Retrospective accounts of first exposure to minoritized sexual and gender identities

Although there has been considerable research about attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people, there has been little research into how people first come to be aware of minoritized sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities. This study sought to address this gap. A sample of sexual minority (n = 150) and heterosexual (n = 802) young adults (N = 952; M_age = 18.88 years, SD = 1.75; 949 were cisgender, three were transgender), primarily recruited from a large southern university, were asked retrospectively to recount their first exposure to or awareness of SGM identities. Responses between SGM and heterosexual participants were compared through a variety of analytical approaches, including analyzing themes about the source from which participants first recalled encountering these identities, and whether understanding about these identities came through a personal connection to someone with these identities. SGM participants reported encountering minoritized sexual identities a year earlier than did heterosexual participants, with both groups encountering these concepts in middle childhood, on average. SGM participants were more likely than heterosexual participants to report learning about minoritized gender identities from someone with a minoritized gender identity, while heterosexual participants more often reported learning about these identities from media or celebrities. Heterosexual (vs. SGM) participants were also more likely to imply that minoritized gender identities were adopted to be popular, rather than being authentic identities in themselves. Framed by developmental intergroup theory (DIT), we discuss implications of these findings, especially potential interrelationships with the development of prejudiced attitudes about SGM identities.     

It makes you keep trying: Life review writing for older adults

Life review writing produces numerous psychosocial benefits for older adults, who are at risk for isolation and depression. This article shares findings from a study that examined the experiences of older adults participating in a life review writing group. The impact of gender composition on the group dynamic was also explored. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study explored the experiences of six women and one man who participated in a life review writing group. Six unifying themes emerged from the research findings: (1) legacy, (2) connecting with others, (3) reflection, (4) vitality, (5) structure of the group, and (6) gender dynamics. Implications for theory, practice, and research are discussed.     

Gender Identity Disorder,the Gender Binary,and Transgender Oppression: Implications for Ethical Social Work

This article argues that social workers are ethically obligated to serve as allies of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities and, thus, should critically examine the diagnosis of gender identity disorder and the oppression inherent in pathologizing gender nonconformity. Social workers should also consider the oppression inherent in the socially constructed gender binary that is the root of the perceived psychosis in gender nonconformance and should fight against this oppression and, therefore, against that binary. This article proposes several action steps that social workers can take to advocate for the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.     

The role of culture in theories of the intergenerational transmission of violence

The intergenerational transmission of violence has been one of the most rigorously researched hypotheses in violence research in recent decades. A number of previous studies have provided evidence supporting this hypothesis, and there has been a growing body of literature investigating its mechanism. However, the role of culture in the intergenerational transmission of violence has not received much research attention, and thus, it remains largely unknown. To suggest a better theoretical basis for understanding the role of culture in the transmission mechanism, the present paper examines three critical theories that address the intergenerational phenomenon: Dodge's social information processing theory, Nisbett's cultural cognitive theory and Turiel's social‐cognitive domain theory. The paper provides a review of the basic assumptions and core concepts of each theory and identifies the potential contributions and gaps of each theory. The three theories present different accounts of the ontogenetic origins of ideas about violence and convey different portraits of the intergenerational mechanism. However, these theories also show that they are highly likely to be related to one another and that they can help close one another's gaps. This paper suggests that a unified framework that can merge the personal and cultural factors of causation is necessary to better capture the dynamic interplay among culture, experiences with violence and the actual enactment of violent behaviours.     

Putting culture back into acculturation: Identifying and overcoming gaps in the definition and measurement of acculturation

The concept of acculturation is widely used in the health and social sciences to explain various health and behavioral outcomes. A review of the literature highlights weaknesses in current acculturation research including the failure to ground the concept in a theory of culture, failure to specify the pathways through which acculturation impacts on outcomes and reliance on methodological tools that do not measure the core construct of interest. Building on cognitive and evolutionary anthropological theories and methods of measuring the distribution of cultural beliefs, we suggest that a research program focused on acculturation needs to initially aim at measuring beliefs, attitudes, and norms, and not on behavior. Researchers should empirically examine the distribution of beliefs across presumed cultural groups, and specify how these might impact on outcomes of interest. By parceling beliefs as distinct from behavior, our approach advances culture as but one possible hypothesis to account for outcomes.     

Density Dependent Dynamics in the Population of Transgender Interest Groups in the United States, 1964–2005*

Objective. This article seeks to determine the value of density dependence theory in helping us understand the process of interest group mobilization. The general theory of density dependence has been tested against manifold organizational populations. It has not, however, been tested extensively against data on populations of overtly political organizations. Methods. I test the theory of density dependence against original data on the foundings of nationally active transgender interest groups in the United States for the period 1964–2005. I estimate several simple Poisson regression count models. Results. The results provide strong support for the theory of density dependence. Specifically, in the population of U.S. transgender interest groups, the data imply an inverted‐U relationship between density and the founding rate. Conclusions. My findings suggest the following: (1) theories of group mobilization that do not take contextual variables into account are likely to be incomplete; and (2) interest group populations most likely have stable carrying capacities. In all, the results provide yet more support for the general organizational ecology paradigm.     

