The recent global economic downturn has stimulated a growing interest among scholars in how employees interpret and respond to the circumstance of being overqualified. However, the overqualification literature has been hindered by uncertainty regarding the extent to which employees’ perceptions of being overqualified are based in reality. The present study sought to address this concern by proposing and testing a theoretical model of objective overqualification, perceived overqualification, job satisfaction, and well-being using a cross-sectional sample of full-time employees who had recently graduated from college. Additionally, the present study investigated cognitive ability, achievement striving, and trait negative affectivity as potential moderators of several relationships delineated in the proposed model. Results indicated that the data were consistent with the proposed model, which argues that objective overqualification predicts employees’ perceptions of being overqualified, which creates feelings of relative deprivation and ultimately manifests in poorer job satisfaction and reduced well-being. Importantly, however, the pattern of relationships among study variables suggested that strain outcomes were mostly driven by perceived overqualification. Furthermore, employees’ perceptions of being overqualified appeared to be influenced considerably by unmeasured factors besides objective overqualification, potentially including dissatisfaction with other aspects of the job. There was no support for the hypothesized individual moderators. Overall, the study highlights the importance of taking a more nuanced approach to studying overqualification phenomena and cautions against the assumption that being objectively overqualified is a necessarily undesirable circumstance for individuals and their employers.

Presented through the lens of the Theory of Relative Deprivation (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), this thesis aims to establish and quantify the link between inaccessibility in online contexts for people with low-vision or blindness, and the psychosocial impacts that may be associated with this inaccessibility. As there is existing research on this topic with elderly participants (Lagacé, Charmarkeh, Zaky, & Firzly, 2016), the focus for this research was working-aged people. The following research questions were addressed: 1) Does perceived lack of internet accessibility lead to perceptions of unfairness among low-vision or blind individuals? 2) In turn, do perceptions of unfairness negatively impact their level of self-esteem, and civic engagement? The hypothesized results were modeled as lower levels of perceived access lead to lower levels of perceived fairness, which in turn, lower the levels of civic engagement and self- esteem. Using a sample of 69 participants between the ages of 21-65, a self-report questionnaire was administered. It was found that perceived fairness was correlated on three of four scale items with self-esteem levels; the perception of fairness was not correlated with civic engagement; civic engagement and self-esteem were significantly correlated; and perceived access was correlated with levels of self-esteem.

This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of Nigerian citizens on corruption and conflict. A review of the literature found a gap in the understanding of the lived experiences of participants on corruption and conflict in Nigeria, and this study was designed to fill that gap. Using a purposeful sampling method, the investigator targeted 20 Nigerian citizens who have experienced corruption and conflict. The phenomenological method provided the basis for a reflective structural analysis that exposes the meanings and essences of the lived experiences of the participants on corruption and conflict in Nigeria. Participant interviews showed that many Nigerians encounter bribery on a daily basis because of the following reasons: they were encouraged by a perceived culture of greed, a culture of impunity, a culture of impropriety and a culture of no accountability. All of the participants indicated the need to survive the harsh realities of living in Nigeria. The study revealed a broad variety of corruption and conflict situations in Nigeria. This dissertation adds value and richness to existing body of knowledge, which suggested to policy makers, advocates and civil society of the need to develop policies and strategies to stem corruption as part of a wider strategy for resolving the negative conflicts that currently characterize the socio-political and economic landscape of Nigeria. Overall, as part of the major contributions and objectives, this dissertation illuminated the psychological impacts of corruption and conflict in Nigeria. In other words, this research bridged the gap between the social structural understandings and impacts of corruption and the personal component.

The State of Israel’s control of the West Bank and their creation of settlements has led to feelings of frustration amongst the Palestinian population. The significance of the next generation in a conflict that has been ongoing for generations becomes crucial when aiming for peace, as the youth of today will be the adults of tomorrow. Therefore, this study researches how Palestinian university students perceives the Israeli settlements as well as examining whether if the Relative Deprivation Theory can explain these potential perceptions and the possible willingness amongst Palestinian students to participate in social movements. The methodology is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with ten Palestinian students from Bethlehem University, which then has been analysed. The results of this study indicate that the respondents feel deprived of seven different themes, namely (1) Demolition, (2) Economy, (3) Freedom of Movement, (4) Freedom of Speech, (5) Permits, (6) Resources and (7) Services. Furthermore, the result shows that nine out of ten respondents are, or have been, participating in activities to achieve social change. In addition to feeling deprived of the seven different themes, all the respondents also felt frustration and/or negative feelings towards the existence of Israeli settlements. The analysis focuses on how the respondents partake in social movements as well as what their opinions about the resistance activities are. It became clear that all the respondents feel, or have felt, a willingness to participate in activities to achieve social change. However, the respondents use different forms of activities, such as protesting in the streets, demonstrating, and/or raising awareness, but there is an overarching social movement which focuses on “the Palestinian cause”. Finally, this study supports the idea of Relative Deprivation Theory, as the willingness to partake in social movements seems to be high amongst the respondents due to them being deprived of essential services and resources.

Tanzania’s natural resources are national resources for the benefit of all Tanzanian citizens (The Arusha Declaration, 1967). The liberalization of the Mining Industry in the mid-1990s sparked hope in the country that the socio-economic status of all citizens across the nation would improve as a result of the mineral resource revenues obtained by the Government of Tanzania. Contemporary literature on mining in Tanzania has mostly riveted on issues surrounding a triangular relationship between the mining girdle and its population, foreign mining companies, and the Government of Tanzania. Hardly any attention has been given to the non-mining rural districts where the poor majority reside. This qualitative study using a phenomenological approach explored the shared experiences of citizens living in non-mining rural districts and their ascribed meanings of inequitable distributive realities in mineral resource revenues in Tanzania. The study employed the theories of relative deprivation and human needs for the theoretical framework. Study findings revealed seven core essences: socio-economic insecurity, inequity and injustice, communication and trust, investment and technology, moral leadership and human capital, growth and a culture of dependency. Understanding these essences should help determine policies and practices that promote equitable distribution of not only mineral resource wealth but also in other types of natural resource wealth found in the country; allowing for a true/win-win tri-partnership relationship involving all stake-holders: Tanzanian citizens, foreign investors, and the Government of Tanzania.

No description available.

This study examines the impact of relative deprivation on juvenile delinquency. Though this topic has been explored by several researchers, there has not been much consistency in the research due to the operationalization of key variables. Traditionally, relative deprivation has been referenced in relation to Merton's Classic Strain Theory, using economic indicators to measure relative deprivation. Webber and Runciman however, expanded upon Merton's original premise and integrated more diverse measures of relative deprivation into their research. The current study utilizes Agnew's General Strain Theory (GST) as a means to measure relative deprivation as a broader and more subjective topic. This unique approach in the study of relative deprivation utilizes aspirations as a primary measure of relative deprivation.

No description available.

In chapter 1, a comprehensive meta-analysis is conducted to synthesize the effectiveness, cost, and cost-effectiveness of lifestyle diabetes prevention interventions and compare effects by intervention delivery agent and channel. Sixty-nine studies meet inclusion criteria. The results show that participants receiving intervention with nutrition education experienced a reduction of 2.07 kg (95% CI: 1.52 to 2.62; p<0.001; 95% CI: 88.61% to 92.87%) in weight at 12 months with effect sizes over time ranging from small (0.17, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.30; p=0.012; 95% CI: 80.42% to 91.14%) to medium (0.65, 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.82; p<0.001; 95% CI: 98.52% to 98.94). In sum, lifestyle interventions are effective in reducing body weight and glucose-related outcomes. Dietitian-delivered interventions achieve greater weight reduction compared to those delivered by other personnel. In chapter 2, this study attempts to examine the effects of household relative deprivation on children's health outcomes. A modified household production model is developed with energy intake, energy expenditure and a composite good as main inputs in the health production. A two-stage Stackelberg game facilitates the need to model the parent-child interaction which follows similar structure as You and Davis (2011). We use three measurements of relative deprivation based on per capita household income and four reference groups based on combinations of geographic and demographic characteristics. The results show that relative deprivation is negatively associated with child health. In chapter 3, we define "process benefits" as the direct effect on utility from engaging in an activity and examine how "process benefits" associated with food activities, both uptake and duration, are related to factors such as socio-economic status and demographics. A household production model is utilized to demonstrate the vital role of process benefits in home food production and the implications it will have for nutrition based policies targeting resources. The results display that the process benefits are associated with some demographic characteristics. This implies that shortfalls in food activities are not simply a matter of technology or resource shortfalls, but also reflect disutility associated from these activities which in turn will attenuate the impact of policies design to merely address resource shortfalls. / Ph. D. / Evaluation of programs is a vital part in health economics for it is important in understanding the effect and limitation of a program from an economic perspective. Three applications are included in this dissertation. The first application is to synthesize the overall effectiveness of diabetes prevention program including nutrition education; the second application is to evaluate if there is a negative association between relative deprivation and children’s health outcomes; the third one is to explain the small effect of nutrition policy, such as SNAP. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has increased significantly worldwide, leading to substantial increases in total economic costs in the US. A proliferation of studies have attempted to translate lifestyle interventions into clinical and community practice in an attempt to halt this growing public health epidemic. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the effectiveness of interventions including nutrition education for diabetes prevention. The results show that diabetes prevention program with nutrition education is effective in reducing body weight and glucose-related outcomes. China has reached the fastest rate of growth in economy since the implementation of reform and become the world’s second largest economy. However, improvement in health fails to accompany the massive growth in material living standards for the Chinese population. This observation prompts us to investigate the relative deprivation hypothesis. The results show that children who are more relatively deprived have poor health outcomes. Food assistance programs, e.g., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), have been developed to improve people’s health. However, the nutrition level recommended by those programs are still not met for the targeted population. The results show that respondents who enjoy cooking spend more time on activities related to food production, such as food preparation, presentation and clean up. And the small effect of nutrition policies is due to the disutility from the process of food production.

