Narrative Mapping of Social Worlds: The Voice of Experience in Alcoholics Anonymous

At the threshold of an unfamiliar social world, newcomers may seek knowledgeable or experienced others for orientation, information, and advice. Oldtimers, “pros,” and veterans, in turn, may draw upon their personal experience to offer “narrative maps” of the new psychosocial geography. The prepresentations of reality contained in narrative maps may shape newcomers' decisions, actions, and discourse. Despite their ubiquity and significance, however, narrative maps have received scant attention as a topic of sociological inquiry. The personal narratives in meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous provide a rich opportunity to explore how experienced members articulate a version of the past, population, practices, and problems of a new world. The contexts, uses, and consequences of narrative mapping are considered.     

Indicators of information and communication technology adoption in the nonprofit sector: Changes between 2000 and 2004

With the knowledge that information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about significant changes in the structure and functioning of businesses, this research provides information about the changes that have occurred in ICT adoption in nonprofit organizations between 2000 and 2004. Using archival data, it specifically investigates various indicators of ICT adoption and adoption readiness factors. Results illustrate that nonprofit organizations are beginning to position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities provided by ICT adoption.     

Satisfaction With Work and Family Life: No Evidence of a Cultural Reversal

Hochschild (1997) argued that in recent decades the rewards of work have increased relative to those of family life and that this cultural reversal has aggravated the time bind that families face by increasing working hours. To the contrary, pooled data from the 1973–1994 General Social Surveys indicate that in working families, women have shifted away from finding work more satisfying than home toward finding home a haven. Moreover, were it not for women's growing labor force participation and the changing distribution of marital status, the shift would have been even larger. Men's relative work–home satisfaction has been stable. Finally, finding work a haven is unrelated to weekly working hours, and it has not contributed to any increases in working hours over time.     

Self-regulation and the etiology of sexual deviance: evaluating causal theory

Recently introduced theories of sex offending, including the self-regulation model and the multimodal self-regulation theory, have implicated self-regulatory deficits as a key variable in the development of sexually inappropriate interests and behaviors. While dysregulation has been considered an important component of a variety of behavioral, emotional, and interpersonal disorders, sexual behaviors have rarely been conceptualized within this context. In this study, we have examined a number of variables linked to self-regulation and dysfunctional outcomes in a sample of 95 sex-offending men. Results of a path analysis demonstrated that self-regulatory deficits were significantly predictive of paraphilic and antisocial behaviors in this group. Implications for our understanding of the etiology of sexual deviance and future research in this area are discussed.     

Self- and caregiver-reported experiences of young adults with developmental disabilities

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of young adults with developmental disabilities (DD) who were living in community settings with the aid of government-supported services. Six male and 10 female volunteer subjects (mean age = 24 years) were interviewed and the narrative data were analyzed revealing themes in six categories: (1) Home Life, (2) Relationships, (3) Health and Health Care, (4) Personal Growth and Accomplishments, (5) Occupation, and (6) Transportation. Subjects' most positive experiences were associated with integrated, comprehensive and timely services delivered by knowledgeable and sensitive service providers. Strong parental advocacy facilitated these features. Additionally, experiences were most positive when daily activities occurred within the sphere of either family or the disability community, as opposed to the broader community. Research is suggested to further understand the dynamics of integration in the broader community and to devise strategies to successfully facilitate this integration.     

Effects of exercise training with weighted vests on bone turnover and isokinetic strength in postmenopausal women

The effects of 12 wk of exercise training using weighted vests on bone turnover and isokinetic strength were evaluated in postmenopausal women randomly assigned as exercisers (EX; n = 9) or controls (CON; n = 7). Training included 3 multimodal exercise sessions per wk wearing weighted vests. The vest load was progressively increased each wk to a maximum of 15% of body weight. Bone turnover was determined from resting levels of serum osteocalcin and NTx. Knee and ankle strength were measured at 60 degrees/s and 180 degrees/s using an isokinetic dynamometer. After 12 wk, NTx decreased by 14.5% (P 相似文献   

Discourses of Inter-Professionalism

This paper explores identity through looking at how differentdiscourses of inter-professionalism are drawn on by professionalsand by service users in relation to the multi-professional contextof service provision. It follows traditions in critical discursivepsychology in understanding talk as constitutive. Glimpses ofthe emergence of a new professional identity congruent withthe demands of inter-professional work can be seen in the onlinediscussions of students on a course in managing care and thepaper considers how this identity is constructed. A feature of particular interest in the student forum data isthe extent to which they construct colleagues from differentprofessions, managers and service users as ‘the other’in ways that devalue their contribution, while at the same timepraising the benefits of inter-professional collaboration. Thepaper concludes that new professional identities that fit witha context of new working arrangements and relationships nonethelesscontinue to show ‘othering’ in the production ofa positive identity. However, rigid binaries have been disturbedby an emphasis on inter-professional working. As people workin different and cross-cutting new organizations that involvere-defining what the team is, the binaries become less fixedand more fluid.     

Research Note: Managing the Financial Assets of Older People: Balancing Independence and Protection

Family involvement in managing the financial assets of olderpeople is an area of policy and practice importance. This importancerelates to the complexity of older people’s assets, systemsof paying for care and concerns around substitute decision-makingand financial abuse. Although a common task of informal care,little is known about older people’s experiences and wishesin relation to asset management. This paper reports on a qualitativestudy of the experiences and perspectives of thirty-four olderpeople receiving such assistance. It identifies three scenariosthat promote or inhibit independence in this context and drawsout the challenges for this emerging area of practice with olderadults and their families.     

Early Recognition of and Responses to Dementia: Health Professionals' Views of Social Services' Role and Performance

Correspondence to Jill Manthorpe, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NN, UK. E-mail: jill.manthorpe{at}kcl.ac.uk. Summary Increasing calls for early diagnosis of dementia look set toimpact on social services. This article explores some of theissues, drawing on a series of multi-professional dementia workshopsheld in the UK. The workshops identified a series of questionsthat need to be addressed by social services in the areas ofthe drivers for early assessment, ensuing expectations, problemsand advantages in involving social services, and the benefitsof early diagnosis for individuals and their families. The articlediscusses the implications for social services in light of thedata and notes a possible move to specialist services, withinor without the social services sector. Tensions between currentresource shortages and anticipated demands for services areidentified. The difficulty of meeting low level needs whileservices are targeted on those with high levels of need presentsa further challenge to service delivery.