MEDICAL SOCIOLOGYAND PUBLIC HEALTH: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS FOR COLLABORATION IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Medical sociology and public health share many of the same concerns in the study of social and cultural factors that affect the health of the population. Differences in theoretical approaches, methodological procedures, conceptualization and measurement, and research objectives, however, often serve to limit the potential for collaboration between the two disciplines. Sociologists possess many of the theoretical models and analytical techniques needed in public health for the study of the impact of socioeconomic status, poverty, inequality, differentials in power, and social and cultural differences on disease outcomes and health status. Although in the past, public health professionals were dependent primarily on the theoretical and analytical models offered by epidemiology and social psychology, current trendsin public health research have opened a wider variety of opportunities for sociologists to contribute to public health research. Public health has reached a crossroads that leads in two directions: a broad approach that addresses the sociocultural foundations of health and a more narrow approach focusing on more proximal risk factors such as individual lifestyles or health risk behaviors. This article presents a review of the factors that led to this crossroads in public health and offers suggestions as to how sociologists might take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the broader approach to public health that is gaining momentum among some public health practitioners. Medical sociologists are uniquely equipped to assist public health in recapturing its historical commitment to social justice in the maintenance of health for the entire population.     

LATINO HEALTH IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM: THE NEED FOR A CULTURE-CENTERED APPROACH

Studies have consistently shown race and ethnicity to be important determinants of health. The specific nature of this influence, however, is still a mystery. In the new millennium, racial and ethnic differentials in health are bound to become a major focus in medical sociology not only because of their persistence but also because of the demographic changes taking place in the United States. It is estimated that racial and ethnic minorities are expected to increase from the current level of 25 % of all Americans to 40 % by 2030 and that minority groups will make up more than half of the U.S. population by 2050. Thus, overcoming health disparities attributable to race and ethnicity has become more urgent in ensuring good health for the nation. This article suggests that analyses of the health status of Latinos, the second largest minority group in the country, must attend to cultural factors. The need for a culture-specific approach to Latino health is indispensable to such discourses in medical sociology.     

CRITIQUING THE NEW EPISTEMOLOGIES: TOWARDMINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR A SCIENTIFIC THEORY OF FAMILY THERAPY*

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the structures of the new epistemologies. Epistemology is a technical term within the field of scientific philosophy. When it is used looselyby family therapists, confusion results. The central argument of the present author is that the new epistemologies are, in fact, weak theories. It is suggested that the practice of using the term “epistemology” to denote theory or paradigm, be discontinued. A more limited and narrowly defined use for the term “epistemology” is proposed. Specifically, this paper presents: (a) a discussion ofthree areas of philosophy that serve as foundations for the construction of scientific theory, (b)a critical analysis of the new epistemologies, (c) a logical structure for scientific family therapy theory, and (d) minimum requirements for a scientific theory of family therapy.     

A CROSS-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE DEMAND FOR NEW AND USED AUTOMOBILES IN THE UNITED STATES

This paper investigates the effects of income and other family characteristics on the demand for new and used automobiles. The multinomial logit probability model is employed to explain a family's choice of age and number of automobiles. Two cross-section surveys are analyzed to ascertain how well these components of demand can be explained by socio-economic variables.     

MEASURING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE NEW CHRISTIAN RIGHT: THE PERILS OF POINT ESTIMATION

It has been reported that 30% of American adults support the"sociomoral platform of the Moral Majority" (Simpson, 1983).We lodge several criticisms of this estimate and/or the wayit has subsequently been interpreted, involving the treatmentof "don't know" responses, the selection of response categorycutting points, the passage of time, the effects of questionwording, and substance. We derive a much different estimateof public support for the Moral Majority platform in the sameyear, but our more basic conclusion is simply that public opinionon this issue, as on most complex issues, cannot be fairly reflectedby a single number.     

THE NEW UNDERCLASS: A CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL DILEMMA

This article presents and defends the hypothesis that a new underclass is emerging in America, comprised of the sons and daughters of previously mobile working-class citizens. Through the combined effects of demographic and labor market changes, substantial numbers of young workers are being squeezed out of the workforce.
The research summarized by this article focuses on the behavioral remifications of the declining mobility of young workers. In particular, it is posited that as young people become increasingly cognizant of their limited chances for upward career mobility, they begin to take on the behavioral characteristics conventionally associated with members of the underclass. A variety of literature and original research is utilized in support of this contention.     

