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    Illusions, well-being, and health : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts of Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1991) Lavell, Keren Mary
    The present study investigates unrealistically positive biases in human thought, and their relationship with subjective well-being and perceived physical health. Taylor and Brown (1988) refer to these biases as illusions, as most individuals hold more positive perceptions for themselves than they do for most others. Three separate illusions exist - self-perception, control, and expectations for the future - and these are claimed to be an important element of mental health. Traditionally, definitions of mental health have included accurate perception as a criterion. Recent evidence has found that those with accurate perception are instead mildly depressed, while those who have unrealistically positive perceptions are non-depressed. The present study extends the research on illusions and depression, to examine the illusions in relation to well-being and health. A self-report questionnaire, consisting of five scales, was completed by 300 Psychology students. The Anderson (1968) scale of personality trait adjectives was used to assess self-perception. For control, items were based both on previous experimental measures (Langer & Roth, 1975) and on locus of control measures (Rotter, 1966). Optimism was assessed using the Weinstein (1980) scale. The Mental Health Inventory (Viet & Ware, 1983) was used to measure well-being, and the Cohen Haberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms (Cohen & Haberman, 1983) was used to assess perceived physical health. Three distinct illusions were found. Self-perception was related to positive well­ being; control was not related to the outcomes. Optimism was related to positive and negative well-being, and to physical health, and was the strongest predictor of the outcomes. As the measures of self-perception and control were developed for the present study, further research is necessary to confirm their suitability. To the extent that relationships were found, Taylor and Brown (1988) were supported. The present study finds that illusions play a small but significant role in both subjective well-being and physical health.
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    Understanding the link between emotional recognition and awareness, therapy, and training : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Johnsen, Amanda Leah
    Therapy is an emotionally laden event, both for individuals seeking therapeutic intervention and the therapists who provide it. While the recognition of emotions in the general population has been a popular topic of research, very little research has been conducted into the emotional competencies, or more specifically, emotion recognition and awareness of therapists. In addition, there are few studies on the effectiveness of emotion recognition training for therapists’ emotional competencies, which is surprising given the innately emotional moments that clients and therapists experience during therapeutic work. This study aimed to address these gaps by investigating the association between emotional recognition, awareness, practice, and training. Fifty five therapists made up of clinical psychologists, counsellors, and a psychotherapist completed an online task that involved completion of a social-emotional orientated questionnaire and an emotion recognition task. Of these 55 participants, 26 completed an emotion recognition training before completing the same task again, two weeks later, while the remainder 29 participants were instructed to participate in no emotion recognition training. The results revealed that, compared to the no treatment condition, those who received emotion recognition training were more accurate in their recognition of emotions and also reported higher use of therapeutic emotional practice. Unexpectedly, participants who completed emotion recognition training reported less emotional awareness than the control group. Related to this, an inverse relationship was found between emotion recognition ability and self-reported emotional awareness, as well as the finding for some support for an inverse relationship between emotion recognition ability and self-reported use of emotional practice. There are two implications of this research; first, emotion recognition training increases therapists’ accuracy in emotion recognition, and second, therapists may need to be provided emotional practice feedback by an alternative form rather than through supervision or client outcome. This is due to an inverse relationship being found between participants’ actual and perceived emotional awareness. Therefore, future research into social-emotional practices and client outcomes will be advised to be considered. The limitations of the study and areas for future research are also discussed.
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    The philosophical psychology of spiritual metamorphosis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1977) Sands, Terry
    THE PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY OF SPIRITUAL METAMORPHOSIS is a treatise written in the style of narrative fiction but which traces the factual events of the opening of the awareness of one individual through his growth and the transformation of his consciousness. In content, the style of the treatise is one of case study incorporating dialogue, description, and self examination and analysis. It explores delicate areas of consciousness in a manner which is devoid for the most part of intellectual enquiry and comparison and which relies to a large extent on the direct experience of the individual for its own analysis. Chronologically, the time covered is approximately five years of the life of the writer and the description thereof is written in the third person to facilitate and afford an objective view and manner of observation. The material covered is explicit and replete with specific description of mystical experiences including conscious separation from physical body, inner conversations with persons occupying planes other than the physical, the effects of meditation and spiritual activity on the physical body and emotions, and conversations with Holy Men, and the trials of the protagonist in dealing with and relating the experiences and growth to activity in the everyday life of the world. The writer was born and educated in the United States in English Literature and Law and practiced law in private practice for six years before beginning an independent study which is the subject of the treatise. He now lives in New Zealand.
