This study outlines the use of a digital archive (a data set of staged HIV stigma photographs which were taken by Grade 8 and 9 learners) with educators in two rural schools in KwaZulu-Natal, exploring their views on using it in their teaching to address HIV and AIDS-related stigma. It responds to the need for creative and participatory methods in addressing HIV and AIDS. A qualitative, interpretive, exploratory and contextual design, using community-based participatory research methodology, was used to explore the digital archive, identify, and try out ways in which it could be used in addressing the pandemic. Data was generated using ICT-based focus group interviews involving fourteen male and female educators from two schools some - who have been participating in HIV research projects. I draw on a psycho-social framework within the ecosystemic approach, the values of community psychology and research as social change. A digital archive has potential for communication and transferring information, especially in a rural area. It also shows potential to get both females and males to work together in addressing HIV-related stigma, hence reducing the gendered skewness of this pandemic. From the educators‟ responses to using the digital archive, themes emerged around working with the content of the archive, using the archive for teaching and learning, using the archive for engaging with stigma in the school and for change in the community. The findings suggest that the use of a digital archive in a rural context can enable educators to access and share digital material, which is locally produced, relevant and realistic, to address HIV-related stigma in the school. The tool in use can facilitate community participation and be used to deepen the understanding about HIV and HIV and AIDS-related stigma to a level that has impact on individual behaviour and ultimately on the community. Despite the potential there are still challenges such as lack of access to infrastructure, literacy, and relevant content. This work is exploratory and encourages further work to explore the implications and the trends on the use of a digital archive in other school settings. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Syftet med denna studie är att förstå och analysera hur anställda upplever sinverksamhet och anställning på ett företag i alkoholbranschen, vilket även kallas förDirty Work. Vi vill även studera de anställdas uppfattningar om företaget och hur HR-avdelningen kan arbeta mot de anställda. För att få svar på syftet och frågeställningarna genomfördes fokusgruppsintervjuer bland anställda på det studerade företaget. Resultaten visar att de anställda uppfattar sin anställning som vilket jobb som helst och känslan att arbeta för ett företag inom alkoholbranschen är positiv. Den känslan och normaliseringen av branschen skiljer sig från den forskning som finns sedan tidigare och har troligen sin grund i samhällets förändrade syn på alkohol.För HR-avdelningen är det viktigt med intern kommunikation om branschens påverkan i samhället för att ge anställda verktyg för att skapa en ökad arbetstillfredsställelse och kunna försvara den potentiella stigmatisering som föreligger i arbetet.

Uppsatsens huvudsakliga syfte är att skapa en djupare förståelse för upplevt utanförskap i missbruk. Uppsatsens teoretiska utgångspunkter är Erving Goffmans resonemang kring stigmatieringsprocesser och strategier för att hantera det upplevda stigmat, samt Howard S. Beckers diskussion kring olika former av avvikelse. Den tidigare forskningen som finns inom missbruk är omfattande men de teman som främst ansetts vara relevanta för den här uppsatsen har varit de som berör stigma eller som använder sig av intervjuer. Sammanfattningsvis verkar det som om det finns en stigmatisering av människor med missbruk men oftast är de som intervjuas personer som arbetar med människor med missbruk och det är något ovanligt att missbrukare själva får komma till tals, vilket har varit viktigt i den här studien. Angreppssättet som valts för att besvara frågeställningen är ostrukturerade intervjuer med åtta män med erfarenheter av missbruk. Uppsatsen slutsats är att deltagarna upplever ett utanförskap som går att koppla till Goffman och Beckers teorier. Ett exempel på det är deltagare som berättar hur de har försökt hantera sitt upplevda utanförskap genom att dölja sitt stigma, missbruket. Dock verkar det upplevda utanförskapet finnas för deltagarna innan deras missbruk samt finnas kvar i drogfriheten. Förslag på vidare forskning är att undersöka det upplevda utanförskapets orsaker samt hur det hanteras i drogfriheten.

