Nikos Kazantzakis’s phenomenology and its relevance to the study of organizations

ABSTRACT

This paper examines Morgan’s theorization of images of organizations from a phenomenological perspective using the works of Nikos Kazantzakis. The paper argues that Morgan’s representation of metaphors currently favours an entitative interpretation of influence and control, undermining novel processes deeply embedded within existential nuances situated in the realm of the human experience. By focusing on Kazantzakis’s phenomenology, the paper proposes that a theorization of transitionality demonstrates that a content–process struggle is rooted within a permanence–temporality struggle constantly conditioned against individuals’ transitoriness of existence. Relatedness, affirmation and temporality represent three interdependent process states and each exposes self-existential tensions that regulate the directionality of one’s transitions. Such transitions are thought to challenge the entitative form with which organizations are portrayed in the individual. The paper shows that a conceptualization of transitionality through Kazantzakis provides a new scope for understanding the structure of movements situated in the self and for customizing the forces of permanence and temporality.     

Incorporating Prototyping and Iteration Into Intervention Development: A Case Study of a Dining Hall–Based Intervention

Abstract

Background: Previous research from the fields of computer science and engineering highlight the importance of an iterative design process (IDP) to create more creative and effective solutions. Objective: This study describes IDP as a new method for developing health behavior interventions and evaluates the effectiveness of a dining hall–based intervention developed using IDP on college students’ eating behavior and values. Participants: participants were 458 students (52.6% female, age = 19.6 ± 1.5 years [M ± SD]). Methods: The intervention was developed via an IDP parallel process. A cluster-randomized controlled study compared differences in eating behavior among students in 4 university dining halls (2 intervention, 2 control). Results: The final intervention was a multicomponent, point-of-selection marketing campaign. Students in the intervention dining halls consumed significantly less junk food and high-fat meat and increased their perceived importance of eating a healthful diet relative to the control group. Conclusion: IDP may be valuable for the development of behavior change interventions.     

Effect of Certified Personal Trainer Services on Stage of Exercise Behavior and Exercise Mediators in Female College Students

Objective: The authors examined the effect of certified personal trainer services on exercise behavior by using the transtheoretical model of behavioral change. Participants: Female college students (n = 449) completed surveys during the first week (T1) and last week (T2) of the fall semester. Methods: Students receiving personal trainer services during the fall semester (experimental group, n = 31) were cross-matched with students who had not received services (control group, n = 31). Results: The control group demonstrated a statistically significant regression in stage of exercise change scores; the experimental group did not. The authors found the 2 groups to have a statistically significant difference in the pattern of exercise behavior change over the course of the semester, with more active maintainers and progressors in the experimental group. Conclusions: Cognitive and behavioral processes of change, decisional balance, and scheduling self-efficacy significantly decreased in the control group, whereas cognitive processes of change, decisional balance, and scheduling self-efficacy remained statistically unchanged in the experimental group.     

William Wilberforce and Thomas Chalmers

Abstract

Wilberforce describes how sinners' faith in Jesus Christ enabled them to problem-solve, perform religious activities with Him redeeming them from sin. In turn, Chalmers developed Wilberforce's ideas into a complex evangelical Christian framework and charitable method encouraging all persons to redeem themselves by developing faith in Jesus Christ's expiation of their sins encouraging their performance of righteous activities or doing righteous activities endowing them with the Holy Spirit's grace and faith in Christ. Chalmers charitable method employed collocative processes of sequential problem-solving and caring activities between benefactors and recipients developing Christian and caring institutions, families and persons into harmonious communities. Loch and Richmond developed Chalmers charitable method into socially oriented charitable and social work methods. doi:10.1300/J377v26n02_04     

Decision making processes and alcohol use among college students

Abstract

Objective: The neurobiological model of risk-taking and the dual-process model of decision making each provide possible explanations of risky behavior among youth, but their interconnections have rarely been explored, especially among college students, a time of increased alcohol use. Participants: n?=?382; Mage?=?19.25, SD?=?1.33. Method: Participants completed a survey about their deliberative and intuitive decision making style (based on the dual-process model), their socioemotional and cognitive control processes (based on the neurobiological model), and alcohol use. Results: Structural equation modeling showed that dual-process variables and neurobiological variables were positively related. Deliberative decision making and cognitive control were negatively related to alcohol use whereas intuitive decision making was not. Comment: Discussion focuses on the integration of theoretical models with real-world health behaviors and considers implications of the current findings in terms of prevention and intervention to reduce drinking among college students.     

