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We study Social Groups consisting of self-interested inter-connected nodes looking for common content. We can observe Social Groups in various socio-technological networks, such as Cellular Network assisted Device-to-Device communications, Cloud assisted Peer-to-Peer Networks, hybrid Peer-to-Peer Content Distribution Networks and Direct Connect Networks. Each node wants to acquire a universe of segments at least cost. Nodes can either access an expensive link to the content distributor for downloading data segments, or use the well-connected low cost inter-node network for exchanging segments among themselves. Activation of an inter-node link requires cooperation among the participating nodes and reduces the cost of downloading for the nodes. However, due to uploading costs, Non-Reciprocating Nodes are reluctant to upload segments, in spite of their interest in downloading segments from others. We define the Give-and-Take (GT) criterion, which prohibits non-reciprocating behaviour in Social Groups for all nodes at all instants. In the “Full Exchange” case studied, two nodes can exchange copies of their entire segment sets, if each node gains at least one new segment from the other. Incorporating the GT criterion in the Social Group, we study the problem of downloading the universe at least cost, from the perspective of a new node having no data segments. We analyze this NP-hard problem, and propose algorithms for choosing the initial segments to be downloaded from the content distributor and the sequence of nodes for exchange. We compare the performance of these algorithms with a few existing P2P downloading strategies in terms of cost and running time. In the second problem, we attempt to reduce the load on the content distributor by choosing a schedule of inter-node link activations such that the number of nodes with the universe is maximized. Link activation decisions are taken by a central entity, the facilitator, for achieving the social optimum. We present the asymptotically optimal Randomized algorithm. We also present other algorithms, such as the Greedy Links algorithm and the Polygon algorithm, which are optimal under special scenarios of interest. We compare the performances of all proposed algorithms with the optimal value of the objective. We observe that computationally intensive algorithms exhibit better performance. Further, we consider the problem of decentralized scheduling of links. The decisions of link activations are made by the participating nodes in a distributed manner. While conforming to the GT criterion for inter-node exchanges, each node's objective is to maximize its utility. Each node tries to find a pairing partner by preferentially exploring nodes for link formation. Unpaired nodes choose to download a segment using the expensive link with Segment Aggressiveness Probability (SAP). We present linear complexity decentralized algorithms for nodes to choose their best strategy. We present a decentralized randomized algorithm that works in the absence of the facilitator and performs close to optimal for large number of nodes. We define the Price of Choice to benchmark performance of Social Groups (consisting of non-aggressive nodes) with the optimal. We evaluate the performance of various algorithms and characterize the behavioural regime that will yield best results for node and Social Group as well.

High-quality group psychotherapy training is considered more important than ever in the current mental health care environment. With the need for ongoing education and development in the field of group psychotherapy, concern has been raised regarding the lack of group psychotherapy training guidelines for trainee psychologists. Findings from numerous empirical studies show that at present, most training courses often maintain a rather unstructured format for fostering an experiential group process. The literature suggests that without standardized course objectives, students are vulnerable to harm, they are ill equipped to meet professional demands, and trainers are not provided with adequate guidelines for instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review the relevant literature in order to describe the principles of group psychotherapy as they manifest in group interaction, and to compare the subjective experiences of trainee group psychotherapists with the findings from the literature. The aim of this investigation was to generate hypotheses about the effectiveness of the use of an experiential group as a training medium, in group psychotherapy. Further objectives included exploring the merits of an experiential approach to training in group psychotherapy, and identifying factors that could potentially aid/hinder trainee development. In order to adhere to the objectives of the investigation, a qualitative, exploratory research design was used. Data for the study was gathered by means of a client-centered interview conducted with five group psychotherapy trainees who received training in a Clinical Psychology Masters program. In addition, these trainees were also required to complete a semi-structured questionnaire. The interview focused on how the trainees' subjective, affective experiences influenced their perceptions of the qualitative aspects of group life, while the questionnaire was designed to elicit information about the ways in which trainees cognitively conceptualized their understanding of group process, group dynamics and group facilitation skills. The results of the study were analysed through the qualitative method of content analysis. Results showed that, while trainees may have perceived that they gained tremendous benefits through exposure to the experiential group, an analysis of their interaction patterns highlighted certain areas which can be considered problematic. For example, it was found that trainees did not have a theoretical understanding of group process and group dynamics, and were therefore, not equipped with the necessary skills required to facilitate groups. This is further substantiated by the finding that the group facilitator had a pervasive influence on the development of the individual trainee and on the development of the group as a whole. Furthermore, results obtained raised certain concerns regarding the suitability and adequacy of using an experiential group as a tool for training, in group psychotherapy. The research findings suggest that, while the experiential group may provide the trainee with an invaluable experience, it alone is insufficient as a training method, in group psychotherapy. This study also raises questions about the ethics of such a training program in its current form. One of the major conclusions of this investigation is that there is a need for ongoing research and evaluation of the training programs. Finally, recommendations are made for improving the group psychotherapy training experience. These recommendations are based on the evaluation of the trainees' subjective experiences / Psychology / (M.A.(Clinical Psychology))

