Die studie foku.s op die verwantskap tussen sin vir koherensie as 'n intrinsieke hanteringsbron aan die een kant, en elk van streshantering, algemene gesondheid en sielkundige uitbranding aan die antler kant. Vraelyste wat hierdie veranderlikes meet is aan 200 bestuurders gegee om te voltooi. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie toon aan dat bestuurders met 'n hoi! sin vir koherensie goeie algemene gesondheid geniet. Die bestuurder met 'n hoi! sin vir koherensie behoon dus meer e.ffektief te junksioneer in die werksiruasie as die bestuurder met 'n lae sin vir koherensie. Voons is ook bevind dar 'n hoi! sin vir koherensie nie noodwendig aanleiding gee tot lae vlakke van stres of van sielkundige uitbranding nie. Aanbevelings word gedoen oor hoe om die negatiewe gevolge van stres en sielkundige uitbranding te venninder en algemene gesondheid te bevorder, ten einde die bestuurder se potensiaal optimaal benut. / This study focuses on the relationship between sense of coherence as an intrinsic coping mechanism. and work stress, general health and psychological burnout. To measure these variables, questionnaires were completed by 200 managers. The findings of this study indicate that managers with a high sense of coherence experience good general health. The manager with a high sense of coherence should therefore junction more efficiently in a work situation·than the manager with a low sense of coherence. It was also found that a high sense of coherence does not necessarily lead to low levels of stress nor of psychological burnout. Recommentfations are made on how to reduce the negative effects of stress and psychological burnout and how to improve general health in order to make optimal use of the manager's potential. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCom (Bedryfsielkunde)

Critical Incident Stress has the potential to affect emergency services personnel to the degree that it can change the way the responder acts and reacts in all facets of his or her life, including the job and his or her family. Research into these potential effects has produced a greater understanding of the responders experiences within a short period of time after the perceived critical incident. This study investigates the long-term effects of critical incident stress among emergency responders from two cities in the three emergency services professions were interviewed to determine what their experiences were at least six months post critical incident. A structured incident had in three areas of teh emergency responders lives: impact on job, impact on the individual responder, and perceived impact on emergency responders families. For particpants, symptoms of Critical Incident Stress lasted between 6 months and 2 years after the perceived critical incident. Analysis of the data indicatees that single responder critical incidents have the potential to negatively affect emergency responders resulting in the loss of enthusiasm and passion for their work, debilitating psychological distress, and isolation from valued support systems. Long-term effects of Critical Incident Stress change the perceptions that responders have about the job, about themselves, and the relationships with their families. The culture of emergency services, changing identities, and the lack of support from both within the system and outside of the system were seen as variables that contribute to the long-term effects of Critical Incident Stress. / xi, 181 leaves ; 29 cm.

Female academics in higher education institutions face numerous challenges in the continuously ch~nging landscape of South African Higher Education. Numerous mergers between different institutions, increasing job demands, ever increasing class sizes and the unique demands of role conflict, inherent to the female role, contribute to the manifestation of stress and burnout (80) in this population group. The research is conducted from a salutogenic paradigm, seeking to find ways of avoiding the negative consequences of 80 and contributing towards the positive experience of Work Engagement (WE) for the female academic. The research also explores the effect of the individual academics' Sense of Cohrence (SOC) on the experience of BO and WE. The research is quantitative in nature. A psychometric instrument was sent to all the permanently employed female academics employed by Unisa and TUT, measuring their levels of 80, WE and SOC. The completed questionnaires were statisticaily analysed. The findings included average levels of 80, with definite signs that the experience of 80 is on the increase. The Cy sub-dimension of BO showed increased levels. The WE scores of the female academics were just above average. The SOC scores of the female academics were low. The main recommendations were that University management need to take cognisance of the symptoms of BO that are present in this population. Strategies need to be put in place to address these issues and the experience of WE need to be treasured and grown through definite actions from Management. Female academics also need to take personal responsibility for their own wellness and act on the initial signs of 80, rather than dismissing it as mere tiredness or lack of energy. There are also a number of recommendations on actions to be taken to experience WE in the academic work that the population undertake on a daily basis / Industrial and Organizational Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Industrial & Organizational psychology)

This research explores the relationship between sense of coherence, work engagement and organisational commitment in an automotive development institution in South Africa. The study was conducted through quantitative research. The study used the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) to measure sense of coherence, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) to measure work engagement and the Organisational Commitment Scale (OCS) to measure organisational commitment. A biographical questionnaire was also used. The questionnaires were administered to a sample of 46 employees, 37 of whom were based in the company’s Pretoria office and nine at their Eastern Cape office. In view of the fact that the sample was small, 100 % of the population was included in the study. A theoretical relationship between the constructs was determined and an empirical study provided evidence of the degree of relationship that existed between them. The results reveal significant relationships to exist between some sub-scales, however, statistical significance could not be reached for some correlations. / Psychology / M. Admin. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

