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'n Ondersoek na onderwysers se persoonlike en professionele identiteit in die veranderende milieu van gespesialiseerde onderwys

  • Authors: Homan, Edie
  • Date: 2012-06-08
  • Subjects: Identity (Psychology) , Teachers - Professional relationships , Special education teachers , Competency-based education
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:8740 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5092
  • Description: M.Ed. , The focus of the study is aimed at the personal and professional identity of the educator in the ever-changing milieu of specialised education. Since 1994, numerous changes have started to take place within the South African teaching profession, resulting in far-reaching implications for all educators. These changes include: the introduction and implementation of outcomes based education, a newly structured curriculum, modified assessment practices, the redefinition of the roles of educators and renewed educator appraisal systems. All of these impacted on educators in specialised schools. With the announcement of the Education White Paper 6: Special Needs Education – Building an Inclusive Education and Training System, the education system changed to one National Inclusive Education System, which would henceforth acknowledge the fundamental right of each person. The Medical Model, used in the past as relevant classification model for learners with special needs, was replaced with a bio-ecological system theory with several new support structures. Educators in special education, having to redefine their personal and professional identities, experienced a sense of insecurity and personal frustration. Erik Erikson‟s psycho-social theory was used as literary reference, in order to determine whether the shaping of identity was influenced by the transformation process. The relevant study was approached from a qualitative, phenomenological basis, to ensure that the life experiences of the individuals in specialised education can be understood and interpreted. Selected educators and managers with a long-term commitment to specialised teaching, and involved with in-practice teaching institutions, took part in the study. Their descriptions, interpretations and critical self-reflection were captured using structured interviews, participatory education and personal journals. Autobiographical narration was used as a form of story-telling, in order to verbalise the deepest thought processes and feelings of the participants. Four alternating identity dimensions that influenced the shaping of the personal and professional identities of specialised educators, were identified. It was established that the fundamental , developing and transformative identity dimensions alternatively function as integral dimensions, while still promoting a certain personal and professional educator identity within the unique context. The argument, however, has arisen that the optimal ecosocial identity dimension has not been achieved. Hope, competence – which includes an v active caring for a fixed community – and the proficient concern to lobby for the survival of a certain group, has not been accomplished. Due to the fact that the unique group of educators can no longer function optimally in the social community and framework, and as a result of a disturbed and changing support network within the specialised education milieu, it has in conclusion been established that the disintegration of relationship structures has impacted negatively on the optimal shaping of identity.
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Co-creating community with chronic psychiatric patients: the evolution of texts of identity

  • Authors: Artus, Ingrid Christina
  • Date: 2010-11-22T07:40:58Z
  • Subjects: Psychiatry , Psychiatric patients , Mental illness , Constructivism (Psychology) , Stigma (Social psychology) , Identity (Psychology)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6999 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3508
  • Description: M.A. , This study looks at how our identities are communally formed and shaped within various contexts. It considers how such interaction can create a sense of self that could potentially shift, remain the same or become "stuck" in our experiences of connectiondisconnection. Modernism and postmodernism as two of the main ways of understanding our world/s are considered in positioning this research instance. Furthermore, the field of community psychology and some community psychological models are discussed along with the underlying principles of each. This study looks at identity-formation from a post-modern perspective and assumptions are based on ideas from the field of social constructionism. Such assumptions include the following notions: That our sense of self are manifestations of relationships; that we have multiple possible selves relative to the context; that our identities are evolving products of history and that our sense of belonging and of being separate are elements of identity. Ideas around "mental illness", the treatment system and the labelling of the "mentally ill" are also considered in the processes of identity formation. The aim of this study is to look at all the abovementioned elements in the process of coconstructing a healing community with chronic psychiatric patients, so that, the ways in which we look at ourselves as well as others in the world, could include wider healing self-definitions.
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Deconstructing a homunculus : a postmodern account of the self

