Denna avhandling undersökte förhållandet mellan urbana attribut och upplevd livlighet och dess effekt på kvinnors upplevda säkerhet. Med utgångspunkt i teorier om naturlig övervakning [6] och vikten av att ha andra människor närvarande för att öka kvinnors säkerhet [17], utvärderades fysiska gatuattribut som förutspåddes öka miljöns livlighet. Totalt deltog 27 kvinnor i åldrarna 22-31 i utvärderingen av upplevd säkerhet vid 16 stads gatuhörn genom en två-alternativ tvångsvalsmetod i en virtuell miljö. Valen gjordes två gånger för varje hörn och gatorna visades i en manuellt randomiserad ordning. Resultaten visar en hierarki av attribut på gatunivå som påverkar den upplevda säkerheten mer än fasader med fönster på grund av deras större inverkan på livligheten, och fönster visar sig vara viktigare än grönska. Förutom att bekräfta tidigare forskning visar studien också att människor inte behöver vara närvarande för att en miljö ska uppfattas som levande, eftersom attribut som bilar, kaféer, busshållplatser och fönster fungerar som substitut för mänsklig aktivitet och närvaro. / This thesis explored urban street attributes relationship with perceived liveliness and its effect on women’s perceived safety. Drawing on theories of natural surveillance [6] and the importance of having other humans present for women’s increased safety [17], the study evaluated physical street attributes that predicted to increase the liveliness of an urban environment were evaluated. 27 females aged 22-31 participated in evaluating the perceived safety of 16 urban street corners using a two-alternative forced-choice method in a virtual reality environment. The choices were made twice for each corner, with the streets displayed in a manually randomized order. Findings reveal a hierarchy of street-level attributes affecting perceived safety more than windowed facades due to its greater impact on liveliness, and windows being more important than greenery. Along with confirming previous research, it is also found that people do not need to be present for an environment to be perceived as lively as attributes like cars, cafes, bus stops and windows serve as proxies for human activity and presence of others.

Bakgrund: 90-talister i Sverige står inför två tuffa val: att arbeta fram till 70–71-års åldereller att offra vissa angelägenheter idag för att kunna spara en relativt stor summa av sinlön till den framtida pensionen. Dagens pensionärer visar ett missnöje för sin ekonomiskasituation och med tanke på de sämre förutsättningarna som föreligger för 90-talister gällerdet att ta tag i pensionsförberedelser i tid för att ha någon chans att uppnå entillfredsställande pensionssituation. Trots det har det visat sig att unga vuxna skjuter framproblemet till framtiden och prioriterar mer kortsiktiga mål, samtidigt som de förväntarsig en tillfredsställande pensionssituation. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att, med utgångspunkt i en analys av de beteendepsykologiskafallgroparna övertro, ostrich effect och influerande av andra, skapa en djupare förståelseför det potentiella gapet mellan 90-talisters pensionsförväntningar och potentiellapensionssituation. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte och få en djupare förståelse för hur debeteendepsykologiska fallgroparna influerar det potentiella gapet valdes en kvalitativmetod med tio semistrukturerade intervjuer. Genom intervjuerna kunde författarna få enbättre insikt i respondenternas subjektiva verklighet. Slutsats: Studien visar att det i många fall finns ett gap mellan pensionsförväntningar ochen potentiell pensionssituation och att faktorer inom de utvalda beteendepsykologiskafallgroparna både kan bidra till ett ökat och minskat gap. Gapet är stort hos majoritetenav respondenterna, på grund av de genomgående höga förväntningarna. Trots attförväntningarna ofta är för höga i jämförelse med respondenternas förutsättningar ochpensionsförberedelser, går det att skilja på ett positivt och negativt gap. Det viktigaste äratt börja spara i tid, och faktorer såsom självförtroende på egen förmåga och att ta hjälpav en finansiell rådgivare främjar ett pensionssparande och bidrar på så sätt till ett positivtgap, medan faktorer som att tro sig vara bättre än andra och prokrastinering hämmaragerandet och bidrar till ett negativt gap. / Background: Young adults in Sweden face two tough choices: to work until the age of70-71 or to sacrifice certain wants today in order to save a relatively large amount of theirsalary for future retirement. Today's pensioners show dissatisfaction with their financialsituation and, given the inferior conditions that exist for young adults, it is important tostart with retirement preparations in time to have any chance of achieving a satisfactorypension situation. Nevertheless, it has been shown that young adults postpone the problemuntil the future and prioritize more short-term goals, while expecting a satisfactoryretirement situation. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to, based on an analysis of the behavioralpsychological bias of overconfidence, ostrich effect and influence of others, create adeeper understanding of the potential gap between young adults’ retirement expectationsand potential retirement situation. Methodology: To fulfill the purpose of the study and gain a deeper understanding of howthe behavioral psychological biases influence the potential gap, a qualitative method withten semi-structured interviews was chosen. Through the interviews, the authors were ableto gain a better insight into the subjective reality of the respondents. Conclusion: The study shows that, in many cases, there is a gap between retirementexpectations and a potential retirement situation and that factors within the selectedbehavioral psychological biases can contribute to both an increased and a decreased gap.The majority of the respondents have a large gap, due to the consistently highexpectations. Despite the fact that the expectations are often too high in comparison withthe respondents’ conditions and retirement preparations, it is possible to distinguishbetween a positive and a negative gap. The most important thing is to start retirementsavings on time, and factors such as self confidence and taking the help of a financialadviser promote retirement saving and thus contribute to a positive gap, while factorssuch as believing oneself to be better than others and procrastination inhibits action andcontributes to a negative gap.

