Toward a formal theory of interactive resocialization: The case of adoptive parenthood

Resocialization is pulled out of its structuralist roots and recast into an interactionist framework. Building on a substantive theory of the resocialization experience of becoming an adoptive parent, three theoretical properties of interactionist resocialization are presented. These can be summarized as involving unlearning and relearning some aspects of a core identity; the interpretation and active reconstruction of that identity which has reciprocal effects on all actors involved; and finally, the effects of both situational and trans-situational norms that give shape to the resocialization experience. Suggestions are made for other substantive areas of research that could be used for comparative analysis in order to further refine a formal theory of interactionist resocialization.     

STRUCTURE, INSTITUTIONS, POWER, AND IDEOLOGY: New Directions Within Symbolic Interactionism

Responding to a fusillade of criticism in the 1970s, interactionists made numerous studies to accentuate the structural elements of constraint. This reconstruction of symbolic interactionism (SI) has led to some convergences with the British School of Cultural Studies (BSCS). A selected group of SI studies are reviewed under the rubrics of negotiated order, master institutions, structural categories of gender and race, and power and ideology. Throughout, the article argues that SI's concern with institutions. structure, and power and ideology has some similarities with BSCS but differences are fundamental. Even though its reconstruction remains incomplete, especially in an adequate account of social structure, SI is now making a concerted effort to diminish the astructural bias by articulating macrosociological links between communication and community.     

Comparison of three estimators of the number of species

We consider estimation of the number of cells in a multinomial distribution. This is one version of the species problem: there are many applications, such as the estimation of the number of unobserved species of animals; estimation of vocabulary size, etc. We describe the results of a simulation comparison of three principal frequent-ist' procedures for estimating the number of cells (or species). The first procedure postulates a functional form for the cell probabilities; the second procedure approxi mates the distribution of the probabilities by a parametric probability density function; and the third procedure is based on an estimate of the sample coverage, i.e. the sum of the probabilities of the observed cells. Among the procedures studied, we find that the third (non-parametric) method is globally preferable; the second (functional parametric) method cannot be recommended; and that, when based on the inverse Gaussian density, the first method is competitive in some cases with the third method. We also discuss Sichel's recent generalized inverse Gaussian-based procedure which, with some refine ment, promises to perform at least as well as the non-parametric method in all cases.     

ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND ORGANIZATIONAL DECISION MAKING

In this paper we argue for the importance of a sociologically informed study of organizational accounting practices. By making the nexus between accounting and decision making problematic, instead of given, we move issues of interpretation and hierarchical control to the center stage of understanding the social construction of accounting practices. We suggest that inductive case studies of the organizational setting is a promising methodological strategy for identifying how accounting operates as an organizational control system. We focus on debates and proceedings of the board of directors as an overlooked source of data on decision making and organizational practices. We show how accounting practices are part of the strategic control system that functions to interpret the environment and direct the adaptation of the organization in a manner particular to the substantive rationality of corporate decision makers. We illustrate these contentions with a case study of accounting practice changes over a six year period.     

HIV-infected woman. Illness cognition assessment.

1. Special attention is particularly important in addressing the mental health needs of HIV-infected women. These needs may involve issues such as concerns about present or future pregnancy; child-rearing, often as single parents; poverty, illicit drug use or addiction; and the potential lack of support services. 2. Diagnosis of HIV infection in women may be overlooked, as the clinical signs that routinely trigger the suspicion of HIV illness in men are often interpreted to reflect depression or psychological factors, such as stress or overwork, rather than raise the suspicion of HIV infection in women. 3. Understanding a woman's illness cognition is an important component of designing strategies that can enhance coping. The picture a woman generates regarding her illness is a composite of her experiences and responses, and determines to a large extent what she will do in response to her illness.     

Implications of temporal aggregation on the relation between two time series

Using a simple theoretical model and giving an empirical example it is investigated if it matters whether we use (monthly) averages or end-of-period (month) data in performing Granger-causality tests. It is shown that no major problems are to be expected if the two series are temporally aggregated in the same way, but non-trivial problems can occur if the two series have different kinds of temporal aggregation.     

The effect of 1980s tort reform legislation on general liability and medical malpractice insurance

A large number of states adopted tort reforms in the mid-1980s to limit the dramatic surge in insurance losses and premiums. Evidence based on liability insurance data by state indicates that these reforms substantially influenced general liability insurance. The levels of losses, premiums, and loss ratios (a measure of insurance profitability) all reflected the impact of the reforms. The large-scale reform efforts in 1986 were particularly influential. Medical malpractice insurance was much less sensitive to the reform efforts.