Shame has important implications in educational contexts for educators, children and young people. The first paper presented here is a review of the current literature on shame and explores the implications of this self-conscious achievement emotion within educational contexts. The systematic literature review demonstrated that shame experiences can have both a dysfunctional and functional role, are independent of acculturation status and are influenced by parental attitudes. Crucially, shame management can reduce bullying within schools. The review concludes by drawing attention to implications of these findings for educators and educational psychologists. The second paper, reports empirical research carried out in the field of self-conscious achievement emotions. This study investigated whether holding a growth (intelligence) mindset could reduce shame experiences and/or promote pride experiences, within a secondary school context. The study also focused on the role of perceived academic competence (i.e. the perception that one has sufficient skills and knowledge) on young people’s feelings of shame and pride. Secondary school students (N = 121, Mage= 14.3 years) completed the Scale of Personal Conceptions of Intelligence to measure their mindset, and then completed a 10-day online diary, to rate their daily shame and/or pride experiences. Participants also rated their daily perceptions of academic competence. Results revealed a negative relation between growth mindset and daily shame intensity, and a positive relation between growth mindset and daily pride intensity. Both associations were mediated by perceived academic competence. That is, a growth mindset predicted increased perceived academic competence, which, in turn, predicted reduced shame and increased pride. The findings have far-reaching implications for educators. This research also makes a novel connection between growth mindset, perceived academic competence and self-conscious emotions, within a school setting.

Ireland has a comprehensive yet complex, statutory framework for the resolution of employment disputes. Various bodies offer conciliation, mediation, arbitration and regulation, however the processes are taking too long. The focus of this dissertation is on another form of dispute resolution – collaborative law and its suitability to the resolution of Irish employment disputes. The overarching question of this research is: Can a dispute resolution model based on collaborative practice be a useful addition to alternative dispute resolution in Irish employment law? A review of ADR and employment literature provides a context for this research. The first phase of the primary research consisted of a survey of collaborative practitioners in Ireland to identify the current usage and success of collaborative law and whether practitioners felt collaborative law was suitable for the resolution of Irish employment disputes. TheaThis thesis will outline the incidence of suicide and self-harm in today’s society.  It will examine methodology and the impact on the family unit and significant others.  It will explore the various causative factors from obtaining a mental illness diagnosis to gender, age, marital status, physical illness, unemployment, occupation, trauma, abuse and bullying.  It will analyse the main theories of suicide, past and present, and the influence of modern society on suicide and self-harm.  It will refer to the research findings as discussed in this paper and focus on a proactive approach. Such a direction will be validated by the research findings as this MPhil will focus on the principle of positive risk management by analysing the principles a person has for living as opposed to reasons for dying.  It will challenge previous suicide and self harm strategies focused on a negative risk assessment.  Interventions therefore were defensive rather than defensible. The impetus towards a “Recovery” orientated delivery in mental health services will be highlighted.  It will put forward an innovative and practical initiative from the research findings that re individually centred and have the service user at its core.  This approach called “STRENGTH” has the potential to be a leading pathway towards a service that has recovery at its centre that will improve the safety and quality of services and promote consistency and standardisation of best practice.
second phase entailed depth interviews with key employment stakeholders to verify the findings from phase A. Analysis of the findings indicate that collaborative law could be a successful method of dispute resolution and that practitioners feel it is an appropriate method of dispute resolution for employment disputes.