Browsing by Author "Hayes, Grahame."

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An analysis of the experiences of children with cerebral palsy in therapeutic horse riding
(2009) Naidoo, Pravani.; Hayes, Grahame.
This study utilised a qualitative interpretive approach to investigate the subjective
An analysis of the experiences of children with cerebral palsy in therapeutic horse riding.
(2009) Naidoo, Pravani.; Hayes, Grahame.; Van den Berg, Henriette Suzanna.
This study utilised a qualitative interpretive approach to investigate the subjective experiences of six children with cerebral palsy who participated in a therapeutic horse riding intervention programme over a two-year period. Data was collected through a triangulation of methods and sources of data in the form of proxy reports from teachers, parents and therapists, and participant observations on my part. Research in the field of disability and rehabilitation remains largely ungrounded with respect to formalised theorising around concepts such as strengths, capabilities, and well-being. In attempting to address this gap, the nascent sub-discipline of positive psychology was identified as a field that holds significant research utility. Arguably, its keynote contribution entails directing researchers and practitioners in the field of disability and rehabilitation to the aim of building, reinforcing and extending disabled individuals' strengths in order to optimise their functioning. Consistent with existing work, this study found that the participants' lives were characterised by experiences of difference and marginalisation in relation to non-disabled individuals. More striking, however, was the finding that they were subject to experiences of difference and othering in relation to their disabled peers. This group dynamic seemed to be accounted for in terms of a hierarchy of similarities and differences with respect to their capabilities for communication and motor functioning. Further, the findings suggested that the participants tended to utilise their bodies, the site of their impairments, to engage with their environments and social others in their own idiosyncratic and agentic ways. By virtue of the tendency to negotiate and at times transcend their impaired physicalities, the participants were perceived as functionally autonomous, which worked to challenge prevailing stereotypes with regard to individuals with profound forms of physical disability. Importantly, such features impacted upon the degree and quality of their engagements with their physical and psychosocial environments in significant ways. In addition, in terms of the therapeutic riding activities engaged with during the course of this study, the participants came to experience their bodies as bodies that work. This seemed to have had positive implications for how they felt about their bodies and themselves. An enhanced sense of personal worth also tended to minimise their experiences of their bodies as impaired and dis-abled. In this way, their participation in therapeutic horse riding facilitated the children's experiences of themselves as more than disabled, thereby indicating the emancipatory potential of participating in this form of intervention. Moreover, it was noted that the limited body of existing, largely quantitatively oriented research in the field of therapeutic horse riding has often been methodologically wanting. As disconcerting was the noticeable absence of theorising around the mechanisms and processes by which therapeutic horse riding effected changes. It was therefore fitting to draw on theoretical frameworks within psychology to delineate possible mechanisms and processes by which participation in therapeutic horse riding could potentially effect subtle, meaningful shifts in the everyday functioning and psychological well-being of children with disabilities. This study contributed to existing research within the field of disability and rehabilitation through its efforts to yield "thick descriptions" and "thick interpretations" in combination with the theory-laden validation of findings around the everyday subjective experiences of children with disabilities.
Generational transmission of identity : a study of four women of colour.
(2008) Vaid, Aliya.; Hayes, Grahame.
This qualitative study explores the psychological and social processes underlying the issue of generational transmission of coloured identity within the South African contexts of colonialism (pre-apartheid), apartheid and democracy. The concept of identity was guided by the theoretical approaches of Object Relations and the reflexive project of the self to further explore the lived experience and transmission of this identity. The lived experience of coloured identity of four generations of women within one family was examined. The four women ranging in age from 89 years to 23 years participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The data was thematically analysed. The major themes highlighted were: the interaction of personal identity and social identity; the politics of power and control on identity; the influence of socialization on issues of gender and culture; shifts or changes in identity within a generation or trans-generationally; and the generational transmissions in the reflexive project of the self. This study illustrates the challenges facing individuals, particularly women, with contested identities of marginalized groups. It provided insight into the underlying feelings of trust, shame, pride and guilt as these women negotiate the changing socio-political landscape of their country. It also explores the challenges of dual roles of insider and researcher
Identity formation in contemporary society : the influence of the media on the formation of identity.
(2009) Protheroe, Claire.; Hayes, Grahame.
This qualitative study explores identity formation in contemporary society, through investigating the influence of the media on identity formation. The focus is on identity and what people attribute from the media as defining their view of themselves and their world. Seven people aged 25 to 35 years participated in individual, semi-structured interviews, specifically focusing on the participants’ media usage in their leisure time. The analysis revealed that the participants’ tendency to position themselves as agents that were immune to the media’s influence was reflective of the ideological discourse of the ‘self-contained’ individual. Evidently, the participants were unaware of the way(s) in which they had been interpellated to behave as subjects of an individual kind. The prevailing ideological discourse of individualism was challenged by highlighting the contradictions in the participants’ accounts. The analysis further confirmed that identity formation is a dynamic and contradictory process, and unavoidably shaped (even constituted by) history, culture, politics, and ideology.
Identity, PTSD, and psychotherapy with policemen during the transition from apartheid to post-apartheid South Africa.
(2013) Auld, Sharon.; Hayes, Grahame.
Abstract available in PDF file.
Open Access and the politics of publishing.
(2015-10-20) Hayes, Grahame.
A psychobiography of Vuyiswa Mckonie.
(2015) Baatjies, Vunyiwe Princess.; Hayes, Grahame.
This is a psychobiographical study of Vuyiswa Mackonie’s life, with the use of psychological theory to better understand and uncover her life. The choice was based on the extraordinary qualities that Vuyiswa Mackonie possesses. A purposive sampling was used in selecting the subject of the study. Vuyiswa Mackonie meets the requirements of a psychobiography study because of her extraordinary life and accomplishments. Vuyiswa Mackonie’s life story was explored using qualitative, single case, interpretive research approach. The study was guided by Levinson’s life structure theory (1996). The data for this study was collected from different sources; the researcher interviewed the subject and the community members to collect the data. According to Levinson (1996) an individual goes through a unique life structure which is characterized by sequential periods, eras, developmental periods and tasks that influence their lives at various stages. The study suggests that while the first two eras of Vuyiswa Mackonie (pre-adulthood era and early adulthood) are similar to that proposed by Levinson (1996), some aspects of the midlife and late adulthood transition are far different to those proposed by Levinson.