  • Authors: Devetzis, Catherine
  • Date: 2012-09-05
  • Subjects: Postmodernism - Psychological aspects. , Identity (Psychology) , Gay men - Psychology - Research - South Africa. , Self-esteem. , Self
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:9603 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7024
  • Description: M.A. , The present study explores the effect of social positioning, as manifested in relationship, in shaping personal narratives. Four homosexual men shared aspects of their personal narratives, particularly their experiences of self as a consequence of relationship. The narratives unfold in a setting of marginality, in that homosexuality is regarded as an illegitimate identity within the mainstream contexts of these men. One tape-recorded conversation of an hour and a half was held with each of the participants in the study. The conversation was guided by in-depth considerations of marginality, separation, belonging and the consequences of these. The narratives suggest that these men's sense of self is influenced by how they are addressed by others, demonstrating that relationship is the matrix from which people are socially positioned and from which their narratives of self emerge. Suggestions around alternative resources in accounting for the ontological within psychology include regarding relationship, language and social position as influencing what does manifest as a person's inner world. In order to counteract the tyranny of "normality" perpetuated within the social sciences, normality should be reformulated as a socially prescribed template of being. In terms of marginality, this study implies that marginality is a social process which emanates when a person interacts with people removed from his or her social context. It is a discourse which lacks expansion and focuses predominately on separation and belonging and nuances these. The discourse thereby suggests that marginality is not the function of an overtly disempowered identity vis-à-vis the mainstream, but a function of the discourses which emanate from interaction across dissimilar contexts.
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Exploring the work identity of working mothers

  • Authors: Gossayn, Christina
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Working mothers , Identity (Psychology)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/282418 , uj:30420
  • Description: M.Com. (Industrial Psychology) , Abstract: Work is an eminent part of an adult’s existence and for many it becomes part of who they are. A large portion of an adult’s life will be spent in the workplace with identity negotiation as the focal point of this relationship. Work plays a significant role in shaping an individual’s sense of self, and ultimately influences their identity and, in doing so, their work identity too. Identity and work identity are constantly changing and transforming as new stimuli are experienced. In this study the work identity research will be specific to working mothers. This qualitative research in work identity negotiation will enhance the understanding of the challenges that working mothers face, as well as how they manage their work identity. In order to do this a multiple case study approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each working mother and analysed using thematic analysis. Participant observation was utilised in the discussion to enhance the data. The theoretically based conceptual model of work identity developed by Saayman and Crafford (2011) was utilised as a basis for the research study. The model consists of five facets of work identity, namely personal identity, social identity, social practice, job/role and individual agency. The results were analysed in relation to the various facets of this model and the similarities and differences between the working mothers’ results were discussed. The tensions, demands and multiple identities that these mothers deal with in constructing a work identity were also explored in the discussion. The presence of females in the work place is not only valuable to organisations but also to these women’s sense of identity, despite the pressures of their motherly duties. Many mothers thrive off work; it provides them with a sense of accomplishment and meaning and becomes part of who they are. Therefore, this research intends to be valuable in assisting...
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Hybrid identities in Johannesburg: grafting garment, city and self

  • Authors: Du Preez, Suzanne
  • Date: 2011-10-11T07:02:39Z
  • Subjects: Fashion , Identity (Psychology) , Cultural fusion in popular culture
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7232 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3887
  • Description: M.Tech. , My practical and theoretical research is informed by Johannesburg, the city in which I live. My thesis is positioned within postcolonial academic and theorist Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of a “Third Space” and within South African academic, Colin Richards’ (In: Enwezor 1997:234-235) theory of a graft that operates within an enculturated semiosphere. In this instance, I identify spaces in which a graft operates in the form of two examples: garments designed by Strangelove and Stoned Cherrie and selected suburban boundary walls in Parktown West, Westcliff, Houghton, Melville and Emmarentia. These two examples are used to argue whether a graft ‘takes’ to ‘open out’ a space for cultural difference or whether it does not ‘take’, thus closing off space. I understand my examples as hybrid forms and manifestations of identities in a process of re-definition in the context of postcolonial Johannesburg. My practical work explores my hybrid identity in my lived context. The artworks are constructed through a similar process to that of a fashion designer by grafting diverse elements. The visual references used in my artworks are informed by the boundary wall and meaning is incorporated by selecting diverse materials to construct my artworks. My practical work therefore ties together the two examples that I use and informs my art-making process.
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Identity, authenticity, and impression management across multicultural contexts

Linear and non-linear therapeutic methods and identity integration

Not just at face value - understanding how the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Facebook members use notions of public and private to perform their identity

