In sports, there seems to be an eternal interest in discovering young talents and refining them into elite adult athletes. The dilemma of selecting talent, while at the same time ensuring every child´s right to participate, needs to be addressed and have consequences in social practice. This dissertation elucidates the discourse of selection and the process of selecting young sporting talents during final selection camps for youth national teams in football, hockey and floorball in Sweden. More specifically, the aim is to analyze how talent selection is organizationally legitimized, how “selectability” is produced in interaction and how specific narratives are used in success-stories. The empirical material includes research interviews, performance appraisal interviews (between district or national team coaches and the player) and field studies during ongoing final selection camp. Drawing on a discursive-narrative approach, the aim is to investigate how selection is discursively legitimized and, by using narrative analysis, how positioning in talk-in-interaction functions. The first article investigates the construction of legitimate selection within the Swedish Sports Confederation by analyzing their organizational documents, sport journals and literature for coach education. The findings show how a specific set of narratives are used to legitimize selection and how legitimacy works both individually to those within the selection system and on a wider arena of welfare politics. The second article investigates the co-construction of selectability in small story-interaction during interviews between the coach and a player in the final selection camp. The analyses highlight how this narrative genre produces certain stories and preferred positions. The third article analyzes how the young participants, in research interviews during final selection camp, uses discursively shared narratives to produce personal stories of success. The findings illustrate how the personal stories of success are balancing the dilemmatic space, positioning yourself as outstanding and at the same time appear a humble team player. The principal contribution of this dissertation is to show how talent is organizationally legitimized and how selectability is produced in interaction, as well as illustrate how specific stories are used in stories of success. This work investigates the discursive framework for selection and how rationalities for talent selection are produced (and reproduced) and co-constructed in narrative interaction. In this apparatus of selection it takes more than physical talent to be chosen; it takes talking talent. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>

This research study explores the experiences of adolescent girls testifying in a criminal court in cases of sexual abuse and rape in South Africa. Private and public narratives, such as the participants’ experiences in court, the court support system and the court process, were reported using conversations, collages and written letters. These were interpreted from a narrative perspective, within a social constructionist paradigm. Social constructionism posits that all behaviour is understood within a social context and people create their reality and world through social interaction, which in this study is the legal system. Narratives are constructions of the experiences of the participants during the preparation and testifying process. Their stories reflect both positive and ambivalent experiences, such as fear and relief, joy and sadness. The most noteworthy findings of the research were the following: • Support from court personnel and NGOs is important for adolescents when they are testifying. • The friendly environment and activities of the NGO contrasts favourably with the cold and adult environment of the court in which the NGO is based. • The court preparation programme is essential to help adolescents cope when testifying in a criminal court through addressing fears such as seeing the accused in court, not understanding the proceedings, and having to address adults in court. • The National Prosecuting Authority seems to be taking child witnesses more seriously through collaboration with outside organisations. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

This research project investigated how a professional athlete made sense of lying to federal investigators regarding her use of a prohibited substance. More specifically, it investigated how Marion Jones made sense of her experiences through the construction of identity(ies). The constructionism position of narrative was used to determine how Jones gave meaning to significant experiences and constructed a narrative, and how this narrative was constructive of her identity(ies). The three-dimensional space approach of narrative analysis was used as my methodological position. The analysis was done on an interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey on Marion Jones as part of a broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show. This was Jones’ first public appearance aftere her release from a six month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators. The analysis revealed the construction of three identities in her narrative. The athlete identity was constructed as one of the past, the felon identity as in the present, and the person identity is constructed as the identity that she will take into the future. Jones makes sense of lying to federal investigators as allowing these identities to develop and leave her with a positive future. This research project contributed to the field of sport psychology by investigating how a professional athlete made sense of her lying to federal investigators regarding her use of a prohibited substance and recommended that the construction of multiple dominant identities may allow for alternative options for professional athletes regarding their doping behaviour. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

The focus for this research project was on the use of technology in bridging a perceived gap in sport psychology. This gap is present between the three main contexts in which sport psychology is practised, namely the individual consultancy, the lecture hall and the sports field. These contexts are removed from one another due to cost implications, time constraints and distance challenges. I propose that by using technology, in the form of video-taping athletes, these challenges can be overcome. Thus leading to better service delivery by sport psychologists on the one hand and more fulfilled and informed clients on the other. An example of this, in a practical situation, is this research project done with the golfers of the Tshwane University of Technology Golf Academy (TUTGA). Six of these golfers were video-taped while playing a round of golf. Then they were interviewed individually, using narrative practice interviewing techniques, about their experiences on the course. Lastly they were interviewed in a group session so as to ascertain how they experienced being video-taped on the course and how they experienced the use of video technology in the sport psychology process. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bezuidenhout, T 2007, Bridging the sport psychology gap in golf, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09302008-132016 / > E1115/ag / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

