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Co-dependency is an addiction that has not yet been well-researched and established in South Africa. This concept indicates a person's predisposition to put the dependent family member's needs above that of himself and to do so to such an extent that his own preferences, dislikes, feelings and desires are disregarded or ignored. The co-dependent's opinion and self-image largely depend on the extent to which he is able to satisfy the other person, care for him or solve his problems. The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between the identity of the person and his co-dependency and to accompany the person pastorally toward the restoration of his identity. Research done in the auxiliary sciences indicates that identity-forming is a process that stretches over several years. When a person experiences that he belongs to others, is valuable and has potential, it is possible for that person to develop optimally and associate in a mature and responsible way with himself, his fellow-man and his environment. However, when these experiences are not internalised under the pressure that the dependent family member places on the co-dependent, a negative view of the self is integrated and the person is unable to bind meaningfully with God, himself, others and his environment. An "I" deprivation occurs and the person chooses to use co-dependent thinking and acting patterns to deploy himself meaningfully in societal regard. As a result of the co-dependent's intense need for security, love and acceptance, he drives himself to the outmost in an attempt to attain it. The person becomes caught in a downward spiral of dependency where he is always attempting to obtain control. An empirical survey with five (5) participants has indicated the co-dependent's interaction with his life space. It was found that these persons are inclined to internalise negative thinking and acting patterns under the pressure that is put on them. A basis-theoretical study of Scriptural perspectives has indicated that man was created in God's image, that this identity was distorted by man's sin, and that the person could by virtue of the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost be guided towards restoration of his identity. Practice-theoretical guidelines for the pastoral guidance of the co-dependent were established based on the meta- and basis theory. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This study provides an account of the influences which have contributed to the creation of a Gibraltarian sense of identity, with particular reference to the British imperial presence. Primary sources are of considerable importance, especially when no previous studies are available as in the case of key aspects of the history of education and informal cultural influences. Much use is made of oral evidence. Secondary sources are also used extensively. The prologue sets the scene, establishes the structure and outlines the methodology, while chapter one explores the changing contexts and values which form the background to the study. An account of geographical, environmental and ethnic factors follows, outlining how British interests have played their part. Economic and political factors are then reviewed and they indicate both past and present dependence on the British and a substantial legacy of British ideas and practices. In the case of religion and language both British and non -British influences are shown to have been at work. The Anglican and other non-conformist churches have been vehicles for British influence while Roman Catholicism, with its direct link to Rome, has been the religion of the people. As regards language, the British imposed English as the prestigious language, in direct competition with the language of the area, Spanish. Thus, Gibraltarians have become bilingual but, as is demonstrated, with their own linguistic idiosyncrasies. The study goes on to show that the formal educational system, first religious later largely secular, has been among the most powerful formative factors. The colonial government began to take charge after 1945, prior to a Gibraltaradministered system being put in place. Practice has followed and continues to follow English examples closely and higher education has come to rely entirely on provision in the United Kingdom. Informal influences, through a wide range of social, sporting and cultural activities, have also been of very great importance. Equally, they have reflected British ideas and values. They are given due weight in the last two chapters. In particular, they have furthered the development of Gibraltar's class structure while reinforcing a Gibraltarian sense of identity. The epilogue draws the overall conclusion that the Gibraltarian people and the Gibraltarian community, while separate and unique, are largely the product of the British colonial presence on The Rock. Gibraltar is very much an "offspring of empire". The present strong allegiance of Gibraltarians to Britain makes this clear.

This study sets out to understand repeated procrastinating behaviours which may become detrimental to effective teaching, learning and assessment. The five case studies were conducted in a local authority primary school over a period of two years when the children were in Key Stage 1, aged five, six and seven years. The focus of this study was the possible detrimental effects of procrastinating behaviours in curriculum learning, through assigned tasks. Behaviours were observed and interviews conducted to reach a understanding of the tasks from the child’s perspective. The teacher’s perspective of the behaviours within the wide context of the assigned task was interrogated through social constructivist theories of leaming. The communicative process, by which co-participants in a task come to understand that task, was examined in light of the observed procrastinating behaviours. Within this process the influence of pupil learning identities, the use of power and questioning were particularly salient. The case studies suggest, in keeping with the author’s view, that procrastinating behaviours do have a detrimental effect on curriculum teaching, learning and assessment. It would appear that in the course of procrastinating, task objectives may be: ongoingly altered by the learners to confirm existing skills and knowledge, rejected by the learner in favour of alternative interests or progressively dfferentiated by the teacher in order to engage the learner, narrowing the opportunities for shared control of learning. It would seem that these behaviours have much to do with the active interpretation of tasks against the socio-cultural background of what passes as classroom knowledge and becomes classroom culture. It is likely that procrastinating behaviours may be reduced in conditions that allow learning to be ‘scaffolded’ in the social constructivist sense, that value discourse as a means of learning from each other and that share power and control of learning. The study proposes strategies which practitioners might find useful in identifying and reducing the incidence of procrastinating behaviours. These strategies are all concerned with the promotion of discourse in teaching, learning and assessment. They relate to task organisation and management, the construction of classroom culture and the learner’s role in approaching tasks. Through each of the strategies, the community in which the learners find themselves, has a role to play. This proposes a shift from individualism and differentiation to teaching with the goal of full participation.

