Emotional Intelligence as a strategy to enhance leadership
- Authors: Knight, Melody
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Emotional intelligence -- South Africa -- Leadership , Development leadership -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53980 , vital:46166
- Description: The elevated levels of burnout and stress that arise from work-related challenges, occurring from poor public health infrastructure, are prevalent in developing countries such as South Africa. Emotional intelligence (EI) theory offers a means to understand behaviour, attitudes, and interpersonal skills, which are important for nursing managers (NMs) to facilitate personal and professional development, well-being, and improved quality of care. Researchers have called for more research to create a greater awareness and understanding of EI in nursing leadership. Critical Realism was used as the epistemological framework to meet the objectives of the study. The aim was to identify practical recommendations for interventions that could enhance the ability of NMs to manage the challenges associated with leadership. Using an explanatory framework, the objectives were to (i) generate causal explanations for organisational phenomena, given the EI of NMs and the conditions of its exercise, (ii) describe how NMs use their EI abilities in challenging situations, and to (iii) identify interventions to develop the EI of NMs. Although the research on EI is extensive, research on NMs and interventions to develop EI in NMs was not found. Purposive sampling was employed with focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews used to gather data. The data was analysed using thematic data analysis and retroduction to identify the most logically compelling explanation for events. The findings showed that the EI of NMs is essentially related to work engagement, burnout, turnover intention, work satisfaction, communication, interpersonal relationships, and job performance. It showed that organisational support and policies, personal and psychological factors, as well as training, play a necessary role in enhancing the EI of NMs. The recommendations provide suggestions to create the conditions necessary to enhance the EI of NMs. , Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
The use of psychology in roman catholic seminary admissions in Southern Africa
- Authors: Mitchell, Gregory Paul
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Catholic Church -- Africa, Southern -- Psychological aspects -- Congresses
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51344 , vital:43266
- Description: Psychological assessment forms part of Roman Catholic seminary admissions in Southern Africa. The present study sought to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of the role, purpose, and nature of the use of psychology in Roman Catholic seminary admissions in the territory of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. A qualitative research design was selected, which utilised the grounded theory method. Church authorities and clinicians, recruited by means of purposive snowball sampling, were interviewed in individual semi-structured interviews. The findings were interpreted in relation to the narrative of a vocation to the Roman Catholic priesthood, international practice guidelines, as well as literature regarding the context of the Southern African Roman Catholic Church. Proposed guidelines for this process in Southern Africa were generated based on the experiences of the participants and this iterative process of thematic analysis. Potential guidelines, grounded in the research data, emerged in the following focus areas: the vocation to the priesthood, contextual and systemic factors, the clinician, the assessment process, factors to be assessed, the psychological report, the decision to admit to seminary, feedback, and psychology in formation. These are recommended to the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference in draft form to be implemented in a participatory manner. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04
Identifying a Successful Accounting Student: Profiling of Postgraduate Accounting Students in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Weldon, Lana Joy
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Personality -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Accounting -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50699 , vital:42343
- Description: Throughput rates and transformation have long been considered major challenges to accounting departments in South Africa. While much research has been done on various aspects of study techniques in an attempt to assist students to succeed, little attention has been paid to profiling students to ascertain whether there are common traits in terms of personality, aptitude, values and motives, which distinguish successful students from others. This study looks at these factors and uses sub-tests of the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT), selected with reference to the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Competency Framework, to determine the correlation between these aptitudes and the success of accounting students. In addition, the impact of biographical data, including gender, race and type of school attended, is considered on the success of the students and the individual sub-tests of aptitude. The study then considers the impact of various personality types, personality traits and values on the success or failure of accounting students, and finally seeks to ascertain whether there is a holistic profile of a student who has a statistically significant chance of succeeding in accounting studies. Results indicate that the sub-tests of aptitude for verbal reasoning and reading