This study investigated the relationship between leadership style and group processes and dynamics with due consideration of the role of related systems in the context of organisational change. The theoretical assumptions and practical implications of the full range model of leadership were discussed. This model emphasises the transactional-transformational paradigm. In addition, approaches to studying and working with groups were covered, focusing specifically on group processes and group dynamics. In the case of the latter, the systems psychodynamic perspective was emphasised. The present study was conducted in a plant of a South African production organisation that had been experiencing transformation. An intervention was done at management level to identify behavioural and operational issues and to sensitise the members of the management team in terms of individual and group functioning. The conceptualisation of leadership styles in terms of the full range model of leadership was largely supported by means of associations with certain personality traits and behaviours. The latter also provided a profile of desired characteristics, especially in terms of interpersonal styles and work and social ethics. The theory on group processes and dynamics was used to explore group and organisational functioning. The context of change and the related insecurity resulted in efforts to deal with anxiety by means of excessive reliance on structure. Centralised leadership and a dynamic of control and dependency characterised all levels of the organisation. Cooperation in an interdependent manner was therefore problematic and there was also a struggle in terms of interrelatedness in and between systems. The unconscious defence strategy was related to the general reliance on transactional behaviours and the lack of authorisation of leadership in terms of transformational behaviours. Despite the successful application of theory in the present study and the contribution made by the results, it was concluded that the uniqueness and the realities of each situation need to be explored and provided for, and a system should be allowed to determine the progression in the system. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Para uma comparação intercultural das influências do contexto sobre a codificação de etnia, duas variações do Protocolo de Confusão de Memória (PCM) foram aplicadas em brasileiros. Ambas as variações consistem em uma exibição de slides de uma discussão entre duas equipes esportivas rivais, com membros negros e brancos em ambos os times, em duas condições: Controle (times com roupas de cores idênticas) e Experimental (times com roupas de cores distintas). As variações são: Traduzida, com fotos de jogadores de basquete usadas no experimento original e diálogo traduzido; e Adaptada, com fotos de brasileiros com camisetas de futebol e com o diálogo reelaborado visando consistência com o esporte. O estudo foi dividido em três fases: (I) exposição de 84 participantes, do estado de São Paulo ao PCM Traduzido (II) exposição de 569 participantes em sete estados brasileiros (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP) ao PCM Traduzido (III) exposição de 77 participantes do estado de São Paulo ao PCM Adaptado. Na Fase I, a codificação etnia acompanhou o aumento da intensidade da codificação de coalizão (condição experimental), em contraposição ao experimento original (Kurzban et al., 2001). Na Fase II, a codificação de etnia diminuiu de intensidade quando a codificação de coalizão aumentou, em taxa similar à da aplicação original, mas a codificação de coalizão manteve taxa mais baixa, em ambas as condições, em relação aos dados originais. Na Fase III os resultados em ambas as dimensões foram análogos aos da aplicação original. O conjunto de dados reforça a teoria da universalidade do módulo de codificação de coalizão e que a codificação de etnia seja subproduto deste. Também refletem a importância de uma adaptação cuidadosa em estudos interculturais. / For a cross-cultural comparison of context influences in ethnicity encoding, two variations of the Memory Confusion Protocol (MCP) were applied on Brazilians. Both variations consist in a slide-show exposition of a discussion between two rival teams, with black and white players on both sides, in two forms: Control (teams with identical grey colour) and Experimental (teams with different colours). The two variations were: Translated Only, with photographs of basketball players used in the original experiment, and the respective translated dialog; and Adapted, with photographs of Brazilian models with soccer uniforms and a re-elaborated dialog, more fitting to this sport. The research was divided, then, in three different phases: (I) a 84 participants experiment with the Translated MCP, in the state of São Paulo (II) a 569 participants experiment with the Translated MCP, in seven different Brazilian states (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP); and (III) a 77 participants experiment with the Adapted MCP, in the state of São Paulo. In Phase I, the ethnicity encoding, contrary to the original experiment (Kurzban et al., 2001), accompanied the intensity grown of the coalition encoding. In Phase II ethnicity encoding lowered in intensity during a the raise of intensity of coalition encoding, but coalition encoding kept a lower intensity, in both conditions, if compared to the original experiment coalition encoding rates. In Phase III, the results of both dimensions are analogue to those of the Kurzban et al., 2001 experiment. The data obtained strengthens the theory of a universal coalition encoding module, and encoding ethnicity as a byproduct of it. The data also reveals the importance of a carefully planned adaptation in order to run cross-cultural studies.