CULTIVATING SOCIETY'S CIVIC INTELLIGENCE: PATTERNS FOR A NEW 'WORLD BRAIN'

In spite of remarkable advances in science and technology, humankind is beset with a number of serious problems. These are not just problems that 'won't go away'; they are problems that are worsening considerably. These problems include the growing gap between rich and poor, between those who have too much and those who have too little, as well as a broad range of environmental issues that may have major consequences but, at the same time, are little understood. This essay explores the idea of 'civic intelligence'. What projects, perspectives, policy and technology might humankind develop that would help us collectively address these problems? This essay discusses six aspects of 'civic intelligence' (orientation, organization, engagement, intelligence, products and projects, and resources) as well as ways to make cultivating our 'civic intelligence' a practical - non-utopian - enterprise.     

THE AUCTION MARKET FOR MODERN PRINTS: CONFIRMATIONS, CONTRADICTIONS, AND NEW PUZZLES

Using a large data set with 80,214 repeat sales, we find that the real return on a diversified portfolio of modern prints sold at auctions worldwide averaged a modest 1.51% during the period 1977–2004. We address several issues regarding the performance of modern prints as investments: the selection bias arising from the self-interest of auction houses; the impact of an ever-expanding universe of auction houses on investment returns; the masterpiece effect, or whether more expensive works of art outperform the market as a whole; and the differences in returns that arise due to random fluctuations in collector tastes. ( JEL Z11, G11, G14)     

IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGY FOR MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

This research examines how parental heterosexism—negative attitudes toward homosexuals and homosexuality—and other family characteristics relate to the development of children's attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS (PWA). Attention is directed to the overall relationship between parents’ and children's attitudes and to the potential mechanisms through which these linkages are manifested. Based on social learning theories of childhood socialization, a range of mechanisms is considered, focusing on heterosexist attitudes in parents and communication with children about AIDS. Findings indicate that parental attitudes concerning homosexuals influence children's attitudes toward PWA, implying that there can be negative as well as positive consequences of parents’ beliefs on children's attitudes. The possibility of negative parental effects on children's prejudices toward PWA suggests that in-school HIV/AIDS education at younger ages is more important than previously thought.     

THE SOCIOLOGY OF MORAL PANICS: TOWARD A NEW SYNTHESIS

There are two alternative theoretical perspectives developed in the sociological study of a moral panic: the moral perspective and the interest perspective. Using as illustration a May 1982 national moral panic about drugs that occurred in Israel, this article argues that both perspectives must be used and integrated into one coherent model for a better and fuller sociological explanation of moral panics. The article provides a detailed account of the Israeli panic and an analysis clustered along two axes. One axis uses the interest perspective to analyze the timing of the panic by focusing on the question of why it happened when it did. The other axis uses the moral perspective to interpret the specific content of the panic, focusing on why the panic was about drugs.     

THE NEW ECONOMY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM:

Recent decades have seen major changes in economic conditions in the United States, including large-scale layoffs and downsizing, erosion of job quality for some workers, and increased reliance on nonstandard workers. Researchers have investigated the objective contours of this new economy, but few have investigated the consequences of these changes for popular attitudes about economic opportunity. Using data from the 1998 Indiana Survey of Workers in a Polarized Economy (N = 853), I investigate this new economic landscape and its effects on people's views about economic opportunity. I find that job deterioration and experiences with layoffs and job threats are creating pessimism about the American Dream among Indiana workers.     

THE PROBLEM OF CHANGE IN EMOTIONS RESEARCH: NEW STANDARDS FOR ANGER IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN CHILDREARING

A considerable body of historical work has recently been devoted to the study of emotion. Particular attention has been drawn to major changes during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Western emotional standards, and probably in emotional experience as well, as West European and American society moved toward more commercial, secular bases and as intense community ties diminished. This article summarizes and evaluates this literature, assessing the importance of dealing with change, and the causation and impact of change, in emotions research. Although change is not uniform in the history of the study of emotion, such that the early modern transformation of love, anger, grief, and other emotions stands out, important shifts have developed in more recent decades as well. The second half of the article offers a case study of one such shift, as childrearing standards toward anger moved from an emphasis on channeling the emotion toward useful ends to an effort to repress or defuse anger through talking-out. This change, with interesting echoes in American adult perceptions, can be explained by new behavioral science emphases (on aggression) but particularly by the shift toward a service, and thus customer-pleasing, economy.