The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) sought to promote healing and reconciliation, and thereby bring closure to a past era of oppression. The process of public testimony was assumed to provide for a revealing of the truth of the period, and to promote forgiveness thus enabling victims to heal from the traumas of the past. This qualitative study sought to explicate the subjective meaning of the experiences of victims who testified at the TRC. Data derived from transcripted open-ended interviews with twelve victims were analysed using an empirical-phenomenological method. The sample group of 12 volunteers comprised eight black females, two black males, one Indian male and one white female. The subjects were interviewed nine to eighteen months after they had testified as victims at the KwaZulu-Natal regional hearings of the TRC. The findings of this study challenge the one-dimensional assumption that testifying at the TRC would promote a therapeutic outcome for victims. Analysis of the data revealed that public testimony is a dialectic and interpersonally constituted phenomenon, which in certain circumstances may facilitate healing. Victims described symptoms of anticipatory anxiety, and typically experienced the opportunity to testify as an "approach-avoidance" phenomenon. The TRC was perceived with the potential either to bring closure to the past, or to re-open old wounds without meeting the raised expectations for justice to be served and reparations to be provided. Victims experienced secondary traumatisation as they testified and simultaneously bore witness to their painful life-stories. The circumstances for a therapeutic outcome emerged as those in which forgiveness could take place through hearing the confession of a perpetrator, or through dialogue with a significant other who could stand for the perpetrator. In either case, an acknowledgement of the truth was required as a co-constituted reality. The study concludes with a call for post-testimony psychological support for victims given the limited resources of the TRC to provide follow-up counselling services. / Thesis (DPhil (Psychotherapy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

In South Africa children are required to testify under oath or admonition. The shortcomings of the competency test are of particular relevance to children with developmental disabilities, since courts are not equipped to adequately assess the competency of these children to give evidence. One component of testimonial competency, namely the understanding of the concepts truth and lies, is overemphasised and is examined with questions that are developmentally inappropriate for child witnesses in general. For children with cognitive disabilities, such questions create barriers for participation in the truth-seeking process. Consequently, convictions have been set aside on appeal owing to procedural irregularities found in the implementation of this test. In the literature review on testimonial competency, attention was given to restrictions that specific developmental disabilities impose on the perceptual, cognitive, communication and moral development of children. Two of four components – narrative ability and moral capacity – were studied in a sample of 184 children in middle childhood. Participants’ ability to give coherent and detailed accounts of events, their understanding of the concepts truth, lies, promises and the oath, and the Lyon and Saywitz oath-taking competency test, were investigated. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis. Three groups were identified: those children with very limited, average or full testimonial competency. Their capacities were found to be related to maturation of cognitive functions and level of intellectual functioning. Participants were better able to demonstrate their understanding of truth and falsity by responding to the oathtaking test than giving verbal descriptions of these concepts. Whereas 1 percent of participants had a conceptual understanding of an oath, 15 percent understood the concept of a promise. Syncretism and confabulation compromised the narrative accounts of a substantial number of participants. Syncretism relates to immature narrative ability: correct details are combined in an illogical fashion. Confabulation refers to filling memory gaps with fabricated information. Guidelines on the competency determination of children with developmental disabilities were compiled. It is suggested that the competency examination be replaced by a formal, pre-trial competency assessment. The court should also receive expert evidence on how to facilitate meaningful participation when a child with sufficient testimonial competence is the witness.