Background: Breast cancer (BC), the most common cancer affecting women, has consequences on physical and psychological health. Recent studies highlighted selfcompassions’-, and fear of receiving compassion's protective respectively detrimental effects on psychological health. This study explored the moderating role of fear of receiving compassion from others on the associations between self-compassion and psychological distress. Methods: Participants were 78 Portuguese women with non-metastatic BC. Participants completed self-report measures of self-compassion, fear of receiving compassion from others, and psychological distress. Moderation analyzes through PROCESS Macro in SPSS was conducted. Results: Fear of receiving compassion from others moderated the association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. At moderate and high levels of the moderator, the association was significant, at low levels the association was nonsignificant. The associations of self-compassion with anxiety, and with stress were not moderated by fear of receiving compassion from others. Conclusions: To our knowledge this study is solitary in examining fear of receiving compassion from others as moderator of the associations between self-compassion and psychological distress. This study contributes to increased understanding of psychological distress among women with BC. The findings should direct future research towards longitudinal, intervention-based studies, targeting fear of receiving compassion, and self-compassion, through compassion-focused therapies. / Bakgrund: Bröstcancer (BC), den vanligaste cancerformen hos kvinnor, har konsekvenser för fysisk och psykologisk hälsa. Tidigare studier har belyst självmedkänsla och rädsla för att ta emot medkänslas skyddande, respektive skadliga effekter på psykologisk hälsa. Den här studien undersökte den modererande rollen av rädsla för att ta emot medkänsla från andra på sambandet mellan självmedkänsla och psykologiska besvär. Metod: Deltagarna var 78 portugisiska kvinnor med icke-metastaserad BC. Deltagarna genomförde självskattningar avseende självmedkänsla, rädsla för att ta emot medkänsla från andra och psykologiska besvär. Moderationsanalyser genomfördes i PROCESS Macro i SPSS. Resultat: Rädsla för att ta emot medkänsla från andra modererade sambandet mellan självmedkänsla och depressiva symtom. Vid moderata och höga nivåer av moderatorn var associationen signifikant, vid låga nivåer var associationen inte signifikant. Associationerna mellan självmedkänsla och ångest eller stress modererades inte av rädsla för att ta emot medkänsla från andra. Slutsatser: Såvitt vi vet är denna studie ensam att undersöka rädsla för att ta emot medkänsla från andra som moderator på sambandet mellan självmedkänsla och psykologiska besvär. Denna studie bidrar till ökad förståelse för psykologiska besvär hos kvinnor med BC. Resultaten bör rikta framtida forskning mot longitudinella, interventionsbaserade studier, inriktade på rädsla för att ta emot medkänsla och självmedkänsla genom compassionfokuserade terapier.