comprehension have the most significance in predicting student success and that gender and race have a medium effect. Furthermore, personality types, personality traits and values do not have a significant impact on student success. The only biographical factor to have an impact on success was race. Despite the findings in the individual factors considered, no distinct personality profile of a successful Results indicate that the sub-tests of aptitude for verbal reasoning and reading comprehension have the most significance in predicting student success and that gender and race have a medium effect. Furthermore, personality types, personality traits and values do not have a significant impact on student success. The only biographical factor to have an impact on success was race. Despite the findings in the individual factors considered, no distinct personality profile of a successful accounting student emerged. Future research on the use of literacy competency assessments in the admission requirements for chartered accounting programmes, or to inform student academic support initiatives is recommended. accounting student emerged. Future research on the use of literacy competency assessments in the admission requirements for chartered accounting programmes, or to inform student academic support initiatives is recommended.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Registered Nurse’s experiences of trust in the workplace in Eastern Cape public hospitals
- Authors: Holland, Ashley Simone Anderson
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Public health nurses -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Trust -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49854 , vital:41809
- Description: Trust is fundamental to building and maintaining positive relationships and leads to favourable outcomes for teams and organisations. Research focusing on trust has gained popularity in recent years as researchers seek to gain an understanding and insight into this concept. The importance of examining trust from both perspectives of the organisational dyad (employer-employee) is emphasised, yet much of the research focuses on the employer’s perspective. The researcher identified a gap in trust literature pertaining to the nursing work environment and sought to examine this phenomenon from the employees’ perspective, with an emphasis on both horizontal and vertical trust relationships. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore and describe trust experiences of registered nurses working in general wards in public hospitals of the Nelson Mandela Bay Health District (NMBHD). The study employed a qualitative, phenomenological design and was exploratory and descriptive in nature to gain insight into and depict the lived experiences of trust between participants and their peers and between participants and their superiors and subordinates. Sampling was purposive, and 14 individual, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted so that participants could describe their experiences of the phenomenon under investigation in their own words. The data was analysed using Renata Tesch’s data coding and analysis technique.
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- Date Issued: 2020
The leadership style of Richard Branson: a psychobiography
- Authors: Fourie, Megan
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Psychology -- Biographical methods , Transformational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49838 , vital:41807
- Description: Transformational leadership (TFL) is a leadership theory that describes how leaders create change through their ability to inspire and motivate followers toward self-improvement and innovation that benefits the individual, the group, and the organisation as a whole.This psychobiographical research study explored the leadership style of Richard Branson by using Bass’s theory of transformational leadership. An exploratory-descriptive design was utilised to examine Branson’s life history. He was selected for the study through non-probability purposive sampling based on his history as an extraordinary leader and entrepreneur. Primary and secondary sources of historical and biographical data were used in the data collection process. The data was then processed using thematic analysis against the theoretical framework of transformational leadership. From an ethical perspective, the researcher took care to avoid the misrepresentation of the subject, thus balancing objective research with respect for the psychobiographical content and minimising the risk of doing harm. The findings demonstrated that Branson’s leadership style consists of, and corresponds to a large extent, to the four components of TFL.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Job satisfaction and workplace stress of public service staff in the Eastern and Western Cape of South Africa
- Authors: De Koning, Divan , Van Niekerk, Roelf
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Job stress , Job satisfaction -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Job satisfaction -- South Africa -- Western Cape. Public service employment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Public service employment -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39414 , vital:35244
