Hermans’ (2002) Dialogical model of Self advocates for a construction of Self that is fluid, diverse and dialogically constructed. He argues that development of ongoing dialogues from within and without the Self constitute the Self. These parts of Self that participate in this internal dialogue are referred to by Hermans (2002) as I-positions. Healthy, dynamic internal dialogue between I-positions is argued to contribute to maintaining a unified sense of Self. The Self is also argued to be socially constructed, in so far as Others outside the Self participate in these internal dialogues and are able to influence and occupy I-positions. Research has shown that people with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia experience a unique form of Self disruption. It has been postulated that this disruption is due to disruptions in this internal dialogue. To date, seminal research has primarily focussed on the internal mechanisms and phenomenological accounts of these disruptions. However, little research has focused on the role that Others outside the Self play in these disruptions. Since the Self is also constructed as a social entity, the aim of this research is to explore in what ways the Other contributes and/or minimises this disruption in people with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia. In order to achieve this, I made use of archival data which was made up of the transcripts from semi-structured interviews previously conducted with people with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia as part of a Self and Schizophrenia study. The interviews were analysed using deductive thematic analysis, and utilised Herman’s theory of the Dialogical Self as the theoretical lens for this study. The emergent themes were organised according to those that were present before a diagnosis of Schizophrenia was given and those themes that were present post-diagnosis. The themes reflected that the Other plays a significant role in the both the maintenance of healthy dialogue post diagnosis and well as in the disruption of dialogue. This disruption was primarily observed throughthecompromising of previous I-positions and in the development of new performative and deficit I-positions that contributed to the disruption in internal dialogue.

Previous research concerned with self-other expectations has suggested that an individual's expectations can be based on two types of information. In a task-oriented group, information about prior performance behavior can lead to self-other expectations as can information regarding status differences. Within the conditions of the theory, these information types are defined as specific and diffuse characteristics respectively. It has been demonstrated that when an individual's expectations are contradicted there is a tendency for him to resist changing his expectations. In this paper it is proposed that expectations based on diffuse characteristics are more resistant to change than expectations based on specific characteristics. An experiment is conducted to examine what happens when each expectation type is contradicted. The results are not supportive, they indicate that expectations based on specific characteristics take longer to change than expectations based on diffuse characteristics. Suggestions are then made for a redevelopment of the theoretical structure. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

The hypothesis that expectations of disclosure and a consequent gain or loss in esteem from another would determine reactions to initially positive or negative evaluations congruent or incongruent with self-evaluation was tested. Subjects experienced success or failure at problem-solving and then received congruent or incongruent evaluations from others when disclosure of performance was either inevitable or impossible. Predictions that subjects anticipating disclosure and subsequent gains and losses of esteem would exhibit a consistency effect while those safe from the consequences of disclosure would show approval seeking behavior received no clear-cut support. Possible factors involved in the study's failure to support the hypotheses were discussed. The study also tested the hypothesis that ratings of the evaluator on some scales would reflect only the positive or negative nature of the note received while others would require consideration of consistency between self and other evaluation. Results offered some support for this hypothesis and justified the recommendation that future research give priority to development of measures to reliably and validly detect interaction effects. Examination of direct and indirect ratings of the note-sender implied that ability relevance, rather than directness, may account for observed discrepancies between direct and indirect ratings. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

This exploratory study, using the Critical Incident Technique (Flanagan, 1954), examined what enhances or detracts from adult self-esteem. A sample of 13 females and 7 males, ages 24 - 49, from a small urban church were selected as a study group from a normal adult population. Critical Incident interviews, lasting one and a half hours, resulted in 113 incidents. Subjects also completed a form recording age, sex, marital status and also completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. These data were used to compare subject characteristics to categories formed from the critical incidents. From the incidents, five basic categories were formed: Confirmation by Others, Overcoming Deficits, Acceptance by Others, Sense of Mutuality and Sense of Achievement. Categories contained 16 to 27 incidents each and each category was contributed to by at least 50% of the subjects. These categories demonstrated an acceptable level of interjudge reliability. Comparison between the investigator and a colleague in categorizing 50 incidents resulted in 92% agreement. Secondary examination between subject characteristics and categories indicated that the majority of data came from 30 to 36 year-olds and that no low self-esteem subjects were represented in the study. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