Text in English / This thesis investigates the relationship between humans and the nonhuman world or natural environment in selected literary works by black female writers in colonial and post-colonial Namibia and Zimbabwe. Some Anglo-American scholars have argued that many African writers have resisted the paradigms that inform much of global ecocriticism and have responded to it weakly. They contend that African literary feminist studies have not attracted much mainstream attention yet mainly to raise some issues concerning ecologically oriented literary criticism and writing. Given this unjust criticism, the study posits that there has been a growing interest in ecocriticism and ecofeminism in literary works by African writers, male and female, and they have represented the social, political (colonial and anti-colonial) and economic discourse in their works. The works critiqued are Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions (1988) and The Book of Not (2006), Neshani Andreas’ The Purple Violet of Oshaantu (2001) and No Violet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names (2013). The thrust of this thesis is to draw interconnections between man’s domination of nature and the subjugation and dominance of black women as depicted in different creative works. The texts in this study reveal that the existing Anglo-American framework used by some scholars to define ecocriticism and ecofeminism should open up and develop debates and positions that would allow different ways of reading African literature. The study underscored the possibility of black female creative works to transform the definition of nature writing to allow an expansion and all encompassing interpretation of nature writing. Contrary to the claims by Western scholars that African literature draws its vision of nature writing from the one produced by colonial discourse, this thesis argues that African writers and scholars have always engaged nature and the environment in multiple discourses. This study breaks new ground by showing that the feminist aspects of ecrocriticism are essential to cover the hermeneutic gap created by their exclusion. On closer scrutiny, the study reveals that African women writers have also addressed and highlighted issues that show the link between African women’s roles and their environment. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

<p>This dissertation investigated a psychoeducational intervention’s effectiveness in nurturing concern for others in adolescents with high intellectual abilities. The intervention was implemented at two research sites in a city in western India with 130 participants. Concern for others was conceptualized as an interplay of empathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior, and interrelationships among them were examined using correlational and regression analyses of self-reported survey data. Results indicated that prosocial behavior is positively associated with empathy (i.e., perspective taking and empathic concern) and other-compassion (i.e., compassion for others and compassion for other living beings) with correlations ranging from medium to strong (.46 ≤ <em>r</em> ≤ .79). Compassion for self, however, is not associated with prosocial behavior (<em>r</em> = .01) or any other key variables of having a concern for others (-.06 ≤ <em>r</em> ≤ .09). Compassion for others and perspective taking are the strongest predictors of prosocial behavior. Predicted self-reported prosocial behavior in girls is, on average, significantly greater than that in boys. Participants were then randomly assigned to treatment and control (delayed treatment) groups. The intervention’s effectiveness was evaluated using a convergent mixed-methods design by combining repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) of self-reported survey data and thematic analysis of interview data. Classroom quality was perceived to be high. Moreover, on average, participants’ level of adherence to the intervention was high, especially for session attendance (93%), and self-reported home activity completion (89%). The RM-MANOVA results showed that the self-reported concern for others varied significantly over the time of participants’ participation in the intervention with a large effect (treatment group: ηp2 = .57; delayed treatment group: ηp2 = .47); however, the effects did not seem to sustain over the next three months. Univariate <em>post-hoc</em> analyses indicated significant differences with moderate effect size in prosocial behavior and compassion for others. Overall, the intervention was perceived to be a largely positive experience—appealing, meaningful, and supportive of belongingness—yet there is a scope for improvement, especially regarding active participation. Emotional regulation, mindful engagement, responsible communication, relationship building, kindness, and gratitude were described as key intervention affordances. The mixed-methods integration of results provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention. (IRB #1812021447)</p>

This study focuses on the discretionary inter vivos trust. It specifically investigates what the discretion of a trustee comprises and in which circumstances (if any) the court may amend the trustee‟s discretion as stipulated in the deed of trust. In order to make any meaningful conclusions, the different types of trusts, and more specific the way in which trusts are classified, needs to be researched. An inter vivos trust is classified as a contract for the sake of a third. Consequently contract law rules are applied in the interpretation and amendment of an inter vivos trust. The source, goal and tenor of a trustee‟s discretion, as well as the circumstances wherein this discretion may be amended, are investigated. The general rule is that courts have no discretion to amend a trust, but there is an exception to the rule. In accordance with article 13 of the Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988 courts do have the power to amend or cancel the deed of trust in certain circumstances. In Potgieter and Another v Potgieter NO and Others 2012 (1) SA 637 (HHA) the court ruled that the power granted by article 13 does not enable judges to create law by amendment of the deed of trust according to their subjective interpretation of what is fair and just. The facts of the Potgieter case serve as problem statement for this study by focusing on the problems and unjust consequences of the strict application of contract law rules on a trust when the court does not take the changing circumstances of the trust founder into account. / LLM (Estate Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study focuses on the discretionary inter vivos