性别操演理论的经验解释与女性主义方法论反思——以高层两性人才访谈为例

本文运用对高层两性人才的访谈资料，尝试将巴特勒的性别操演理论做经验研究和现实解释，观察两性在性别操演时展现的灵动性和真诚性，并将该理论与女性主义方法论作对比，反思后者潜在的“受害人假定”和“对性别的过度归因”等问题，进而讨论女性主义方法论对研究对象的遴选标准、对研究内容的界定标准和建立于性别差异基础上的研究预设等所遭遇的合法性危机。最后，本文尝试将性别操演理论与女性主义方法论对接，以探讨性别操演理论对性别研究的意义。     

The Family Contexts of Gender Development in Childhood and Adolescence

We review research on the family's role in gender development during childhood and adolescence. Our discussion highlights children's dyadic family relationship experiences with their parents and siblings; additionally, we describe ways in which the larger system of family relationships, including gendered dynamics in the marriage and the differential family experiences of sisters versus brothers may have implications for gender development. We also emphasize the significance of contextual factors—ranging from situational demands and affordances to forces emanating from the larger social ecology—in family gender socialization. We conclude that family experiences may have a more important impact on gender development than has previously been believed, and we highlight directions for future study. These include: (1) applying more complex models of parent socialization and family dynamics to the study of the family's role in gender development; (2) expanding on research directed at the socialization of sex differences to study how family dynamics are linked to individual differences in girls’ and boys’ gendered qualities and behaviors; and (3) further exploring how contextual factors exert an impact on gender socialization in the family.     

Digital Games as a Context for Children's Cognitive Development: Research Recommendations and Policy Considerations

We document the need to examine digital game play and app use as a context for cognitive development, particularly during middle childhood. We highlight this developmental period as 6- through 12-year olds comprise a large swath of the preadult population that plays and uses these media forms. Surprisingly, this age range remains understudied with regard to the impact of their interactive media use as compared to young children and adolescents. This gap in knowledge about middle childhood may reflect strong and widely held concerns about the effects of digital games and apps before and after this period. These concerns include concurrent and subsequent influences of game use on very young children's and adolescents’ cognitive and socioemotional functioning. We highlight here what is currently known about the impact of media on young children and adolescents and what is not known about this impact in middle childhood. We then offer recommendations for the types of research that developmental scientists can undertake to examine the efficacy of digital games within the rapidly changing media ecology in which children live. We conclude with a discussion of media policies that we believe can help children benefit from their media use. Our hope is that this review will foster greater investigation of the cognitive socialization, as raised over 20 years ago by developmental psychologist and early games researcher Patricia Greenfield, that digital games serve during the middle childhood period, and childhood more generally.     

从三重功能到二元联盟:杜梅齐尔印欧文明研究中的政治发生学思考

基于社会学化的比较神话学研究，杜梅齐尔提出了由社会三重功能来形构理想的完整社会乃印欧文明所共有的意识形态的看法，这是从二元联盟的等级性团结中产生的一种政治观。通过承继莫斯与葛兰言的理论关怀，杜梅齐尔考察了印欧文明的等级构成与君权运作的社会学原理，并将联盟这一概念运用到国家内部的组织结构与运作逻辑的考察分析中。杜梅齐尔的政治发生学研究不仅改变了古典学以印欧世界的城邦制度与神圣王权为理论基点之人文探讨的视野，也拓展了人类学以土著社会的联盟组织和头人制度为问题核心的经验考察范围，为现代社会科学搭建起了一条贯通部落组织、古典国家与现代政治的比较研究路径。对于当代人文社会科学的中国研究而言，这种穿透性的考察极富启发性。     

Unique Challenges of Transgender Aging: Implications From the Literature

Transgender elders are both underserved and understudied. Neither the etiology nor prevalence of transgender is well understood. Because sex, gender, and sexuality are at the very core of individual identity, it is difficult to dislodge one's ideas and feelings about them. Unlike biological sex and sexual orientation, gender has several aspects: gender identity, gender expression, and gender classification. A discussion of the terminology of transgender is presented, and the issues facing aging transgender individuals are identified. Although the challenges of adequate healthcare, social support, and legal obstacles are faced by many elderly individuals, the way they are presented and managed are unique to this often invisible group.     

Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students and commentaries

Two proposed U.S. federal laws would provide explicit protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students in public schools. These federal laws follow actions by many states and school districts to define and implement laws or policies to protect the safety of LGBTQ students in schools. Research during the past decade has shown that LGBTQ youth are a vulnerable population, and that the negative school experiences of LGBTQ students often contribute to their vulnerability. This Social Policy Report reviews research relevant to these federal, state, and local laws and policies. Research on sexual orientation/identity development is reviewed, with attention to the growing numbers of youth that “come out” or disclose their LGBTQ identities to others during their school-age years. Schools are often hostile environments for LGBTQ students; this evidence is considered along with research on the consequences for compromised achievement and emotional and behavioral health. We then review strategies in education policy and practice that are associated with well-being for LGBTQ (and all) students.     