Duas visões diferentes podem ser identificadas na literatura sobre codificação de raça no processo de formação de primeiras impressões (categorização social): 1) A codificação de raça é um processo automático, inevitável e obrigatório; 2) é um processo dependente do contexto, que diminui com a explicitação de pistas visuais indicativas da afiliação a grupos, mostrando que a codificação de raça não é obrigatória. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi: medir a codificação de coalizão e raça e seus efeitos na presença e ausência de pistas visuais de coalizão, confrontar o desempenho de uma amostra brasileira com uma amostra norte-americana e comparar os resultados de homens e mulheres. No primeiro estudo, foi usado o protocolo de confusão de memória, uma medida discreta para revelar quais dimensões os participantes estão categorizando dos indivíduos-alvo. Através deste protocolo, 569 participantes de sete estados brasileiros (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP), 280 homens e 289 mulheres de 17 a 58 anos, foram expostos a uma situação experimental de rivalidade entre dois times em duas condições distintas: pista visual de coalizão presente (camisetas com cores diferentes para cada time) versus ausente (camisetas com cores iguais para os dois times). Foi encontrado que a codificação de coalizão aumentou e de raça diminuiu quando pistas visuais de coalizão foram amplificadas. Esses resultados são semelhantes aos obtidos na amostra norte-americana. Além disso, encontramos, de maneira geral, semelhança entre o desempenho de homens e mulheres, mas uma sutil diferença na condição onde todos os jogadores vestiam camisetas com cores iguais. Adicionalmente, foi realizado um estudo avaliando características atribuídas por juízes aos indivíduos-alvo do primeiro estudo. Verificamos que o indivíduo-alvo mais escolhido pelos homens no primeiro estudo foi julgado como o mais forte no segundo, enquanto o avaliado como mais rico e bem-sucedido tendeu a ser mais escolhido pelas mulheres quando todos os jogadores vestiam camisetas da mesma cor. Os resultados gerais sugerem a universalidade do mecanismo de detecção de coalizões e alianças, que codificação de raça pode ser um subproduto da psicologia da coalizão e que diferenças intersexuais na codificação de informações ambientais podem ter evoluído a partir de diferentes pressões evolutivas relacionadas às dinâmicas da seleção sexual. / Two different perspectives could be identified in literature about race encoding in the formation of first impressions (social categorization): 1) race encoding is an automatic, inevitable and mandatory process. 2) race encoding is a context-dependent process which decreases with the amplification of visual cues indicating group affiliation. The objective of this work was to measure the coalition and race codification and their effects in the presence and absence of coalition visual cues, to compare the results of the Brazilian sample with a North American sample, and to compare the results of men and women. In the first study, the memory confusion protocol - an unobtrusive measure developed to investigate how people use the features of others as a basis of social categorization - was used to assess encoding. 569 participants from seven different states (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP), 280 males and 289 females, between 17 to 58 years old, were exposed to an experimental context of rivalry between two teams in two different conditions: shared visual appearance (each team wore jerseys of different colors) versus absence of shared visual appearance (all individuals were wearing jerseys of same color). We found that coalition encoding increased and race encoding decreased when visual cues of coalition were amplified, which implies that race encoding is not an inevitable and mandatory process. These results are generally similar with the North-American findings. Moreover, we found, in general, resemblance in men and women performances, but a slight difference in the conditions where all individuals were wearing jerseys of same color. Additionally, another study was conducted to assess features of the experimental models attributed by judges. We verified that the model chosen more by men was judged as the strongest, and the model tended to be chosen more by women was judged as the richest and well succeed, when all models were wearing jerseys of same color. The general results suggest the universality of the detecting alliance and coalitions mechanism; that the encoding by race could be a byproduct of coalitional psychology, and sexual difference in the codification of environmental informations could have evolved by sexual selection.

