The Nonconsequences of Objective and Subjective Status Inconsistency: Requiem for a Moribund Concept*

Though long suggested, subjective indicators of status inconsistency have seen little empirical use. Data from a sample survey with controls for additive status variables are used to compare objective and subjective status inconsistency with these conclusions: (1) Individuals in an “objective” state of educational-occupational inconsistency are no more likely to feel inconsistent than those whose objective statuses are aligned. (2) When considered in conjunction with vertical status dimensions, neither objective nor subjective status inconsistency is independently associated with measures of social participation; only the subjective measure is independently associated with powerlessness. (3) The joint use of subjective and objective status inconsistency concepts in future work must be carefully justified and must take into account well-substantiated but frequently ignored methodological problems.     

Measuring facial movement

A procedure has been developed for measuring visibly different facial movements. The Facial Action Code was derived from an analysis of the anatomical basis of facial movement. The method can be used to describe any facial movement (observed in photographs, motion picture film or videotape) in terms of anatomically based action units. The development of the method is explained, contrasting it to other methods of measuring facial behavior. An example of how facial behavior is measured is provided, and ideas about research applications are discussed.The research reported here was supported by a grant from NIMH, MH 167845. The authors are grateful to Wade Seaford, Dickinson College, for encouraging us to build our measurement system on the basis of specific muscular action. He convinced us that it would allow more precision, and that learning the anatomy would not be an overwhelming obstacle. Neither he nor we realized, however, how detailed and elaborate this undertaking would be. Seaford (1976) recently advanced some of the arguments we have made here about the value of an anatomically based measurement system. We are grateful also to those who first learned FAC and gave us many helpful suggestions as to how to improve the manual. We thank Linda Camras, Joe Hager, Harriet Oster, and Maureen O'Sullivan also for their comments on this report.     

A simple test of symmetry about an unknown median

A simple test statistic for testing symmetry of a distribution function about an unknown value is presented. The asymptotic distributions under symmetry and asymmetry are derived. Using the normal as a “calibration” distribution, the critical values of the test are calculated by Monte Carlo methods. Comparisons with other tests indicate that this procedure performs well.     

The vocational development of emotionally disturbed young adults in a community setting

Although the potential benefits are significant, few programs emphasize the vocational rehabilitation of the severely disturbed adolescent-young adult. The philosophical constructs as well as the major operational components of one such program are presented. The complex problems that impede this population's ability to work successfully in the community are explored. Emotionally disturbed adolescents-young adults are accustomed to failure and their behavior is frequently self-defeating. Community resistance and professional conservatism may limit their work options. The program's experience has demonstrated that if disturbed youths are provided the opportunity to work in a natural community setting, they will frequently surpass formal diagnostic evaluations of their capacities. The therapeutic gains realized by the disturbed individual who works successfully in his or her community are considered.     

All-brother crews in the North Atlantic

Le recrutement familial (pére et fils, groupe de frères) des équipages de pêche côtière dans l'Atlantique nord constitue une caractéristique constante. Même si ce type de recrutement peut être considéré comme une suite de stages successifs dans un cycle de développe-ment, on a porté peu d'attention à lévolution des équipages familiaux. A partir de données démographiques recueillies en Bretagne méridionale, l'article cherche à mettre en lumière le développement de ces équipages à travers le temps. l'analyse montre, plus précisément, que les raisons 'psychologiques' déjà avancées pour rendre compte de la nécessité et de la fragilité des équipages de fréres sont purement illusoires: les tensions peuvent être expliquées, de façon complète et constante, par la simple réalité de la pression économique.
A constant feature of the North Atlantic inshore fisheries is the familial recruitment of the crews: father and sons or all-brother crews. Although this type of recruitment represents successive stages of a developmental cycle, little attention has been devoted to the evolutive pattern of the family-based crew. Drawing on demographic data collected during fieldwork in southern Brittany, the article seeks to enlighten the developmental reality of the family crew. The analysis reveals in particular that the 'psychological' reasons put forward to account for both the necessity and fragility of all-brother crews pertain to self-deception: the cruder reality of economic pressure explains tensions thoroughly and consistently.