Pilot Testing a Cognitive-Behavioral Protocol on Psychosocial Predictors of Exercise,Nutrition, Weight,and Body Satisfaction Changes in a College-Level Health-Related Fitness Course

Abstract

Objective: Small-scale pilot testing of supplementing a required college health-related fitness course with a cognitive-behavioral exercise-support protocol (The Coach Approach). Participants: Three classes were randomly assigned to Usual processes (n = 32), Coach Approach–supplemented: Mid-size Groups (n = 32), and Coach Approach–supplemented: Small Groups (n = 34) conditions. Methods: Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) assessed overall and between-class changes in the behavioral/physiological factors of exercise, fruit/vegetable intake, and body mass index (BMI); and the psychosocial factors of self-regulation, exercise self-efficacy, mood, and body satisfaction. Dependent t tests evaluated within-class changes. Multiple regression analyses tested prediction of exercise by changes in self-regulation, self-efficacy, and mood. Results: Significant improvements in self-regulation and fruit/vegetable intake were found in all classes. The Coach Approach–supplemented classes demonstrated significant increases in exercise. Significant improvements in BMI, self-efficacy, and body satisfaction were found in only The Coach Approach–supplemented: Small Groups class. Psychosocial changes predicted increased exercise. Self-regulation was the strongest contributor. Conclusions: Overall, results were positive and warrant more comprehensive testing.     

A Qualitative Analysis of College Women's Leaving Processes in Abusive Relationships

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the process of leaving an abusive dating relationship utilizing a qualitative design. Methods: Participants included 123 college women in abusive dating relationships who participated at the beginning and end of a 10-week academic quarter. Results: Qualitative content analyses were used to analyze the transcribed responses to an open-ended question about women's leaving processes over the interim period. A variety of categories and themes emerged for women in different stages of the leaving process, consistent with the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Investment Model. Data also underscored women's lack of acknowledgment, minimization, and normalization of abuse. Conclusions: These data demonstrate the importance of dating violence intervention and prevention programming on college campuses and offer information that may be useful to college health providers who assist women in abusive dating relationships.     

Childhood trauma and problem behavior: Examining the mediating roles of experiential avoidance and mindfulness processes

Objective: Childhood trauma is associated with a variety of risky, unhealthy, or problem behaviors. The current study aimed to explore experiential avoidance and mindfulness processes as mechanisms through which childhood trauma and problem behavior are linked in a college sample. Participants: The sample consisted of college-aged young adults recruited November-December, 2016 (N = 414). Methods: Participants completed self-report measures of childhood trauma, current problem behavior, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness processes. Bootstrapped mediation analyses examined the mechanistic associations of interest. Results: Mediation analyses indicated that experiential avoidance was a significant mediator of the association between childhood trauma and problem behavior. Additionally, multiple mediation analyses indicated that specific mindfulness facets–act with awareness and nonjudgment of inner experience–significantly mediated the same association. Conclusions: Interventions for college students who have experienced childhood trauma might profitably target mechanisms such as avoidance and mindfulness in order to minimize engagement in problem behavior.     

EDITOR's NOTES

Abstract

In order to uncover personal attributes and systemic influences involved in being accepting and supportive of their sons' gay identities, 14 members of a chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays were invited to describe their coming out processes as parents of gay sons. A qualitative approach examined parental definitions of acceptance, the parents' relationships with their sons, the parents' renditions of their coming out processes, and ecosystemic influences on the parents' coming out processes. Ethnographic content analysis suggested that the relevant attributes of parental personalities and their proximal environments were similar in this sample including emotional investment in the people involved, openness to new realities, and the capacity to find and use resources.     

