Vera Roos

The Mmogo-Method™: Discovering Symbolic Community Interactions

In this article the development and implementation of the Mmogo-Method™ is discussed as a culture-sensitive data collection method. The Mmogo-Method™ provides opportunities for social researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural symbolism in which social life is embedded and that informs experiences, perceptions and behaviour. In this method, people create their own data by making visual presentations that reflect contextually grounded symbolic meanings. Theoretical underpinnings of social constructionism, symbolic interactionism and community psychology are discussed and applied as the rationale for the development and implementation of the Mmogo-Method™. Examples of research using the Mmogo-Method™ are provided to illustrate its value and various different application possibilities. The Mmogo-Method™ attempts to produce community-based knowledge that is gathered and disseminated in a coherent way; thereby contributing to the possibility that indigenous knowledge may form part of national and international discussions.

The role of context and the interpersonal experience of loneliness among older people in a residential care facility

Older people are more prone to experience loneliness when living in residential care facilities. The purpose of this study was to explore older peoples experiences of loneliness in the context of institutionalized care. A voluntary and convenience-based sample of 10 white South African older people (age range 62 to 82 years; three men and seven women) was drawn. Data on the subjective experience of loneliness were then gathered through the Mmogo-method®, whereby drawings were employed to explore matters and issues of importance in the lives of older people that could be used to deal with loneliness. Data were analyzed thematically and visually as well as through the use of keywords in context. The results showed that older people experienced loneliness in terms of having unavailable interactions due to loss, and an absence of meaningful interpersonal interactions. Meaningful interpersonal interactions were described as when the older people had regular contact and a variety of interactions. Ineffective interpersonal styles (e.g. taking a controlling position in relationships and being rigid) elicited rejection and isolation, and were associated with a lack of confirmatory interpersonal relationships. It is recommended that greater emphasis should be placed on creating awareness of unhealthy group dynamics as well as on psychosocial interventions to develop group support. Interpersonal styles, either effective or ineffective, take place in a social context, which, in this research, was observed to be unsafe, lacking in care, and a non-stimulating environment.Older people are more prone to experience loneliness when living in residential care facilities. The purpose of this study was to explore older peoples experiences of loneliness in the context of institutionalized care. A voluntary and convenience-based sample of 10 white South African older people (age range 62 to 82 years; three men and seven women) was drawn. Data on the subjective experience of loneliness were then gathered through the Mmogo-method®, whereby drawings were employed to explore matters and issues of importance in the lives of older people that could be used to deal with loneliness. Data were analyzed thematically and visually as well as through the use of keywords in context. The results showed that older people experienced loneliness in terms of having unavailable interactions due to loss, and an absence of meaningful interpersonal interactions. Meaningful interpersonal interactions were described as when the older people had regular contact and a variety of interactions. Ineffective interpersonal styles (e.g. taking a controlling position in relationships and being rigid) elicited rejection and isolation, and were associated with a lack of confirmatory interpersonal relationships. It is recommended that greater emphasis should be placed on creating awareness of unhealthy group dynamics as well as on psychosocial interventions to develop group support. Interpersonal styles, either effective or ineffective, take place in a social context, which, in this research, was observed to be unsafe, lacking in care, and a non-stimulating environment.

The development of counsellor identity - a visual expression

The diversity of the South African population requires counsellors who are able to promote the mental health of all persons who express a need for this service. The newly introduced registration category of registered counsellors aims to provide mental health services on a primary level; yet the professional identity of registered counsellors is not well established. This is reflected in the lack of an integrated and standardised national training policy for the BPsych programme as well as a disregard by potential employers of graduates of this programme, as seen in the limited number of appropriate job advertisements and placements in the media. In this study we explore the development of counsellor identity by means of the visual presentations participants produced regarding their development. The social constructionist notion of the self as being composed of different selves is used as the theoretical background for this qualitative investigation. An analysis of the visual presentations revealed that counsellors developed a capacity for experiences of uncertainty, increased self-knowledge and ability to reflect on themselves. They experienced personal growth as part of their identity development-in-process. Visual material as a form of expression makes it possible to challenge some of the limitations of verbal text to construct knowledge and facilitates thinking about those elements of the social world which cannot be expressed in talk.

(Re)creating community: Experiences of Older Women Forcibly Relocated During Apartheid

This article explores sense of community with a group of older African women, who were forcibly relocated during apartheid. The situation of a marginalised group, with a history of disconnection from younger generations and from place, provides an opportunity to consider the relevance of community in later life. The research was conducted at a day centre for older people in the North West Province of South Africa, more than 50 years after forced relocations took place. Eleven older women (70 years and older) participated. Qualitative data were obtained through visual research methods and group discussions and were thematically analysed. Findings were that place and sense of belonging as well as elements of community were relevant. Participants reported limited connections to place in either childhood or current communities. Post relocation, a sense of belonging was expressed only in relation to a shared-interest community of peers that addressed their needs for safety, emotional support and instrumental care. Also, generational relations were strained, giving rise to a sense of loss of a community where both young and old were responsible for each other. Constrained resource communities have a profound impact on opportunities to create a sense of belonging.

