Behavioral epidemiology and social area analysis: The study of blackout looting

This article describes the use of social area analytic techniques in the study of the looting which occurred during the Con Edison power failure of July 13 and 14, 1977. Detailed procedures are outlined of the systematic collection and analysis of data which were developed from available data. Analyses contrasting competing explanatory theoretical models for blackout looting are presented. The central dependent variable is ratio of looted to retail stores. Both the numerator and denominator are aggregated to the census tract level.     

Sociology of Sport: an Overview

This review sketches some strengths and weaknesses in the subfield and its potential for generating and testing theoretical frameworks. The analysis includes research on sport from the following perspectives: interinstitutional relationships, social stratification, small groups, and social psychology. In recent years, the sociology of sport has become more sophisticated in terms of research questions posed, research design, quantitative analysis, and cross-cultural comparisons. As one dimension of leisure, sports represent a serious topic for scholarly research to round out our understanding of the human person as a social being.     

Patterning in Citations: An Analysis of References to George Herbert Mead

Abstract

Family work in dual-earner families has been studied extensively, but the focus has been primarily on household tasks and child care, neglecting the component of health care behavior. In this paper, I introduce scales to study the performance of family health care behaviors in dual-earner families. The items assess topics such as who arranged and accompanied family members to health care appointments, who left work early or took time off from work for health care, and who handled the paperwork of medical expenses. The sample consisted of 174 married women employed in health care and education. The study results indicate that the health care scales are reliable. They are also not highly correlated with demographic variables that might affect the utility of the scales to examine how health care behaviors are linked to other family work.     

Multiple Roles and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Role theory generally views the performance of multiple roles as a source of psychological stress. Recently, however, the concept of role strain resulting from multiple roles has been criticized. Marks (1977) and Seiber (1974) argue that multiple roles may lead to positive personal well-being. The present research is a test of these recent ideas. Measures of subjective well-being are correlated with the quantity and quality of roles enacted. Five role spheres are specified: Spouse, parent, worker, friend, and church member. The findings offer some support for the proposition that involvement in multiple roles does not necessarily lead to role strain. Instead, well-being increases with the number of roles enacted, and satisfaction in one role can help to compensate for deprivation in another role sphere. Support is thus found for both Marks' (1977) “expansionist” theory and Seiber's (1974) role accumulation theory.