As Narrativas Políticas são histórias que contêm começo, meio e fim; vilões e heróis; perdas e ganhos; e, sobretudo, uma moral (soluções políticas). E por que estes elementos narrativos são importantes nesse estudo? Por meio de sua análise, pudemos compreender aquilo que é considerado a pedra fundamental das articulações e mudanças políticas: As ideias e os interesses. A Política Científica e Tecnológica (PCT) brasileira apresentou distintas narrativas nas últimas décadas, os documentos oficiais de C&T da década de 1970, como o I e II Plano Nacional Básico de Ciência Tecnologia (PBDCT, 1972-74 e 1976-1979, respectivamente), tinham como meta, impulsionar a autonomia nacional em setores estratégicos e suprir a demanda de mão-de-obra qualificada para que o processo de industrialização nacional fosse finalizado. Todavia, á medida que a crise econômica aumentava na década de 1980, a C&T perdia a imagem de ferramenta para o progresso, desta forma, o fomento público foi retirado progressivamente e a Academia teve que seguir sem amplo amparo estatal dos Planos anteriores, como vimos no III PBDCT (1980-1985). O resultado desta falta de financiamento público à C&T foi catastrófico: Houve um verdadeiro desmonte no setor, ocasionada pela falta de recursos. A C&T não tinha espaço estratégico na Agenda pública. A situação foi, gradualmente, revertida quando Fernando Henrique Cardoso assumiu a presidência em 1995 e promoveu inúmeras reformas, entre elas, tentar tornar o setor de C&T mais eficaz, empreendedor e inovativo. Para isto, era preciso desenvolver rearranjos estatais, como os que foram postulados no PlanoPluriAnual (PPA, 1997), no Programa de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, sobretudo, em sua terceira fase (III PADCT, 1998-2004), no Livro Verde (2001) e Livro Branco (2002). Estes documentos apontavam que as políticas públicas C&T estariam empenhadas em assumir novos desafios, convidar novos atores para sua fabricação e remodelar sua dinâmica de produção para atender um objetivo central: Produzir Inovações Tecnológicas por meio da interação universidade-empresa. Tal sinergia foi apresentada como peça-chave na transformação de conhecimento em riqueza, isto agregaria competitividade às nossas empresas, provocando uma nova inserção do Brasil nas relações comerciais internacionais. Essa seria a justificativa última para o financiamento público da ciência. Esta e demais premissas, também estavam presentes nos documentos de C&T&I de seu sucessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, como nos textos da Lei da Inovação (2004) 3º Conferência Nacional de C&T&I (2006) e Livro Azul (2010). Nosso estudo buscou analisar os elementos narrativos de todos os documentos citados e, ao analisa-los, pudemos concluir que desde 1995 o Paradigma que informa a Política Nacional de C&T é lastreado em pressupostos bem distintos daqueles vividos pelo auge do binômio na década de 1970. Acreditamos que esta reorientação se deve, sobretudo, pelo fato da Comunidade Científica ter absorvido, há quinze anos, o discurso da Inovação tecnologia empresarial como alternativa para manter-se no bojo do processo decisório da PCT, captar recursos e continuar a Pesquisa, instrumentos inviáveis nas décadas de 1980-90. / Policy Narratives are stories that contain \"beginning, middle and end\"; villains and heroes; losses and gains; and, above all, a moral (political solutions). And why these narrative elements are important in this study? Through its analysis, we understand what is considered the cornerstone of the joints of political changes: The ideas and the interests. The Science and Technology Policy (PCT) Brazilian showed distinct narratives in recent decades, the official documents of S & T in the 1970s, as the Basic I and II National Plan for Science, Technology (PBDCT, 1972-74 and 1976-1979, respectively), had as its goal, to boost national autonomy in strategic sectors and meet the demand for skilled labor for the national industrialization process was finalized. However, as the economic crisis grew in the 1980s, S & T lost its image as a \"tool\" to progress. In this way, the public support was withdrawn and the Academy had to follow on without extensive state support given by the earlier Plans, as we saw in PBDCT III (1980-1985). The result of this lack of public funding to the S & T sector was catastrophic: There was a real disassemble the sector, caused by lack of resources. The S & T had no strategic space in the public agenda. This situation was gradually reversed when Fernando Henrique Cardoso took office in 1995. The new President promoted numerous reforms, among them, the one trying to make the most effective use of S & T sector, as a tool for innovation and entrepreneurship. In order to reach this results, it was necessary to promote institutional rearrangements, which spelled out in the PlanoPluriAnual (PPA, 1997), in the Third phase of the Plan for Support of Scientific and Technological Development, mainly, the third step (III PADCT, 1998-2004) the Green Paper (2001) and White Paper (2002). These documents indicated that S & T policies would now be committed to take on new challenges, invite new players to reshape the dynamics of their production in order to meet a central goal: to produce technological Innovations through university-industry interaction. This synergy was presented as a key in transforming knowledge into wealth. And by doing that, science would add competitiveness to our companies, supporting a new insertion of Brazil in international market. This and other assumptions were also present in the documents of S & T & I of his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as the texts of the Innovation Law (2004) 3rd National Conference on S & T (2006) and Blue Book (2010). That said, our study investigates the narrative elements of any cited documents and to analyze them, we concluded that since 1995 the paradigm that informs the National Policy of S & T is backed by very different assumptions of those experienced by the binomial peak in decade 1970. we believe that this shift is due, above all, because the scientific community has absorbed fifteen years ago, the discourse of Innovation with half remain at the core of decision-making of the PCT, raise funds and continue the search, viable instruments in decades of 1980-90.

