The family culture of negotiation—a result of changing parent‐child relationships

Case studies of parent‐child relations in three different European regions—West Germany, East Germany and the Netherlands—offer material for the comparative analysis of the ongoing intra‐familial process of modernization and civilization in post‐war West European societies. The data are drawn from extended narrative interviews with twelve‐year‐olds and from parallel but separate semi‐structured ‘mirrored’ interviews with the same children and their parents. The results of the analysis show that family relations in general, and parent‐child relations in particular, are increasingly marked by a familial ‘culture of negotiation’. This suggests that the balance of intergenerational power relations is currently in the process of change. To a greater or lesser extent, contemporary family relations are characterized by situationally grounded processes of negotiation between parents and children.     

The family structures are changing—but what about the idea of the family?

In contemporary societies, stepfamilies usually emerge following divorce and remarriage. This family form has become more prevalent in Finland during the 1980s. The present article focuses on the public discourse surrounding the stepfamily as this is reflected in family and women's magazines. This discourse reveals the still prevailing strong cultural norms regarding family life: living in a family is defined as the normal way of living, with bonds of belonging together and biological ties defined as primary. The stepfamily is expected to fulfil these expectations. The ideology governing the stepfamily is therefore very similar to that of the traditional nuclear family unit.     

Improving Scientists'Judgments of Risk

Scientists disagree in their risk analyses because they use intuitive judgments to generalize results from the laboratory to circumstances not yet studied. If this assertion is correct, techniques intended to reduce intuitive judgments and increase analytical cognition should reduce scientific dispute. The results of a test case involving allegedly high risk and sharp dispute among scientists are described.     

Attention deficit disorder: Problems with preconceived diagnosis

The diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become a household term with many inaccurate conceptions and expectations. The label is being applied to children with a broad range of mental health problems and developmental disorders. This study looks at the impact of preconceived diagnosis on assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. Alarming trends of overidentification of ADHD, which lead to inappropriate treatment and management, are identified. Other causes of the target symptoms are discussed. The impact of preconceived diagnosis on treatment outcome, patient functioning, and other areas are addressed. The need for greater community awareness of the broad spectrum of disorders of childhood and adolescence is identified.     

The right to be different: Multiculturalism and the racialization of scandinavian welfare politics; The case of Denmark

‘Multiculturalism’ as an influential ideology for structuring ethnic relations has become exposed to increasing critique also in the Scandinavian context. The paper discusses a racialized political debate, legislation, and institutional practices, taking Denmark as the prime example. An increasingly ‘dual welfare’ is becoming legitimized through a hegemonic culturalized language, consistently interpreting ‘the right to be different’ as ‘being different’, and ‘being different’ as being ‘non‐integrated’. In a society where public debate on ethnic and racial discrimination is less than rudimentary, tolerant claims of multiculturalist relativism are effectively turned upside down in the service of neo‐racism, the preachings of which are imperceptibly becoming adopted as the conventional wisdom. This calls for a discussion on ‘politics of recognition’ which brings the debate on the universalism and particularity out of the abstract, while focusing on the vicissitudes of contemporary democracy in a changing welfare state.     

A portfolio of risk measures

A comprehensive set of sixteen measures of willingness to take risks has been developed. This set includes measures from three categories: measures from standardized risky situations having an underlying theory of risk, measures inferred from revealed choices in financial decisions, and measures derived from attitudes. A study of over 500 top-level business executives shows significant relationships within categories, but relatively little relationship across categories. Context differences, especially personal versus business situations and opportunities versus threats, underlie the responses.     

Events that Trigger Poverty Entries and Exits*

Objective. This article examines how events—such as changes in household composition, employment status, disability status, and economic conditions—affect poverty entries and exits. We also examine whether the role these events play in poverty transitions differs in the pre‐ and post‐welfare‐reform periods. Methods. The analysis uses discrete‐time multivariate hazard models along with monthly, longitudinal data from the 1988, 1990, and 1996 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Results. Analyses show that many events are related to the likelihood of entering and exiting poverty. Of the trigger events examined, individuals living in households that experience a loss or gain of employment are the most likely to enter and exit poverty. We also find that changes in employment are more important in the 1996 to 1999 time period—after welfare reform—than in the 1988 to 1992 time period—prior to welfare reform. Finally, changes in household composition, disability status, and educational attainment are found to play a role in throwing people into poverty and helping them exit from poverty in both time periods. Conclusions. There is no single path into or out of poverty, suggesting that multiple policies can be considered to help alleviate poverty.