A motivação para desenvolver esse estudo surgiu a partir de uma longa trajetória de trabalho junto a diversas equipes de Recursos Humanos inseridas nas organizações. Durante essa caminhada pôde-se analisar, conviver e intervir em inúmeros conflitos, cujas partes envolvidas, os trabalhadores, apresentavam divergências acerca de processos organizacionais de diversas naturezas. Essa experiência levou-nos a observar que as práticas psicológicas nas organizações parecem privilegiar os aspectos voltados aos objetivos institucionais e gerenciais em detrimento aos aspectos biopsicossociais dos trabalhadores que as demandam. Essa percepção nos impulsionou a investigar a ação do profissional de psicologia nas organizações e a problematizar a sua escuta clínica ao lidar com os conflitos que surgem entre os trabalhadores. De forma específica, nos interessamos por compreender as ações desenvolvidas por esses profissionais e as demandas que emergem dos conflitos vividos no mundo do trabalho. Outra questão, de mesmo peso, diz respeito à contribuição da escuta clínica e da formação em psicologia para as estratégias interventivas adotadas frente ao sofrimento do trabalhador. Soma-se às razões advindas de nossa prática profissional junto às organizações, os estudos e pesquisas desenvolvidas por diversos autores que foram trabalhados ao longo do texto e que serviram de aporte teórico a esta dissertação. Para a compreensão do campo a ser investigado, realizou-se uma entrevista semidirigida com sete profissionais de psicologia que possuem vínculo empregatício na área de Recursos Humanos de suas respectivas organizações, sendo seis da iniciativa privada e uma da administração pública, todas situadas na região metropolitana de Recife/PE. Através da análise dos conteúdos explicitados por eixos temáticos e da elaboração de núcleos de sentidos, as narrativas obtidas permitiram-nos compreender que a ação do psicólogo nas organizações é caracterizada, principalmente, por um discurso e uma escuta calcada nos objetivos institucionais, visando uma operacionalidade e produtividade do trabalhador. Também nos revelaram que são muitos os desafios enfrentados pelos profissionais, considerando-se, sobretudo, a condição de estarem, também, na posição de empregados, fato que favorece a adoção do discurso organizacional, da servidão voluntária e do gerencialismo. Pretende-se que os resultados dessa pesquisa possam contribuir para a formação de uma postura crítica e reflexiva na ação profissional dos psicólogos nas organizações, de forma a lhes oferecer subsídios para uma escuta voltada às reais necessidades dos empregados que demandam pelas suas intervenções. Espera-se, ainda, que este estudo possa oferecer para esses profissionais, uma melhor compreensão dos conflitos que se revelam no âmbito do trabalho, relacionando-os às possibilidades de ressignificação do sofrimento do trabalhador

Esta pesquisa analisa as relações entre Turismo, Sujeito e Trabalho, sob a perspectiva dos jardineiros, no espaço do Jardim Botânico de Porto Alegre. A investigação deu-se a partir da posição do trabalhador no campo de atividade turística, e dos jardins como locais de possibilidade para o lazer. O conceito de trabalho tomado para esse estudo é o da Psicodinâmica do Trabalho, de abordagem dejouriana. O suporte metodológico é oferecido pelos conceitos da Análise de Discurso Francesa pecheutiana. A construção analítica se viabiliza através da extração de sequências discursivas das entrevistas e das anotações em Diário de Campo. Os resultados da pesquisa identificaram e situaram a defasagem entre o trabalho prescrito e o trabalho real dos jardineiros. O conceito de Formação Discursiva permitiu observar alianças e confrontos nos rearranjos da Organização do Trabalho, articulados por esses trabalhadores. A relação entre o visitante, turista cidadão, e o trabalhador jardineiro mostrou-se significativa, pois está ancorada no reconhecimento da originalidade e utilidade do trabalho do jardineiro, condição para o prazer no trabalho e para a saúde mental do trabalhador. / Submitted by Ana Guimarães Pereira (agpereir@ucs.br) on 2016-04-29T18:31:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Denise de Souza.pdf: 2727464 bytes, checksum: 24fed062940f1031fed5b8678bcdbaea (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T18:31:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Denise de Souza.pdf: 2727464 bytes, checksum: 24fed062940f1031fed5b8678bcdbaea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES / This research analyzes relations between Tourism, Subject and Work from the perspective of the gardeners of the Porto Alegre Botanical Garden. The research investigates the worker's position relating to tourism, and the botanical gardens as places of opportunity for leisure. The concept of work in this study is the same concept of the theory of Psychodynamics Of Work, dejourian approach.The concepts of the French Discourse Analysis of Pêcheux are the methodological support of research. The construction of the analysis was done by extraction of discursive sequences from interviews and notes in field diary. The survey results identified and located the discrepancy between prescribed work and real work of the gardeners. The concept of the Discursive Formation showed alliances and confrontations in rearrangements of Work Organization articulated by these workers. The relationship between the visitor, tourist citizen, and the gardener worker shows up significantly because it is based on the recognition of the originality and usefulness of the gardener's work, condition for pleasure at work and mental health of the worker.

