The Third-Age African American Seniors: Benefits of Participating in Senior Multipurpose Facilities

This article examines the contexts and benefits of African American seniors' participation in multipurpose facilities. Using qualitative data from 15 in-depth participant interviews and 6-month on-site participant observations as well as a survey result, research revealed the physical, emotional, and social benefits that African American seniors reported as a result of their participation in various activities offered in a multipurpose senior center in Atlanta Georgia. The study presents a social context in which African American seniors constructed their new third age identities that is different from the wide-spread negative images depicted by the mainstream about this minority group. Findings from this study increase the knowledge about African American seniors' participation in multipurpose facilities and provide a better understanding for the diverse socio-economic backgrounds of African American seniors. Study results will have policy implications for a better development of senior centers for minority population in the United States for the promotion of productive and successful aging.     

Conceptions of Parenting in Different Cultural Communities: The Case of West African Nso and Northern German Women

The present study compares conceptions about parenting in two cultural communities that may be expected to hold different views on parent–child relationships. Sociodemographically diverse samples of 46 Northern German and 39 West African Nso women evaluated parenting behavior observed in 10 Nso and 10 German videotaped mother–infant interaction sequences. The individual evaluations were assessed in group contexts. The statements were analyzed with respect to their reference to parenting systems and interaction mechanisms as conceptualized in the component model of parenting. As expected, the Nso respondents addressed primary care, body contact and body stimulation more often than the German respondents who focused more on face‐to‐face communication and exclusive attention. Contrary to our expectations, distress regulation was addressed more often by the German respondents. Quantitative analyses are combined with the qualitative elaboration of the respondents’ evaluative comments. The identified ideas about parenting are discussed as reflecting the conscious nature of parenting as a shared cultural activity and related to cultural goals.     

The Interface of Institutional,Sociopolitical, and Relational Trauma in Clinical Encounters: The Case of Adelita and Mrs. Diaz

In this article, the author addresses the importance of considering the interface of institutional, sociopolitical, and relational trauma in clinical social work practice. Assessment and treatment are discussed using a clinical case composite drawn from the author's previous encounters in clinical social work practice. In this composite, the author uses a biopsychosocial-spiritual perspective and concepts such as intergenerational trauma and psychodynamic theories as a framework for gaining a deeper understanding of clients in social work practice.     

Parents' Goals for Children: The Dynamic Coexistence of Individualism and Collectivism in Cultures and Individuals

Current scholarship on the cultural value systems of individualism and collectivism, and the associated developmental goals of autonomy and relatedness, has moved beyond grand divide theories to emphasize variation within individuals and cultures. We present a theoretical model on the dynamic coexistence of cultural value systems (at the macro level) and parents' developmental goals (at the micro level). We contend that cultural values and developmental goals that have largely been classified as polar opposites may be viewed as conflicting, additive, or functionally dependent. Parents may view the developmental goal of autonomy as interfering with the goal of relatedness (and vice versa); parents may endorse both autonomy and relatedness; and parents may consider the developmental goal of relatedness to be a path to the goal of autonomy and/or autonomy to be a path to relatedness. These forms of coexistence are themselves dynamic, changing across situations, developmental time, and in response to social, political, and economic contexts.     

冒险与现代性 齐美尔思想与生活图景的冒险内核及其现代性意涵

“冒险”在齐美尔研究中一直未受到太多的重视。本文尝试在阐明齐美尔冒险概念意涵的基础上,以冒险视角审视齐美尔的核心议题和日常生活,揭示齐美尔思想和生活图景中的冒险内核。从冒险的角度看,齐美尔的“文化”实际上是精神生命的冒险,文化悲剧意味着冒险的阻断,绝对生命自我超越的本性表明生命的本质就是不断地冒险与更新,冒险在绝对生命的力量之下必然持续不息。齐美尔的研究方法和生活方式同样富有冒险意味。思想和生活图景的冒险内核让齐美尔成为了波德莱尔意义上的第一位现代性理论家、福柯意义上具有现代性态度的启蒙者。     