- Description: The aim of the study was to measure and explore the job satisfaction and workplace stress levels of public service staff within the Eastern and Western Cape of South Africa, as well as to establish the extent of the relationship between the areas of job satisfaction and workplace stress. The measure was predominantly administered to staff that the researcher came into contact with as a result of psychometric assessments that their employer required them to complete. The researcher facilitated the role of a service provider to the public service entities and utilised this opportunity to encourage staff to complete the measure. The measure covered five job satisfaction and seven workplace stress variables. 230 staff members completed the measure of which 170 was deemed to be useable. A quantitative study thereby enabling the investigation into the potential sources of job dissatisfaction and workplace stress was conducted. Eight hypotheses had been formulated in order to facilitate the comparisons and had been informed by prior research. The quantitative analysis established that both of the sections in the measure (job satisfaction and workplace stress) averaged Cronbach’s alphas in excess of .60 for the 12 variables measured, this, therefore, exceeded the minimum benchmark that had been set for the study. As such, the measures were considered to be appropriate measures of their respective constructs. Staff were most satisfied with the hours that they worked and least satisfied with their opportunities for promotion. Staff experienced the least amount of stress related to bullying at work and experienced the most stress related to the intensity with which they were expected to work. A moderate relationship between workplace stress and job satisfaction was identified along with strong relationships between the factors of, managerial support and work relationships; managerial support and work activities; and between role and work activities. Moderate support was found for hypothesis six which referred to the relationships between job satisfaction and age. The study aided in enhancing insight into the causes of workplace stress and job dissatisfaction within public service in South Africa and can serve as a basis for future studies into the public service industry.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A psychobiographical study of Temple Grandin
- Authors: Wannenburg, Nicola
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Grandin, Temple , Psychology Biographical methods , Psychoanalysis , Autistic women United States Biography , Women animal specialists United States Biography , Developmental psychology , Erikson, Erik H (Erik Homburger), 1902-1994
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/57358 , vital:26877
- Description: Psychobiographical researchers methodically formulate life histories and interpret them by means of psychological theories. The research typically focuses on exemplary and completed lives. The cases that are studied are usually of individuals who are of particular interest to society as a result of excelling in their particular fields, be they to benefit or detriment of society. Temple Grandin was chosen for this study using purposive sampling as she meets the psychobiographical requirement of being an extraordinary individual. As an individual with autism Grandin faced many challenges growing up. Despite a difficult and absent beginning, Grandin developed into a stable and scientifically creative adult who contributes to society. She excels as an animal scientist and designer of humane livestock handling facilities and has an international reputation for her contribution to the livestock industry and animal welfare. The primary aim of this study is to describe and interpret the life of Temple Grandin through Erikson’s (1950/1973) theory of psychosocial development. A mixed method approach (Yin, 2006) was employed for the conduction of this study. The overarching data processing and analysis guidelines for this study were provided by Miles and Huberman (1994, 2002a, 2002b). The conduction of the processing and analysis of data was aided by Alexander’s (1988, 1990) method of asking the data questions as well as an integration of Yin’s (2014) time series analysis with Erikson’s (1950/1973) triple bookkeeping approach. This study contributes to the development of psychobiographical research in South Africa as well as to personality and developmental theory.
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- Date Issued: 2018
The role of empathy in emotionally intelligent leadership: an integrative review
- Authors: Greyling, Candice , De Jager, Marina
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Emotional intelligence -- Leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22123 , vital:29842
- Description: Empathy is regarded as a fundamental interpersonal skill. Interpersonal skills are the life skills that we make use of every day to communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. In this study, empathy is given prominence as a component of emotional intelligence. The concept emotional intelligence has enjoyed great popularity in recent years. In this study leadership denotes any person in a leadership position within an organisation. Extensive research has been done on the impact of emotional intelligence on organisations and leadership. Therefore, the aim of this study is to critically analyse the available evidence and to provide a clear review and synthesis of the role that empathy plays in emotionally intelligent leadership. The methodology used in this study will be that of an integrative review. An integrative review summarises the best-quality empirical evidence of the benefits and limitations of a specific practice to provide recommendations for future research. Data to be reviewed include articles in scholarly journals, books, theses and computerised databases. International and national literature involving both quantitative and qualitative research studies will be reviewed. As both qualitative and quantitative research studies will be of focus in this integrative review, rigour in both research methods was considered. The reviewer also considered four ethical considerations, namely: quality, transparency, honesty and plagiarism.
