Beyond I-You-Me: An Empirically Supported Formulation of the Triadic Self

This applied semiotics intends to show that the richness and complexity of Charles S. Peirce need not be lost through an empirical application to psycholinguistics, but instead enables the latter to make better informed hypothesis testing. It is proposed that Peircean semiotics can be used to ground a taxonomy of linguistic representations of the self in English, which is parsed not on the basis of semantics, but rather according to the triadic structure of the self as formulated by Peirce. This taxonomy was implemented by a language analysis computer program, SSWC (Sundararajan-Schubert Word Count), and applied to an analysis of language use in emotionally expressive writings. Results of two studies are reported to demonstrate the heuristic value of this applied approach to semiotics.     

Does your older adult client have a gambling problem?

Pathological gambling is becoming an increasing problem in today's culture, particularly because opportunities and inducements to gamble abound. This article describes symptoms, consequences, and comorbidities experienced by pathological gamblers. Gambling pathology is often invisible because pathological gamblers seldom disclose gambling problems to their primary care provider. Thus, nurses will benefit from knowledge of the physical and emotional signs of the disorder. A two-question assessment tool, the Lie/Bet Questionnaire, is useful in helping nurses identify pathological gamblers. Interventions and treatment options, including group therapy and environmental modification, are also discussed. As always, education concerning problems and consequences of pathological gambling is a first step. Because research has indicated that visits to casinos by older adults have doubled since 1975, the authors use an example of an older adult to clarify the issues. Although the article's content is applicable to clients across the life span, it has particular significance for older adults.     

Employee absence,age and tenure: A study of nonlinear effects and trivariate models

Multiple regression techniques were used to explore the nature of the relationships between age, tenure and absence in 2417 British local government workers drawn from three work groups. The data were collected from organizational records and included measures of both non-certified absence and medically certified absence. Linear and curvilinear associations among age, tenure and absence were examined. The possible moderating or mediating role of tenure in the relationship between age and absence was subsequently analysed. The data revealed linear relationships between age and absence that were negative for non-certified absence and positive for certified absence. In contrast, curvilinear relationships were found between tenure and absence that were U-shaped for noncertified absence and inverse U-shaped for certified absence. Tenure was found to moderate but not to mediate the relationship between age and absence. The implications of the results are discussed in the context of the changing age and career paths of the workforce, and of methodological issues in absence research.     

Space and the intersection of work and family in homeworking households

The introduction of paid work into the home challenges our conceptualisations of work and family as spatially distinct. Research specifically examining spatial experiences within homeworking households is scarce, and often does not explore family members' own accounts. This paper examines spatial arrangements in homeworking households, potential problems and conflicts, gendered patterns, and the link between space and the psychological work-family boundary. Interviews with homeworkers and their families reveal a range of consequences for the whole family. Conflicts can arise over entitlement to, and use of, space. A complex relationship between physical and psychological boundaries is revealed. L'introduction du travail rémunéré à domicile remet en question notre conception du travail et de la famille du point de vue distinction spatiale. Les recherches portant spécifiquement sur les expériences spatiales au sein des foyers o[ugrave]le travail à domicile est pratiqué sont rares et n'abordent pas en profondeur les faits tels qu'ils sont relatés par les membres de la famille. Cette étude examine les dispositions spatiales dans les foyers o[ugrave] est pratiquéle travail à domicile, les problèmes et conflits potentiels, les schémas comportementaux suivant le sexe ainsi que le lien entre l'espace et la frontière psychologique travail/famille. Les entretiens avec des travailleurs à domicile et leurs familles font apparítre un ensemble de conséquences pour tous les membres de la famille. Des conflits résultant du droit d'occupation et de l'utilisation de l'espace peuvent surgir. Une relation complexe entre les frontières physique et psychologique apparít.     

Radical change or more of the same? Public attitudes towards social citizenship in New Zealand since neoliberal reform

International empirical evidence, including that from Australia, suggests that neoliberal reform has not changed public attitudes towards the social rights of citizenship as much as one might predict. But do these international findings hold true for New Zealand, whose institutions were more rapidly transformed by neoliberal reform than similar countries? Drawing upon public opinion data regarding economic protectionism and the welfare state over the past two decades, this paper argues that while some significant changes have emerged there is no overwhelming evidence of a paradigmatic shift in public attitudes towards social citizenship rights as a result of New Zealand's neoliberal reform. Indeed, New Zealand's experience appears as ambiguous and ambivalent as that of Australia, albeit different policy and historical settings have produced some differences in public attitudes.     

Combining qualitative and quantitative data in the longitudinal study of household allocations

The paper examines some of the technical and epistemological questions raised by the debate on linking qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. For illustrative purposes, we discuss a qualitative research project on the distribution of resources within households currently being conducted by the British Household Panel Study at the University of Essex. Initially, we provide a general background to the current research, moving on to examine some of the methodological problems which emerge and the epistemological questions which they raise. These include the general issue of classification; the difficulties of defining the analytical boundaries of households; the particular problems associated with using households as longitudinal units of analysis; and the relationship between actors' accounts and the conceptual categories which we use to describe behaviour. We suggest that the tendency to see qualitative and quantitative methodologies as mutually exclusive and antagonistic paradigms is a misleading representation of the reality of social research practice, and argue for the importance of maintaining a qualitative component in the BHPS in order to understand the complex processes involved in the intra-household distribution of resources.     

Working with parents of spinal cord injured adolescents: A family systems perspective

Concepts from family systems theory are used to facilitate understanding of the needs of families coping with the spinal cord injury of an adolescent. Five assumptions derived from systemic principles are discussed as related to assessment and family functioning. Related suggestions are given for assisting parents in dealing with this non-normative stressor and its long-range effects on the adolescent and family.     

Research Review: Risk and protection in the context of services for children in need

The paper summarizes the evidence and provides definitions of risk, protective factors, resilience, coping strategies and need in the context of children in need. Definitions are offered for children in need and children's services. The way in which individual interpretation can alter objective assessment of risk is explored. A method for recording evidence relevant to clinical practice on behalf of children in need is offered. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Attention deficit disorder: Problems with preconceived diagnosis

The diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become a household term with many inaccurate conceptions and expectations. The label is being applied to children with a broad range of mental health problems and developmental disorders. This study looks at the impact of preconceived diagnosis on assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. Alarming trends of overidentification of ADHD, which lead to inappropriate treatment and management, are identified. Other causes of the target symptoms are discussed. The impact of preconceived diagnosis on treatment outcome, patient functioning, and other areas are addressed. The need for greater community awareness of the broad spectrum of disorders of childhood and adolescence is identified.