30 years into the existence of a unified German Republic, the emphasis of differences, the use of stereotypes and the existence of economic inequalities remain. This affects the younger post-unification generation - children that were born after 1989. The study is concerned with the investigation into the process of identity construction along the East-West binary and the effects this process has on said binary division. Thereby, the Eastern German perspective is stressed by using in-depth interviews with Eastern German respondents for a narrative analysis that is based on structural, interactional and performative principles. This thesis sees its contribution in the renewal of the deadlocked debate about the German East-West discourse by taking a postmodern stance on identity while applying a sociological theoretical framework and postcolonial concepts. The ambivalence in identity construction and the indication for a hybrid form of identity point at the existence of a Third Space, in which socio-political transformations can take place.

Gymnastics is a sport with a high risk of injury. The constant risk of injury leads to many opportunities for a gymnast to experience fear. Little is known about how gymnasts experience fear and how coaches perceive gymnasts' fear. The present study was a case study, with the purpose of exploring the experiences of post-injury fear in a gymnast-coach dyad. Two participants (a gymnast and his coach) were interviewed about their experiences of fear and injury. The experiences were analyzed using a narrative analysis, namely holistic form structural analysis. The analysis revealed three narratives. The coach had a hero’s journey narrative whereas the gymnast had both a chaos and a redemption narrative. These narratives complemented each other well as they made up for each other's weaknesses. These tales shared many similarities like chaos, motivation, and the negative consequences of fear and injury. They also had differences, for example, only the coach talked about identity, and only the gymnast talked about learning to cope with fear. The findings illuminate how two different people can experience the same incident of fear differently and how those different views complement each other / Gymnastik är en sport med hög skaderisk. Den höga skaderisken leder till flera tillfällen där en gymnast riskerar att bli rädd. Lite är känt om hur gymnaster upplever rädsla samt hur gymnastiktränare uppfattar deras rädsla. Den föregående studien var en fallstudie med syftet att undersöka upplevelserna av post-skada rädsla hos en gymnast-tränare duo. Två deltagare (en gymnast och hans tränare) intervjuades angående deras erfarenheter av rädsla och skador. Deras upplevelser analyserades med en narrativ analys, nämligen en holistisk formstrukturanalys. Analysen resulterade I tre narrativ. Tränaren hade ett så kallat hero’s journey narrative medan gymnasten hade både ett kaos (chaos) narrativ och ett upprättelse (redemption) narrativ. Narrativen komplimenterade varandra väl genom att balansera ut varandras tillkortakommanden. Gymnasten och tränarens historier delade många likheter som kaos, motivation och de negativa påföljderna av rädsla och skada. De hade också aspekter som var unika till en berättelse som identitet och vikten av att lära sig att hantera rädlsa. Studien visar på hur två olika individer kan uppleva samma incident av rädsla på olika sätt och hur de kan komplimentera varandra.