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- Date Issued: 2018
A psychobiographical study of Charlize Theron
- Authors: Prenter, Tracey
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Theron, Charlize -- Psychology , Motion picture actors and actresses -- South Africa -- Biography , Motion picture actors and actresses -- United States -- Biography , Psychology -- Biographical methods
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3272 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020843
- Description: Psychobiographers study the lives of extraordinary, prominent, and enigmatic individuals. Psychobiographical research advances our insight into the uniqueness and complexity of the human personality and therefore makes a substantial contribution towards one of the major objectives of the field of psychology. Purposive sampling was employed to select Charlize Theron as the subject of this psychobiographical study. As the only South African who has won an Oscar, Theron is an exceptional individual who demonstrates tenacity and a will to succeed despite significant traumatic events in her childhood. The case study data was organised and analysed according to the general analytic approach developed by Huberman and Miles (2002) and one of Alexander’s (1990) strategies, namely questioning the data. Erikson’s psychosocial theory (1950, 1963, 1995) was selected to guide this study because it recognises the impact of socio-cultural influences on developmental processes and provides a comprehensive, staged framework for studying Theron’s personality development. This study contributes to the development of psychobiographical research in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2016
A psychobiographical study of Sybrand Gerhardus(Brand)Pretorius
- Authors: Harwood, Craig Sean
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Pretorius, Brand, -- 1948 Psychology -- Biographical methods , Psychology -- Biographical methods Industrialists -- South Africa -- Biography Businessmen -- South Africa -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7567 , vital:21929
- Description: The South African businessman, Brand Pretorius, was born in the rural Orange Free State town of Steynsrus in 1953. Pretorius rose to prominence in the motor industry in South Africa and he retired in 2011 as Chairman of McCarthy Motor Holdings Limited the largest motor retailer in South Africa. Pretorius was selected for this psychobiographical study by means of purposive sampling, given his extraordinary business achievements. Pretorius is publicly recognised as one of South Africa’s most successful businessmen and leaders. Psychobiographical research typically takes into consideration the entire life of an individual with the aim of uncovering the story of an individual’s life through the lens of a particular theory. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the leadership development of Brand Pretorius juxtaposed against the model of authentic leadership proposed by Avolio and Luthans (2003). The life history of Brand Pretorius was studied using a qualitative single-case study design. The psychobiographical research method allowed the single-case to be studied spanning his entire career. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Conceptual matrices were used to organise and integrate the findings against the model of authentic leadership. The use of multiple data sources increased the validity and reliability of the research process and findings. To ensure ethical integrity the researcher obtained informed consent from Pretorius. The findings of this research study indicate that Pretorius was able to successfully display the authentic leadership dimensions of self-awareness, internalised moral perspective, balanced processing, relational transparency and positive psychological capacities throughout the course of his career.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Marie Curie : a psychobiography
- Authors: Roets, Elmeret
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Curie, Marie -- 1867-1934 -- Psychology , Women chemists -- Poland -- Biography , Scientists -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3269 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020326
- Description: While researchers debate the value of psychobiographical research, interest in this area is growing on a national and international basis. Every year, the number of psychobiographical studies at universities in South Africa is growing. Psychobiographical research is qualitative research that utilises psychological theory to explore and describe the lives of extraordinary individuals. The primary aim of this psychobiography was to examine the life of Marie Curie (1867–1934) by employing developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s (1959) theory of psychosocial personality development. Marie Curie was chosen as the research subject because of the researcher’s personal interest and the subject’s prominence as a female scientist. She was a Polish-born and naturalised French scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Marie Curie’s ground-breaking discoveries changed the way scientists think about matter and energy and introduced a new era in medical knowledge and the treatment of disease. Her life exemplifies a love of science, commitment, and perseverance. Data were collected from several primary and secondary sources on Marie Curie’s life. The researcher developed a data-collection and analysis matrix to facilitate the systematic collection of data and analysis according to Erikson’s stage theory of psychosocial personality development. This psychobiography suggests that unresolved infantile and early childhood crises gave rise to personality traits that eventually contributed to Curie’s extraordinariness. In the case of Curie, personality traits that are often regarded as atypical or malignant, ironically encouraged perseverance, creativity, and productivity. This study complements the psychobiographical studies done in South Africa on extraordinary individuals. It demonstrated the value of psychobiographical research as a teaching instrument, revealed the usefulness of Erikson’s theory, and illustrated the uniqueness of individuals.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment
- Authors: Chipumuro, Juliet
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/484 , vital:19963