Gender Identity and Social Services: Barriers to Care

ABSTRACT

Transgender people seek social services for a variety of reasons. This literature review highlights needs assessments and social science research articles (N = 30) from the last 16 years that demonstrate the many ways in which social services are further revictimizing transgender people. Studies indicate that transgender people often encounter ignorance, hostility, and transphobic environments while attempting to access social services, and these environments can dissuade transgender people from gaining needed care. Suggestions are made to address these inequalities and include simple measures that social service agencies can begin with to make their services more transinclusive. Future research should address the bias in social services more directly and also develop a clear plan of action and best practices to help agencies remove discrimination from social service settings.     

Eight myths on motivating social services workers: theory-based perspectives

A combination of factors has made formal motivational and reward systems rare in human service organizations generally and virtually non-existent in social service agencies. The author reviews eight of these myths by reference to eight motivational theories which refute them: need theory, expectancy theory, feedback theory, equity theory, reinforcement theory, cognitive evaluation theory, goal setting theory, and social influence theory. Although most of these theories have been developed and applied in the private sector, relevant research has also been conducted in social service agencies. The author concludes with a summary of guidelines suggested by the eight theories for motivating human service workers.     

The Failings of Three Event Perception Theories

Empirical research on the perception of physical events is rarely designed to test a particular theory. The research often fails to be embedded in a larger theoretical context or it is carried out with the implicit goal to support a particular theoretical approach. I argue that this is not very productive. While three theories are relevant for our understanding of events, their limits have rarely been addressed. I expose these limits. The three theories or approaches are (1) direct or ecological perception, (2) inference theory, and (3) the concept of internalization. I demonstrate that all three fail empirically and/or theoretically with respect to explaining the perception of events. They fail because they adhere to simplistic stationary views or because they remain too vague. An adequate theory of event perception has to include three factors at the level of the explanans, namely the stimulus, the purpose of the action to which the percept belongs, and the appraisal of this action's success. Examples from the domains of arrival-time judgment and perception of events involving classical mechanics are used to support the claims. I suggest that a new pragmatic theory of event perception ought to modify and to incorporate the three concepts of affordances, thought-like processes, and evolutionary principles.     

On the Social Dimensions of Moral Psychology

Contemporary moral psychology has been enormously enriched by recent theoretical developments and empirical findings in evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology and neuroscience, and social psychology and psychopathology. Yet despite the fact that some theorists have developed specifically “social heuristic” (Gigerenzer, 2008) and “social intuitionist” (Haidt, 2007) theories of moral judgment and behavior, and despite regular appeals to the findings of experimental social psychology, contemporary moral psychology has largely neglected the social dimensions of moral judgment and behavior. I provide a brief sketch of these dimensions, and consider the implications for contemporary theory and research in moral psychology.     

The Next Generation of Collective Action Research

The articles presented in this volume describe part of a new generation of interest and vigor in the social psychological study of collective action. This new wave builds nicely on the foundation set by social identity, self-categorization, and relative deprivation theories but also introduces a number of important innovative perspectives and variables. In this commentary, I review some of these expansions and additions, raise a number of conceptual concerns that arise out of these new directions, and discuss more generally some novel and important directions that emerge from the work presented in the volume and in other recent work on collective action.     

What are the Links Between Theory of Mind and Social Relations? Review,Reflections and New Directions for Studies of Typical and Atypical Development

Twenty years after research on children's ‘theory of mind’ began, this field continues to be a leading influence in the study of developmental psychology and psychopathology. In this review we examine the contribution of research on children's theories of mind to our understanding of children's developing social relationships. Evidence shows that for both typical and atypical populations this relationship is neither uniform nor unidirectional. Theory‐of‐mind skills are multifaceted and the nature of the developmental relationship between different aspects is not yet known, and there is evidence that theory‐of‐mind skills both transform and are transformed by interpersonal and family relationships and by language communities. To understand the multifaceted and complex nature of development in this area, we need clearer definitions of the skills under investigation, as well as research designs that capture the transactional nature of the relationship between theory of mind and social relations. Addressing these issues should help to clarify (i) the processes by which children's developing understanding of others is influenced by the social environment, and (ii) issues concerning the specificity of theory‐of‐mind impairments in atypical populations and the processes by which these impairments develop.     

The welfare service practitioners’ perception of their power position in the user participation imperative

In the popular user participation rhetoric of social work practice, and amid the outcry for sharing power with the welfare service users when providers make service decisions, much research attention has been put on the circumstances that impeded the users’ voices, presuming that the service practitioners actually have de facto power over the service users. Based on the findings of a participatory research project conducted in Hong Kong, this paper scrutinises this presumed position of power from the service providers’ own perspective. Drawn from interviews of 47 service practitioners individually or in group, this phenomenological account is important for deciphering the conscious experiences that influence the service practitioners’ actions and reactions within participative spaces.