The impact of discernment counseling on individuals who decide to divorce: experiences of post‐divorce communication and coparenting

Discernment counseling is designed to help couples considering divorce arrive at a greater sense of clarity and confidence in their decision making about the future of their marriage. Possible outcomes include making no change to the marriage, divorcing, or attempting reconciliation through couples therapy. To date, no research has been done on whether or not discernment counseling helps couples who decide to divorce with their post‐divorce family life (i.e., coparenting). We surveyed 11 people (from male–female couples) and conducted in‐depth interviews with eight who had undergone discernment counseling and subsequently divorced to see what impact discernment counseling had on their post‐divorce coparenting relationship. We analyzed the data from a phenomenological perspective. Respondents described their discernment counseling experience as helpful for achieving clarity and honesty in the divorce decision‐making process, they shared their appreciation for the structure of the intervention, and indicated that it led to a greater coparental cooperation post‐divorce.     

Structuring Work Distribution for Global Product Development Organizations

This study describes (through an application) a novel approach toward organizing work distribution across globally distributed design and development centers of a product development (PD) organization. While there exist several studies (and modeling applications) for work distribution and allocation for manufacturing and supply chain networks, those related to product development organizations are limited to qualitative suggestions such as offshoring of modular tasks. However, most PD efforts are characterized by significant complexity in information sharing and information dependency among PD tasks (represented by coupling in the system architecture of the firm), thus preventing the identification of modular tasks. Also, redesigning the architecture to introduce modularity has associated risks of costs and product integrity. We demonstrate a methodology to organize work distribution globally in an industrial setting, utilizing the design structure matrix to quantify the system architecture of the firm. Our optimization results show significant cost savings through a restructured PD organization. On analysis of the results, we make two significant observations: (a) while offshoring based on modularity is generally appropriate, it is not the whole answer, as there exists a trade‐off between the efficiency of performing specific PD tasks at the offshore location and the modularity of the task; and (b) firms should successively increase work allocation to the offshore location, benefiting from capability improvements through learning effects.     

A test of racial conceptualization between African Americans and indigenous Africans

Studies were conducted to assess the significance of the concept of race in interpersonal attraction and self-identification comparing African Americans and native Ghanaians. An adaptation of the Bogardus Scale (1926) was used to measure interpersonal attraction. A self-identification questionnaire developed by the principal author was used to measure self-identification. The samples consisted of 366 native Ghanaians residing in Ghana and 113 African Americans residing in Northern New Jersey. The results show that when making judgments about interpersonal attraction to different ethnic and racial groups as well as in self-identification, African American respondents attributed more psychological significance to the concept of race than Ghanaian respondents did. Racial group membership and cultural kinships were strongly related to interpersonal attraction and self-identification for African American respondents. They attributed more significance to racial group membership in judging self-identification and interpersonal attraction toward other African Americans compared with other groups. On the other hand, in judging interpersonal attraction toward other groups, African American respondents attributed more significance to cultural reference factors than racial group membership. Ghanaians perceived nationality and cultural kinships as more significant than racial group membership in their reported interpersonal attraction to groups represented in this work Ghanaian respondents did not perceive racial group membership as a significant factor in making judgments about interpersonal attraction and self-identification.     

Young Women’s Dynamic Family Size Preferences in the Context of Transitioning Fertility

Dynamic theories of family size preferences posit that they are not a fixed and stable goal but rather are akin to a moving target that changes within individuals over time. Nonetheless, in high-fertility contexts, changes in family size preferences tend to be attributed to low construct validity and measurement error instead of genuine revisions in preferences. To address the appropriateness of this incongruity, the present study examines evidence for the sequential model of fertility among a sample of young Malawian women living in a context of transitioning fertility. Using eight waves of closely spaced data and fixed-effects models, we find that these women frequently change their reported family size preferences and that these changes are often associated with changes in their relationship and reproductive circumstances. The predictability of change gives credence to the argument that ideal family size is a meaningful construct, even in this higher-fertility setting. Changes are not equally predictable across all women, however, and gamma regression results demonstrate that women for whom reproduction is a more distant goal change their fertility preferences in less-predictable ways.     

