Personal Trouble or Public Issue? Towards a Model of Policy for People with Physical and Mental Disabilities

For many years, community solutions have been the favoured response to physical and mental disability, but theoretical frameworks to guide these policies have not developed alongside the rhetoric. This paper attempts to fill the gap with one possible sociological model. We begin by distinguishing the dominant individualistic or 'personal trouble' perspective from the more controversial social or 'public issue' approach which, whether it takes an interpretative or a structural form, acknowledges the role of society in causing disabilities and shaping economic and social strategies. A model of policy is then drawn up for each viewpoint, bearing in mind the implications for public expenditure, state intervention, family and community support, and service organisation. Finally, it is argued that since help in the individualistic mould cannot cope with disability, an alternative response is required, which tackles economic, social and political institutions or structures while at the same time recognising the resistance to change in an industrial society.     

Psychoanalytic perspectives on child abuse

This paper examines the application of selected concepts from classical psychoanalysis, ego psychology, object relations theory, and self psychology to the assessment and treatment of child abuse. Child maltreatment is conceptualized as deriving, in part, from impaired symbiotic and separation-individuation experiences. The role of certain defense mechanisms employed by the formerly abused parent in perpetuating intergenerational cycles of abuse is explored. Disturbances in the development of the nuclear self (as postulated by Kohut) in abusive parents are considered. Fairbairn's model of the inner object world is used to illuminate scapegoating processes. The concept of protectiveness is discussed in relation to the abused child's use of primitive defenses and inhibition of autonomy. Countertransference issues are viewed in relation to the problem of workers' burnout.This paper was written for completion requirement for the degree of M.S.W. at Hunter College School of Social Work. The auther wishes to express her appreciation to Phyllis Caroff, Richard Gaines, Mary Beth Globenfelt, Arthur Green, Wendy Kamaiko, Jeffrey Seinfeld, and Anna Clare van Dalen for their assistance and generous contributions to this paper.     

Some theoretical considerations on confidential adoptions part III: The adopted child

In all cases of newborn adoption where placement is made directly into the permanent adoptive home, the adoptive parents become the psychological parents for that child. While adopted children do have separate psychological and genetic parents, the capacity for intimacy, identity, and a cohesive sense of self develops through the consistent empathic attachment between the adoptive parents and the child. We discuss the adopted child's psychological development through infancy, pre-oedipal, oedipal, latency, and adolescence and focus on the child's intrapsychic tasks at each developmental phase. We note how development is different for the adopted child and how this development would be diminished or enhanced by the direct or subtle indirect involvement in an open or confidential adoption. Open adoptions appear to have the risk of serious interference at each developmental phase. Confidential adoptions appear to provide the child with the psychological protection for the unfolding of development. There is a new trend in the field of child welfare toward openness in adoption, which purports to change traditional confidential adoptions. We discuss the crucial aspects of the intrapsychic difference for an adopted child experiencing an open or confidential adoption.And so they wrangled before the King... Kings II, Ch. VThis paper was presented to the National Committee for Adoption Convention, October, 1982; the First International Conference on Pediatric Social Work, August, 1982; and to the Child Care Association of Illinois Convention, April, 1982. All authors have the M.A. degree     

The longitudinal development of employee well-being: a systematic review

This article reports a systematic review of findings on the long-term development of employee well-being, taking into account the effects of time lag, age, and job change. High-quality quantitative empirical studies focusing on employee affective well-being based on the circumplex model and utilizing measurements at more than two points in time were searched from eight databases. The systematic analysis of the 40 studies revealed that the level of employee well-being was generally high but not fixed – instead changes in mean levels over time were typical. In addition, the stability of well-being was found to be relatively low, as the explained variances were below 50%. Age and change of job were the major factors influencing stability: younger employees and job changers tended to display larger across time changes in well-being than older employees and job stayers, both at the mean level and in terms of their position relative to others. The findings of this review suggest that the indicators of employee affective well-being studied here (i.e. burnout, engagement, and job satisfaction) can meaningfully be applied in future research in measuring changes in employees’ well-being. In conclusion, based on the designs, methodologies, and main findings of the reviewed studies, seven avenues for future longitudinal research on employee well-being are proposed.     