- Description: Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (EI) has generated significant interest and a wealth of research as a possible area of insight into what determines outstanding performance in the workplace (Ashworth, 2013:8; Pillay, Viviers and Mayer, 2013:1). The internal environment of organisations in the labour-intense hospitality industry is complex and dynamic. Given the unpredictability of change, the researcher found the hospitality industry to be an intriguing milieu within which to ascertain the importance of EI in predicting leaders’ effectiveness as a measure of outstanding performance. As employees are the internal customers of any hotel organisation, representing many hotel organisations’ only true competitive advantage, the purpose of this quantitative investigation was to examine the relationship between leaders’ EI and followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment. Despite the intuitive plausibility of the assumption that leaders who exhibit EI competencies contribute to outstanding performance, the issue of followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment as leadership indices has received little empirical attention. This study sets out to integrate prior findings on EI, motivation and organisational commitment, to support these findings in literature, and to incorporate these findings into a comprehensive conceptual framework. Using critical realists’ post-positivistic philosophical assumptions, the researcher used the Emotional and Social Competencies Inventory (ESCI) to assess leaders’ EI. Furthermore, the Motivational Sources Inventory (MSI) was used to assess followers’ motivational behaviour, while Organisational Commitment Scales (OCS) were used to assess followers’ organisational commitment. The survey respondents consisted of 120 leaders and 435 followers from 13 hotels in four prominent hotel groups in South Africa. The quantitative data collected from the surveys was analysed quantitatively using SPSS to reach substantial results with inferences. The analysis of variance revealed an overall positive relationship between demographic variables and Leaders EI, followers’ motivational behaviour and followers’ organisational commitment. The correlational analysis revealed positive relationships between leaders’ EI and followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment (R= 0.05-, p<0.01) except for instrumental motivation. The correlation between leaders’ emotional self-awareness and followers’ intrinsic process motivation was somewhat weak while the relationship between leaders’ emotional self-awareness and instrumental motivation was found to be sufficient, but statistically not significant. The researcher can conclude that generally the results of this study reveal that organisational leaders can positively influence the motivational behaviour and organisational commitment of their followers by enhancing their own EI competencies. The results add to the leadership literature by illuminating possible antecedents to leadership effectiveness. It is believed that this research will help the hospitality industry at large in clarifying the importance of EI competencies in leadership as a means of obtaining positive motivation behaviour and commitment from followers. Furthermore, the findings have both managerial and research implications for hospitality operations strategy formulation in order to gain competitive advantage and improve the financial position of the businesses.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The personality of an entrepreneur : a psychobiography of Steve Jobs
- Authors: Ndoro, Tinashe T R
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Jobs, Steve, 1955-2011 -- Psychology , Personality assessment , Psychology -- Biographical methods , Businesspeople -- Psychology , Psychohistory , Entrepreneurship -- United States , Businesspeople -- United States
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:833 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013215
- Description: From Integrative Summary: There has been a growing interest in successful entrepreneurs. Research on entrepreneurship has focused on the identification of personality variables that would assist in the prediction of entrepreneurial success. The present study moves away from attempting to predict entrepreneurial success and instead focuses on exploring and describing the personality of a successful entrepreneur. A psychobiographical case study was adopted by the researcher to explore and describe the extent to which Steve Jobs demonstrated the entrepreneurial characteristics identified by Rauch and Frese (2007). A personality trait approach to entrepreneurship was adopted in the study. The study also attempted to explore the socio-cultural and economic context within which Jobs practised his entrepreneurial activities. Jobs was a successful entrepreneur who co-founded Apple and founded NeXT and Pixar, which were all companies that transformed various technological industries. His entrepreneurial orientation allowed him to produce innovative products that transformed society in various sectors which included personal computing, mobile phones, music, retail stores and films (Isaacson, 2011). A qualitative approach was adopted in the study. The data collection and analysis was guided by the three linked sub-processes proposed by Miles and Huberman (2002) which involved data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings of this study showed that Jobs demonstrated, at varying levels, all the entrepreneurial characteristics identified by Rauch and Frese (2007) which included a need of achievement, risk-taking, innovativeness, autonomy, locus of control and self-efficacy. The researcher however noted that the desire for autonomy, risk-taking, innovativeness and self-efficacy were the most dominant characteristics driving his entrepreneurial orientation. The research thesis adopted the structure of a teaching case which can be used to explore and discuss the personality trait perspective to entrepreneurship in a classroom setting. The findings of the study can be recognised as positively contributing to the growing field of psychobiographical research on exceptional individuals, including entrepreneurs. The study can be considered as a foundation for future studies which will add to the body of knowledge relating to entrepreneurship and personality.
