PYC4804
Assignment 5 2026
Unique number
Due date: 22 August 2026
INTERVIEW SCENARIO
The Student Wellness Centre at a large South African university is recruiting
postgraduate students to serve as peer mentors in a first-year transition and
wellbeing programme. The mentors will meet students individually, facilitate small
support groups, help new students adjust to academic and residence life, and refer
serious concerns to qualified professionals. The role involves contact with students
from different cultural, language and social backgrounds, and mentors may have to
remain calm when students are distressed, frustrated or uncertain about university
life.
The psychological interview is intended to support the selection process by exploring
patterns of functioning that are relevant to responsible peer mentoring. It is not
designed to diagnose mental disorders, and the interview should be considered
, INTERVIEW SCENARIO
Interview scenario
The Student Wellness Centre at a large South African university is recruiting
postgraduate students to serve as peer mentors in a first-year transition and
wellbeing programme. The mentors will meet students individually, facilitate small
support groups, help new students adjust to academic and residence life, and refer
serious concerns to qualified professionals. The role involves contact with students
from different cultural, language and social backgrounds, and mentors may have to
remain calm when students are distressed, frustrated or uncertain about university
life.
The psychological interview is intended to support the selection process by exploring
patterns of functioning that are relevant to responsible peer mentoring. It is not
designed to diagnose mental disorders, and the interview should be considered
together with the applicant’s qualifications, experience and other appropriate
selection information. Every applicant will be asked the same core questions, while
neutral follow-up prompts may be used when an answer needs clarification.
Maslow’s self-actualisation theory is relevant because the mentor role requires
mature functioning rather than simple task performance. Maslow describes self-
actualising people as able to perceive reality more accurately, accept themselves,
become deeply involved in meaningful tasks, function with relative autonomy and
show concern for other people (Moore, Viljoen, & Meyer, 2017, pp. 347–350). These
qualities are useful when a mentor must understand a student’s situation without
quick judgement, remain grounded in personal values and offer support without
making the interaction about personal recognition.
The ecosystemic approach is also suitable because a student’s behaviour cannot be
understood properly when the person is separated from family, academic, cultural,
residence and social contexts. The approach places emphasis on interactional
patterns, reciprocal influence, different ways of constructing the same event and a
changing balance between the individual and the wider system (Moore et al., 2017,
pp. 479–485). A peer mentor therefore needs to notice connections, consider more
Assignment 5 2026
Unique number
Due date: 22 August 2026
INTERVIEW SCENARIO
The Student Wellness Centre at a large South African university is recruiting
postgraduate students to serve as peer mentors in a first-year transition and
wellbeing programme. The mentors will meet students individually, facilitate small
support groups, help new students adjust to academic and residence life, and refer
serious concerns to qualified professionals. The role involves contact with students
from different cultural, language and social backgrounds, and mentors may have to
remain calm when students are distressed, frustrated or uncertain about university
life.
The psychological interview is intended to support the selection process by exploring
patterns of functioning that are relevant to responsible peer mentoring. It is not
designed to diagnose mental disorders, and the interview should be considered
, INTERVIEW SCENARIO
Interview scenario
The Student Wellness Centre at a large South African university is recruiting
postgraduate students to serve as peer mentors in a first-year transition and
wellbeing programme. The mentors will meet students individually, facilitate small
support groups, help new students adjust to academic and residence life, and refer
serious concerns to qualified professionals. The role involves contact with students
from different cultural, language and social backgrounds, and mentors may have to
remain calm when students are distressed, frustrated or uncertain about university
life.
The psychological interview is intended to support the selection process by exploring
patterns of functioning that are relevant to responsible peer mentoring. It is not
designed to diagnose mental disorders, and the interview should be considered
together with the applicant’s qualifications, experience and other appropriate
selection information. Every applicant will be asked the same core questions, while
neutral follow-up prompts may be used when an answer needs clarification.
Maslow’s self-actualisation theory is relevant because the mentor role requires
mature functioning rather than simple task performance. Maslow describes self-
actualising people as able to perceive reality more accurately, accept themselves,
become deeply involved in meaningful tasks, function with relative autonomy and
show concern for other people (Moore, Viljoen, & Meyer, 2017, pp. 347–350). These
qualities are useful when a mentor must understand a student’s situation without
quick judgement, remain grounded in personal values and offer support without
making the interaction about personal recognition.
The ecosystemic approach is also suitable because a student’s behaviour cannot be
understood properly when the person is separated from family, academic, cultural,
residence and social contexts. The approach places emphasis on interactional
patterns, reciprocal influence, different ways of constructing the same event and a
changing balance between the individual and the wider system (Moore et al., 2017,
pp. 479–485). A peer mentor therefore needs to notice connections, consider more