Suvokto stigmatizavimo problema SANTRAUKA Suvoktas stigmatizavimas – tai yra baimė būti diskriminuojamu, atstumtu. Jis trukdo įvairių stigmatizuojamų grupių žmonėms pilnavertiškai funkcionuoti visuomenėje, kas verčia juos trauktis nuo kitų bei apriboja jų galimybes siekti aukštesnių tikslų. Mokslininkai tik neseniai pradėjo tirti šį reiškinį tarp sergančių įvairiomis ligomis žmonių. Pastaruoju metu vis daugiau dėmesio skiriama įvairiomis psichikos ligomis sergančių žmonių stigmatizavimui ir jo poveikiui žmogui. Atskirą problemą sudaro priklausomų nuo alkoholio žmonių stigmatizavimas, kurie nepaisant to, kad gana seniai alkoholizmas pripažintas chroniška liga, kuriai kaip ir kitoms chroniškoms ligoms būdingi atkryčiai, vis dar laikomi bevaliais, savo norams pataikaujaučiais žmonėmis, kurie patys kalti dėl to, kad jie tokiais tapo. Vis dėlto yra daugybė veiksnių, sąlygojančių ligos atsiradimą, ir vienareikšmiškai šios ligos paliesus žmones vertinti negalima. Tyrimų, skirtų šios tikslinės grupės suvoktam stigmatizavimui, nėra daug, todėl atsižvelgiant į jų trūkumą, šiame darbe siekiama nustatyti, koks yra suvokto stigmatizavimo laipsnis tarp skirtingą laiką esančių blaivių priklausomų nuo alkoholio žmonių. Taip pat aiškintasi, koks ryšys yra tarp suvokto stigmatizavimo ir stigmos įveikos būdų bei savęs vertinimo. Duomenys padėtų praturtinti esamas žinias apie suvoktą stigmatizavimą bei numatyti tolimesnius veiksnius. Atliktame tyrime dalyvavo 109 priklausomi nuo alkoholio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Problem of Perceived Stigmatization SUMMARY The perceived stigmatization is a fear to be discriminated, marginalized. It disturbs for the people of the different stigmatizated groups to full-fledged function in the environment, this enforces them to retreat from the others and limit their possibilities to reach highest goals. Scientists recently start to research this phenomenon among people with different diseases. Lately more and more attention is paid on stigmatization of the people with different mental disorders and it influence on the person. The single problem is the stigmatization of the alcohol-dependent people, who still are considered as milk-and-water, persons, who pander to their wishes, who are guilty themselves that they are such persons, nevertheless, that alcoholism is established as a chronicle disease away back. However there are a lot of factors, that influence uprise of the disease and the people affected by this disease could not be estimated unambiguously. There are not a lot of researches about this purposive group perceived stigmatization, so considering this in this term paper is pursuing to determine, what is the degree of perceived stigmatization between alcohol-dependent persons who are sober for the different time. Also, it was trying to explain, what is the relationship between perceived stigmatization, the ways to coping stigma and self-esteem. The data would help to enrich the existing knowledges about perceived stigmatization and provide the... [to full text]

This study examined the effect of varying levels of competence and warmth portrayed by an obese woman, on the evaluation of obese individuals in general. The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) provided a theoretical basis for the four interventions and one control group tested in this study. The interventions involved presenting, either online or in-person, a vignette of an obese woman with varying levels (high versus low) of competence and warmth to 400 first year university students. Several measures were used to evaluate feelings, attitudes, stereotypes, and levels of perceived competence and warmth both prior to receiving the intervention and at three follow-up times. Results revealed significant effects of the warmth intervention on measures of competence and warmth at the post-test 1 time, and of the warmth intervention on measures of competence in examining changes over a two-week time period. Results also showed significant effects of presentation condition, the most interesting finding being that those in the online condition reported the greatest decrease in negative stereotypes and evaluations. Limitations of this study including design flaws are identified, as are suggestions for future research, and implications of these findings.

Background: Obesity is associated with conditions that may affect Canadians’ health status and strain the health care system. Obese individuals are subjected to stigmatization. Most public health programs to date promote weight loss. However, weight loss is rarely sustainable. Insight must be gained into the embodied, lived experiences and lifestyles of ‘target’ populations and their perceptions of and priorities concerning health and wellbeing to develop public health programs that enhance lifestyles and health. Purpose: The purpose of my research was to use critical ethnographic research methods to explore obese individuals’ perceptions of health and obesity and the impact of these assessments, as well as personal weight trajectories, on obese individuals’ health perceptions, lifestyles, quality-of-life, and behaviours. Methods: This study involved one- year ethnography. Data sources included field notes and repeated (every 3-4 months), audio-taped, semi-structured, qualitative interviews with research participants. Subsamples included obese and formerly obese individuals who were 1) pursuing weight loss to achieve health goals, 2) attempting to maintain weight loss, and 3) attempting to get/stay healthy through diet and exercise but were not concerned with weight loss. Participant observation occurred at sites identified by participants as essential to their embodied, lived experience. Results: Three major themes emerged: the importance of function to health and quality-of-life; compulsion, addiction, and the need for validation; and social impacts of various weight trajectories and perspectives. Participants recounted multiple ways in which their ever-fluctuating bodies and related bodily attitudes profoundly affected their social lives and the degree of social acceptance they experienced in coping with their bodies, participants often described highly compulsive food, dieting, and fitness behaviours and a constant search for validation of their health-related endeavours. Significance: The dominant discourse regards obese individuals as ill. This perspective may produce disempowering public health initiatives. To achieve sustainable benefits for Canadians’ quality-of-life, a greater understanding of what constitutes health and wellbeing for obese individuals, and how such factors may change over time and differing circumstances, is essential. This insight will contribute to a salutogenic and holistic approach to health, particularly in populations that may feel stigmatized as a result of health issues.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 1985. / C.2 missing. Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

No description available.