control Scale (WLOC) and a Safety Behaviour scale specifically designed for this study. In this research study, individual characteristics and safety behaviour is conceptualised. Individuals with a high self–esteem may have an accurate, justified, balanced appreciation of their worth or value as a person and their successes and competencies. Self–efficacy can be conceptualised as a general, stable trait, which relates to individuals' beliefs regarding the ability to mobilise their motivation, cognitive resources and actions to comply with demands from a situation. In respect of locus of control it refers to individuals' beliefs regarding their behaviour and the outcomes thereof. Individuals with an internal locus of control believe that outcomes in their lives are the result of their own internal attributes, as opposed to individuals with an external locus of control who believe that outcomes in their lives are beyond their control. Cronbach alpha coefficients and factor analysis were used to determine the reliability and validity of the tests. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, skewness and kurtosis) were used in the compiling of the profile of safety behaviour and individual characteristics as manifested in the group. In summary, results of the present study indicate that Self–esteem, Work Locus of Control, and Generalised Self–efficacy are significant predictors of safety behaviour. However, there is much to be known about the exact nature of the traits (whether or not these are indicators of the broader core self–evaluations construct) and the processes by which they affect these outcomes. In light of the similar correlations of the traits with satisfaction and performance observed here, and the high correlations among the traits, future research considering these traits together appears warranted. Recommendations for further research were made, as well as recommendations with regard to the company concerned. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Denna studie vill ge större inblick och förståelse för individen bakom den kriminella stämpeln, samt bringa insyn i dessa individers egna tankar om sina kriminella handlingar och kampen ut ur kriminaliteten. Avsaknaden av tron på att personliga livshändelser sker utifrån egna handlanden, där personen istället agerar passivt offer i sitt liv är något som återfinns hos interner. Motsatsen till detta är personer som tror på sitt eget handlande, det vill säga internal locus of control. Denna uppsats belyser kriminellas bakgrundshistoria till uppbrottet ur den kriminella livsstilen med fokus på locus of control, vändpunkter och framtidsperspektiv. Tio personer deltog, varav åtta män och två kvinnor i enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visade att majoriteten förklarade sin kriminalitet med yttre faktorer. De nådde vändpunkten när rädslan för att förlora sitt liv eller sina närstående blev för stor. Nio av tio ser nu långsiktigt på sin framtid till skillnad från förr.

ABSTRACT Many older African American adults have inadequate health literacy and are more likely to have chronic illnesses needing medication therapy. African Americans continue to experience significant health disparities in the incidences of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It was postulated that ethnic disparities in medication compliance are related to a dynamic interplay between low health literacy and health locus of control. Thirty older African Americans taking at least one prescription medication were interviewed. Although the vast majority was well-educated, only 53% displayed adequate health literacy. Most of the participants believed they controlled their health, and over half were noncompliant with their medications. Poor health literacy and health locus of control appeared to influence medication compliance in older African Americans.

The major problems that this study adressed were, the identification of which predictor variables account for a significant proportion of the variance in the criterion variable sexual satisfaction, as well as the group differences on the sexual satisfaction, marital satisfaction, locus of control, and self-esteem. In the current study, a sample which was composed of 200 married persons was investigated. Results revealed that, gender, education level, and interaction of these variables differentiated the groups on both the sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction. However, only the main effect of education level differentiated the groups on the locus of control. Additionally, gender and education level differentiated the groups on the self-esteem. Marital satisfaction, locus of control, self-esteem, length of marriage, intercourse frequency and orgasm frequency significantly predicted the sexual satisfaction. Findings of the present study were discussed in the light of the relevant literature.