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Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape

Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.

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Main Author: Carolissen, Ronelle
Other Authors: Swartz, Leslie
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2008
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access_status_str Open Access
author Carolissen, Ronelle
author2 Swartz, Leslie
author_browse Carolissen, Ronelle
Swartz, Leslie
author_facet Swartz, Leslie
Carolissen, Ronelle
author_sort Carolissen, Ronelle
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1371
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:15.221Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2008
publishDateRange 2008
publishDateSort 2008
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1371 Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape Carolissen, Ronelle Swartz, Leslie Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. Identity Community psychology -- South Africa -- Western Cape Psychologists -- South Africa --Western Cape Dissertations -- Psychology Theses -- Psychology Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. The literature in psychology repeatedly hints at identity representation as important in transforming the discipline of psychology in contemporary South Africa. It simultaneously names curriculum, race and gender as areas of silence within the discipline. These literatures coexist with the reality that few psychologists work in public health services, where approximately eighty six percent of South Africa’s population who cannot afford private health care, receive their services. Community psychology is generally viewed as the area of study that prepares practitioners to work in public health service. Thus the intersections of identity, community, psychology and community psychology become important. Yet no contemporary studies that systematically and empirically examine community psychology and identity, exist in South Africa. The current study therefore aims to examine identity and community psychology from a multi-levelled perspective in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This work draws on multiple theoretical strands, broadly united under a social constructionist framework, to examine community psychology in the organisation of the university, in terms of student and practitioner perceptions (and therefore constructions) of community psychology and in the everyday talk of psychologists about their professional identities. The four studies of which this project consists use complementary quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A survey of all psychology departments, combined with interviews with one community psychology teacher in each department, examines teaching, learning and research practices in community psychology. The second study constitutes a survey of all psychology Honours students in the Western Cape whereas the third study surveys the perceptions about community psychology among senior psychologists in the Western Cape. The fourth and final study in this series uses three focus groups where senior psychologists, based in the greater Cape Town area, talk about their professional identity. The quantitative data were analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequencies and cross-tabulations. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and discourse analysis as analytical tools. While the quantitative data do not consistently suggest a link between community psychology, race and gender, there are some areas, such as community work, in which this link is apparent. The nature of such a link is not clear. However, in the qualitative work, the link between community, psychology and identity is centrally situated in the constructions and practices of universities, students and practitioners. Community psychology is constructed as psychology for black people in terms of both who delivers services and who clients are. This represents parameters of inclusion and exclusion not only for community psychology but for psychology, as a whole. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly in relation to organisational transformation in universities. Doctoral 2008-07-01T09:46:14Z 2010-06-01T08:19:49Z 2008-07-01T09:46:14Z 2010-06-01T08:19:49Z 2008-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1371 en Stellenbosch University application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Identity
Community psychology -- South Africa -- Western Cape
Psychologists -- South Africa --Western Cape
Dissertations -- Psychology
Theses -- Psychology
Carolissen, Ronelle
Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape
title Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape
title_full Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape
title_fullStr Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape
title_full_unstemmed Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape
title_short Identity and community psychology : a study of psychologists and trainees in the Western Cape
title_sort identity and community psychology a study of psychologists and trainees in the western cape
topic Identity
Community psychology -- South Africa -- Western Cape
Psychologists -- South Africa --Western Cape
Dissertations -- Psychology
Theses -- Psychology
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1371
work_keys_str_mv AT carolissenronelle identityandcommunitypsychologyastudyofpsychologistsandtraineesinthewesterncape