Trafficking in meth: an analysis of the differences between male and female dealers

Male and female meth dealers exhibit numerous common characteristics and patterns. For example, both can be relatively heavy users and both have similar (long) criminal records. However, both groups show important distinctions in their drug dealing patterns. This exploratory study compares 34 male and 26 female meth dealers (N = 60) who were involved in the same criminal justice system of a single western state during the same time period. Among other things, the findings indicate that male dealers treat their trafficking activities more like a business, have more customers, make more money, and are more likely prepared for violence while dealing than females. In contrast, female dealers have more education, including graduate school, have been arrested less often and are more willing to try drug treatment than male dealers.     

Female-perpetrated intimate partner violence and romantic attachment style in a college student sample

The frequency, severity, and reciprocity of female-perpetrated intimate partner violence and its consequences (i.e., injuries) were investigated in a college sample of women (N = 457). Participants were classified into one of the following four groups on the basis of self-reported physical assault perpetration and victimization against their relationship partners: nonviolent, perpetrator-only, victim-only, and bidirectionally violent. Results showed that females in the bidirectionally violent group had a reportedly higher occurrence (although not always statistically significant) of perpetration and victimization than those in the perpetrator-only and victim-only groups. Additionally, a similar degree of reciprocity was indicated by females in bidirectionally violent relationships in terms of violence severity and the occurrence of injury. Adult romantic attachment style was also examined among a subset of females (N = 328), and bidirectionally violent females were found to have the highest reported levels of attachment anxiety. Further, females high in attachment anxiety and low in attachment avoidance were more likely to report perpetrating violence than females high in both styles. Implications for prevention are discussed.     

A dynamic analysis of migration: an assessment of the effects of age,family and career variables

This paper examines the utility of viewing migration in the context of work careers and family life cycles. We do this by studying migration as a discrete state, continuous time process. We find that the inverse relationship between age and migration is due almost completely to the effects of family life cycle and work career variables. Further, we find that job- or locationspecific resources, prestige and wage deter migration.     

Simulation Games in Theory Development

Mathematics provides a set of tools and a language by which sociologists can precisely develop and express an abstract theory of society. Simulation games provide relatively limited and controlled contexts in which qualitative observations may suggest insights upon which to build systematic quantitative social theory. James Coleman was one of the strongest advocates for the use of simulation games in developing and communicating social theory; his Democracy game was a valuable tool in the development of his theory of collective action. In this paper, I provide an extended example of the use of observations of simulation games. My observations of two different games suggested ways to reconsider and revise certain aspects of rational choice theory. Building upon Herbert A. Simon's ([1957] Models of Man, Social and Rational: Mathematical Essays on Rational Human Behavior in a Social Setting, New York: Wiley) and John W. Thibaut and Harold H. Kelley's ([1959] The Social Psychology of Groups, New York: Wiley) theories of rationality in the context of incomplete information, my observations suggested that frustration behavior may be a rational response to the failure to meet expectations.     

Narratives as Sources of Stability and Change in Organizations: Approaches and Directions for Future Research

Although narrative analysis has made significant advances in organization and management studies, scholars have not yet unleashed its full potential. This review provides an understanding of key issues in organizational narrative analysis with a focus on the role of narratives in organizational stability and change. We start by elaborating on the characteristics of organizational narratives to provide a conceptual framework for organizational narrative analysis. We elaborate on three key approaches to narrative analysis on stability and change: realist, interpretative, and poststructuralist. We then review several topic areas where narrative analysis has so far offered the most promise: organizational change, identity, strategy, entrepreneurship, and personal change. Finally, we identify important issues that warrant attention in future research, both theoretically and methodologically.