trust. It specifically investigates what the discretion of a trustee comprises and in which circumstances (if any) the court may amend the trustee‟s discretion as stipulated in the deed of trust. In order to make any meaningful conclusions, the different types of trusts, and more specific the way in which trusts are classified, needs to be researched. An inter vivos trust is classified as a contract for the sake of a third. Consequently contract law rules are applied in the interpretation and amendment of an inter vivos trust. The source, goal and tenor of a trustee‟s discretion, as well as the circumstances wherein this discretion may be amended, are investigated. The general rule is that courts have no discretion to amend a trust, but there is an exception to the rule. In accordance with article 13 of the Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988 courts do have the power to amend or cancel the deed of trust in certain circumstances. In Potgieter and Another v Potgieter NO and Others 2012 (1) SA 637 (HHA) the court ruled that the power granted by article 13 does not enable judges to create law by amendment of the deed of trust according to their subjective interpretation of what is fair and just. The facts of the Potgieter case serve as problem statement for this study by focusing on the problems and unjust consequences of the strict application of contract law rules on a trust when the court does not take the changing circumstances of the trust founder into account. / LLM (Estate Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Despite the feminisation of the workplace as one of the key developments of this domain, the meaning of work for women is little understood. A phenomenological approach was adopted in this study to gain in-depth understanding of the meaning ascribed to work by a sample of ten South African, women graduates. Literature was used to generate three models - a male-centred, stereotyped and contemporary conceptualisation. Unstructured interviews were conducted and the protocols analysed using the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method (Creswell, 1998; Stones, 1985; 1986). Themes illustrated that the meaning of work for women is multifaceted and comprises a number of components including sense of identity and self-worth, meeting instrumental needs, social relatedness, serving others, intrinsic satisfaction and the exercise of power and authority. Findings suggested that the meaning women ascribe to work changes when they experience autonomy. Recommendations were made for future research and organisational practices. / Indust & Org Psychology / MA(IND AND ORG PSYCHOLOGY)

The main aims of this broad exploratory study were (a) to gain insights as to the possible interrelations between Unisa students' expectations for success and a variety of significant variables (such as their academic performance, self-perceptions, confidence, motivation, self-determination, others' expectancies, locus of control and attributions relating to previous performance), and (b) to discover possible differences relating to various groups (i.e. racial and gender groups; 'pass' and 'fail' groups; and 'realistic' and 'unrealistic' groups). The results of 61 hypotheses are compared with a variety of theoretical suggestions and past findings. It was found that, on the whole, the various groups, inter alia, expected to succeed, were confident about the accuracy of their expectations, perceived themselves to work hard, considered themselves to have considerable ability and to be above class average. Despite this rosy outlook many students failed the examinations. Two of the most striking findings of this study were that (a) those who failed overestimated their future performance to a significantly greater extent than those who passed, and (b) overestimations were negatively correlated with achievement. In contrast to theory and numerous research findings, the psychological profiles of 'overoptimists', 'realists', and 'underestimators' revealed that overoptimistic expectancies and self-perceptions appear to be maladaptive in an academic context. Indeed, the findings suggest that accurate or even underoptimistic self-assessments may be more conducive to academic success. It is proposed that overoptimism may reflect ignorance of standards required, of adequate study methods, or may result in inappropriate preparation. In light of the findings, the implications and possible benefits and dangers of overoptimistic expectations and self-perceptions are discussed. The subjects are 715 third year Unisa psychology students, who are more heterogeneous than most other university students as they not only vary considerably in age but also come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / The aim was to establish factors related to learning motivation and learning attitude of learners in historically coloured schools. An eclectic approach was followed because theoretical views on motivation could not furnish a comprehensive theory. The definition emerging from this approach states that motivation is a process started within a person to create a state of need for satisfaction and happiness that can be reached by instigating and sustaining goal-directed activity. The link between learning and motivation, as well as related factors, was ascertained. Determinants of high and low levels of learning motivation were established. Programmes aimed at higher motivation levels were explored. Empirically it was proven that grade 9 learners in historically coloured schools leaned more towards an extrinsic orientation; grade 12's more intrinsic. An intervention programme is suggested. / Die doel was om vas te stel watter faktore hou verband met die leermotivering en leerhouding van leerders in histories bruin sekondere skole spesifiek. 'n Eklektiese benadering is gevolg omdat die teoretiese beskouings oor leerrnotivering nie 'n bevredigende allesomvattende teorie kon verskaf nie. Die werksdefinisie van motivering is 'n gevolg daarvan en lui as volg: motivering is die proses wat in die persoon aan die gang gesit word om 'n staat van behoefte na tevredenheid en geluk te skep wat bereik kan word deur doelgerigte aktiwiteit aan te stig en aan die gang te hou. Die verband tussen leer en motivering is bepaal asook die faktore wat verband hou met leermotivering. Bepalers van hoe en lae leermotiveringsvlakke is vasgestel en ingrypingsprogramme gemik op verhoogde motivering is ondersoek. Empiries is bewys dat die graad 9-leerders meer geneig is tot ekstrinsieke orienterings rakende leermotivering; graad 12-leerders meer intrinsiek. 'n lngrypingsprogram word voorgestel. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (met spesialisering in Voorligting)