The global animus: in the tracks of world consciousness

In recent years, much has been made of the idea that under conditions of globalization, more and more people in different parts of the planet conceive of themselves as part of a ‘global society’ or ‘global culture’. Often it has been alleged that forms of consciousness centred around a disposition to see one's own life as a single part of the ‘world as a whole’ are relatively recent products. In this paper we argue that such tendencies, or something very much like them, in fact were present in the ancient Mediterranean world. We examine how ways of thinking and feeling, that bear in certain ways close correspondence to modern ideas as to ‘globality’, were prevalent amongst certain social groups in the Roman empire. Those persons regarded themselves as part of a world that was rapidly shrinking through increasing levels of political, commercial and other modes of interconnection between its geographically disparate parts. By examining these ancient attitudes, we demonstrate an important aspect of the pre-history of modern sensibilities as to the nature of a ‘globalizing/globalized world’. Moreover, by attending to ancient evidence as to ‘global’ attitudes and ‘global consciousness’, one may begin to overcome the presentism implicit in many contemporary accounts of globalization.     

DTREE,The Electronic DSM-111-R

A study showing that student internet behavior differed significantly for students with high scores on a test of depression is thought to be the first to consider the relationship between internet use and depression that focuses on patterns of online behavior rather than content. Study findings have the potential for use in the human services as a way to assess and/or promote mental health. Although the data were collected anonymously with Institutional Review Board approval and participants' informed consent, objections have been raised suggesting this type of data collection represents “Big Brother” or the monitoring of individuals' behavior without their awareness as portrayed in George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. The importance of this type of research in furthering our understanding of the impact of Internet use on human behavior is emphasized. Additionally, the role of the university is stressed as a location for conducting ethical research which disseminates findings via publication to inform and spur policymakers to develop appropriate guidelines to prevent misuse of new knowledge and technology.     

On the Utopian Politics of Love the Sin Commentary on Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance by Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pelligrini

In considering the utopian vision that informs Love the Sin, the author situates that vision in relation to the utopian vision that informs psychoanalysis. These two visions are then contrasted.     

The invisibility of adolescent sexual development in foster care: Seriously addressing sexually transmitted infections and access to services

Adolescents residing in foster care are at higher risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immune deficiency virus (HIV) compared to their non-foster care peers. A literature review was conducted to determine whether youth residing in foster care face different barriers to sexual health care compared to their peers in the general population and, if so, what those barriers are. The review revealed barriers common to adolescents in general as well as additional barriers specific to the ecosystem of adolescents in foster care. Systemic issues that decreased access to sexual health services included child welfare policies that were either missing or implemented without fidelity; complicated financial factors; barriers to service utilization; lack of collaboration between child welfare and medical professionals; and limited information provided to foster youth on their sexual health and development. Consent and confidentiality issues that foster youth face in seeking sensitive health services also need to be resolved. More research is needed on how to facilitate development of coherent policies and effective practices that promote sexual health care access for adolescents in foster care.     

The impact of state-level restrictions on abortion

This research examines 23 different laws passed by state governments in an effort to restrict the number of abortions. It assesses both laws passed and laws actually enforced after the Supreme Court permitted states to restrict access to abortion in 1989. None of the policy actions by state governments has had a significant impact on the incidence of abortion from 1982 to 1992. Abortion rates continue to reflect past abortion rates, the number of abortion providers, whether the state funds abortions for Medicaid-eligible women, urbanism, and racial composition of the population. Recent restrictive policies have not affected these trends.     

Capital investment in neighborhoods: Theories which inform national urban policy in the United States

This article addresses two fundamental issues in the design and implementation of federal urban policies: (i) the shifting priorities of urban policy characterizing urban renewal, the Community Development Act, and recent neighborhood-oriented redevelopment efforts and (ii) the sociological theories which underlie such priorities. The first part of the article traces the shift in priority of national urban policy from an earlier focus on economic redevelopment and housing assistance for the economically disadvantaged to the more recent thrust toward neighborhood rehabilitation, revitalization, and stabilization. The central role of private sector economic involvement in the new urban strategies is discussed and the triage model of urban development is proposed to explain recent urban policy efforts. In the latter part of the article the sociological theories underlying many of the new urban policies are shown to contain inherent contradictions and inadequacies which were largely ignored by policy-makers. The authors conclude that the articulation between these theories of neighborhood dynamics and the present urban policy focus dooms recent programs, once again, to failure.     

Rurality and well-being during the middle years of life

Popular stereotypes and theorizing by social scientists suggest that rural people are more satisfied with their communities and happier with their life situations than are their nonrural counterparts. This enhanced well-being is believed to result at least partly from the presence of kinship and friendship ties in the local community and the adherence to traditional religious beliefs. Data from a panel study of nearly 1200 middle aged persons from Pennsylvania surveyed in 1971 and 1984 provided indices of community satisfaction and happiness. When income was controlled, country residents expressed slightly higher levels of community satisfaction than did town or urban dwellers in both time periods. Happiness was not related to residence location. Income was a relatively more important predictor of community satisfaction and happiness among urban than among country residents, while number of friends was relatively more important for rural residents. Number of kin living nearby and adherence to traditional religious beliefs were not related to well-being regardless of residence location.     

An exponential model of female sterility

It is suggested that a useful component of a fertility simulation would be proportions of females sterile by age. Data on this phenomenon are rather limited, but they indicate that proportional sterility may not easily be described by a simple function. We propose that rates of becoming sterile may be adequately described by an exponential function utilizing proper parameter values. Such exponential-model rates form the basis for computation of a fecundity decrement table presented in this paper. Sterility proportions from the table are compared to some empirical data.