Transformation of a recreational youth group into community service group during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

This narrative is based on the solidarity of a recreational youth group during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Note: Youth refers to older adolescents and young adults, 17–28). The narrative describes the journey and transformation of the youth group from playing cricket to the engagement in community service during the lockdown period. This paper also presents how the presence of the group shifted from physical to a digital platform, and the focus turned from recreation to social support; with that change in the focus, how a small group of youths turned into a larger group to mobilize and utilize resources for community service during the crisis time.     

Adolescent dialysands in group therapy

Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the psychological effects of chronic illness and its treatment. Group treatment of girls with renal failure proved to be of therapeutic value in improving self-image and reducing emotional stress.     

Supporting individuals in group decision-making

Pooling of different resources is typical among the member countries of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance participating in joint large-scale construction projects. The problem faced by the members of the Council is to decide, how much of various resources each country should contribute to a construction project. In this paper we present a general approach to supporting individuals involved in such negotiations. We formulate the problem as a multiple criteria/multiple decision-maker model and use our approach to finding a compromise solution for the resource pooling problem within the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. The approach is implemented on a computer, tested and illustrated using a prototypical example.     

Welfare functions and group decisions

The paper shows that Pareto optimal sharing rules imply that group decisions will be made unanimously. An example is given.     

The application of a small group learning approach to social group work teaching - an exploratory study

A new modality – the small group learning approach, was developed for social group work courses for social work students in Hong Kong. A research study, aimed at understanding the students’ level of satisfaction with the new approach and exploring its effectiveness regarding enhancing students’ learning in social group work, was conducted for three cohorts of students in the academic years from 2013-14 to 2015-16. The findings indicated that its effectiveness was influenced by the quality of the tutors and the level of co-operation of the students. Strategies for improving the design and the implementation of the approach will be discussed     

A theorem for Bayesian group decisions

This paper presents a natural extension of Bayesian decision theory from the domain of individual decisions to the domain of group decisions. We assume that each group member accepts the assumptions of subjective expected utility theory with respect to the alternatives from which they must choose, but we do not assume, a priori, that the group as a whole accepts those assumptions. Instead, we impose a multiattribute utility independence condition on the preferences of the group with respect to the expected utilities of its actions as appraised by its members. The result is that the expected utility of an alternative for the group is a weighted average of the expected utilities of that alternative for its members. The weights must be determined collectively by the group. Pareto optimality is not assumed, though the result is consistent with Pareto optimality.     

Lattices,bargaining and group decisions

This essay aims at constructing an abstract mathematical system which, when interpreted, serves to portray group-choices among alternatives that need not be quantifiable. The system in question is a complete distributive lattice, on which a class of non-negative real-valued homomorphisms is defined. Reinforced with appropriate axioms, this class becomes a convex distributive lattice. If this lattice is equipped with a suitable measure, and if the mentioned class of homomorphisms is equipped with a metric, then the class and its convex sets are seen to possess certain characteristic properties. The main result (Theorem 6) follows from a combination of these results and a famous result due to Choquet.The mathematical scheme is then interpreted in the subject-language of choice among alternatives. It is shown, by means of an example, that the system furnishes all the ingredients for describing multi-group choices. Whether or not the same ingredients are also adequate for a behavioural theory of multi-group choices is an issue that will not be gone into. However, the example effectively illustrates how a process of bargaining can be described with the aid of the mathematical scheme.In the second example, a class of bargaining situations is modelled in the symbolism of linear programming with several objective functions combined with unknown weights; the cost vectors in such formulations are identified with homomorphisms, and the main theorem of this essay is applied.     

集团公司组织架构模式比较与分析

集团公司组织架构有三种模式 :过分集权的U型组织结构 ;过分分权的H型组织结构 ;集权与分权有机结合的M型组织结构。这三种模式的选择 ,将直接关系到企业的生存和发展。未来大庆石油集团公司的组织架构 ,应在选样M型的组织结构基础上 ,再进一步改造成新型组织架构。这种架构能否实现有效率的运转 ,关键在于集团公司对子公司、参股公司的管理与控制     

Predictors of forensic CBT group attendance and program completion

With the increased focus on rehabilitation, county probation agencies may contract with community-based programs to provide treatment services. Forensic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (F-CBT) is often used in group work to address probation client risk factors and prevent recidivism. This study examined demographic and risk factors of 534 adult probation clients referred to an F-CBT program to determine predictors of program intake, participation, and completion. Results showed that probation type, higher risk neighborhood of residence, and recidivism risk score were predictors of intake completion, but only recidivism risk scores predicted program completion. Implications and methods to increase program engagement are discussed.     

Introspective utility and the group choice problem

This paper presents empirical evidence somewhat supportive of the hypothesis that von Neumann-Morgenstern utility and so-called ‘introspective utility’ are intrinsically the same. In other words, this evidence is somewhat supportive of theview that the Allais Paradox and related phenomena are more apparent than real. The bearing that this evidence has on the relationship between two methods of group choice is discussed.     