Esta pesquisa analisa as relações entre Turismo, Sujeito e Trabalho, sob a perspectiva dos jardineiros, no espaço do Jardim Botânico de Porto Alegre. A investigação deu-se a partir da posição do trabalhador no campo de atividade turística, e dos jardins como locais de possibilidade para o lazer. O conceito de trabalho tomado para esse estudo é o da Psicodinâmica do Trabalho, de abordagem dejouriana. O suporte metodológico é oferecido pelos conceitos da Análise de Discurso Francesa pecheutiana. A construção analítica se viabiliza através da extração de sequências discursivas das entrevistas e das anotações em Diário de Campo. Os resultados da pesquisa identificaram e situaram a defasagem entre o trabalho prescrito e o trabalho real dos jardineiros. O conceito de Formação Discursiva permitiu observar alianças e confrontos nos rearranjos da Organização do Trabalho, articulados por esses trabalhadores. A relação entre o visitante, turista cidadão, e o trabalhador jardineiro mostrou-se significativa, pois está ancorada no reconhecimento da originalidade e utilidade do trabalho do jardineiro, condição para o prazer no trabalho e para a saúde mental do trabalhador. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES / This research analyzes relations between Tourism, Subject and Work from the perspective of the gardeners of the Porto Alegre Botanical Garden. The research investigates the worker's position relating to tourism, and the botanical gardens as places of opportunity for leisure. The concept of work in this study is the same concept of the theory of Psychodynamics Of Work, dejourian approach.The concepts of the French Discourse Analysis of Pêcheux are the methodological support of research. The construction of the analysis was done by extraction of discursive sequences from interviews and notes in field diary. The survey results identified and located the discrepancy between prescribed work and real work of the gardeners. The concept of the Discursive Formation showed alliances and confrontations in rearrangements of Work Organization articulated by these workers. The relationship between the visitor, tourist citizen, and the gardener worker shows up significantly because it is based on the recognition of the originality and usefulness of the gardener's work, condition for pleasure at work and mental health of the worker.

The research at hand focuses on job satisfaction as a moderator of the relationship between work-family conflict and stress among female civil service managers in the Department of Education in the King William’s Town District. Samples of 100 employees were used in the study. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire which consisted of the following sections: (i) a biographical and occupational data questionnaire,(ii) Eum, Lee, and Paek’s (2007) Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire, (iii) Bedenia, Burke, and Moffat’s (1998) Short-form Work-family Conflict questionnaire, and (iv) Halpern’s (1966) Job Satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analyzed by means of Pearson’s Correlation Technique, Multiple Regression Analysis, and Analysis of Variance. The results showed that job satisfaction does not moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and occupational stress. The study also found a significant positive correlation between work-family conflict and occupational stress and between work-family conflict and job satisfaction. It also showed that both work-family conflict and job satisfaction respectively accounted for a significant proportion of variance in occupational stress. The thesis ends with several recommendations for future research and for future professional or managerial practice.

