Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the study of family structure and its impact on child well-being, growth, as well as development of delinquency behaviour. However, there is limited reliable literature on what experiences and challenges the different family structures encounter, in dealing with delinquent children in Botswana. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore and describe the experiences and challenges the different family structures face, in dealing with delinquent children in Botswana. The study utilised an explorative-descriptive qualitative methodological approach. Semistructured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data from five focus group discussions with learners at the Bana Ba Metsi School, individual interviews with staff members, working with learners, as well as individual interviews with families of some learners, making up a research sample of 47 participants for the entire study. The collected data was analysed using a thematic analysis method. The participants reported that their children’s delinquent activities led to mostly negative experiences, such as shame, embarrassment, psychological pain, discrimination, stress and depression. They also reported happiness, due to their children’s behaviour modification, as a result of attending the Bana Ba Metsi School. It is evident from the findings, though, that they encountered challenges, such as the long distance between their homes and the school, the lack of communication with their children, the lack of resources, as well as the lack of family support. However, they disclosed strategies that they employed to deal with the challenges, such as attending support groups, counselling, family discussions and prayer. In conclusion, the results of this study have practical implications for all personnel dealing with such families, including the social welfare departments, as well as schools coping with juveniles.

This thesis focuses on how masculinity and femininity are constructed in alcohol advertisements in the print form, specifically in For Him Magazine (FHM) and Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ) . Alcohol advertisements address the reader in a way that sells the lifestyle that is associated with the product. Within the lifestyle depicted in the advertisement, there may also be an identity and a specific gender identity that the reader may be encouraged to incorporate in order to achieve the lifestyle associated with the advertised product. Advertising in general has often been implicated in constructing masculinity, and in particular, femininity in narrow or restricted ways. South African advertising has been found to depict women as passive sex objects and men as strong, intelligent and as the dominant gender. The mass media and advertising use and extend upon existing societal ‘norms’ and discourses regarding the construction of masculinity and femininity by sending these discourses or constructions back into society in the form of advertising. A discourse analysis was employed to investigate to what extent advertising has used gender based societal discourses as well as what dominant structures or portrayals of gender appear in South African alcohol advertising. By using the qualitative method of discourse analysis as well as a social constructionist paradigm, several discourses were identified. These included the discourses of patriarchy, violence as a masculine quality, men being unemotional and independent, women’s bodies as sexual objects, male companionship, a heterosexual norm, an anti-hegemonic masculinity and a discourse of glamorous heterosexuality. The results of the analysis discussed how in alcohol advertising, women are still constructed in a limiting and sometimes sexual manner whereas men are constructed in a more variable way. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

This thesis employs a social constructionist perspective to analyze constructions of the International Criminal Court (ICC), specifically (1) the notion of impunity; (2) the presence of a critical analysis; and (3) the connection between state support/opposition and favourable/negative portrayals of the Court. The theory chapter focuses on the propaganda model’s main premise that “media serve the interests of that state … framing their reporting and analysis in a manner supportive of established privilege and limiting debate accordingly” (Herman & Chomsky, 1998, p.32). A thematic qualitative content analysis and several tools of grounded theory deconstructed 1,982 articles collected from The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Overall, the newspapers contained a high level of support for the propaganda model’s main assertions. Some of these conversations were quite limited and/or biased; specifically, American newspapers manipulated debates to justify American opposition to the Court.

The concept of the ‘procurer’ comes from section 212 of Canada’s Criminal Code, which prohibits directing, enticing, assisting or profiting off the prostitution of another person. A contentious debate surrounds Canada’s prostitution laws, with a constitutional challenge currently before the Supreme Court. Within this climate of debate, the concept of the ‘procurer’ has moved out of the strictly legal sphere and into a broader discourse, with a range of parties laying their claims to truth on the “realities” of the industry generally and on the procurer specifically. Using a methodology of Foucauldian discourse analysis, this thesis examines Ontario Provincial Court case summaries to consider the contribution of the Canadian judiciary to discourse on the procurer. Findings suggest that the judiciary replicates many of the existing stereotypes of prostitution and its participants, such as the procurer as pimp, while (re)producing a small counter discourse of the procurer as business manager.