  • Authors: Joshi, Hemali
  • Date: 2011-08-25T06:39:30Z
  • Subjects: Facebook , Identity (Psychology) , University of Johannesburg , Online social networks , Internet markering , Relationship marketing
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7172 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3783
  • Description: M.A. , Identity is a broad term that has changed across time and within context. This paper focuses specifically on notions of ‘public versus private’ identity within an online context. Within this study I took both a qualitative and quantitative approach as a means of data collection. This research was aimed at answering the one research question: ‘How do UJ Facebook members use notions of public and private to perform their identity?’ I employed a ‘mixed methodology’ of a qualitative and quantitative approach to enable in gaining data. As part of my qualitative research I applied the ethnographic approach; I observed a total of 25 profiles in order to understand the way in which the UJ Facebook members ‘perform’ their identities through their individual profiles. For twelve months I used observations to understand and explore identities of UJ Facebook members. As part of my quantitative research, I randomly selected 105 individuals as a representation of the UJ Facebook group and with the use of a statistics programme (SPSS) I statistically represented my findings. During my twelve months of research I observed individual profiles of UJ Facebook members and focused on ‘identity markers’ to help me to understand how identities are represented within this space. By identity markers, I refer to markers such as name, sex, birth date, relationship status, religious and political viewpoint, and so on. These markers help create a perception of one’s identity based on the information that is filled in when the profile is created by the individual. Thus, both my qualitative and quantitative findings paint a picture of how profile pictures, status updates, walls, information, applications and so on help communicate a message of identity to an ‘outsider’. I have found a tension between public and private performances of identity. In tension, I don’t mean dishonesty but rather the tensions communicated by the UJ Facebook members in the way in which their identities are performed. For example, one of my participants does not indicate her relationship status, but her status updates and wall is a constant communication with her boyfriend. Therefore, at times these messages contradict each other and this tends to raise questions about ‘how public’ and ‘how private’ ones profile really is.
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Perceived inclusive leadership and discrimination: The mediating roles of work and personal identities

  • Authors: Christos, Daniela
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Leadership , Work - Psychological aspects , Identity (Psychology) , Discrimination in employment
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/448638 , uj:39368
  • Description: Abstract: The lack of perceived inclusive leadership in the workplace may precede employees’ perceptions of discrimination. Identity is confirmed as a mediator in the relationship between inclusive leadership and discrimination with personal and work identities specifically, proposed to mediate the relationship between inclusive leadership and discrimination. However, there is a gap in the literature confirming the roles and function of personal and work identities in the relationship, which this study aimed to investigate. Adhering to a quantitative approach, a non experimental, cross-sectional research design was employed to conduct the study. Using non probability sampling techniques, a questionnaire comprising a biographical questionnaire, Inclusive Leadership Scale, Chronic Work Discrimination and Harassment Scale, Erikson Psycho Social Inventory, and Tilburg Work Identity Scale for Commitment and Reconsideration of Commitment was distributed to respondents (N = 452) in South African organisations. The results from the path analysis confirmed a statistically significant mediating effect of work identity on the relationship between inclusive leadership and discrimination with the implication that in South Africa, inclusive leadership cultivates work identity, which alleviates perceptions of discrimination. The findings of this research contribute to the limited body of research in the scope of inclusive leadership and personal and work identities; personal and work identities and discrimination; and personal and work identities as mediators of the relationship between inclusive leadership and discrimination. The practical implications relate to recommended implementation of inclusive leadership in South African organisations to reduce perceptions of discrimination, and the cultivation of individuals’ work identities in South African organisations. , M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)
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Predictors of work-based identity