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- Date Issued: 2014
A psychobiography of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu
- Authors: Eliastam, Liesl Marijke
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Developmental psychology , Life cycle, Human -- Psychological aspects , Psychology -- Biographical methods , Personality -- Research -- Methodology , Emotional intelligence
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (C Psy)
- Identifier: vital:11856 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/537 , Developmental psychology , Life cycle, Human -- Psychological aspects , Psychology -- Biographical methods , Personality -- Research -- Methodology , Emotional intelligence
- Description: Psychobiographies offer the illuminating experience of uncovering the story of an individual’s life through the lens of a psychological theory. Psychobiographies offer the chance to gain a deeper understanding of what makes that individual unique. This study aimed to explore and describe the emotional intelligence of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu according to Goleman’s (1998) theory of Emotional Intelligence. Tutu was chosen as a subject for this study because of his extraordinary life and accomplishments, and because he is regarded as a prominent figure of moral leadership in South Africa. A qualitative psychobiographical research method was utilised. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources to enhance internal validity, and was then analysed according to Miles and Huberman’s (1994) approach. The findings suggest that Tutu applied all of the twenty five emotional intelligence capacities during his life, and that at times, some were used more extensively than others. This study is groundbreaking in that it is the first psychobiography on Desmond Tutu, and it is the first psychobiography undertaken at the University of Fort Hare. Psychobiographies offer an opportunity to evaluate the psychological theory which is applied. It was found that Goleman’s (1998) theory of Emotional Intelligence is supported by this study.
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- Date Issued: 2011
The phenomenolgoical experience of posttraumatic growth in the context of a traumatic bereavement
- Authors: Acheson, Kerry
- Date: 2009 , 2013-07-15
- Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Case studies Bereavement -- Psychological aspects Death -- Psychological aspects Phenomenological psychology Grief
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3102 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004456
- Description: The present study involves an exploration of the phenomenological expenence of posttraumatic growth in the context of a traumatic bereavement. An idiographic case study of a student who had witnessed her mother's death twelve years previously was conducted. Semi-structured interviews elicited data which was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IP A). Posttraumatic growth was found to have developed with regards to self-perception, relationships, and also in a broader spiritual and existential domain. The findings of this study shed light on the extant posttraumatic growth literature. In particular, findings were discussed in relation to the posttraumatic growth model as proposed by Calhoun and Tedeschi (2006). As posttraumatic growth is a relatively young concept, further research is needed in order to understand the meaning of reported growth more fully. While posttraumatic growth has been investigated in the context of bereavement, future research should distinguish more clearly between growth following traumatic and non-traumatic bereavement. Posttraumatic growth has received minimal empirical attention in South Africa, and therefore exploration of this area is suggested in the future. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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- Date Issued: 2009
Karen Horney : a psychobiographical study
- Authors: Green, Sarah-Jane
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Horney, Karen, 1885-1952 Women psychologists Levinson, Daniel J., d.1994 Levinson, Daniel J., d.1994 -- The seasons of a woman's life
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3186 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008374
- Description: This psychobiography on the life of Karen Horney is an exploratory-descriptive study that aims to explore and describe Horney's life structure development according to Daniel Levinson's (1996) theory of adult development. The method of research uses a qualitative single-case research design that studies her life over her entire lifespan and highlights the individual characteristics of Horney in a holistic manner within her socio-historical context. A purposive sampling procedure was used to select Karen Horney as the subject of the research and only published data was analyzed in the research. Multiple sources of data are used to obtain the information in this research, including an autobiography and three biographies written by three different authors. This data is organized according to the temporal sequence of her lifespan and the developmental periods and time frame of Levinson's theory. Horney's life