In the 'Appendix' to the Treatise of Human Nature (1.) David Hume asserts that he has been unable to explain the principles which can adequately account for the unity and the identity of the self. There exists in Book I of the Treatise, a principle, which can in fact account for the unity and identity of the self. Hume utilizes the principle in his explication of our belief in the continued and independent existence of a material world. He did not, however, utilize the principle in his explanation of the unity and identity of the self. In the Introduction I indicate what the principle asserts and precisely how Hume utilizes it. In chapter one I examine Hume's concept of identity with a view towards clarifying some puzzles which arise in his account. Also in this chapter I point out how his explanation of the manner in which identity is predicated of a multiplicity can be improved. Both the Introduction and chapter one prepare the way for a clear statement of the manner in which identity is predicated of the self in chapter two. I show furthermore, how an impression of the self is possible upon the principles of Book I. (1.) All references to the Treatise are to the L.A. Selby-Bigge edition, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1955. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

A manuscript containing poems that examine the known world and the individual's place within the context of personal and collective history, including but not limited to: domicile, partnership, familial similarity and incongruity, social determinates and structure, personal development and disassembly, anxiety, and the varied ways in which the mind navigates and responds to these particular realms. The poems explore placement and displacement. The speaker is straddled between what he perceives to be disparate landscapes and the difficulty of reconciling his thoughts and actions in both, an effort to define (or approach definition) of what it fundamentally means to be: accounted for, loved, wanted - terrified, ecstatic, confused. The poems investigate an internal determination to engage with and navigate the self with regard to where the speaker has come from and those familial attributes and relational structures that influence and haunt him.

No description available.

No description available.

Background: People with intellectual disability are generally not consulted in the development of public policies which impact on their lives. This study focuses on the development of a conceptual framework to support self-advocacy by people with intellectual disability for the inclusion of their priorities in social and health-related policy in South Africa. The study was informed by empowerment theory, with the integration of the concept of Ubuntu. Method: The study design was qualitative and was underpinned by the hermeneutic phenomenological approach. This approach allowed the researcher to understand lived experiences of the research participants in order to gain deeper insights regarding core elements of a conceptual framework for self-advocacy through interpreting their views on how they understand those experiences. Data were collected through a scoping review, semi structured interviews and focus groups. Twenty-five participants were sampled for this study; 10 participants were policy makers and service managers, five were self-advocates with intellectual disability, five supporters of people with intellectual disability and five parents/carers of people with intellectual disability. Sampling in this study was purposeful, policy makers, service providers, supporters and parents were purposefully sampled to participate in the study. Snowballing was used to identify participants with intellectual disability involved in advocacy groups in local Non-Profit Organisations. Data were analysed thematically, using ATLAS.ti. software. The framework approached guided the data analysis process. All data sources were triangulated to develop the conceptual framework for self-advocacy by people with intellectual disability. The development approaches used for three similar frameworks were considered in deriving a process to develop this study's conceptual framework. The first framework that focused on strengthening the participation of people with psychosocial disability and their caregiver's involvement in the National Institute for Mental Health England. The second framework was a self-advocacy framework by Test and colleagues, and the third was Cook's multi-cultural and social justice counselling competencies framework. Results: Data triangulation identified three core elements for self-advocacy, a) personal development, the main contention of this element being that in order for people with intellectual disability to self-advocate, self-development is essential to their participation in self-advocacy in policy processes; b) creating a supportive environment through the empowerment of people with intellectual disability – in order for people with intellectual disability to fully participate in self-advocacy they require empowerment through two main sub-elements: self-advocacy skills development and supported self-advocacy; and c) improved policy participation opportunities, this element focusing on the importance of concerted effort to ensure that there are policy participation opportunities which will permit inclusive participation of people with intellectual disability. Conclusion: A wholistic approach is needed to increase policy makers understanding of how best to empower people with intellectual disability to provide input to public policy decisions which can improve their quality of life

No description available.