  • Authors: De Braine, Roslyn Tania
  • Date: 2012-10-25
  • Subjects: Work-based identity , Diversity in the workplace , Corporate culture , Identity (Psychology) , Interpersonal relations
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:10436 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7902
  • Description: D.Phil. , Orientation: The focus of this study is on the work-based identity construct. This study’s context is the South African multi-cultural and diverse work environment where different racial and cultural identities meet. South Africa’s transition into democracy requires a revised way of perceiving identity, particularly in the workplace. A revised way of viewing identity may be found in understanding work-based identity. Work-based identity is a multi-identity, multi-faceted, and multi-layered construction of the self. Its multi-faceted nature can be understood using three different dimensions, namely a structural, social, and individual-psychological, which influence the identity formation process. The structural dimension is the historical, legislative, national, and culturally embedded context in which individuals find themselves, and which influences identity formation. The social dimension refers to the social interaction that individuals engage in with other individuals. Career, occupational, and professional identity and organisational identification are the work-based identity facets that fall under this dimension. The individual-psychological dimension focuses on the individual’s personal identity orientation. Work centrality, job involvement, and person- organisation fit fall under this dimension. Work-based identity influences the way individuals behave in their work. It is developed as a result of the interplay between an individual’s personal resources and work processes. Work processes include work characteristics, which are job demands and job resources. Research purpose: As part of a larger work-based identity project, the primary objective of this study was to investigate whether job demands and job resources could serve as possible predictors of work-based identity. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model was used as the predictive model to account for both job demands and job resources in the prediction of work-based identity. Job demands were comprised of overload, job insecurity, and work-family conflict. Growth opportunities, organisational support, advancement, task identity, perceived external prestige, and team climate constituted the job resources. The possibility of non-linear relationships between job demands and work-based identity, and between job resources and work-based identity was also investigated. The possible mediation effects of job demands on the relationship between job resources and work-based identity was also assessed. Furthermore, the moderating effects of the biographical variables race, age, and gender on the relationships of each job demand and job resource with work-based identity were assessed. Lastly, the moderating effects of the demographic variables academic qualification, marital status, job level, medical fund, and work region on the relationship of each job demand and job resource with work-based identity were also assessed. Research design: A cross-sectional field survey design was used for this study. In addition, a census-based approach was utilised, where everyone in the target population (employees of a large South African Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company) had an equal opportunity to participate in the study. The target population of 23 134 employees yielded a sample of 2 429 (a response rate of about 11%). The Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) was used to measure the job demands and job resources, except work-family conflict, perceived external prestige, task identity, and team climate. A Work-Family Scale, Perceived External Prestige Scale, Task Identity Scale, and Team Climate Scale were sourced and adapted to measure these constructs. Furthermore, a Work-based Identity Scale was developed for this study,
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Reflections on shifts in work identity of research team members

  • Authors: Smith, Rina Alida
  • Date: 2012-09-04
  • Subjects: Work identity , Corporate culture , Identity (Psychology) , Employees - Rating of
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:3518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/6906
  • Description: M.Phil. , Orientation: This study explores shifts in the work identity of individual team members in a research team. Research Purpose: The aim of the study is to explore shifts in work identity experienced by individual research team members during the duration of a project wherein they studied work identity themselves. Motivation for the study: To reflect on shifts in work identity. Research strategy: The researcher presented data through confessional tales, autoethnography, fictional representation, realist tales and vignettes. Using thematic analysis methodology in the context of qualitative field research, ten semi -structured interviews were conducted with five participants who were themselves involved in conducting a research study on work identity.These participants were employed by various South African companies and academia.The researcher, who formed part of the research team presented data related to shifts in her own work identity by means of an autoethnographic account. Main findings: The four primary themes presented in the data are: Compass points guiding our journey; navigating personal circumstances; negotiating identity and identification in the workplace; perception of self. Managerial applications: This study has implications for organisations looking to improve productivity through an understanding of work identity. Theoretical Contribution: An application for shifts in work identity is done by positioning shifts in work identity in a framework proposed by Ibarra (2004).
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The consequences of employees' work-based identity

  • Authors: Bothma, Filippus Cornelius
  • Date: 2012-06-07
  • Subjects: Identity (Psychology) , Corporate culture , Performance - Management
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:2545 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4999
  • Description: D.Comm. , Work-related identities have a major influence on employee behaviour, as specific identities are evoked in response to certain social situations. As part of a larger research project, this study systematically investigated the relationship between work-based identity and selected subjective and objective work outcomes. Based on the research findings, it can be stated that work-based identity plays an important role in determining employees‟ work outcomes, for example, task performance. These work outcomes are important (e.g., labour turnover and task performance) for organisations, as they have cost implications that impact on the organisation‟s financial bottom line. Research purpose: The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether work-based identity is related to the selected subjective consequences personal alienation, burnout, organisational citizenship behaviour - helping behaviour (H-OCB) and work engagement, and the selected objective consequences turnover intention as a proxy for labour turnover, and task performance. The possible mediation effect that the subjective consequences may have on the relationship between work-based identity and the objective consequences were investigated. It was also investigated whether the selected predictors (including work-based identity with the subjective consequences) can predict turnover intention and task performance. In addition, the possibility of the selected biographical and demographic data having a moderating effect on the relationship between the predictors (i.e. work-based identity and the selected subjective consequences) and objective consequences were investigated.
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The correction of skewness of a task performance measure

