Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Western Kentucky University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-47).

M.Phil. (Industrial Psychology) / The equivalent cross-cultural assessment of personality has long been a debatable subject in psychological research. Personologists remain divided as to the universality of personality traits, and as such, their cross-cultural applicability. This argument remains valid within the South African multicultural and multilingual context. In addition to the applicability of various imported personality measures, South Africa’s past misuse of psychological assessments for unfair discriminatory purposes has created many negative perceptions of their utility. This was further corroborated with the promulgation of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 that stipulates that all psychological assessments used in South Africa need to meet the criteria of: a) being scientifically shown to be valid and reliable; b) can be applied fairly to all employees; and c) not biased against any employee or group (Government Gazette, 1998). Currently no validated indigenous model and measure of personality exists in South Africa. Psychological assessments are mainly imported from the United States of America (US) and United Kingdom (UK) and normed to the South African population. Foxcroft, Roodt and Abrahams (2005) acknowledge that many of these assessments, in addition to many locally developed measures, have not been tested for bias nor have they been cross-culturally validated. Furthermore, the theories, models and taxonomies on which these measures are based were developed within a Western context and as such, have not incorporated the unique intricacies of the South African context and its array of cultures and languages. Therefore, the accurate and appropriate measure of personality within South Africa has been impeded.

The purpose of this study is to determine which items on a personality rating scale are most valid in describing individuals who have been selected on the basis of social acceptance.

<p> Abstract Although the poor performance of most professionals who are trained and experienced in deception detection is inexplicable, research has been able to single out some professionals who have developed an exceptional understanding of the kind of knowledge it takes to deceive others. Individual differences in ability to detect deceit have rarely been approached in research designs where ability was broken down into personality traits. This was a non-experimental correlational study, which sought to examine the degree to which elements or facets of personality dimensions self-compassion, agreeableness, and openness could predict the ability to detect deception. A sample of convenience comprised of student participants (N=201) was drawn from a local community college. It used a regression model to examine the maximum likelihood that deception detection ability can be predicted. This was accomplished though specific measurements derived from three paper-and-pencil questionnaires, the deception detection ability scores obtained from the BBC survey, &ldquo;Spot the Fake Smile,&rdquo; the self-compassion values obtained from the Neff self-compassion scale (2003), and the agreeableness and openness values obtained from the NEO-PI-R personality inventory (Costa &amp; McCrae, 2010). The self-compassion subscales and the agreeableness and openness subscales were combined totaling 18 predictor variables where 17 of the 18 predictor variables retained the null hypothesis. Although hypothesis testing provided a meager beginning for bridging the gap between personality domains and deception detection ability, practical significance precludes the transferability of the results without further investigation.</p>

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Aim: The aim of this study was to understand, explore and investigate the personality (using Eysenck 's three personality traits of Psychoticism, Neuroticism and Extraversion) and demographic factors (age, gender, religion, marital status and educational status) predicting willingness to forgive among Mafikeng residents. The hypotheses investigated were 1: that personality factors (P, E and N) will influence people 's willingness to forgive . 2: that demographic variables (such as age, being religious, marital status and one's level of education) of participants will influence their willingness to forgive. Method: Through a convenience sampling method, data were collected from a sample of 250 residents living in Mafikeng, North West Province. The design of the study was cross-sectional. Copies of a questionnaire containing three sections (A, B and C) were given out to participants. Section A measured the demographic determinants of the respondents, Section B measured aspects of the respondents ' personality such as Psychoticism (P) , Extraversion (E) and Neuroticism (N). Section C measured the willingness to forgive of the respondents. Respondents ranged between 18 and 68 years with a mean age of 28.4 (SD= 12.3). Forty percent were males and 60 % were females. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relative contribution of personality and demographic variables. Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis using the stepwise method showed that the overall model was significant, adjusted R square = .089, F (2, 211) = 11.460, P< .001. Thus, Extraversion and Post- Matric variables explained 8% of the total variance on willingness to forgive. Both hypotheses were partially supported since the only factors able to predict willingness to forgive as indicated by Table 2 was Extraversion (E) a personality factor and Post- Matric (a demographic factor, one's educational level). Conclusion: The study concluded that while people with Post Matric level of education and extraverted people tend to forgive, there is still a need to investigate personality trait variables in future studies. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.(Clinical Psychology) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2010

This study compares information gathered by Kinetic Family Drawings with information gathered by an Adlerian Life Style Interview. A non-clinical population of university students participated in the study. The participants drew a crayon picture of their families from the perspective of age five and then answered three questions about their drawings. The participants then participated in a structured Life Style Interview which dealt with their perceptions of their lives as young children in their families of origin. All questions were tape-recorded and later transcribed. A panel of experts in projective drawings analyzed the drawings and the transcriptions of the three questions and then summarized each participant's possible apperceptions about life. A panel of Adlerian psychologists analyzed the interview data and summarized apperceptions. The apperceptions were then compared. Results indicate that both projective devices elicit like or similar information about an individual's views of life, self, men, women, and family values.

This study was conducted to develop a method of using art to elicit and interpret Early Recollections in Adlerian Life Style Assessment. A convenient sample of four graduate students participated in the study which was divided into three consecutively conducted interviews: (1) The Family Constellation; (2) The Painting and Conjoint Interpretation of Early Recollections; (3) The Post-Assessment Interview. Drawing and painting have long been recognized as expressions of the self or of lifestyle. Life Style in Individual Psychology is representative of an individual's subjective reality; how that reality influences one's aims; and how one goes about achieving them. The findings of this study indicate that this methodology, in which the recollection is visually recreated and conjointly interpreted, is facilitative not only of recall and expression of emotion, but also helps participants achieve for themselves, insights into their Life Style.

No description available.