Quality of Social Networks Among UK Chinese

The present study examines factors affecting the quality of social networks of Chinese in the UK, in relation to network size and perceived respect gained from social network. The study further explores the role of social networks in relation to the social norms of helping and helping behaviour. Two hundred and eleven British Chinese participants recruited from Chinese health and community centres across the United Kingdom completed a quantitative questionnaire. The 38-item instrument consisted of four main domains: health and functioning; social functioning; volunteerism; and demographics. Findings revealed an association between social participation and social network size. High levels of trust in family members was found to be negatively associated with social network size, implying that strong family relations is a hindrance to social network size among British Chinese participants. More research is needed to further explore social networks of the British Chinese and the implications that this may have on use of services and social participation.     

Exercise Self-Regulation Among Older Women Participating in a Heart Disease-Management Intervention

Using behavioral self-regulation processes may facilitate exercise among older women with heart disease. Data from women in a heart disease-management program (n = 658, mean 73 years), was used to explore associations among exercise self-regulation components (i.e., choosing to improve exercise and observing, judging, and reacting to one's behavior) and exercise capacity. General linear models showed that choosing exercise predicted higher exercise self-regulation scores postprogram and 8 months later. In turn, these scores predicted greater improvements in exercise capacity concurrently and 8 months later. Interaction analyses revealed that the effect of self-regulation on exercise capacity was stronger among women who chose to work on exercise.     

Infusing Content about Jews and about Anti-Semitism into the Curricula

Abstract

The social work profession has overlooked the topic of Jews as a cultural-religious minority group and the problem of anti-Semitism. Yet, current accreditation standards mandate that social work programs educate students about the differences among ethnic, racial, and cultural groups. This article traces the history of the Jews and the dynamics of anti-Semitism. The author suggests that this content be incorporated into the social work curricula at the micro practice level. Students should explore their own ethnic identities and religious backgrounds. This self-exploration will enable them to be open to new information and to be aware of misinformation about other groups. At the macro practice level, role plays would help students practice their responses to anti-Semitic incidents and would sensitize them to the feelings of members of oppressed groups. Overall, the profession needs to research this content and work to eliminate anti-Semitism.     

The Use of Tobacco as Gambling Currency by Federal Offenders in Canada Before and After a Tobacco Ban

In 2008 tobacco was banned in federal correctional institutions in Canada. In this paper we compare the use of tobacco as currency for gambling in two studies that we conducted, one before and one after the tobacco ban. The data from two studies were compared. The questionnaires were administered to offenders in federal and provincial institutions in Ontario. Study 1 included 254 male offenders and study 2 included 395 male offenders. The focus in this paper is on one questionnaire about the type of wager made while incarcerated. It was found that the use of tobacco as a currency in gambling went from 28.6% of those offenders who gamble to 2.3% of those offenders who gamble. In addition, there was an overall decrease in the number of federal offenders who reported gambling while incarcerated. However, information gained from the questionnaire and from interviews with incarcerated offenders suggests that there has been a shift to money wagers and that gambling inside has become more serious since the tobacco ban. The results suggest that the ban on smoking has resulted in a change in the type of currency used for gambling inside correctional institutions in Ontario Canada.     

How Ineffective Family Environments Can Compound Maldevelopment of Critical Thinking Skills in Childhood Abuse Survivors

The high stress of childhood abuse is associated with neurobiological detriments to executive function. Child abuse survivors may also be cognitively and relationally disadvantaged as a result of being raised in emotionally impoverished families that lack cohesion, organization, flexibility, self-expression, and moral and ethical values and fail to provide opportunities for effective learning. A review of literature demonstrates how dysfunctional family of origin environments common to child abuse survivors, concomitant with the extreme stress of overt acts of abuse, can act as a barrier to the development of higher-order critical thinking skills. The article concludes by discussing ramifications of critical thinking skill deficits in child abuse survivors and highlights the importance of integrating and prioritizing critical thinking skills training in treatment.     

Creativity and Learning Jazz: The Practice of “Listening”

This article is about interaction, culture, and creativity. The ethnographic setting is a set of jazz performance classes at a California university. Although I write about jazz music, the reader need not have a background in studying or performing jazz (or music in general) to understand this article. In the title of the article, the term “practice” refers to (1) “listening” as a culturally specific communicative practice, and (2) the practice (a.k.a. rehearsal) of that culturally specific version of “listening”. I document and analyze how jazz instructors communicate with students about group interplay during musical performance. Extrapolating from this focus, I suggest some ways that contemporary linguistic anthropology can contribute to theories of creativity, focusing on the role that cultural norms of interaction defined by a particular activity play in constraining or shaping creative processes.