  • Authors: Ewinyu, Ayado
  • Date: 2013-07-18
  • Subjects: Performance measurement - Statistical methods , Work - Psychological aspects , Identity (Psychology) , Performance - Psychological aspects
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7636 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8506
  • Description: M.Comm. (Industrial Psychology) , Orientation: In theory, work-based identities have been perceived to predict employee performance at work. The rationale behind this thinking is that individuals apply their identities as they work. Little research is available on the exact nature of the relationship between work-based identity and task performance. Research purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between work-based identity and task performance before and after the correction of the negatively skewed task performance measure. Motivation of the study: This study will shed light on how to statistically correct negatively skewed task performance ratings. Currently, limited literature exists on how to correct this skewness with the aim of understanding the work-based identity task performance correlation. Research design: The study utilised a secondary data analysis (SDA) approach within the quantitative research paradigm. This study was performed on a cross-sectional survey (n = 2,429) of data which was collected from middle management level, and management levels that fell beneath this, in a large South African Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector company (N = 23,134). Scales used in the study were the Work-based Identity (WI-28) and Task Performance Scales. Results: The results confirm a relationship between work-based identity and task performance before and after the logarithmic transformation of the negatively skewed task performance ratings. The results also indicate that the relationship between workbased identity and task performance remains unchanged after the transformation. Practical/Managerial Implications: Employee behaviours impact general organisational outcomes. Managers should strive to design interventions that draw on employee strengths, such as work-based identity and skills that would lead to improved work experiences. Contribution/Value-Add: The study described in this article builds on the work-based identity literature by showing that this construct can be used to predict task performance. The study also provides evidence of how to statistically correct a negatively skewed task performance measure.
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The effectiveness of a gender attitudes modification programme

The relationship between perceived organizational support for strength use and the imposter phenomenon

  • Authors: Bila, Khongelani Antonnet
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Industrial relations , Employee motivation , Work - Psychological aspects , Identity (Psychology) , Organizational sociology , Organizational behavior
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/448602 , uj:39363
  • Description: Abstract: Previous initiatives to increase employee well-being and performance were limited to training and coaching. Recent studies have sought to examine the benefits of taking a strength-based approach to employee well-being and performance. Employees who perceive their organisation to be in support of their strengths often feel more committed toward the organisation itself (organisational identity) and the work roles they hold within the organisation (work identity). When this is not the case, employees may begin to experience feelings of fraudulence or inadequacy in their role (imposter phenomenon). This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of organisational identity and work identity on perceived organisational support for strength use (POSSU) and the imposter phenomenon, using tenure as a moderator for middle career stage and late career stage employees. The study sample (n = 284) completed the Strength Use and Deficit Correction (SUDCO) questionnaire, Organisational Identification questionnaire, the Tilburg Scale for Work Identity Commitment and Reconsideration of Commitment (TWIS-CRC), and the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). This study was quantitative in nature and the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) showed that there were differences between groups, though these differences were minor. The path analysis indicated that organisational identity and work identity fully mediate the relationship between POSSU and the imposter phenomenon... , M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)
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The use of narrative as a means to investigate first-year student identity construction

  • Authors: Lees, Deborah Catherine
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: Identity (Psychology) , Narrative inquiry (Research method) , College students
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/478994 , uj:43308
  • Description: Abstract: This study explored the first-year higher education experiences of seven students studying at a particular private higher education institution in Johannesburg, South Africa. It examined narrated experiences of their first year of study as means to reveal their student identities. In acknowledging stories as a lens to reveal identity, this study focused on student stories as lenses of sense-making of the transition to higher education. It adds to the emerging discourse in local and international literature on the role of narrative in understanding first-year student identity development. Field texts used in this study to construct the transition narratives of respondents included narrative interviews, images, informal conversations, student drawings, a focus group discussion, student reflections, and the use of respondents’ academic results data. The analyses of field text sets were used as a springboard to discover how student identity development emerged through story... , D.Ed. et Phil. (Higher Education)
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Towards constructing the identity of industrial and organisational psychology

  • Authors: Chamda, Nasreen
  • Date: 2013-12-09
  • Subjects: Industrial psychology , Industrial psychologists , Identity (Psychology)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7821 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8715
  • Description: M.Phil. (Industrial Psychology) , Industrial psychology is a profession that provides behaviour focused services to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of businesses. Industrial psychologists implement interventions at an individual, group and organisational level to improve productivity and well-being as well as reaffirming strengths and organisational flourishing. It can be said that the industrial psychology profession has been subjected to identity challenges as the profession has evolved. Orientation: The study explored the dynamics of the challenges relating to the identity of the industrial psychology profession as well as its members and further explores the creation of professional identity through social interaction. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to report on the outcomes of the social construction process and the co-creation of the identity of the industrial psychology profession and professional. Motivation for the study: This study was aimed at acquiring an understanding on the outcomes of the process of socially constructing the professional identity of industrial psychology. Research design, approach and method: This study used social construction in the context of a qualitative field research. The researcher used social media as a data collection method and asked seven industrial psychology related questions to a sample of 80 participants who contributed to a total of 627 responses. Main findings: Findings apply to areas of the industrial psychology as a science, as a profession, and the industrial psychologist as a practitioner. A unifying industrial psychology identity should be established that may assist in the maintenance of the profession’s relevance and reduce professional identity challenges. Practical/managerial implications: There are many stakeholders of the industrial psychology profession that may be affected by the services provided by members of the profession. These stakeholders include: industrial psychologists themselves, industrial psychology academics and institutions, organisations, clients and internship providers as well as regulatory boards and associations. The recommendations made in this study have been specifically applied to all stakeholders. Contribution/value-add: This study may assist in the a) elimination of role ambiguity and b) the promotion of using social media as a data collection method.
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Women in prison: the communal (re)construction of crisis and the (trans)formation of healing identities

  • Authors: Artus, Ingrid Christina
  • Date: 2008-10-29T12:18:31Z
  • Subjects: Women prisoners , Female offenders , Imprisonment , Identity (Psychology)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:13784 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1404
  • Description: D. Litt. et Phil. , This study is an exploration of the experiences of crisis and identity. It looks specifically at these experiences from within the context of imprisonment from the concrete to the abstract. Imprisonment is not merely looked at from the physical point of view, but also the metaphorical. This means that the sense of imprisonment is not only limited to people who are serving out sentences imposed by the courts of law. We can all experience the sense of being imprisoned at some level or another, whether though a sense of isolation, being labelled and controlled, or experiencing restriction in various forms. The post-modern worldview that underlies this study is social constructionist theory. From this perspective, our sense of what is real is communally created within specific cultural and historical contexts. Language is used as the vehicle through which our meanings are constructed between people. The social constructionist view of people holds that we are open systems so that our sense of self is not only impacted by perturbing “others”, but is also shaped and transformed in relationship. The shaping of identity takes place through language processes and is circumscribed by particular contextual constraints. Identity is not viewed as a constant entity, but as an ever-evolving narrative (story) and a product of interaction with others in the world. Whereas the modern definition of “crisis” underscores the idea that it is, at best, “something” to be avoided, social constructionists describe it as a boundary experience that is communally constructed. Furthermore, if we draw on chaos theory, crisis can also be seen as a bifurcation point. This means that it is a moment in our experiences in which we are moved to make decisions and potentially proceed into new directions. Therefore, crisis holds transformational potential. The notion of exploring the transformative potential of crisis and the construction of identity sprung from a personal crisis experience around the discomfort of progressing into a professional identity. My practical training within the Johannesburg Female Prison provided a context fertile with stories of imprisonment, crisis and how these impact on identity construction. Therefore, the context of this study is prison, so that a discussion around constructions of criminality and its treatment is important to paint a fuller picture. These are discussed from the perspectives of modern criminology theories, as well as post-modern impressions of criminality and its treatment as embedded in historical and social contexts. Since this study underscores an intervention-action research approach, the implications of crisis as a potential catalyst for therapeutic change is also considered. The social constructionist understanding of therapeutic practice is that it is a relational process. Therapy is a co-creation between the client and therapist so that new ways of moving forward is a collective, not an individual achievement. This study, as a form of action research, was born out of a one and a half-year long therapeutic endeavour with a group of women offenders in the Johannesburg Female Prison. The theoretical principles of Appreciative Inquiry were used to guide the process of inquiry. Three levels of participants were involved in the collection of data: A diverse mix of women incarcerated in the Johannesburg Female Prison, the core group of women participating in the “Who am I?” therapeutic group, as well as myself. Information was in the form of written personal texts, interviews (conducted by the core group) and a newsletter. Thematic analysis was used to scrutinise the information and the following themes were identified: Loss and gain, power and helplessness, hope and despair, differentness and sameness as well as connection and disconnection. Typical character types (identities) and whether there were progressive, regressive or stable narrative plots (directionality of stories) were considered in the various themes as points of crisis. Finally, the findings are integrated with the theory by exploring social constructionist ideas about identity as being ever-changing, multiple and created in our togetherness. The principles of first and second order cybernetics are also used as systemic explanatory models of identity transformation and/or “stuckness”. The creation of therapeutic communities was explored as a tool to facilitate the reconstruction of crisis and the transformation of healing identities of women in prison. , Dr. C.J. Oosthuizen
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