Leadership and Listening: The Reception of User Voice in Today's Public Services

Over the last decade leadership has become a watchword in public service provision, especially in its association with the seemingly ubiquitous ‘delivery’ agenda. As leadership styles change in response to developments in the contemporary public service environment, it has become imperative for service providers to find ways to listen to service users. However, listening is itself widely recognized as an underdeveloped public sector competency. This article addresses the relationship between leadership and listening. Using findings from recent research, it identifies a ‘listening gap’ in public services, before pointing to ways in which this gap might be better understood and subsequently narrowed. In doing so, it seeks to present new ideas about the essential balance between ‘leadership’ and ‘listening’, and how this can be struck in today's public service environment. First, the nature of the user voice is examined. By talking to service users who have communicated their views in different ways in each of three different services (housing, social care and leisure), the article seeks to understand the nature of users' ‘projects’ in the expression of their views. These projects are compared with those of public service leaders. Second, the congruence (or incongruence) of these projects is considered through a comparison of the world views of both users and leaders. Finally, aspects of the context are considered in the discussion of the way public service organizations might go about defining the relationship between leadership and listening.     

弱关系的弱势及其转化——“关系”的一种文化阐释路径

本文试图对“关系”的文化特质加以探讨。作者首先梳理了学界有关“关系”的文化论题、结构论题和工具论题，并阐明了重拾文化论题的必要性。在此基础上，作者指出，有必要突破以往过于倚重中国社会本土概念的文化阐释方法，寻求更具有普遍意含的社会学概念和理论工具来界说和分析中国社会的“关系”现象。作为一种初步尝试，作者提出，社会网络理论中的弱关系概念对于认识中国社会的“关系”具有特殊的意义。在作者看来，在中国社会，“关系” 是与家族（或家族）内部关系相对应的一种社会关系形式，前者以弱关系为特征，后者以强关系为特征，两者在满足的功能、成员的可供选择性、规范性和社会分层效应等诸多方面都具有明显的差异。作者认为，“关系”实际上是指导社会成员处理某些家庭外部社会关系的行动模板。作者还提出，中国的“关系”不仅是一种弱关系文化，而且由于它善于促成弱关系向强关系的方向转化，善于从弱关系的动员中释放出巨大的社会能量，因而深刻地塑造了中国的社会结构形态。     

从艾森豪威尔到卡特：美国文官“高级行政职位”的建立

文章从勾勒美国建立文官高级行政职位的过程入手 ,比较了艾森豪威尔总统建议建立的“高级文官职位”、尼克松总统提出设立的“联邦行政职位”、卡特总统建立的“高级行政职位”的区别和共同点 ,分析了三位总统在改革美国文官制度方面成功和失败的原因。作者认为 ,美国“高级行政职位”的设立 ,实际上涉及到两个非常敏感的关系 ,即 :总统与高级文官之间的关系以及在这一关系背后发挥潜在影响的政治与行政的关系。“高级行政职位”(SES)的设立 ,无论是从行政或政治的角度 ,都加强了总统对文官的控制与监督     

语言观念的变迁:北京语音如何成为近代国语标准音

在清末最后二十多年的切音字运动时期,许多文字改革者对于当时的切音字应该以何音为标准争论不一,囿于传统的文/野之分的文化观念,有的人主张以南音(南京话)为正音,但大多数人还是以传统的北方官话音为是。作为一地方言,现代北京音在1930年代才正式确立其国语标准音的地位,它是时人语言观念、教育观念、社会政治文化等各种因素相互作用下的产物。     

大庆油田企业文化:"产业报国"

大庆油田企业文化是产业报国型企业文化 ,它是社会主义的企业文化 ,是有行业特点的企业文化 ,是在石油生产的实践中产生的企业文化。它是在民族传统文化和中国石油行业现状的基础上 ,经过以“铁人”王进喜为代表的广大石油职工的群体意识和油田领导的积极培育、倡导 ,抓典型、树英模而逐渐生成和发育的     

The Effects of Participation and Resources on Democratic Attitudes: Role of Social Capital in Four Latin and South American Countries

ABSTRACT

Social capital research in Latin and South American countries has been gravely limited by the absence of valid measures of social capital. This study seeks to create a scale for measuring social capital in the Latin and South American context using exploratory and confirmatory statistical procedures. It also seeks to test the effect of social capital on democratic attitudes in Latin America through structural equation modeling methods. Analysis of four countries in Latin and South America suggests that social capital is positively related to democratic attitudes. Recommendations for future studies are highlighted, and scale properties and outcomes are discussed.     

中国电影的民族文化与审美意境分析——以电影《白鹿原》中的戏曲元素为例

面对当下“娱乐化”与“高科技”相争衡的电影生存环境,电影《白鹿原》对戏曲艺术的回归再次唤醒了民族文化审美的强大生命力,成为中国电影的“重头戏”。作为民族电影的重要基石,民族文化符号历来备受中国导演的钟爱,而导演王全安在电影《白鹿原》中对戏曲元素的多重审美关照,使陷人困境的中国电影的民族化探索道路上迈开了可喜的一步,为中国电影艺术注入了鲜活的民族印记。     

The beginning of the end of Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral Ministry: A towering failure in crisis management as reflected through media narratives of financial crisis,family conflict,and follower dissent

In 2010–2011, the Crystal Cathedral Ministry, one of the world's most respected Christian megachurches (Frankl, 1990), endured a series of crisis events culminating with a court ordered sale of its property. This signaled the end of Robert H. Schuller's ministry. This research analyzes dozens of news stories published during the crisis, documenting that the ministry failed to effectively use the media to communicate on vital issues. This failure exacerbated the crisis by allowing, unchecked, a proliferation of news stories portaying the ministry as out of touch, and Schuller family members as quarreling spendthrifts. Despite Schuller's decades of service, national prominence, and ‘positive thinking’ focus, his ministry was overcome by the materialism he purported to stand against. The rapid downfall is an extraordinary event within Christian televangelism. Examining media reporting of it allows important conclusions to be reached about any organization's communication with media gatekeepers in a time of crisis.     

The Role of Pride,Shame, Guilt,and Humiliation in Social Service Organizations: A Conceptual Framework from a Qualitative Case Study

Emotions have become increasingly recognized as constitutive elements of organizations and organizational processes. While the emotions of pride, shame, guilt, and humiliation have long been considered to play a significant role in what people do and how they do it, they have received little theoretical and empirical attention within the literature on social service organizations. This paper responds to this research gap by outlining a conceptual framework for the role these emotions play, developed from an ethnographic case study of one English local authority child protection service. The framework outlines how these emotions influenced the wider institutional processes to construct an ideal form of practice, which was then used to evaluate the social workers’ actions and praise, shame, or humiliate the social workers accordingly. The threat of shame, and promise of praise, influenced most social workers to enact or conform to the standard, thereby regulating their identities. Some social workers, however, felt ashamed or guilty of what they were doing and sought to resist these attempts at control through acts of compromising, concealing, and influencing. This paper considers how this understanding contributes to our understanding of these emotions and how they are experienced in a modern social service context.     

The nature and culture of social work with children and families in long‐term casework: Findings from a qualitative longitudinal study

Social work in the United Kingdom is preoccupied with what social workers cannot do due to having limited time to spend with service users. Yet remarkably little research has examined what social workers actually do, especially in long‐term relationships. This paper draws from an ethnographic study of two social work departments in England that spent 15 months observing practice and organizational life. Our findings show that social work some of the time has a significant amount of involvement with some service users and the dominant view that relationship‐based practice is rarely achieved is in need of some revision. However, families at one research site received a much more substantial, reliable overall service due to the additional input of family support workers and having a stable workforce who had their own desks and were co‐located with managers in small team offices. This generated a much more supportive, reflective culture for social workers and service users than at the second site, a large open plan “hot‐desking” office. Drawing on relational, systemic, and complexity theories, the paper shows how the nature of what social workers do and culture of practice are shaped by the interaction between available services, office designs, and practitioners', managers', and service users' experiences of relating together.