Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

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.

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.

The unifying theme of the chapters presented in this thesis is how people who are not in paid work respond to the stigma of unemployment or the possibility of being regarded as (similar to the) unemployed. Although unemployment is a topic of continuing interdisciplinary interest, most of the extant psychological research has tended to focus on investigating those unemployed people who are officially registered as such. While such an approach is helpful, less research attention has been paid to the fact that there are many groups who are not in paid employment, such as stay-at-home mothers or students. There may be circumstances under which those people may be perceived as very similar to the unemployed. As a consequence, they may perceive a stigma of unemployment. In this thesis we develop this idea by conceptualising people who are not in paid employment in terms of their social identities. The primary goals of this thesis are twofold: first, to demonstrate that the stigma of unemployment not only impacts on the behaviour of registered unemployed people, but also on other people who are not in paid employment. Second, to demonstrate that people not in paid work respond to perceptions of stigma and the possibility of being seen as unemployed by using psychological strategies that are based on their group memberships. Therefore, this thesis investigates how social identification processes interact with perceptions of stigma to influence possible coping behaviour and well-being. In Chapter 1 we begin by reviewing the extant literature on unemployment and stigma. In Chapter 2 we introduce the social identity approach and illustrate how it can be applied to research on groups of people who are not in paid employment in a way that advances both fields. In Chapter 3 we develop the rationale of this thesis and outline a concept to investigate behaviour and responses of different kinds of people not in paid work. In Chapter 4 we present a survey study of unemployed people that supports the notion that they do perceive stigma impacting on their well-being. We present two experiments with university students in Chapter 5 aimed to investigate a threat of possible future unemployment. The findings demonstrate that future job prospects may impact on social identification with other students and well-being. In Chapter 6 we present two studies with stay-at-home mothers that provide evidence that stay-at-home mothers also perceive the stigma of unemployment, but cope with it in different ways than registered unemployed people and students. An experiment with stay-at-home mothers sought to investigate how an imposed unemployed identity affects their coping strategies and well-being. Both studies found support that an alternative identity of being a mother can be a powerful coping resource that is able to protect against negative effects of perceived stigma on well-being. Finally, in Chapter 7, we review and integrate our findings, discuss limitations, and consider theoretical and practical implications. In addition, we suggest new avenues for theoretical and practical work in the research fields of unemployment, stigma, and social identity. We conclude that, overall, the findings we present in this thesis point to the powerful role that stigmatisation and social identification processes can play in determining responses of people who are not in paid work.

M.A. / This study emerged from the apparent contradiction posed by the frequent occurrence of stigma and the prevalent concept of ‘living positively with HIV/AIDS’ in South Africa. It was anchored in the need and commitment to resolve this paradox. This study contributes to filling a relative dearth of research which explores this phenomenon. Fieldwork consisted of observation, group interviews and in-depth interviews at two public hospitals in the greater Johannesburg area. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs) experience stigma to differing extents in various contexts. In particular, PLHAs experience stigma in healthcare settings, from family, sexual partners and the community at large. Social identity is used in two significant ways as a defence mechanism against stigma in personal relationships. The first is to attempt to discredit stigmatising stereotypes as applied to the PLHA by emphasising how he/she is moral and valuable to those around HIV/her. By using this approach, termed ‘identity fixes’, the PLHA attempts to reduce the stigma which he/she is likely to experience in her/his social relationships. The second is to refuse to accept the ideology which underpins stigma. This denies that HIV/AIDS is an appropriate basis for stigma. The acceptance of this alternative ideology is marked by public disclosure. The goal of adopting this identity termed the ‘positive resistance identity’ is to challenge and oppose the stigma itself. / Prof. Tina Uys

Thesis (Ph.D.) in Psychology--University of Maine, 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-101).

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2008. / Psychology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-105). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M. Ed.) -- University of Alberta, 2009. / "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation and Cognition, Educational Psychology, University of Alberta. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on September 9, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.