Product evaluation bias under minimal group situations

The present study was designed to identify the source of product evaluation bias. Three experiments were conducted to see if the evaluation bias occur in the minimal group situation defined by [Tajifel, H., Billig, M., Bundy, R., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 149–178], and to determine the factors responsible for making evaluation bias. Relative measure of product evaluation played a major role in producing an evaluation bias in minimal group situation. Similarly, relative measure of distribution was a critical factor affecting distribution bias. The possible boundary condition of [Tajifel, H., Billig, M., Bundy, R., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 149–178] minimal group situation in evaluation bias were also discussed.     

Domestic group,status of women,and fertility

An attempt is made in this paper to explain the fertility behavior of Patels; a major peasant caste in village Mogra in Rajasthan, India. The Patels make up 162 of the 404 households in the village and nearly 50% of the village's population of 2610. The Patels claim to have migrated from Gujarat a few centuries ago. This paper is based on a study of 140 randomly selected Patel households comprising 168 couples by using the method of intensive fieldwork over a period of about 6 months. Every household in Mogra, with the possible exception of 1 household of a Bania trader, is involved in agriculture in 1 capacity or another. The Patels are the major landowning caste, and all but 2 of the households in the sample of 140 own land. The Patels marry early, and the practice of child marriage remains common today. Being a patrilineal people, Patels consider sons as heirs to family property and status. Of the 140 households in the sample, 65 are complex in composition while 75 are simple. All the simple households are consequences of the partition of complex households. The consummation of marriage marks an immediate loss of independence to the woman. The Patels of Mogra have sound economic reasons for having a large number of children. They prefer to use family labor to the maximum possible extent. When labor is the major input, the land can absorb whatever labor is available. A great demand exists for labor in the domestic sphere as well. Compared to the returns, the cost of bringing up children is negligible. The expenditure on their clothing and education is minimal. Economics alone do not explain high fertility. Sons are essential to continue the line and for old age security. The marriage of daughters brings in bride price and religious merit. 1 son may find the burden of carrying out the kinship obligations inherited from his parents too high. When there are several sons, they can share the burden among themselves. Religious values and the obligations of kinship and marriage impel couples toward large families. It is this conjunction of forces rather than any single factor which is crucial. All these forces find expression in interpersonal relations within the family. The young mother is the person most interested in restricting births, but she is also interested in the additional labor supply that children would bring in. It is difficult for her to carry the load of domestic and farm work, childbearing and child rearing. When her reproductive career is at the peak, the woman's own power within the domestic group is at its lowest. It is through the process of giving birth to many children that she gains in power and status.     

Preschoolers prefer in‐group to out‐group members,but equally condemn their immoral acts

Previous research has shown that young children robustly display in‐group favoritism; that is, they favor in‐group over out‐group members. Moreover, preschoolers also consider information on morality in their evaluations of others. In the present study, we integrated both aspects: In particular, fifty‐six 4‐ to 6‐year‐old preschoolers were assigned to minimal groups and observed either prosocial or antisocial acts conducted by either an in‐group or an out‐group member. After observing these behaviors, children's liking and sharing were significantly higher for moral compared to immoral actors. In addition, children's liking and sharing were substantially higher for in‐group compared to out‐group actors. However, when children were directly asked to morally evaluate the actor's conduct, no in‐group favoritism emerged: In particular, children evaluated immoral acts conducted by an in‐group or an out‐group agent as equally bad/wrong and similarly claimed that these acts deserve punishment. These findings demonstrate that preschoolers differentially weigh information on group membership and moral valence depending on the type of evaluation, namely sharing and liking versus explicit moral evaluations of others’ conduct.     

Characteristics of female perpetrators of domestic violence in group therapy

This report is based on a set of clinical observations that identified unique characteristics of 12 female perpetrators of domestic violence in court ordered 52‐week group treatment. The observations are primarily based on the experiences of two therapists who treated a group of 12 female participants, concurrent with two male groups, each of which consisted of 10 participants. A number of comparative clinical observations are made in relation to the treatment of these male and female perpetrators. The group leaders identified three characteristics specific to female perpetrators of domestic violence: compulsive and premature disclosure by more than half the participants in the woman's group, versus minimal or deferred disclosure in the men's groups; perception of self as perpetrator and ambivalent perception of self as victim in the women's group, versus perception of self as either victim or perpetrator in the men's groups; and devaluation of self in the women's group, versus devaluation of the partner in the men's groups. The group leaders also observed that the perceptions and attitudes of the younger, poorer, less well‐educated participants often conflicted with those of their more affluent counterparts.

Therapists who treat mandated perpetrators of domestic violence in groups must contend with direct expressions of hostility. They must also help clients recognize and understand reasons for their dysfunctional partnerships and begin to think about how they can develop healthier relationships. The clinical observations from this group strongly suggest that psychological and socio‐economic factors interact to significantly influence treatment process and outcomes.     

Interview group therapy: Process and effects 1

Abstract

This article identifies major forms of institutional racism in the United States today. It considers how taken together they form a web of oppression which obstructs economic, social, and political mobility for people of color while white people are issued passports of privilege. The implications of this enduring form of social inequality for social workers and other helping professionals are considered.