D.Litt. et Phil. / This research focuses on self-concept improvement for adults. A self-image enhancement programme has been developed and its impact tested with regard to shortand medium term developments. Various training approaches have been compared to establish whether massed or spaced sessions training is more effective, and whether individual follow-up after the programme is of advantage. Self-image enhancement is seen as central to a person's functioning and psychological well-being. Self-management and the improvement of the self have taken an important role in today's society where a lot of emphasis is placed on personal achievement and self-actualisation. The background to the research is the question of self-enhancement versus selfconsistency. The self-enhancement thinking promotes the possibility for adult change, while the consistency theories emphasise resistance to change. While an integrated view that places self-image change within the frame of a stable personality becomes necessary, this research aims at establishing the positive changes expected to take place after the self-image enhancement programme. The theories and therapy approaches underlying the design of the self-image enhancement programme include rational-emotive therapy, self-efficacy theory, locus of control theory, and the concept of learned helplessness and learned optimism. The main and subhypotheses were formulated regarding the improvement of the following variables: Total self-concept, physical and personal self, acceptance of others, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-control, nervousness, sociability, formal relations, and self-efficacy. Self-criticism and external locus of control were expected to decrease. The subjects that made up the sample were drawn from companies in Johannesburg and consisted of 133 participants. They were tested before the intervention started, at the end of the course, and again five months later. The self-image enhancement programme was administered to groups of 10 to 12 people. The measurement instruments included the short version of the MMPI, used as the screening device, Vrey's Adolescent Self-Concept Scale, Acceptance of Others Scale, the PHSF Questionnaire, Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and a self efficacy scale. The latter measurement instrument had to be adjusted from another selfefficacy questionnaire and an item analysis was completed. The statistical results show that the self-image enhancement programme is effective in achieving improvement of most of the self-concept variables for all experimental groups taken together. The achieved change was maintained over the medium term except for the self-efficacy and self-control variables. The variables that remained unchanged were acceptance of others, sociability and formal relations, although, based on the literature, an improved self-image is expected to occur with an improved acceptance of others. More research is required regarding interpersonal aspects and self-image enhancement. Regarding the effectiveness of various types of training groups, previous research has not been conclusive. It has also not been established through this study that massed training sessions differ in their effectiveness from spaced sessions, but further research is indicated. The same applies to the role of individual feedback sessions after a training programme. An encouraging finding has been that the self-image enhancement programme is also helping individuals with psychological problems to better their self-image and self- perceptions. This has been shown through the improved results of the MIN PI rejected group and relates to the subhypotheses formulated for this research. This research has confirmed that self-concept improvement during adulthood can be achieved and should in fact be seen as part of ongoing self-development and selfmanagement.

Organisations are always confronted with the need to transform in order to adapt to environmental changes and have a competitive advantage. The concern is that when an organisation embarks on a transformation process, its individual employees are affected either positively or negatively. Employees can respond to transformation change by either being satisfied or dissatisfied in the organisation. The main aim of this research was to develop a diagnostic model for measuring employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The first construct of organisational transformation was conceptualised using the open system paradigm, theoretical definitions and models of organisational change. In this study, organisational transformation is second order and drastic in the sense that it alters the way in which the organisation functions and relates to the external environment focusing on the vision, processes, systems, structure and culture. It is the fundamental and constant change at all levels of the organisation caused by external factors posing as risks for organisational survival. vi The second construct of employee satisfaction was conceptualised focusing on the humanistic paradigm, theoretical definitions and models. Employee satisfaction in this study is the individual’s positive emotional state of contentment stemming from the organisation’s ability to meet his or her needs and expectations based on his or her experience and evaluation of various organisational processes and practices. It influences employees’ performance and commitment to the organisation. A theoretical model was developed as a framework to enable organisations to diagnose or assess their employees’ satisfaction during organisational transformation. The model highlighted dimensions essential to diagnose employee satisfaction such as organisational strategy, policies and processes and outcomes, in order to determine employees’ contentment and fulfilment in the organisation. The main aim of the empirical research was to conduct a three year longitudinal study of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation; to operationalise the conceptually developed diagnostic model of employee satisfaction during transformation; and develop a structural equation model (SEM) in order to test the theoretical model. The Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS) was used in 2003, 2007 and 2008 to measure employee satisfaction. The initial year of the study (2003) comprised 1 140 participants who voluntarily completed the measuring instrument. The second year of the study (2007) involved 920 participants, while the final year of the study (2008) included 759 participants. In terms of the reliability and validity of the ESS, it was determined that in the three years of the study, most of the dimensions had acceptable internal consistency reliability based on the results of the Cronbach alpha test. The SEM investigated the impact of organisational strategy, policies and procedures and outcomes as the three domains of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The confirmatory factor analysis of the latent variables was conducted, and the path coefficients of the latent variables of organisational strategy, policies and processes and outcomes indicated a satisfactory fit for all these variables. The goodness-of-fit measure of the model indicated both absolute and incremental goodness-of-fit. The SEM confirmed the causal relationships between the latent and manifest variables, indicating that the latent variables, organisational vii strategy, policies and procedures and outcomes are the main indicators of employee satisfaction. This research adds to the field of organisational behaviour by proposing a model of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The domains of this model should enable organisations to identify developmental areas based on employees’ dissatisfaction or areas of strengths based on employees’ satisfaction. The diagnostic model will also enable organisations and practitioners to initiative interventions aimed at addressing areas of dissatisfaction as developmental areas and to leverage on its strengths as areas of satisfaction in the organisation. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology