Sense-making of trauma through leadership development
- Authors: Olivier, Cindy
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Leadership , Loss (Psychology) , Trauma
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2432 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4891
- Description: D.Phil. , The world we live in is characterised by daily trauma, crisis and tragedy. The media, which are everywhere nowadays, expose us to the hurt and suffering of thousands of people, as well as to our own, and too often this creates the impression that only negative events are taking place. One cannot help but wonder whether the human race has not lost control over itself and the environment it has created. Are we victims of external events, or can we still make a difference or a positive contribution to our lives and those of others? This kind of question makes us curious about the human condition, and at the same time makes us aware of the different ways in which people deal with similar situations. Some people cannot function under difficult circumstances, while others cope quite well, and some even flourish! This gives rise to questions such as: What causes people to react so differently under equal circumstances? Why do some people become conquerors and others go to pieces? What can we learn from victors or survivors? Is it possible to teach people to become victors, instead of victims, in testing times? The researcher’s search for answers to these and other questions gave rise to this study. The focus of this study was to determine the possible key factors which led to the researcher’s friend becoming a survivor in the face of a life-threatening disease, breast cancer, and how the researcher herself managed to cope with the trauma of the disintegration of her marriage. More particularly the researcher wanted to explore how the ordeals they had gone through influenced their lives. How did their experience of trauma influence them, and what have they learned from these experiences? Questions which came to the fore at the outset of the study were the following: • How did the two women deal with loss? • Did the trauma influence their sense of purpose and meaning? • What role did their relationships with friends and family play in dealing with the traumatic events? • How did their ordeals affect their careers, and what was their employers’ reaction towards them? • How did trauma affect the various dimensions of their lives? • What advice could they as survivors offer to other people who are going through such traumatic experiences?
- Full Text:
- Authors: Olivier, Cindy
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Leadership , Loss (Psychology) , Trauma
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2432 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4891
- Description: D.Phil. , The world we live in is characterised by daily trauma, crisis and tragedy. The media, which are everywhere nowadays, expose us to the hurt and suffering of thousands of people, as well as to our own, and too often this creates the impression that only negative events are taking place. One cannot help but wonder whether the human race has not lost control over itself and the environment it has created. Are we victims of external events, or can we still make a difference or a positive contribution to our lives and those of others? This kind of question makes us curious about the human condition, and at the same time makes us aware of the different ways in which people deal with similar situations. Some people cannot function under difficult circumstances, while others cope quite well, and some even flourish! This gives rise to questions such as: What causes people to react so differently under equal circumstances? Why do some people become conquerors and others go to pieces? What can we learn from victors or survivors? Is it possible to teach people to become victors, instead of victims, in testing times? The researcher’s search for answers to these and other questions gave rise to this study. The focus of this study was to determine the possible key factors which led to the researcher’s friend becoming a survivor in the face of a life-threatening disease, breast cancer, and how the researcher herself managed to cope with the trauma of the disintegration of her marriage. More particularly the researcher wanted to explore how the ordeals they had gone through influenced their lives. How did their experience of trauma influence them, and what have they learned from these experiences? Questions which came to the fore at the outset of the study were the following: • How did the two women deal with loss? • Did the trauma influence their sense of purpose and meaning? • What role did their relationships with friends and family play in dealing with the traumatic events? • How did their ordeals affect their careers, and what was their employers’ reaction towards them? • How did trauma affect the various dimensions of their lives? • What advice could they as survivors offer to other people who are going through such traumatic experiences?
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Towards understanding experiences of women aspiring to senior management positions within a business environment
- Authors: Usher, Jane Victoria
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Businesswomen , Corporate culture , Women executives , Sex discrimination in employment , Sex role in the work environment
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4842
- Description: D.Phil. , Equality, status and remuneration of women in the workforce remain of on-going interest and concern. Although extensive research has been conducted into this field, intensely personal experiences of women in the work environment is an important area to be researched, as this may hold the key to assisting them in successfully reaching the higher echelons within the business world. Insight into women’s workplace experiences is a worldwide need in order to improve empowerment and equality in the workplace. Unfortunately this type of insight is lacking in the body of research that is currently available. The motivation for this study entitled: Towards Understanding Experiences of Women Aspiring to Senior Management Positions within a Business Environment was to examine the intensely personal experiences and emotions of women striving to achieve a senior place in the business hierarchy, especially when they encounter unexpected obstacles such as workplace bullying. The researcher has experienced many challenges that have influenced her career over her last ten years at work. Undertaking an auto-ethnographic study, an approach she wasn’t even aware of until 2006, provided her with the opportunity to study these events and experiences, and to learn from the knowledge gained, and thereby put forward suggestions to effect the social change that is required to improve a career woman’s quality of life. The aims of this research study were to understand the context of the research participants’ work situations and their resultant experiences, to propose actions to relieve the negative emotions and behaviours that may occur during such situations, as well as generate knowledge and add to existing theories. This research explores and describes the realities of two working women, and how they make sense of their worlds and experiences. The researcher has adopted elements of post-modernism as well as some positivistic and modernistic components which occur in varying degrees along the qualitative research continuum. While qualitative researchers hold different views regarding the incorporation and relevance of literature to their research topic, the researcher has incorporated both literature and theory in this thesis. Insights gained from the lived experiences of the research participants have been applied by means of analytical induction to relevant theory and contributeto the body of knowledge.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Usher, Jane Victoria
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Businesswomen , Corporate culture , Women executives , Sex discrimination in employment , Sex role in the work environment
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4842
- Description: D.Phil. , Equality, status and remuneration of women in the workforce remain of on-going interest and concern. Although extensive research has been conducted into this field, intensely personal experiences of women in the work environment is an important area to be researched, as this may hold the key to assisting them in successfully reaching the higher echelons within the business world. Insight into women’s workplace experiences is a worldwide need in order to improve empowerment and equality in the workplace. Unfortunately this type of insight is lacking in the body of research that is currently available. The motivation for this study entitled: Towards Understanding Experiences of Women Aspiring to Senior Management Positions within a Business Environment was to examine the intensely personal experiences and emotions of women striving to achieve a senior place in the business hierarchy, especially when they encounter unexpected obstacles such as workplace bullying. The researcher has experienced many challenges that have influenced her career over her last ten years at work. Undertaking an auto-ethnographic study, an approach she wasn’t even aware of until 2006, provided her with the opportunity to study these events and experiences, and to learn from the knowledge gained, and thereby put forward suggestions to effect the social change that is required to improve a career woman’s quality of life. The aims of this research study were to understand the context of the research participants’ work situations and their resultant experiences, to propose actions to relieve the negative emotions and behaviours that may occur during such situations, as well as generate knowledge and add to existing theories. This research explores and describes the realities of two working women, and how they make sense of their worlds and experiences. The researcher has adopted elements of post-modernism as well as some positivistic and modernistic components which occur in varying degrees along the qualitative research continuum. While qualitative researchers hold different views regarding the incorporation and relevance of literature to their research topic, the researcher has incorporated both literature and theory in this thesis. Insights gained from the lived experiences of the research participants have been applied by means of analytical induction to relevant theory and contributeto the body of knowledge.
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Understanding the role of ego, temperament and self esteem in the process of developing personal leadership skills
- Authors: Harrop-Allin, Mary Anne
- Date: 2010-11-09T06:33:12Z
- Subjects: Industrial psychology , Leadership , Success , Ego (Psychology) , Temperament , Self-esteem
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6959 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3468
- Description: D.Phil. , “This thesis is a study about life, broken relationships, friendships, adapting to change and personal growth. It is a study about nurturing oneself and developing those qualities within oneself that will ensure a life of quality, harmony and inner peace. Autoethnography is an unconventional research method that is seldom used in qualitative research circles – the social sciences or human resource management spheres in South Africa. The contents of this thesis will be presented to an audience of social psychologists, social scientists, human resource managers, academics, school principals, teachers, parents, and divorcees, couples contemplating divorce, youth leaders and personal, interpersonal and professional leadership facilitators. The intention is to provide the reader with the opportunity to learn vicariously through the reading of the stories of other human beings, to identify with these stories and, as a result, to feel motivated to effect personal and social change. Reading about others enables us to learn more about ourselves and to feel in community with other human beings. This work presents an autoethnographic account of divorce and the emotional ramifications of this experience. Performance in the workplace is routinely compromised when individuals within the workplace are emotionally distressed. This thesis aims at highlighting the way in which coping strategies may motivate personal growth that will, in turn, enable the individual to adapt positively to change while performing optimally in the workplace. This work is set in the teaching environment of a primary school. The stories presented illustrate the myriad issues that are laid bare when worlds drift apart. Each story highlights challenges that will need to be addressed during the divorce process. The issues addressed in this thesis include love, compassion, leadership, values, principles, friendship, self-esteem, ego, selfexpression and forgiveness. The successful resolution of each challenge and the subsequent learning process will result in personal growth and a pervasive feeling of inner peace and harmony.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Harrop-Allin, Mary Anne
- Date: 2010-11-09T06:33:12Z
- Subjects: Industrial psychology , Leadership , Success , Ego (Psychology) , Temperament , Self-esteem
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6959 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3468
- Description: D.Phil. , “This thesis is a study about life, broken relationships, friendships, adapting to change and personal growth. It is a study about nurturing oneself and developing those qualities within oneself that will ensure a life of quality, harmony and inner peace. Autoethnography is an unconventional research method that is seldom used in qualitative research circles – the social sciences or human resource management spheres in South Africa. The contents of this thesis will be presented to an audience of social psychologists, social scientists, human resource managers, academics, school principals, teachers, parents, and divorcees, couples contemplating divorce, youth leaders and personal, interpersonal and professional leadership facilitators. The intention is to provide the reader with the opportunity to learn vicariously through the reading of the stories of other human beings, to identify with these stories and, as a result, to feel motivated to effect personal and social change. Reading about others enables us to learn more about ourselves and to feel in community with other human beings. This work presents an autoethnographic account of divorce and the emotional ramifications of this experience. Performance in the workplace is routinely compromised when individuals within the workplace are emotionally distressed. This thesis aims at highlighting the way in which coping strategies may motivate personal growth that will, in turn, enable the individual to adapt positively to change while performing optimally in the workplace. This work is set in the teaching environment of a primary school. The stories presented illustrate the myriad issues that are laid bare when worlds drift apart. Each story highlights challenges that will need to be addressed during the divorce process. The issues addressed in this thesis include love, compassion, leadership, values, principles, friendship, self-esteem, ego, selfexpression and forgiveness. The successful resolution of each challenge and the subsequent learning process will result in personal growth and a pervasive feeling of inner peace and harmony.
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Spectacular careers : exotic dancing - a qualitative exploration
- Authors: Henning, Estelle
- Date: 2010-11-09T06:19:34Z
- Subjects: Occupations , Stripteasers
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6952 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3461
- Description: M.Phil. , While the highly successful business of the strip-club industry and exotic dancing that is yielding millions from customers, has received increased attention in the media and amongst social scientists abroad, local scholars have, as far as could be ascertained, paid little attention to it. It is also clear from the work that has been undertaken abroad that little, if any, was done from a human-resources or industrial-psychology perspective. People, and their inner experiences, are extremely important to me. This, together with the preceding, has led me to undertake a life-history study of the life of one local stripper, Casey. Believing that every person has the right and obligation to choose how to live his or her life to the best of his or her ability, the aim of this study was not to criticise her career, which many would certainly regard as “deviant”, but to explore and describe her experiences and perspectives of it, and to obtain an understanding of how she experienced her stripping, and thereby make a contribution to our knowledge of it. A modernistic qualitative methodology, based on symbolic interactionism as theoretical framework, was employed. More particularly, a case-study and lifestory method was used. Rich data was obtained which was systematically analysed by utilising various qualitative methods, relevant theoretical constructs and empirical findings. This in turn, led to the construction of a preliminary tool, namely a typology, attempting to illuminate erotic dancing by looking at factors influencing dancers’ behaviour and experiences. I would like to believe that in a modest way this theoretical concept will provide a building block towards constructing a human-resources study of exotic-dancing careers locally.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Henning, Estelle
- Date: 2010-11-09T06:19:34Z
- Subjects: Occupations , Stripteasers
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6952 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3461
- Description: M.Phil. , While the highly successful business of the strip-club industry and exotic dancing that is yielding millions from customers, has received increased attention in the media and amongst social scientists abroad, local scholars have, as far as could be ascertained, paid little attention to it. It is also clear from the work that has been undertaken abroad that little, if any, was done from a human-resources or industrial-psychology perspective. People, and their inner experiences, are extremely important to me. This, together with the preceding, has led me to undertake a life-history study of the life of one local stripper, Casey. Believing that every person has the right and obligation to choose how to live his or her life to the best of his or her ability, the aim of this study was not to criticise her career, which many would certainly regard as “deviant”, but to explore and describe her experiences and perspectives of it, and to obtain an understanding of how she experienced her stripping, and thereby make a contribution to our knowledge of it. A modernistic qualitative methodology, based on symbolic interactionism as theoretical framework, was employed. More particularly, a case-study and lifestory method was used. Rich data was obtained which was systematically analysed by utilising various qualitative methods, relevant theoretical constructs and empirical findings. This in turn, led to the construction of a preliminary tool, namely a typology, attempting to illuminate erotic dancing by looking at factors influencing dancers’ behaviour and experiences. I would like to believe that in a modest way this theoretical concept will provide a building block towards constructing a human-resources study of exotic-dancing careers locally.
- Full Text:
A Draytonian changemaker: the story of a social entrepreneur
- Authors: Steinman, Susan Maud
- Date: 2010-03-10T06:22:49Z
- Subjects: Social entrepreneurship
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6658 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3064
- Description: D.Phil. , My social entrepreneurship case study, and in particular my life as a “Draytonian Changemaker”, takes the form of an autoethnographic dissertation journey (Garratt, 2003). You are cordially invited to witness this journey, which will be presented by using a relatively new qualitative method. Autoethnography, a relatively new qualitative method, represents: “… a multilayered, intertextual case study that integrates private and social experience and ties autobiographical to sociological writing …” (Ellis, 1995, p. 3). I trust that you will enjoy my expedition as a social entrepreneur but, more importantly, in the words of the leading social entrepreneur of autoethnography, Prof. Carolyn Ellis (University of North Carolina, USA), urge her readers to “experience the power of autoethnography, feel its truths as well as come to know it intellectually!” (Ellis, 2004, p. xix). You will encounter the many people who influenced my life, amongst others, Prof. Willem Schurink, my promoter, who acted as my “tour guide” and “Ultra City” en route. I am an activist by nature and this characteristic naturally has also taken root in my writing (see Sparkes, 2002). Ultimately, I would like you to embrace my world: the world of the Draytonian Changemaker, of people who believe that we can change the world with our burning desire to make a difference through revolutionary social innovations. The following points are of particular importance for this rather unusual journey: • The journey also represents the cultural setting of my world – the world of Susan Steinman – the social entrepreneur, activist and workplace violence expert in the greater universe of social entrepreneurs. This relatively new concept is explored in Part I of this thesis in which the terrain of the journey is mapped by acquainting the reader with the concept of social entrepreneurship as it is understood by scholars, as well as the viewpoints of Ashoka, a fellowship of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Steinman, Susan Maud
- Date: 2010-03-10T06:22:49Z
- Subjects: Social entrepreneurship
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6658 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3064
- Description: D.Phil. , My social entrepreneurship case study, and in particular my life as a “Draytonian Changemaker”, takes the form of an autoethnographic dissertation journey (Garratt, 2003). You are cordially invited to witness this journey, which will be presented by using a relatively new qualitative method. Autoethnography, a relatively new qualitative method, represents: “… a multilayered, intertextual case study that integrates private and social experience and ties autobiographical to sociological writing …” (Ellis, 1995, p. 3). I trust that you will enjoy my expedition as a social entrepreneur but, more importantly, in the words of the leading social entrepreneur of autoethnography, Prof. Carolyn Ellis (University of North Carolina, USA), urge her readers to “experience the power of autoethnography, feel its truths as well as come to know it intellectually!” (Ellis, 2004, p. xix). You will encounter the many people who influenced my life, amongst others, Prof. Willem Schurink, my promoter, who acted as my “tour guide” and “Ultra City” en route. I am an activist by nature and this characteristic naturally has also taken root in my writing (see Sparkes, 2002). Ultimately, I would like you to embrace my world: the world of the Draytonian Changemaker, of people who believe that we can change the world with our burning desire to make a difference through revolutionary social innovations. The following points are of particular importance for this rather unusual journey: • The journey also represents the cultural setting of my world – the world of Susan Steinman – the social entrepreneur, activist and workplace violence expert in the greater universe of social entrepreneurs. This relatively new concept is explored in Part I of this thesis in which the terrain of the journey is mapped by acquainting the reader with the concept of social entrepreneurship as it is understood by scholars, as well as the viewpoints of Ashoka, a fellowship of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.
- Full Text:
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