Determinants of mental health treatment seeking among soldiers who recognize their problem: implications for high-risk occupations

Although research has documented an increased risk of mental health problems among employees in high-stress occupations, little attention has been devoted to the process by which employees seek treatment for these problems. Using components of the Stages of Change Model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982), this study examined the correlates of considering and receiving treatment for such problems among active-duty military personnel in the U.S. Army. A multidimensional assessment of determinants of treatment seeking was administered to 1725 military personnel, along with measures of mental health symptoms and treatment seeking. These determinants were examined as predictors of considering and receiving treatment among a sub-sample of 466 personnel who recognized having a current mental health problem. Multinomial logistic regressions indicated that attitudes towards treatment and a preference for self-reliance distinguished those considering treatment from those who had not sought treatment. A larger number of factors distinguished soldiers considering treatment from those who had actually received treatment, with operational barriers and self-reliance being the strongest and unique correlates. The discussion focuses on the importance of what organizations can do to facilitate treatment seeking among employees in high-risk environments.     

Team creativity versus team learning: transcending conceptual boundaries to inspire future framework building

The purpose of this study was to compare team creativity and team learning – approached as interpersonal processes – conceptually and empirically and thereby inspire future framework building on team creativity. First, both concepts were compared based on present literature. In the next – empirical – step, a questionnaire consisting of a range of team creative and learning processes was developed and validated among 112 design teams, encompassing 540 employees. By means of a questionnaire validation protocol, this study assessed the empirical similarities and interrelation between team creative and learning processes. Several conceptual similarities in both frameworks were identified. The theoretically expected difference between team creativity and team learning (i.e. the aspect newness) was not supported by our empirical results. A five-factor model – consisting of team creative efficacy, facilitating team processes, basic team processes, error communication, and co-construction was validated. This study contributes to the present literature by showing that future theorising on team creative processes can certainly draw inspiration from the team learning literature in several ways.     

Building Strategies: Equal Opportunity in the Construction Industry

The building industry, as one of the last male bastions, has seen a significant degree of resistance to concepts such as ‘gender equity’ and ‘affirmative action’ and resentment at what is seen as the ‘big brother’ approach of the government's ‘social justice’ agenda. There is a widespread misinterpretation of ‘equal opportunity’, with men either taking the stand that women are not equal physically or that if they want equal opportunity they must demonstrate that they can do everything in the very same way that a man does on the building site. Recent work suggests that organizations which are proactive on equality issues have usually extended the equal treatment model to incorporate difference initiatives such as mentoring, fast-tracking into promotion positions or going out of their way to recruit from minority groups. It is argued here that, in an area such as the building industry, it is crucial to combine both strategies if the issue of women's disadvantage is to be adequately addressed. This paper explores girls' experience of entry-level and trade training, the attitudes of male workers and contractors to female apprentices, and the issue of support from teachers, vocational guidance officers and parents. Queensland has been chosen as the site for this study because, after a long period of conservative rule, it had become the most ‘backward’ of all the Australian states in matters of gender equality. The advent of the Goss Labour Government (1989–96) provided opportunities both to ‘catch up’ and to learn from the limitations of earlier equal opportunity initiatives.     

Youth leaving care: how do they fare?

This chapter summarizes recent Canadian and international research on the outcomes for youth after they age out of the child welfare system. It paints a disturbing picture for this small and vulnerable population. Youth leaving care face many challenges in making the transition from state care to independence and adulthood. They bear the emotional scars of childhood neglect or abuse. They do not have a family support network, have limited or no financial resources, are often lacking in life skills, and usually have not completed school. Despite these setbacks, we expect them to function independently once they reach age eighteen. Research shows that once youth leave care, they do not fare as well as their peers. They are at much greater risk of relying on social assistance, becoming homeless, engaging in substance abuse, becoming single parents, experiencing mental health problems, or coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Some youth aging out, however, have more successful transitions. These typically have completed high school, have role models, have access to postsecondary opportunities, refrain from alcohol or drug use, and obtain life skills and independent living training. Having stable placements while in care is also critical in ensuring more positive outcomes. Canada does not have the capacity to track the outcomes of youth as they leave the child welfare system, nor can it identify the types of interventions showing the most promise in helping them achieve better outcomes. Canadian governments need to improve their transitional planning for youth in care who are approaching the age of majority. Some recommendations include extending the age for services and financial assistance to age twenty-four, developing standards to prepare youth for leaving care, and exploring ways to enable youth to pursue higher education or training. Finally, Canada should develop a national longitudinal survey to monitor the outcomes of youth after they leave care.