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This thesis takes as its subject the superficial nature of the normative masculine gender role. To investigate the creation of this role I have attempted to bring some understanding of recent theorisation of the postmodern, and of gendered identity, to readings of selected contemporary fiction. I have chosen to focus on several contemporary American texts. In a bid to avoid essentialising masculinity ever further I attempt to embrace the self-reflexive way in which these novels are written in conjunction with the various postmodernisms posited by Fredric Jameson, Jean-Francois Lyotard, John Frow and Jean Baudrillard. Despite differing in significant ways, these critics all explore the idea of multiple identities. The lack of fixity this multiplicity fosters ensures that masculinity as an intrinsic given becomes disputed. 'The dialogues this creates reveal a category that is insecure, mobile and fluctuating, regardless of attempts to present it as otherwise. 'The first novel looked at is 'Thomas Pynchon's Vineland. This narrative encourages the questioning of the 'standard' masculinity adopted in patriarchal society by displaying men vulnerable to Post Traumatic Stress disorder, hysteria and madness, due to the war in Vietnam and governmental law enforcement. Masculinity is portrayed as tentative, provisional and impossible to maintain to society's exacting requirements. Psychotherapy is shown to confusingly both offer a fixed and stable 'self, whilst also promoting the encouragement of potential multiple other' selves' . Don DeLillo's White Noise continues the search for these 'selves'. Jack Gladney's debilitating fear of death compromises his mental and physical health. His strivings to deal with this, whilst also fulfilling various strands of the desired male stereotype, are explored through life-threatening disasters, usually pre-empted by rapidly developing technology. Jack's career in academia raises questions about the circulation of knowledge and information. Like Vineland, White Noise also examines the role of the family unit as an inherent part of the enforcement of standardised identities. 'The Family', both in its domestic format and via its more violent reincarnation as The Mafia, plays a vital role in all of these texts. Within DeLillo's Underworld (Section Three), the protagonist's therapy brings him away from the influence of The Mob, transforming him from murderer to upstanding citizen. His career in Waste Management provides a metaphor for the text's exploration of the manner in which abject matter is expulsed as part of a bid to conform to societal requirements. I draw upon Julia Kristeva's work on abjection in this section. The ritualistic nature of what is discarded and what revered is further explored in the fourth novel, Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho. This text offers an extreme picture of the potential results of stereotypical containment, with a protagonist who is determined to hyper-conform. Patrick Bateman not only espouses the thorough commodification of society, he also strives to exceed every stipulation pertaining to consummate masculinity. Bret Easton Ellis's Glamorama, provides the material for the final chapter, it offers a chilling portrayal of surface-obsessed society. Mediated images of celebrities provide role models for the characters' identity formation. Postmodernity's purported lack of depth is explored in the light of Baudrillard's theories. The potentialities of the cybernetic post-human are raised and discussed via the theorisation of Lyotard and Donna Haroway. The texts were selected for their usefulness in demonstrating a developing notion that rather than forming a new or extended sense of masculinity, men are acknowledging a growing awareness of the self-conscious, performative, indeed 'hyper', nature of any masculine identity. Contemporary films and television programmes are examined alongside the novels.

Research conducted with Montreal schizophrenics who frequent alternative groups for the mentally ill was aimed at exploring their strategies of identity reconstitution. Applying Paul Ricoeur's concept of the "narrative identity" and its emphasis on the recollection, interpretation, and narrations of events, the content of schizophrenics' life narratives was analyzed to establish the manner in which identity and experience were fashioned, and what role social and cultural elements played in this process of transformation. The results of this research indicate that schizophrenics who try to position themselves anew frequently tend to reject biomedical meanings and definitions as a privileged frame of reference. Instead of the biomedical paradigm and its usually negative connotations, explanations of supernatural and autobiographical origins are preferred. Drawing on our culture's diverse references in some kind of unique-amalgamation of meaning frames, highly individualized and distinctive identities are constructed. These identities, although unusual or 'abnormal' when looked at from the point of view of mainstream society, often constitute significant steps in the personal growth and well being of people who suffer from schizophrenia.

The purpose of this study is to illustrate, analyze and discuss how a group of Swedish-born adolescents of non-Swedish descent identify themselves in relation to personal experiences of belonging and loyalty. I have chosen a qualitative research methodology in the form of one group interview and two individual interviews. The result of the study shows that the group of Swedish-born adolescents of non-Swedish descent identify themselvs with one or more nation-states in different ways depending on different concept metaphors that underlie the concept of nation in different national discourses.

This study provided information on the long term psychosexual and psychiatric outcomes of 139 boys with gender identity disorder (GID). Standardized assessment data in childhood (mean age, 7.49 years; range, 3–12 years) and at follow-up (mean age, 20.58 years; range, 13–39 years) were used to evaluate gender identity and sexual orientation outcome. At follow-up, 17 participants (12.2%) were judged to have persistent gender dysphoria. Regarding sexual orientation, 82 (63.6%) participants were classified as bisexual/ homosexual in fantasy and 51 (47.2%) participants were classified as bisexual/homosexual in behavior. The remaining participants were classified as either heterosexual or asexual. With gender identity and sexual orientation combined, the most common long-term outcome was desistence of GID with a bisexual/homosexual sexual orientation followed by desistence of GID with a heterosexual sexual orientation. The rates of persistent gender dysphoria and bisexual/homosexual sexual orientation were substantially higher than the base rates in the general male population. Childhood assessment data were used to identify within-group predictors of variation in gender identity and sexual orientation outcome. Social class and severity of cross-gender behavior in childhood were significant predictors of gender identity outcome. Severity of childhood cross-gender behavior was a significant predictor of sexual orientation at follow-up. Regarding psychiatric functioning, the heterosexual desisters reported significantly less behavioral and psychiatric difficulties compared to the bisexual/homosexual persisters and, to a lesser extent, the bisexual/ homosexual desisters. Clinical and theoretical implications of these follow-up data are discussed.