Orgasm Range and Variability in Humans: A Content Analysis

Abstract

Orgasm frequently occurs from sexual and/or genital stimulation but has been documented outside these contexts and may be better conceptualized as a set of neuropsychological processes. Objective: To document a range of orgasm experiences. Methods: A content analysis of 687 anonymously posted online comments related to nonsexual orgasms. Results: Orgasm types include those related to exercise, sleep, drug use, riding in vehicles, breastfeeding, eating, auditory stimulation, and childbirth, among others. Conclusions: Orgasm is experienced in association with varied forms of sensory stimulation. This study provides information about the diversity of human orgasm, informing sex education, therapy, and practice.     

The fanta-sy of global products: fizzy-drinks,differentiated ubiquity and the placing of globalization

ABSTRACT

If globalization is conceived as an outcome of negotiations between places and relational processes, how do researchers capture such amorphous complexity? Drawing upon the framework of assemblage theory this paper unpicks the plethora of processes and practices encompassed within the problematic term ‘globalization’. Focusing on the ‘banal’ object of a can of Fanta, we demonstrate how this exists in an assemblage which maintains coherence across space (i.e. is universally recognizable) yet is spatially differentiated in its components. Shedding light on how these processes coalesce in place we argue for the acknowledgement of the ‘ubiquitous’ in making place and the importance of difference in underpinning the ‘global’.     

Intergenerational Interactions Occurring Within a Shared Reading Program

Abstract

In the following exploratory study the interaction patterns of 4 parent readers and 4 senior readers were investigated using grounded theory methodology during an intergenerational shared book reading program involving 16, 5 and 6 year old children.¹ Data were collected during pilot, pre-program, program, and post-program conditions using open, axial and selective coding procedures leading to the identification of provisional categories and the central phenomenon of scaffolding. Scaffolding was defined as a query and response pattern initiated by the adult, and used to direct the child's focus of attention during the literacy act. This took place as part of a transactional process where the elements of (a) the book being read, (b) the child and (c) the volunteer reader were found to mutually condition each other. The qualities that the reader brought to the transaction tended to differ when comparing senior and parent readers. The main differences observed occurred in three clusters of (a) Timing, Responsiveness, and Pace, (b) Use of Expression, Colloquialisms, Articulationand (c) Gestures, Feedback Methodsand Range of Strategies. Within these categories, the pace of the senior readers was found to be slower than that of the parent aged readers. The senior readers also tended to use distinct pronunciation and did not use colloquialisms. They were also more inclined to use a wider range of supportive strategies. Both the senior readers and the parent readers were unaware of most of the strategies that they used to support the children. Further research on the question of the transactional process and the qualities brought to the shared reading experience by senior volunteer readers is required. Replication of the present study is suggested across a variety of conditions with different types volunteer readers and children.     

Bio-logics of Jewishness: media constructions of the nuances of race and ethnicity

ABSTRACT

The specific ethno-racial position of Jewishness offers an ideal case study for contemporary U.S. racialisation processes. Despite a proclaimed end to biologisation in a supposed ‘post-racial’ era, essentialist reasoning remains central to U.S. race-making. Employing a content analysis of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times (2000–2010), I find that biologically rooted constructions of Jewishness occur through appeals to (1) physical definitions based on DNA or phenotype, and (2) subtle biologisation vis-à-vis ancestral claims. Demonstrating both explicit and subtle biologisation expands social scientists’ understanding of race, ethnicity, and Jewish identities.     