Prior to 1990, very few countries in the world offered special protection to child witnesses interfacing with the justice system. There were no legal provisions permitting testimonial accommodations for children in court. The courtroom experience was significantly traumatic for the children. With the international focus shifting from protecting and upholding the rights of the accused in the courtroom towards a more victim-centred approach, various international and regional instruments have strongly dvocated that children deserve special protection because of their vulnerability. In order for the courts to be able to elicit accurate evidence from the child without further traumatizing the child, research has shown that the child needs assistance. An intermediary may be defined as a person who facilitates communication between the child and the courtroom in a manner that takes into account the child‟s cognitive and developmental limitations. The thesis was prompted by the need to make a contribution to the currently limited body of literature on the intermediary systems in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia by investigating how the systems can be improved and sustained in a way that helps to protect the child witness in court. Despite the problems the South African courts have had in identifying the appropriate interpretation of its intermediary legislation, the country emerges as a clear leader for the steps it took by creating a positive legal framework within which child protection issues are addressed and introducing the concept of the intermediary. This concept proved to be an inspiration to its neighbours, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The influence of the South African intermediary legislation is evident in the Namibian and Zimbabwean legislation. Although Namibian legislators have drafted laws that permit intermediary assistance in court, there are as yet no intermediaries appointed. In Ethiopia, although there is no discernible intermediary legislation, the country has managed to establish an intermediary system. As a result of the analysis conducted, it is evident that the efficacy of the intermediary system is dependent on the presence of an enabling legislation, its clarity and ease of interpretation, the sensitisation of court role players on child vulnerabilities, the significance of intermediary assistance, and finally a government's commitment towards the implementation process.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur identiteten hos unga vuxna som vuxit upp inom Jehovas Vittnen påverkas av en uteslutning. Detta utifrån den sociala identitetsteorin och Marcia´s teori om identitetstatusarna i en identitetsutveckling. Studien var kvalitativ med semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta unga vuxna fd. Jehovas Vittnen som vuxit upp i organisationen. Den induktiva tematiska analysen gav tre huvudteman; In- och utgrupps tänkande; underordnande och lydnad samt begynnande distansering och uppvaknande. Ett av resultaten var att deltagarna hade lärt sig redan som barn ett in- och utgruppstänk. och att utifrån denna sociala identifiering begränsades deltagarnas umgänge, till att endast umgås med ingruppen och undvika att umgås med personer i utgruppen. Detta fick effekter vid uteslutning i uppbyggandet av nya sociala relationer, där de saknade referensramar om hur de skulle agera i vissa sammanhang, de visste inte vad som förväntades av dem i samhället, de saknade helhetsbilden av samhället och dess sociala samspel. / The purpose of the study was to examine how the identity of young adults raised within Jehovah's Witnesses is affected by exclusion. This is based on the social identity theory and Marcia’s theory of the identity statuses in an identity development. The study was qualitative with semi-structured interviews with eight young adults formerly. Jehovah's Witnesses who grew up in the organization. The inductive thematic analysis yielded three main themes; In- and out-group thinking; subordination and obedience as well as incipient distancing and awakening. One of the results was that the participants had already learned an in- and out-group thinking as children. and that on the basis of this social identification, the participants' contact was limited to only spending time with the ingroup and avoiding contact with people in the outgroup. This had the effect of exclusion in the building of new social relationships, where they lacked a frame of reference on how to act in certain contexts, they did not know what was expected of them in society, they lacked the overall picture of society and its social interaction.

The following thesis outlines the situation of the Jewish minority in the czech society in 1945-1948. It follows the political situation and the social atmosphere in the postwar period and focuses on the specifics of the Jewish minority. By analyzing interviews with survivors of the Shoah describes how the period saw Jews themselves. It is especially focused on interpersonal relations that prevailed during the return of the survivors back to their homes. Chronologically describes the situation since the liberation of concentration camps, travel home, arriving back where it focuses on a reunion with loved ones, family support, relationships with friends, neighbors and acquaintances behavior and reactions of majority society. It describes how Jews coped with the return to normal life. Interpersonal relations in the postwar period depended mainly on the personality characteristics of people. But one can point out that the greatest support for returning were their relatives and friends who provide support to them in situations where they met with the negative attitude of Czech society. Keywords: post-war society, Jewish minority, interpersonal relations, Shoah witnesses

My thesis deals with reproductive politics of socialist Czechoslovakia, focusing on the effect of abortion committees decision and its members in matter of legality of abortions since 1957. The theoretical part summarize knowledge about reproductive policy of socialist Czechoslovakia and the effect of abortion committees. The empirical part includes interviews with witnesses who had personal experience with abortion committees. Interviews are analyzed by means of encryption techniques inspired by grounded theory. The thesis includes analysis of six interviews with applicant of abortion, one interview with a partner of the applicant, five interviews with doctors - gynecologists and one with a former member of abortion committee. This thesis also process documents of National population comitee regarding on abortion comitees issues. Keywords: gender, reproductive politics, socialism, abortion, abortion committee, witnesses, social benefits