Para uma comparação intercultural das influências do contexto sobre a codificação de etnia, duas variações do Protocolo de Confusão de Memória (PCM) foram aplicadas em brasileiros. Ambas as variações consistem em uma exibição de slides de uma discussão entre duas equipes esportivas rivais, com membros negros e brancos em ambos os times, em duas condições: Controle (times com roupas de cores idênticas) e Experimental (times com roupas de cores distintas). As variações são: Traduzida, com fotos de jogadores de basquete usadas no experimento original e diálogo traduzido; e Adaptada, com fotos de brasileiros com camisetas de futebol e com o diálogo reelaborado visando consistência com o esporte. O estudo foi dividido em três fases: (I) exposição de 84 participantes, do estado de São Paulo ao PCM Traduzido (II) exposição de 569 participantes em sete estados brasileiros (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP) ao PCM Traduzido (III) exposição de 77 participantes do estado de São Paulo ao PCM Adaptado. Na Fase I, a codificação etnia acompanhou o aumento da intensidade da codificação de coalizão (condição experimental), em contraposição ao experimento original (Kurzban et al., 2001). Na Fase II, a codificação de etnia diminuiu de intensidade quando a codificação de coalizão aumentou, em taxa similar à da aplicação original, mas a codificação de coalizão manteve taxa mais baixa, em ambas as condições, em relação aos dados originais. Na Fase III os resultados em ambas as dimensões foram análogos aos da aplicação original. O conjunto de dados reforça a teoria da universalidade do módulo de codificação de coalizão e que a codificação de etnia seja subproduto deste. Também refletem a importância de uma adaptação cuidadosa em estudos interculturais. / For a cross-cultural comparison of context influences in ethnicity encoding, two variations of the Memory Confusion Protocol (MCP) were applied on Brazilians. Both variations consist in a slide-show exposition of a discussion between two rival teams, with black and white players on both sides, in two forms: Control (teams with identical grey colour) and Experimental (teams with different colours). The two variations were: Translated Only, with photographs of basketball players used in the original experiment, and the respective translated dialog; and Adapted, with photographs of Brazilian models with soccer uniforms and a re-elaborated dialog, more fitting to this sport. The research was divided, then, in three different phases: (I) a 84 participants experiment with the Translated MCP, in the state of São Paulo (II) a 569 participants experiment with the Translated MCP, in seven different Brazilian states (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP); and (III) a 77 participants experiment with the Adapted MCP, in the state of São Paulo. In Phase I, the ethnicity encoding, contrary to the original experiment (Kurzban et al., 2001), accompanied the intensity grown of the coalition encoding. In Phase II ethnicity encoding lowered in intensity during a the raise of intensity of coalition encoding, but coalition encoding kept a lower intensity, in both conditions, if compared to the original experiment coalition encoding rates. In Phase III, the results of both dimensions are analogue to those of the Kurzban et al., 2001 experiment. The data obtained strengthens the theory of a universal coalition encoding module, and encoding ethnicity as a byproduct of it. The data also reveals the importance of a carefully planned adaptation in order to run cross-cultural studies.