is described and explored to highlight those areas of her life that conform to the developmental theory and those aspects of her life that are not included in the theoretical constructs of Levinson 's theory. By exploring the significant relationships that Horney developed throughout her life with family, friends, work colleagues, community and religious affiliations, and the important issues in her development, this study verifies Levinson's theory by corroborating his conceptualisation of adult development as a process of sequential stages divided into four main eras of development, linked by three periods of transition. A shortcoming of Levinson's theory relates to his omission of self-esteem issues and religious concerns as relevant factors experienced during the era of pre-adulthood and spiritual concerns during the era of late adulthood.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Personality traits of patients participating in a group programme at a private psychiatric day clinic
- Authors: Oakes, Elizabeth Jean
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Personality assessment -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , NEO Personality Inventory -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Psychotherapy -- Outcome assessment -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:11028 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/331 , Personality assessment -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , NEO Personality Inventory -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Psychotherapy -- Outcome assessment -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Description: The current trend in psychiatric health care is towards comprehensive primary healthcare for all South Africans. This has been has been achieved by the restructuring of the National Health System (NHS) into national, provincial, district, and community levels, which provide outpatient and inpatient care at primary, secondary, and tertiary care levels. Assessment and treatment in the form of physical and psychosocial interventions form an integral part of psychiatric care. The value of personality assessment and, in particular, the potential for matching patient personality types with effective treatment options, may play a role in facilitating effective health care in the future. An overview of the literature indicates that little research has been done regarding the area of personality traits of psychiatric patients in South Africa. This study aims to explore and describe the personality traits or profile of individuals attending a private psychiatric day care facility in The Nelson Mandela Metropole (i.e., Parkwood Day Clinic). The sample consisted of 196 participants (104 male and 92 female) who attended a group programme from April 2000 to April 2001. As part of the programme, patients were required to com plete a series of pencil-and-paper measures. The questionnaires selected for this study included a biographical questionnaire, which was used to describe the biographical variables of the sample with regard to gender, age and marital status, and The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) (Costa & McCrae, 1992a), which was used as a measure of personality. The NEO PI-R is considered a concise measure of the five major domains of personality and some of the more important traits that define each domain. Together, the five domains Neuroticism (N), Extraversion (E), Openness (O), Agreeableness (A) and Conscientiousness (C), and the six facets within each domain, allow for a comprehensive assessment of adult personality. xiv An exploratory, descriptive method was used in the study, and the data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlations, cluster analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance. Key findings include the following: Results from the NEO PI-R domains showed a personality profile of very high scores for N, and average scores for E, O, A, and C. Within the sample, cluster analysis revealed five distinct personality profile clusters. For the biographical variable gender, significant differences were found between males and females on N, with the majority of males scoring in the category of Very High and High, and the majority of females scoring in the Average category. For the variable age, the results indicated significant differences on A, with participants in the young adulthood group scoring significantly lower on A than participants in the middle adulthood group. For marital status, on the domain of O, significant differences were found between the divorced or widowed and the married, with the married scoring in the Low category and the divorced or widowed in the Average category. On the domain of C, significant differences were noted between the singles group and the currently or previously married groups, with the single group tending to score lower on C than both other groups. These findings reveal a need for further research into personality traits and psychiatric samples, as consideration of personality traits based on the profile established, may be useful in matching patients’ characteristics with optimal treatment options.
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- Date Issued: 2003