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / This research concentrates on the development of guidelines for the social worker who works with the sexual abused adolescent that is involved in the court. The research was executed according to the quantitative descriptive design. The first part (Chapter 2, 3 & 4) focus on the problem analysis and information gathering linked to the development of a theoretical stage for the develop of guidelines. Adolescence as developmental stage is discussed and suggestions are made as to how this information can be used by the social worker during the preparation of the child that is involved in the court. Different forms and consequences of sexual abuse are discussed. The law system and testimony are discussed as well as the process and problems that occur in the law system. The second part of the research (Chapter 5 & 6) is related to conducting of a pilot study and the results of the empirical research are presented (A questionnaire was handed to twenty respondents). The focus is on the problems and needs of the sexually abused adolescent. The study concludes with conclusions and recommendations. Recommendations for the social worker as well as the court system that work on a daily basis with sexually abused children have been outlined. These recommendations can be used as a support for effective service delivery.

The thesis deals with religious sects in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. Firstly, it describes new religious movements, which occurred in Czechoslovakia in the first half of the 20th century, especially Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventism, Mormonism and the others. The key theme of this thesis is the phenomenon of religious sects. It explores a procedure of the government, Communist party of Czechoslovakia and State Security. The thesis deals also with the conscientious objection in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. In conclusion the thesis tries to describe the image of religious sects in newspapers. It draws from various primary sources (National Archives of the Czech Republic, Security Services Archive, Military History Archive) and from various historiographical and sociological literature.

In this diploma thesis the verbal persuasive devices typical of two new religious movements' texts (Jehovah's Witnesses and New Age) have been analysed, with regard to manipulation. Because of the interdisciplinary character of manipulation religion and sociological aspects in new religious movements section and logical, psychological and ethical aspects in manipulative argumentation section have been considered. It was found that the style of the analysed texts and its verbal persuasive devices differ from the field of religious communication only in few aspects from verbal persuasive devices of journalistic communication and that manipulative devices are partly acceptable with regard to the sources and methods involved in the texts, however, the field of quasiargumentation have been found outside acceptability.

Cette thèse porte sur les effets des croyances dans la production des faux souvenirs, phénomène qui présente une importance toute particulière dans le contexte judiciaire. Nous avons trouvé avec le CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) un terrain d’étude particulièrement fonctionnel pour comprendre les mécanismes de la production des faux souvenirs. En effet, le CNES a créé un service, le GEIPAN (Groupe d’Études et d’Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non Identifiés), chargé de recueillir les témoignages à propos de PAN (Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non identifiés) sur le territoire français. Le GEIPAN reçoit un volume conséquent de témoignages (en moyenne deux par jour) qui présentent bien souvent une grande homogénéité. Cette collaboration avec le CNES a permis de réaliser des études de terrain qui, articulées avec des études expérimentales de laboratoire, ont permis de mettre en évidence les conditions de production des faux souvenirs. Nous observons que les faux souvenirs sont dus à l’impact des croyances (ici à propos des OVNI) dès lors qu’un délai a permis une confusion entre différentes sources du souvenir. Dans une dernière partie de la thèse, nous montrons que l’adaptation d’une technique d’entretien judiciaire (l’entretien cognitif sur internet) à la problématique de ces témoignages permet de résoudre en partie la production des faux souvenirs. Nous évoquons dans la discussion les pistes d’utilisation des travaux de cette thèse dans le contexte des enquêtes judiciaires. / This doctoral dissertation focuses on the impact of beliefs on the development of false memories. Such memories have been reported to be important as far as the judicial system is concerned. The CNES (Centre National d’ Études Spatiales) has been an ideal study site for a depth understanding of the development of false memories. Indeed, the CNES has developed the GEPAN (Groupe d’Études et d’Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non Identifiés), a service aiming to collect French testimonies regarding PAN (Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non identifiés). The GEIPAN receive plenty of testimonies (2 testimonies per day). This collaboration with the GEIPAN allowed to conduct both field researches and experimental studies aiming to highlight processes leading to false memories. False memories were related to beliefs about UFOs as long as a period led to a confusion between the several sources memories. In a last part of this doctoral dissertation, the adaptation of judicial interview (cognitive interview on the Internet) for these testimonies will be presented as well as its utility to for solving a part of false memories. These findings and their utility in criminal investigation will be discussed in the discussion section.