The aim of the study was to explore the constructions and meanings around madness/mental illness among a group of young professionals in order to broaden the dialogue around mental illness to include the voices of a certain section of the community. The current dialogue around mental illness is dominated by the view that madness/mental illness is the domain of scientifically trained professionals. The aim of the study was to explore the constructions of those not part of a mental health profession and those not suffering from mental illness and how these constructions may influence their behaviour towards those suffering from mental illness. The epistemological framework of the study falls into a social constructionist perspective. This epistemological approach allows for the exploration of previously taken for granted truths. When adhering to this approach the function of research is to explore a particular version of reality in an embedded context and language seen as the structuring aspect of social reality. From this approach a discourse analysis was done using the transcripts of audiotaped interviews with the participants. The four participants chosen for the study fell into the 23-26 years age group brackets, had finished tertiary education and have started working on a professional career. None of the participants have had any formal contact with mental health services or professionals or those suffering from mental illness. In the process of analysing the texts five discourses were identified and discussed. The first of these discourses was the scientific discourse around mental illness in which madness is constructed mostly as an illness with genetic, chemical or emotional causes. The knowledge and expertise of mental health professionals is seen as important to the general public as they seem to have little knowledge on the meaning of mental illness themselves. The second discourse that was identified was mental illness as the domain of professionals and mental institutions. Most of the respondents seemed comfortable with this idea and used distancing strategies in order to explain their non-involvement in the care of the mentally ill. Mental illness as individual experience was discussed next and in this discourse mental illness was seen as an exclusive experience to which few except the sufferer has access. The fourth discourse discussed was the mental illness as unknown discourse. In this discourse madness/mental illness, those suffering from it and the treatment thereof, is a mystery to those who are not part of these experiences. The final discourse discussed was the mental illness as bad discourse where those suffering from mental illness were constructed as dangerous, possibly violent, unpredictable and damaging. During the analysis of the data it was found that the majority of the respondents used techniques to distance themselves from involvement of the mentally ill and ascribed to the discourse that madness/mental illness is the domain of mental health professionals only. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The importance of the role of fathers in the lives of their children and families has received much attention in recent years. This new focus on responsible fatherhood has led to an increase of programme interventions for responsible fathers. The aim of this study was to explore how families experienced an intervention programme for fathers, and how the intervention contributed to child and family well-being. The study made use of a qualitative research methodology. The research sample included fathers, who participated in the intervention programme, as well as their life partners and children. The sample for the study included 10 fathers, 10 spouses, as well as 10 children of the fathers, who participated in an intervention programme for fathers. The final sample of participants in this study was 30 participants. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the data in face-to-face interviews. The data analysis was conducted by means of a thematic analysis. All ethical considerations were adhered to by ensuring the confidentiality and anonymity of participants. The following themes were found in the study: Understanding of family well-being, Conceptualization of fatherhood and father involvement, Communication about the programme, Parent-child relationships, Parental involvement and personal matters, Discipline and conflict management, Experience of programme intervention the father attended. The results of the study showed that (1) the intervention contributed to the well-being of children and their families; (2) the involvement of fathers in the lives of their children increased post-intervention; (3) fathers' communication skills improved; (4) fathers were more involved in unpaid care; (5) spousal relationships improved with less conflict in their relationships.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the constructions of childhood depression as portrayed in South African women's interest magazines. Departing from a postmodern paradigm and utilising a social constructionist framework, these magazines were regarded as part of larger mass media discourses on childhood depression. The magazines contribute to the construction of 'truths' about childhood depression in its audience. To explore the research question, three of the highest circulating magazines in South Africa containing texts related to childhood depression were identified. The magazines were aimed not only at women, but at both English- and Afrikaans-speaking women, and at African, Caucasian, and possibly Coloured women. The hardcopies of these magazines were sourced from the publisher for a period of approximately two years each. A total of 20 articles that spoke to childhood depression were identified in these magazines. Two forms of analysis were used in a mutually enriching and recursive manner. The contextual analysis allowed an enriched insight into the context of the articles. The thematic analysis gave way to themes and subthemes to emerge. It was found that although perceptions in these articles were most often in line with professional psychological knowledge, at times it failed to speak to uniquely South African concerns regarding childhood depression, and often reified problematic discourses. It was concluded that mass media may be a powerful tool to employ by government organisations, health professionals, and social scientists, to address problematic mental health discourses in South Africa. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

The research explores the themes of corporate chaplaincy, workplace spirituality and employee wellness, and their relationship to each other. The question is asked if the corporate chaplain has a contribution to make through the multi-disciplinary helping team in achieving and maintaining employee wellness. The method of study is postfoundational and relies upon three stages of research: an acknowledgement of the local context through the dialogue with twelve co-researchers; a process of transversality that includes a discussion with nine interdisciplinary respondents and traditions of interpretation; and a response that explores a preferred alternative reality for, and beyond, the local context. The stage of acknowledgement reveals several emerging themes that highlight the value of a workplace spirituality in employee wellness, but in which spirituality is an identified gap in wellness progs. The discussion explores the value of spirituality in wellness and the obstacles in the development of workplace spirituality and the employ of corporate chaplains. The response requires a revisiting the title of "corporate chaplaincy" noting the unhelpful assumptions that the title makes. The response includes a definition of workplace spirituality that communicates the value of a workplace spirituality and the workplace spiritual helper to help overcome the obstacles of religious plurality, secularism, and an unhelpful religiosity. The response of affirming spirituality in achieving and maintaining wellness for the employee and the corporate through the corporate chaplain requires the establishment of a registered professional body. In recognising the present difficulty in appointing corporate chaplains, alternative forms of developing workplace spirituality are suggested. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

A new constitution in South Africa necessitated a change in policing practices from an abusive, para-military style to a community-based structure. Such changes had its challenges, which were partially addressed through new policies that affected all police officials. White, male police officers in middle-management, who were once central in the police, were increasingly being sidelined. This research describes the experiences of three police officers in the Kwazulu-Natal midlands. It was conducted using a narrative approach, working within a social constructionist and a postfoundationalist paradigm. This meant that their stories were listened to within the wider context described through media reports. The discourses shaping their ideas were explored and compared to the experiences of police members of other races. Comments from other police officers were brought into the conversation alongside the insights of other disciplines and research done by others, including criminology, business, politics, social sciences and theology. The participants wrestled with how faith in God could assist them in dealing with the challenges they were faced with. This journey also contributes to a wider audience beyond our local context. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

The field of interest in this study focuses on exploring a life skills course in which drama was used, and how first year drama students at Tshwane University of Technology constructed their experience of this, as well as what informed their experience. This research was conducted within the framework of social constructionism, which allows the space for the co-construction of knowledge and meanings. The research questions for this project are thus, how did the first year drama students construct their experience of the life skills course where drama was used as a medium? What informed their experiences? Written accounts were made use of as a form of data collection. Themes were identified in their texts and this was then taken back to the participants to check the meaning generated in the analysis. The findings are relevant to those who deal with life skills in higher education. The aim of the research study was not to find a final answer for the questions posed but rather to provide an interpretation, or analysis, of the constructions contained in the texts. It has provided an alternative body of co-created, co-constructed knowledge. Copyright / Mini Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Psychology / Unrestricted