Conducting the Mmogo-method

This chapter sets out to describe the Mmogo-method and four distinct phases in its application. In Phase 1, researchers create a context for optimal participation by introducing group norms. In Phase 2, participants are asked to sit together around a table. Each is presented with a standard set of materials: malleable clay, beads or buttons in different colours, dried grass stalks (or suitable substitute), and a circular piece of cloth, packed in a container. Following an open-ended prompt, participants construct visual representations (visual data) representing the phenomenon that is the focus of the research. The representations are photographed (visual data). In Phase 3, each individual explains her or his visual representation (visual and textual data), and group members discuss individual participants’ interpretations of the images they have made (interactional data), augmenting content with their views (textual data). In Phase 4, the data-gathering session is concluded by debriefing participants as well as researchers (textual data). The fact that not all participants may want to join a group or construct visual images could limit the method’s application. The Mmogo-method is not indicated for anyone who has been traumatized recently, or who finds it difficult to deal with reality or is unwilling to participate in a group.

Processes and functions in Higher education students adjusting to a new learning environment: applying the Mmogo(tm)-method

This article explored the processes and functions amongst a community of students who had to adjust to new social and academic settings. Thirteen university students of a predominantly seTswana ethnic background participated in the study (males = 5, females = 8; age range = 25 to and 45 years). An inductive qualitative research approach was followed by using an expressive projective technique, called the Mmogo™-method. The Mmogo™-method involves the creation of visual representations to get a deeper understanding of the processes and functions that assisted in the adjustment to new social and academic settings. Individual and group discussions were conducted to discuss the visual presentations. Visual data were analysed by means of determining the explicit and implicit meanings elicited in the visual presentations, while the textual data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The students progressed in their construction of interpersonal relational processes for empowerment within the community. Culturally embedded meanings promoted opportunities for optimal participation and engagement in a transforming education system.

Expressive Art in Cross-Cultural Group Supervision: Applying the Mmogo-Method™

Academic mobility has increased the tendency of students to study in foreign countries, which poses various personal, interpersonal and contextual challenges to the cross-cultural supervision relationship. This study explored the themes that emerged in a cross-cultural supervision relationship through the application of expressive art, referred to as the Mmogo-Method™, in cross-cultural group supervision. Fourteen individuals participated in the research, thirteen Tswana-speaking women from Botswana and a Tshivenda-speaking man from Venda (age range: 25 to 45 years). Participants were asked to create visual representations illustrating any aspect of their growth since the beginning of the year. Thereafter, the participants engaged in focus group discussions. Data were analysed by means of semiotic data analysis. Central themes suggest that the transfer of culturally embedded values and norms takes place between environments. The data further elicited valuable information regarding aspects that could play an integral role in personal and professional development. It appears that expressive art such as the Mmogo-Method™ could serve as a valuable tool in enhancing the quality of supervision.

A SENSE OF PLACE AND SPATIAL PLANNING IN THE VREDEFORT DOME, SOUTH AFRICA

ABSTRACT Because of its recently acquired world heritage status and the anticipated influx of tourists into the area, the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site in South Africa is currently experiencing pressure for development. Sudden and radical changes to the spatial environment may have a detrimental effect on local inhabitants who have a long history with the site and who have developed a strong place identity. Intangible aspects, such as the sense of place of an area, are currently not integrated in spatial planning in South Africa. This paper aims to explore personal and symbolic meanings, as part of the sense of place of local inhabitants in the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site. An interdisciplinary and mixed-method research approach was followed in this study to explore and understand what constitutes a sense of place for local inhabitants in the area. In essence, the qualitative study revealed that inhabitants have a deep and personal relationship with and within the area, which contributes significantly to their sense of emotional security and a strong place identity. The quantitative study indicated how the unique relationship with the environment is concretised into spatial environmental characteristics, areas for development and conservation, and preferences and deficiencies in the built environment. In general, the research found a strong conservation-oriented attitude with regard to the natural rural character of the site, especially in the inner core. Basic guidelines in the form of a spatial planning framework, in which the sense of place is anchored, are proposed in order to strengthen the sense of place of the study area.

African Migrants' Experiences of Xenophobic Violence in South Africa: A Relational Approach

This study explores the experiences of African migrants in relation to South African citizens in the course of xenophobic violence in South Africa. In a secondary data analysis of a larger research project, 44 migrants (both men and women with ages ranging from 18 to 50 years) were purposively selected data obtained through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. The relational experiences between the African migrants and the black South African citizens occurred in an interpersonal context, embedded in a historical pattern of racial prejudice, division and separation. The relational approach analyses migrant-citizen interactions on the intrapersonal, interpersonal and intergroup level. Relationships are continuously self-organised in the course of human interaction. The focus (or punctuation) of the discussion should therefore be stated clearly. African Migrants expressed an intense emotional impact on the intrapersonal level following their interactions with South African citizens. South African citizens displayed dominant in-group behaviour by ignoring and excluding migrants and by treating them differently. Citizens also regarded migrants as threats. The findings have serious implications for South Africas diverse racial groups, who interact daily in different interpersonal contexts.

“…Here We Help Each Other”: Sense of Community of People Subjected to Forced Removals

This study examined the sense of community of people with experience of forced removals in a South African setting. The participants were 200–108 men (54%) and 92 women (46%) between 18 and 61 years of age and selected using systematic random sampling from the Khuma community. Data were collected using a Sense of Community Index-2 and the Mmogo-method®, a visual representation procedure. The questionnaire data were statistically analysed and the qualitative data were thematically and visually analysed. Findings suggested that places were important to sense of community in meeting their needs for survival, to maintain intergenerational relationships, and to facilitate community interactions.