Ma Man-sze = 香港中學女子籃球隊團隊凝聚力與教練訓練模式之研究 / 馬汶詩. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-116). / Text in English; abstracts in English and Chinese. / Ma Man-sze = Xianggang zhong xue nü zi lan qiu dui tuan dui ning ju li yu jiao lian xun lian mo shi zhi yan jiu / Ma Wenshi. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / List of Tables --- p.ix / List of Figures --- p.x / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- Introduction --- p.1 / Background --- p.1 / Purpose of the Study --- p.5 / Definition of Terms --- p.6 / Delimitations --- p.6 / Limitations --- p.6 / Significance of the Study --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- Review of Literature --- p.8 / Different Definitions of Group --- p.8 / Sport and Exercise Group Dynamics Models --- p.10 / Group Cohesion in Sport Context --- p.12 / Relationship between Performance and Cohesion --- p.13 / Other Outcomes --- p.17 / Carroll's Conceptual Model --- p.18 / Situational Factors --- p.19 / Contractual Responsibilities --- p.19 / Size of Team --- p.20 / Personal Factors --- p.20 / Gender --- p.20 / Adherence Behavior --- p.21 / Team Factors --- p.21 / Group Norms --- p.21 / Collective Efficacy --- p.22 / Leadership Factors --- p.23 / Leadership Behavior --- p.23 / Decision Style --- p.23 / Leadership --- p.28 / Studies on Coaching Leadership in Sport --- p.29 / The Multidimensional Model of Leadership --- p.31 / Required Leader Behavior --- p.31 / Leader Behavior Preferred by the Athlete --- p.31 / Actual Leader Behavior --- p.31 / Performance and Satisfaction --- p.31 / Situational CharacteristicśؤCulture --- p.32 / Philosophical Background of Chinese Society --- p.34 / Propriety (Li) --- p.35 / Filial Piety (Xiao) --- p.35 / Importance of Family in Chinese Society --- p.36 / Cultural Difference between Western and Chinese Society --- p.37 / Individualism Vs Collectivism --- p.37 / Cross-Cultural Studies --- p.38 / Personality --- p.38 / Intergenerational Communication --- p.39 / Conflict-Handling Behavior --- p.40 / Communication Style --- p.41 / Business Organization --- p.42 / Leadership --- p.44 / Leader characteristicśؤGender --- p.46 / Gender Roles --- p.47 / Role Conflicts --- p.50 / Summary --- p.53 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- Method --- p.55 / Participants --- p.55 / Instrumentation --- p.55 / Demographic Information --- p.55 / Measuring Group Cohesion --- p.56 / Measuring Perceived and Preferred Coaching Behavior --- p.57 / Measuring Team Success --- p.59 / Procedures --- p.59 / Statistical Analysis --- p.60 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- Results --- p.61 / Preferred Coaching Behavior of Players' --- p.61 / Relationship of Coaching Behavior and Group Cohesion --- p.62 / Differences in Cohesion between Winning and Losing Teams Across Season --- p.64 / Gender Difference in the Perceived Behavior Across Season --- p.65 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- Discussion --- p.66 / Overall Preferred Coaching Behavior --- p.66 / Relationships between Perceived Coaching Behavior and Group Cohesion Across Season --- p.69 / Individual Attractions to Group-Task (ATG-T) --- p.69 / Individual Attractions to Group-Social (ATG-S) --- p.73 / Group Integration-Task (GI-T) --- p.75 / Group Integration-Social (GI-S) --- p.78 / Differences in Group Cohesion between Winning and Losing Teams Across Season --- p.80 / Gender Differences in Perceived Coaching Behavior Across Season --- p.84 / Summary and Conclusion --- p.87 / Limitations and Recommendations --- p.89 / References --- p.92 / Appendix A --- p.117 / Appendix B --- p.118 / Appendix C --- p.119 / Appendix D --- p.122 / Appendix E --- p.126 / Appendix F --- p.130 / Appendix G --- p.131 / Appendix H --- p.132 / Appendix I --- p.133 / Appendix J --- p.135 / Appendix K --- p.137

Duas visões diferentes podem ser identificadas na literatura sobre codificação de raça no processo de formação de primeiras impressões (categorização social): 1) A codificação de raça é um processo automático, inevitável e obrigatório; 2) é um processo dependente do contexto, que diminui com a explicitação de pistas visuais indicativas da afiliação a grupos, mostrando que a codificação de raça não é obrigatória. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi: medir a codificação de coalizão e raça e seus efeitos na presença e ausência de pistas visuais de coalizão, confrontar o desempenho de uma amostra brasileira com uma amostra norte-americana e comparar os resultados de homens e mulheres. No primeiro estudo, foi usado o protocolo de confusão de memória, uma medida discreta para revelar quais dimensões os participantes estão categorizando dos indivíduos-alvo. Através deste protocolo, 569 participantes de sete estados brasileiros (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP), 280 homens e 289 mulheres de 17 a 58 anos, foram expostos a uma situação experimental de rivalidade entre dois times em duas condições distintas: pista visual de coalizão presente (camisetas com cores diferentes para cada time) versus ausente (camisetas com cores iguais para os dois times). Foi encontrado que a codificação de coalizão aumentou e de raça diminuiu quando pistas visuais de coalizão foram amplificadas. Esses resultados são semelhantes aos obtidos na amostra norte-americana. Além disso, encontramos, de maneira geral, semelhança entre o desempenho de homens e mulheres, mas uma sutil diferença na condição onde todos os jogadores vestiam camisetas com cores iguais. Adicionalmente, foi realizado um estudo avaliando