Die studie fokus op etnisiteit gedurende die oorgang na 'n nuwe politieke bedeling in Suid-Afrika. Op teoretiese vlak is aandag gegee aan ideologiese strominge; dimensies van etnisiteit; die omskrywing van etnisiteit en die onderskeid tussen etnisiteit en ander vorme van groepidentifisering. Etnisiteit is verder op sosiaalsielkundige vlak ontleed, terwyl die invloed van ekonomiese, politieke en staatkundige faktore verreken is. Kontekstuele faktore tydens die ondersoek wat resultate kon be'invloed, is ook bestudeer. Die empiriese komponent het 'n vraelysopname in die Pretoria-WitwatersrandVereeniging- gebied (Gauteng) behels. Onderhoude is gedurende Januarie en Februarie 1994 voltooi, aan die vooraand van 'n nuwe politieke bedeling. Ewekansige steekproewe is getrek van 466 swartmense en 460 witmense (347 Afrikaanssprekendes en 113 Engelssprekendes). Patrone van etniese, staatkundige en rasse-identifisering; die betekenis van etnisiteit vir die individu; persepsies van die situasie van groepe en faktore wat etniese identifisering kon be"invloed, is gedek. Die konstrukgeldigheid en dimensies van skale is met hoofkomponent- en hooffaktorontledings ondersoek. Variansie-ontledings het verskille tussen groepe ge'identifiseer, terwyl meervoudige regressie-ontledings voorspellers van etniese identifisering uitgelig het. Belangrike bevindings is die volgende: * Etnisiteit was 'n belangrike bron van groepidentifisering vir sowel swartmense as witmense. 'n Sielkundige dimensie - etniese identiteit - wat verband hou met trots op en lojaliteit teenoor die onsgroep was onderskeibaar. Sterker etniese identifisering het by alle groepe gekorreleer met identiteitsverwerwing; betrokkenheid by en eksplorasie ten opsigte van die onsgroep; minder ambivalente gevoelens oor onsgroeplidmaatskap en 'n drang om onsgroepbelange te beskerm. Sterker etniese identifisering het by Afrikaanssprekende witmense met 'n positiewe selfbeeld en by swartmense met 'n negatiewe selfbeeld gekorreleer. Laer onderwyskwalifikasies het by Afrikaanssprekende witmense met sterker etniese identifisering gekorreleer. Die teenoorgestelde het gegeld vir Afrikaanssprekendes met hoer onderwyskwalifikasies. Persepsies van bedreiging het by Afrikaanssprekende witmense met sterker etniese identifisering verband gehou. Sterker etniese identifisering het by alle groepe 6f met negatiewe tussengroepgedrag 6f met negatiewe tussengroephoudings gekorreleer. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat op alle terreine rekening gehou moet word met die etniese heterogeniteit van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. / The study focuses on ethnicity during the transition to a new political dispensation in South Africa. At the theoretical level, attention was given to ideological trends; dimensions of ethnicity; the description of ethnicity and the distinction between ethnicity and other forms of group identification. Ethnicity was furthermore analyzed at the socio-psychological level, while the influence of economic, political and constitutional factors was also considered. Contextual factors during the investigation which could have influenced the results were also analyzed. The empirical component comprised a questionnaire survey in the PretoriaWitwatersrand- Vereeniging area (Gauteng). Interviews were conducted during January and February 1994, on the eve of a new political dispensation. Randomly selected samples were drawn of 466 blacks and 460 whites (347 Afrikaansspeaking and 113 English-speaking). Patterns of ethnic, national and race identification; the meaning of ethnicity for the individual; perceptions of the situation of groups and factors that could influence ethnic identification were covered. The construct validity and dimensions of scales were investigated by means of main component and main factor analyses. Variance analyses identified differences between groups, whereas multiple regression analyses were used to determine predictors of ethnic identification. Important findings were the following: * Ethnicity was an important source of group identification for blacks as well as whites. A psychological dimension - ethnic identity - that related to pride in and loyalty to the ingro11p was highlighted. Stronger ethnic identification correlated among all groups with identity formation; involvement with and exploration regarding the ingroup; less ambivalent feelings about ingroup membership and an urge to protect ingroup interests. Stronger ethnic identification correlated among the Afrikaans-speaking whites with a positive self-image and among the blacks with a negative selfimage. Lower educational qualifications correlated among Afrikaans-speaking whites with stronger ethnic identification. The opposite applied to Afrikaansspeaking whites with higher educational qualifications. Perceived threats were associated with stronger ethnic identification among Afrikaans-speaking whites. Stronger ethnic identification correlated among all groups either with negative intergroup behaviour or with negative intergroup attitudes. It is concluded that ethnic heterogeneity should be taken into account in all spheres of the South African society. / Department of Psychology / D. Lit. et Phil (Psychology)