By “taking a knee” during the performance of the U.S. national anthem, National Football League (NFL) players have been protesting “the oppression of people of colour and ongoing issues with police brutality” in America (Colin Kaepernick, the movement’s founder, quoted in Coombs et. al., 2017). Despite this clarity of intention, the meaning of these protests (whether they are necessary and patriotic or counterproductive and ‘un-American’, for example) has been hotly contested in the public sphere, indicating the presence of a deeply seated counter-hegemonic struggle that is both expressed and contributed to by the anthem protest discourse. This project explores this struggle through the lens of narrative assembly, or the individual and intertextual construction of meaning through the selection and arrangement of narrative objects. Special attention is paid to the treatment of social, symbolic, and normative boundaries by storytellers responding to the anthem protest and by the anthem protesters themselves, especially those related to political expression in professional sports, American national and racial identity, and racial exclusion and marginalization. The project utilizes a structural approach to narrative analysis called the Qualitative Narrative Policy Framework (QNPF) supplemented by insights from Arthur Frank’s (2010) method of Dialogical Narrative Analysis (DNA). These methods are applied in a sociological study of a segment of the NFL anthem protest discourse published in newspaper articles during the first 16 months following the start of the controversy. This sample captures narrative responses to three significant moments—Kaepernick’s initiation of the protest, U.S. president Donald Trump’s verbal attack on protesting players in speeches and over social media (which also resulted in mass-displays of unified resistance from NFL players), and Kaepernick’s failure to obtain an NFL contract the year following his protest. Findings indicate that by transgressing several normative boundaries related to work, sports, protest, and signalling patriotism, NFL anthem protest subverts a hegemonic tale of national unity and exposes the systemic discrimination and symbolic/social exclusion that continue to produce experiences of oppression for people of colour and others in the United States. By attending to their assembly of settings, characters, plotlines, memories, solutions, and moral lessons, authors that support the protests are shown forming an intertextual or collective narrative around a central demand for justice that challenges the American status quo and projects a preferred future of enhanced racial equality yet to be achieved by the nation. Alternately, authors who oppose the protests are observed assembling a collective narrative around a demand for respect that defends boundaries essential to the maintenance of the status quo and expresses a desire to return to a past America of uninterrupted white dominance. In addition to providing a detailed case study that focuses on processes of narrative assembly in relation to counter-hegemony and social, symbolic, and normative boundaries, the project serves as an example of how the emergent methodology of the QNPF can be applied to the study of dynamic instances of everyday cultural-political struggle that may fall outside the sphere of policy research in which it has typically been employed. / Graduate / 2021-01-06

Trauma is an event during which individuals are confronted with a threat to their own or to someone else’s integrity. If intense fear, horror and helplessness are experienced during the event there may be psychological traumatisation. However, individuals may experience physical trauma and require hospitalisation. The patients’ subjective experiences from the hospitalisations may precipitate further trauma. Although families of patients are not involved in the traumatic event, they may experience their own traumatisation. The individuals and their families experience the trauma on the biological, psychological and social levels. Medical literature is mostly positivistic and there is little qualitative research on the experience of hospitalisation, particularly of family experiences of the intensive care unit (ICU). There is also a paucity of research on psychological experiences in the medical world. The research that has been conducted in psychology is mostly with psychiatrists. The aim of this research is to explain the sense families make of physical trauma using narrative. Narrative is the sense individuals make of experiences across time through telling and re-telling stories. Qualitative research is most suited to explore these subjective experiences of individuals. Social constructionism is one form of qualitative research and a process exploring the world of individuals in the context of culture, history and social interaction. Individuals arrange these stories using myths, symbols and archetypes that will provide coherence to the lived experience. Languaging the experiences facilitates meaning attribution that informs behaviour. Data was collected through photographs taken by the participants and individual interviews were conducted. The co-construction of this text occurred in the context of the researcher as a counsellor, the researcher as a previous physical trauma patient and the family perspectives of the participants. The exploration of the photographs and their sequence are followed by a narrative analysis of the interview texts using storymaps. Narratives were co-created in this context. The participants selected the stories and created coherence by narrating and ordering the sequence of photographs. Since the family language this lived experience, the members explored various selves and their relationships with their worlds. The family was impacted biopsychosocially and is writing an alternate story in the discourse of the medical world that says further rehabilitation is difficult, if not impossible. They have made sense of the physical trauma by searching for unique outcomes and narrating on a temporal framework: stories of their self, relationships with others, their physical self and their physical environments. This will create space for their alternate story. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this essay is to describe and examine the different versions of the 1982 movie Blade Runner. How these versions vary in question of narrative, theme, tone and message is a focal point of this essay. Of special interest is how these relate to our reality regarding political or philosphical views. The conclusion of this study is that the same core ideas and messages remain throughout the different versions of Blade Runner. However, the ways in which these ideas are presented vary, as does the tone of certain scenes. Through some censoring and editing, some themes are affected and are not as easily identified in all versions of the film. Some of these relate to symbolism through symbolic violence and how humans affect their environment. Other central themes relate to discrimination towards minorities and existential themes and questions. In conclusion: Blade Runner is a complex and topical movie which shifts in tone and theme depending on which version you view.