Psychological and physiological stress responses during repetitive work at an assembly line

The association between psychological and physiological stress responses was examined in 20 male workers at an assembly line. Each worker was studied during a 2 h period on two consecutive days in their normal job and, in order to obtain physiological baseline values, during a corresponding paid 2 h period off the job on the third day. Self-reports of work demands, mood, etc., measurements of catecholamine and cortisol excretion and of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were obtained at the end of each of the three 2 h periods. Work induced a significant elevation in almost all psychological and physiological measurements. Levels were consistently lower in workers reporting a 'good' workday compared to those reporting a 'normal' or a 'bad' day. Correlations between self-reports and physiological values showed that catecholamine and cortisol responses, respectively, tended to be associated selectively with different psychological conditions, catecholamine values being associated with feelings of time pressure and pressure by demands, cortisol values with irritation, tenseness and tiredness. The results show that perceived stress at an assembly line is consistently reflected in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine functions of the workers.     

Educational and Employment Survey of University Faculty Wives: A Case Study

Abstract

Nations engaged in a dispute may escalate their use of coercion in order to raise the costs of the fight to the other side and gain concessions. As a fight continues, escalation is made more probable by changes in the motivation and the expectations of the participants. The goals of each participant may expand and winning the dispute may become more important than it was initially. Each may come to expect the other to increase its coercion beyond previous boundaries and no longer see the prospect of a negotiated settlement. In addition, normative and other inhibitions on the use of force tend to decrease once the use of coercion has begun. The ways in which a conventional war might escalate to a nuclear war are discussed. The conditions under which deescalation of coercion will occur are outlined.     

The Developmental Life Course Perspective: A Conceptual and Organizing Framework for Human Behavior and the Social Environment

The developmental life course perspective (DLC) focuses attention on the socio-historical context in which we live our lives as it influences opportunities and life events that produce cumulative advantage or disadvantage. These large contextual forces shape preference and behavior, and it is within this context that the individual exerts personal agency. This perspective has particular utility as a conceptual framework for human behavior and the social environment courses as it integrates individual-level behavior within a social forces context. This article describes the DLC and its application as both a conceptual and an organizing framework for human behavior and the social environment courses at the masters level. It is illustrated with a case example.     

The Lived Experience of Work and Career: Women Whose Parents Lack Postsecondary Education

There is a dearth of research exploring the career and work development of adults and the influence of family of origin on that development. In this qualitative study, the authors used a phenomenological approach to examine the career and work experiences of women whose parents have no education beyond high school and the influences of family on these experiences. Findings revealed 5 invariant themes, or constituents, that shaped the experiences of these women: being a daughter/woman, support and encouragement, what matters, why I chose, and limits and options. Perseverance was found to be a related underlying component, or essence. Authors present implications for counselors working with adult women whose parents lack postsecondary education.     

Questioning the Pro‐Poor Agenda: Examining the Links between Social Protection and Poverty

This article investigates an empirical puzzle. Taking the case of Botswana, how is it that poverty is so high, when the country largely conforms to pro‐poor growth strategies? This article suggests that the minimal role of social‐security policies partly explains the relatively high poverty levels. This hypothesis is tested in a large‐N study of developing countries which shows that broad‐based and generous, rather than pro‐poor, social‐security policies impact strongly on poverty levels. The analysis further alludes to other obstacles to poverty reduction, such as economic transformation, which may be combined with a pro‐active social‐policy agenda. Thus, poverty‐alleviating strategies should be refocused to allow for a wider and more coherent role for social‐security policies.     

The practice of open adoption:Findings from a study of 1396 adoptive families

Adoption agencies, centers and attorneys are arranging and creating open adoptions in increasing numbers across the United States, but little is known about how widespread this practice is, or how adoptive families manage the day to day practice of openness. New evidence from a survey of 1,396 newly adoptive families in California sheds light on the practice of open adoption and shows that the majority of these adoptions are open in some form, and that many adoptive families are cautiously comfortable with post-placement contact. Open practices across transracial and relative adoptions are also explored.     

Contributors to adjustment problems of adoptees: A review of the longitudinal research

Retrospective studies of adoptive families have identified ways in which members of the adoptive family may be at risk of behavior and adjustment problems, but it is prospective research which can link those difficulties to factors which exist early in the placement. This review of prospective adoption research finds that most studies, but not all, report that adopted children are indeed at increased risk of behavior problems and decreased selfesteem. These studies, taken in sum, caution that unrealistic parental expectations and other parental misconceptions about the child, particularly regarding academic achievement, often lead to these difficulties in adjustment. Implications for practive are discussed.     

Biographies and family solidarity in Québec

In Québec, the 2004 survey Biographies et solidarités familiales (‘biographies and family solidarity in Québec’) was the first quantitative survey to deal with the question of the diverse forms of family solidarity as they have changed over time and in line with modifications in family, work, and public policies. Our purpose here is to present the survey itself along with a certain number of its results. The latter bear, on the one hand, on what we have termed Québec ‘family solidarity spaces’, referring by that to the structural data previous to forms of solidarity as we know them now and, on the other hand, on the changes in the provision of early childhood care over three generations.