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    Mana tu : senior Maori students discuss success at secondary school : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1995) Tait, Edna
    This thesis examined the of senior Maori students who had varying academic achievements and yet, in comparison with Pakeha students in the same school and from similar socio-economic backgrounds, had fewer school qualifications. The study was prompted by three theories about school achievement: Pierre's Bourdieu's account (1974) of acculturation, Raymond Boudon's account (1982) of rational decision-making, or game playing, and Basil Bernstein's account (1971) of language, its acquisition and implications for success in school. The challenge of the thesis was to identify themes which dominated students' perceptions of achievement and to suggest ways in which those perceptions were produced and reproduced. The methodology of the thesis aimed to encourage students to talk freely, to produce ideas about achievement and then reconsider them in different ways. To support the students' 'ethnography' the methodology of the thesis also aimed to help the participants. The concept of empowerment was suggested by Maori writers, by Paulo Freire (1972) and by the intention of critical ethnography itself. The thesis concluded that the defining attitude of the sub-culture was an uncertainty of achieving the success the students wanted. This uncertainty was identified in the students' themes of school and in their language use, and the students themselves reproduced to it in their communication network. The participants' successes could be explained as partial acculturation; family-class and school experiences had established sub-cultural expectations of failure which seemed to prevent full acculturation. In a sub-cultural counterhegemony students challenged their cultural constraints but their strategies could not overcome the effects of the hegemony of capitalism. In this way the thesis gives an account of the interaction of culture, agency and language use in the production and reproduction of the attitudes and values of the students.
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    Self-perception and performance : exploratory research into the narcissists' first 20 months within a corporate graduate recruitment programme : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Simpson, Jeff
    The intent of this exploratory study was to examine the nature and impact of narcissism in the early career stages of a graduate cohort, where there has previously been little applied narcissism research. Self-reports on self-perception and critical self-insight were obtained individually from 63 new recruits in a multi-national company as part of a graduate recruitment programme. Self-report data were collected on day one of the recruits’ induction programme followed by repeated data collections at nine months and at twenty months into their employment. In addition, at months nine and twenty, two line managers of each recruit completed indicators on their perceptions of the recruits’ actual work performance. Using a newly designed narcissistic traits indicator, line managers also indicated their views of each recruit’s narcissistic tendencies. Results obtained indicated ten of the sixty three graduates had significant narcissistic tendencies. The self-ratings of recruits were subsequently compared to their actual performance as rated by their managers. The self-perceptions of those identified as having narcissistic tendencies were also compared to self-ratings and performance of peers displaying little or no narcissistic tendencies. In both the first and second years of employment, the results indicated that those viewed as having narcissistic tendencies significantly self-enhanced more than the non-narcissists and despite their comparative higher self-rating, narcissists underperformed in their role in comparison to non-narcissists. Narcissists’ self-perception was less consistent over twenty months, indicating a less stable sense of self than the non-narcissists. A critical self-insight (CSI) self-perception gauge was developed for assessing degree and style of self-critique. Although analyses revealed five clusters of sub-scales, the narcissists’ CSI was significantly different from non-narcissists on only one of these clusters; they reported as being less emotive-sensitive than did the non-narcissists. Narcissists were overall less self-critical than non-narcissists. In light of these findings, developmental and environmental influences of narcissism are discussed, along with the effect of such traits both for the hiring organization and for the narcissistic individual within the first 20 months of career induction.
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    A study on the relationship between Malaysian learners' self-concept in academic writing and their engagement in one higher learning institution : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Adi Badiozaman, Ida Fatimawati Bt
    Tertiary students, in a postcolonial context such as Malaysia, often face multifaceted challenges. These challenges come about in part because they are required to develop academic literacy in a second language (English). This study aimed to explore the relationship between learners' self-concept in academic writing and their engagement in the Academic Writing class. This study utilised a mixed methods approach, with an initial survey of 170 students, followed by two semi-structured interviews with each of eight student participants. The quantitative findings ascertained that a positive relationship existed between self-concept in academic writing and student engagement. Further exploration in the qualitative phase affirmed this and identified the nature of the links between the two constructs. The findings revealed that students' self-concepts in academic writing and engagement were dynamic constructs in that they were influenced by multiple internal and external factors from students' past and present contexts. They were therefore, susceptible to change, and developmental in nature. Both self-concept in academic writing and engagement were found to play an important role in helping students adapt to their new academic context and learning demands, since the intertwining ecologies of self-concept in academic writing and engagement appear to tap a common motivational element related to goals and future self. It was ascertained that the relationship between Malaysian learners' self-concept in academic writing and their engagement is reciprocal. The findings also present a greater understanding of how self-concept in academic writing and engagement are situated and constructed dynamically within context, creating unique ecologies. In particular, the nature and combination of internal and external factors that is available to students influenced the nature of academic legitimacy and literacy outcomes in the Academic Writing class. It is therefore suggested there is a link between learners' self, engagement and context. The findings of this study suggest that students may benefit from writing support and writing curriculum that is discipline-specific to help enhance their self-concepts, academic identity and academic legitimacy. It is also suggested that an extensive professional development programme be provided for instructors and institutions to cope with any major curriculum and policy changes.
