Professor Motlalepule Ruth Mampane inaugural address

On 21 June 2018 Professor Motlalepule Ruth Mampane  from the Department of Educational Psychology  delivered her inaugural address.

Herewith an abstract of her inaugural address:

ABSTRACT

This study rests on the assumption that various forms of adversity, such as socio-economic and sociocultural factors, predispose families to inevitable risk and less resilience. South Africans are predisposed to socio-economic adversities emanating from parental education, income and employment, family size, poverty, illness, bereavement, child-headed households, and lack of access to resources (Lockhat & van Niekerk, 2000; Ebersöhn & Elloff, 2004; Freeman & Nkomo, 2006; Schatz, 2007; Theron, Theron & Malindi, 2013).

Resilience is a broad concept which encompasses positive patterns of adaptation in the context of adversity (Masten & Obradović, 2006). Masten and Obradović (2006) distinguish three forms or stages of resilience based on levels of adversity, adaptation, and competence of the individual or organisation, namely: resilient (good adaptation and high adversity history), competent (good adaptation and low adversity history), and maladaptive (poor adaptation and high adversity history).Resilient individuals and institutions possess protective factors which help to mitigate risk and build resilience. The study aimed to engage with the question:

To what extent does family functioning contribute to family resilience? Masten and Obradović (2006) mention that resilience is ‘inferential’, indicating the need for deductive reasoning or interpretation when judging resilience.

 To view this paper or for more information please email UPA on [email protected]