Odum's concept of the Technicways: Some reflections on an underdeveloped sociological notion

Almost half a century ago, Howard W. Odum introduced the concept of the technicways. It was intended that this concept would provide a normative perspective of various social processes additional to those afforded by the folkways and mores. Unfortunately, Dr. Odum's notion did not excite the imagination of sociologists at the time, with the result that the concept of the technicways fell into disuse, and has largely been neglected, if not ignored, since then. Odum used the term to refer to normative behavior patterns that arise in response to innovations or grow out of new technological processes. The concept of technicways is explored in detail with special reference to its analytical utility as well as its conceptual shortcomings. Odum's technicways would seem to be a very relevant concept for today in that sociologists need to be able to accurately understand the complex dynamics of accelerating social and technological change and the subtle nuances of the attendant social impact and import. The concept of the technicways would appear to appropriately identify and implicitly describe such a complex social phenomenon in a parsimonious fashion.     

Planning for Aging in Place: Incorporating the Voice of Elders to Promote Quality of Life

Abstract

Aging in place offers emotional and physical benefits; however, challenges associated with advanced age may make aging in place difficult. As communities across the country prepare for forecasted increases in the proportion of older residents, it is important to understand barriers that may prevent aging in place. Perceived barriers voiced by residents of a suburban county who completed an Aging in Place Needs Assessment Survey were categorized into four themes: need to downsize/home modification; need for assistance; family desire to reciprocate care; and isolation. A fifth group with no intent to relocate, but with concerns about having to, was also identified. Included among this group were persons with mental health or developmental disorders, such as anxiety and autism spectrum disorder. Results were examined through a person-centered lens to illustrate that aging in place may be the desired option even among residents who indicate that it is not. It is important that aging-in-place initiatives preserve identity by fostering a sense of autonomy, control, and well-being in older residents.     

A study exploring factors of decision to text while walking among college students based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study attempted to identify critical predictors of intention to both send and read texts while walking based on Theory of Planned Behavior in order to provide resources for practitioners and campaign designers to inform college students of the perils of texting while walking and dissuade them from such a risky behavior. Participants: Three hundred twenty-nine college students were recruited from a large public university in the Southwest in September 2014. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Results: Subjective norm (sending: B = .17, p = .02; reading: B = .17, p = .04), personal norms (sending: B = ?.32, p = .001, reading: B = ?.35, p = .001), and self-efficacy (sending: B = ?.27, p = .001; reading: B = ?.24, p = .001) were significant predictors of intention to both send and read text messages while walking. Conclusions: For students who have greater intention of texting while walking, persuasive communication should utilize normative influence and self-efficacy to discourage texting while walking.     

A Model of Spiritual Transformation of Baalei Teshuvah

Abstract

Baalei teshuvah are Jewish men and women who strengthen their religious-spiritual observances of Judaism and become Orthodox. The authors undertook a qualitative research study comprised of individual interviews with 48 baalei teshuvah, two focus groups, and interviews with 10 key informants. From these data, the authors inductively derived a model of baalei teshvuvahapos;s spiritual transformation over time. Seven non-linear processes are described-Spiritual Eclipse of the Soul, Spiritual Imprints, Existential Vacuum, Spiritual Reactivity, Spiritual Immersion, Movement toward Qedushah (Holiness), and Living the Commitment. Unique features of this model, similarities with other models, and implications for social work practice are discussed. doi:10.1300/J377v26n02_02     

The effects of a pedometer-based intervention on first-year university students: A randomized control trial

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To assess the effects of a 12-week pedometer-based intervention on the physical activity behavior, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and psychological well-being of first-year university students. Participants: First-year university students (N = 184) were recruited during September 2012 and randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. Methods: Intervention participants were provided with a pedometer, monthly tracking logs, and follow-up e-mails. Control participants received no intervention. Physical activity, HRQOL, and psychological well-being were measured at baseline and post intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate/univariate analysis of variance (MANOVA/ANOVA). Results: All participants experienced an increase in mild physical activity (p < .01) from baseline to follow-up. The intervention failed to produce significant differences between groups for physical activity (p = .28), HRQOL (p = .80), or psychological well-being (p = .72). Psychological well-being (p < .001), vigorous physical activity (p = .04), and mental health status (p < .001) decreased across the duration of the study. Conclusions: More intensive interventions may be required to elicit physical activity behavior change.