características atribuídas por juízes aos indivíduos-alvo do primeiro estudo. Verificamos que o indivíduo-alvo mais escolhido pelos homens no primeiro estudo foi julgado como o mais forte no segundo, enquanto o avaliado como mais rico e bem-sucedido tendeu a ser mais escolhido pelas mulheres quando todos os jogadores vestiam camisetas da mesma cor. Os resultados gerais sugerem a universalidade do mecanismo de detecção de coalizões e alianças, que codificação de raça pode ser um subproduto da psicologia da coalizão e que diferenças intersexuais na codificação de informações ambientais podem ter evoluído a partir de diferentes pressões evolutivas relacionadas às dinâmicas da seleção sexual. / Two different perspectives could be identified in literature about race encoding in the formation of first impressions (social categorization): 1) race encoding is an automatic, inevitable and mandatory process. 2) race encoding is a context-dependent process which decreases with the amplification of visual cues indicating group affiliation. The objective of this work was to measure the coalition and race codification and their effects in the presence and absence of coalition visual cues, to compare the results of the Brazilian sample with a North American sample, and to compare the results of men and women. In the first study, the memory confusion protocol - an unobtrusive measure developed to investigate how people use the features of others as a basis of social categorization - was used to assess encoding. 569 participants from seven different states (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP), 280 males and 289 females, between 17 to 58 years old, were exposed to an experimental context of rivalry between two teams in two different conditions: shared visual appearance (each team wore jerseys of different colors) versus absence of shared visual appearance (all individuals were wearing jerseys of same color). We found that coalition encoding increased and race encoding decreased when visual cues of coalition were amplified, which implies that race encoding is not an inevitable and mandatory process. These results are generally similar with the North-American findings. Moreover, we found, in general, resemblance in men and women performances, but a slight difference in the conditions where all individuals were wearing jerseys of same color. Additionally, another study was conducted to assess features of the experimental models attributed by judges. We verified that the model chosen more by men was judged as the strongest, and the model tended to be chosen more by women was judged as the richest and well succeed, when all models were wearing jerseys of same color. The general results suggest the universality of the detecting alliance and coalitions mechanism; that the encoding by race could be a byproduct of coalitional psychology, and sexual difference in the codification of environmental informations could have evolved by sexual selection.

Au cours des années 2010, les « classes moyennes africaines » sont progressivement devenues une référence catégorielle des sphères économiques et politiques internationales. La catégorie, associée systématiquement à des corrélations positives non validées de développement économique et politique, fait l'objet de divers travaux d'identification et de typification de la part d'acteurs extérieurs (organisations internationales de développement, cabinets de conseil en investissement, etc.). Si ces derniers n'hésitent pas à affirmer l'émergence de « classes moyennes africaines », nous ne pouvons que souligner le caractère incantatoire de telles affirmations, qui relèvent plus d'un « jeu de fabricants » visant à dessiner un monde en « émergence » que de validations empiriques probantes.Ce travail de thèse se base sur un pari : user d’une affectation catégorielle particulièrement incertaine « classes moyennes africaines » afin d’élaborer une méthodologie permettant d’identifier des mutations sociales structurelles sous-jacentes en Éthiopie. Par une étude empirique de l'espace social intermédiaire d'Addis-Abeba, il s'agit de soumettre ces mutations à analyse pour en comprendre les fondements, les formes et processus de constitution et les impacts potentiels sur la société et le politique du pays / Since the year 2010, the term “African Middle Classes” has increasingly become a categorical reference in the international economic and political arena. This category, which has systematically been associated with a positive but unverified correlation of economic and political development, represents the object of diverse identification and typification projects by external actors (such as international development organizations, investment consultancy firms etc.). While the latter do not hesitate to affirm the emergence of the phenomenon of “African Middle Classes”, we cannot but underline the incantatory character of these affirmations. The emergence is more linked to a “producers’ game”, inclined to sketch out an « emerging world », than to empirical evidence.This doctoral research is based on the challenging task of using the particularly elusive and projected category of the « African Middle Classes » to develop a methodology that helps to identify the structural social changes that are shaping Ethiopia nowadays. Grounded in an empirical case study of the intermediate social space in Addis Ababa, this work aims to analyse the foundations, forms and construction processes, as well as the potential impact that these changes have on the Ethiopian society and the political system