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    The effects of physical disability upon body-image : an analysis together with some implications for rehabilitation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1983) Phillips, Jane Elizabeth Scott
    The physical aspects of self-concept which comprise the body-image and are essential for personal identification, are of particular importance in health restoration and maintenance. A study of 285 physically disabled adults variously suffering from spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and a control group of 100 able-bodied adults, investigated the effects of physical disability upon body-image. All subjects completed three 52-item Body Cathexis scales and three 16-item bi-polar adjectival Semantic Differential forms, while the disabled completed an additional 11-item Activities of Daily Living form, in an attempt to identify and measure the form and content of three body-image components paralleling the three aspects of self identified by phenomenological theory, and four modes of adjustment in the body-image of the disabled. The influence of years of disablement and degree of incapacity upon body-image disturbance and the internal structure of the Body Cathexis and Semantic Differential scales were also investigated. Simple correlational analysis failed to isolate any parallel relationships between body-image and self-concept for either disabled or able-bodied individuals, although discriminant function analysis revealed that both concepts for the disabled differed significantly from those of normals. These findings indicated that the difference was one of content and not of formal relationships pertaining between the concepts. As a result, a tripartite theory of body-perception was proposed. The question of whether type of disability contributed significantly to variance was answered positively. The physically disabled tended to be separated out according to the nature of their disability which appeared to influence both body-image and self-concept. Four discrete modes of adjustment were identified by pattern analysis. Differences due to age and sex, disability type and years of disablement made no significant contribution to the type of adjustment adopted. Finally, the number of years of impairment and degree of functional incapacity had no influence upon body-image disturbance. Considering past research, the findings indicated there to be basic differences in body-image content between the physically-disabled and physically normal populations, but not in the formal structure. Further research is needed to investigate these differences, to isolate further modes of adjustment which might be manifest amongst those excluded from the 4 identified in this investigation and to verify and elaborate upon the usage of the tripartite theory of body-perception. Factor analysis provided confirmation for both the Body-Cathexis and Semantic Differential scales as being complex measures of the self, and enabled shortened revised scales to be introduced for both the able-bodied and disabled subjects. However, further research is required utilising such scales in studies of body-image in order to ascertain their reliability and validity in aiding the development of intervention strategies tailored to the needs of the disabled person, especially in light of the fact that body-image is increasingly being the single most important concept in the consideration of the physically disabled. The results of this research suggest that body-image is a function of numerous variables, of which physical disability is only one.
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    On being formed : a self-reflexive view of the subjective body : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at the College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) George, Robyn; George, Robyn
    In on being formed: a self-reflexive view of the subjective body I investigate and contest appearance politics as they relate to the overweight, aging, female body. Referencing contemporary artists who confront Western society’s construct of the body, I show that art can play a crucial part in challenging cultural systems that create boundaries between differing bodies. These social systems denote bodies that meet their construct of an ideal body as preferred, and others (such as the overweight) as non-preferred. I argue that society exerts power over the overweight person through panoptic surveillance, and that female attractiveness norms serve as a form of social control through which those whose bodies fall outside of socially constructed ideals are marginalised and stigmatised. I consider how overweight people absorb the affect of social judgement, often resulting in debilitating shame and social isolation. Through the genres of performance, sculpture and installation, I use a body of visual art to draw metaphors with female aging and appearance, a crucial issue that is often overlooked in contemporary art. I seek to confuse the signification of beauty and disgust through my aesthetically alluring sculptures made from a repugnant material, suggesting that there is a space between beauty and disgust which can be occupied by those with non-preferred bodies. Drawing on intimate autobiographical source material, I perform a limited-duration installation from my embodied experience as an overweight aging woman. This personal engagement, which provides authenticity and emphasises subjectivity, has resulted in meaningful personal transformation, and has affirmed the powerful role art plays in investigating and recasting corporeality.
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    Control perception and its role in stress appraisal and coping : a study in work-related stress : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Troup, Carolyn Ann
    Psychological theories view control as integral to emotional well-being and consequently this concept has played a prominent role in stress theories. In the transactional theory of stress control plays an important role in stressor appraisal where it is proposed to influence coping behaviour and coping effectiveness. However, little attention has been paid to the measurement of this important concept. This study adopts the transactional model to examine work-related stress and a major objective of the study is the development of a robust measure of situational control. It is argued that such a measure can not be merely reduced to a simple assessment that an individual either has or does not have control over a given situation, rather, it is important to identify the factors over which an individual strives to have control, as well as the degree of control over these factors that they perceive themselves to have. A pilot study was used to develop a 35 item scale for measuring situational control. The scale was then used in a survey of work-related stress that was administered to 134 employees in four departments of New Zealand government. Principal component analysis revealed that control perception is a multifaceted concept, and four facets representing predictability, task control, self control and general control were identified. Using these scales the study investigated the role that control plays in predicting coping behaviour and coping effectiveness. Through a series of moderated multiple regression analyses, control was examined as a moderator in the relationship between stress appraisal and coping behaviour. This analysis showed that perceptions of control are associated with problem-focused coping. This result is consistent with other studies and suggests that a greater perception of general control in the workplace is associated with greater use of problem-focused coping. However, the literature is more equivocal on the relationship between control perception and emotion-focused coping. The study found a significant interaction between self control and primary appraisal in predicting emotion-focused coping. In addition to this, situational threat was found to have a significant main effect on emotion-focused coping. The study also examined the influence of control perception and coping behaviour as predictors of perceived coping effectiveness, as proposed by the goodness of fit hypothesis. No evidence was found to support this hypothesis, although coping behaviour and control were both found to have main effects in predicting coping effectiveness.