Browsing by Author "Pack, Sylvia"
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- ItemNew Zealand counsellors talk about ritual abuse: A discourse analysis : A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2009) Pack, SylviaResearch indicates that in the last five decades, claims of Satanic ritual abuse (RA), and the numbers of clients receiving counselling for RA, have increased in all Western countries. This has resulted in an increased corpus of related literature overseas, which includes studies in which facticity as well as aetiology, symptomology and treatment are debated. This present study focuses on a New Zealand context, and examines the talk of New Zealand counsellors in relation to their views regarding RA and the counselling of RA clients. Social constructionist and positivist epistemologies were evaluated in terms of their suitability for this research, and the discourse analytic method developed by Potter and Wetherell (1987) chosen as the means by which participants’ talk might be analysed in such a way as to allow the inclusion of multiple constructions and the emergence of the many discourses and conflicting ideas which occur in overseas literature. A broad selection of the literature was first critically analysed to give an understanding of the topic. Nine counsellors gave interviews, eight women and one man, all Pakeha, six of whom were ACC-registered (Accident Compensation Commission, 2009). The participants constructed RA as a physical reality, which was justified by the use of the credible client discourse. A traditional linguistic repertoire furnished a discourse of government backing, which was employed to warrant voice. A moral stake in counselling, named concern for the client, was shown to be present in all arguments. The participants constructed three truths relative to context: a legal truth, the counsellor’s truth, and the client’s truth. Recovered memories were given a dual construction which legitimised correct and incorrect recall. DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) labelling was debated in a discourse of ambivalence. Finally in a discourse of preparedness, the participants constructed the therapeutic skills needed to treat RA clients. The thesis concludes by highlighting the participants’ comments regarding the need for openness and awareness, and specialised literature and training for counsellors treating RA clients.
- ItemRacism in Aotearoa New Zealand : analysing the talk of Māori and their Pākehā partners : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) Pack, SylviaPrevious studies on racism in the field of critical social psychology have focused on perpetrator talk and text, perpetrator personality and cognition, and in-group psychology. Research examining targets' perspectives and responses to racism and race theory is rare. The current study redresses a little of this imbalance by exploring the accounts of indigenous Maori of Aotearoa New Zealand and their partners. The researcher, a Pakeha (B.A. Maori Studies), used long standing Maori contacts to establish trust, and also sought approval from a Maori Cultural advisor, the Massey University Human Ethics Committee, and a local marae (Takapuwahia) before beginning the project. Interviews were conducted with 24 participants aged 30-74, 19 of whom were Maori (10 women, 9 men) and five of whom were Pakeha women partners. Participants were asked three open ended questions. Had they had experiences of racism, and if so, could they describe them? Why did they think the racism occurred? Was there a solution? The epistemology chosen to underpin the analyses was social constructionism, which allowed the inclusion of political and social contexts and power issues, and also acknowledged the power of language to not merely reflect reality, but actively construct it. A data driven inductive approach was employed to bring to light the uniqueness of the participants' perceptions. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) informed by social constructionism, was used in the first paper Resisting racism, to outline three themes: difficulties in expressing resistance due to power imbalance or stereotyping, non-vocalised resistance, and vocalised resistance, which was the most stressful and successful response. In Accounting for racism, a micro-level analysis of participants' talk draws on the discourse analytic tradition of Potter and Wetherell (1987) to highlight four main discourses: Ignorance of racism and Maori people, media promotion of negative stereotypes, an innate Pakeha sense of superiority, and institutionalised racism. Thematic analysis is used again in Reducing racism to define four main themes: Structural racism with attention to the workplace and the justice system, education's role in anti-racism practices, increased interaction, and becoming inclusively 'Kiwi' while practising mutual respect. This respect contributes key insights from the targets' persective, and addresses a gap in current research which is focussed almost exclusively on perpetrator theory. In addition, this study holds significance for psychologists, educationalists, researchers and policy makers as it brings fresh understanding on racism against Maori and how to best reduce it in Aotearoa, New Zealand.