From the attic of theAmerican Journal of Sociology: Unusual contributions to American sociology, 1895–1935

This study examines articles published in theAmerican Journal of Sociology (AJS) from its inception in 1895 through 1935 in a search for contributions that have escaped the attention of most contemporary sociologists. The articles reviewed here provide a glimpse of a less well-known, and sometimes more unseemly, side of American sociological history. My primary focus is on the criticism of the emergent discipline, the extraordinary diversity of thought found in the earlyAJS, and antiquated or prescient ideas, particularly in the fields of deviance, race, and gender.     

The Disqualification of Childminders: A New Form of Assessment?

SUMMARY. Amongst the many new statutory Regulations introduced with the Children Act 1989 are the “Disqualification for Caring for Children Regulations 1991‘. The Regulations outline, for the first time, exactly which previous criminal convictions may lead to a person being disqualified as a childminder, day care worker or private foster parent. The paper describes the background and implications of the Regulations and suggests some possible implications.     

Socialization Ambiguity in Samoan Adolescents: A Model for Human Development and Stress in the Context of Culture Change

Rapid globalization is forcing youth around the world to confront new developmental challenges, and conceptual models are needed that can capture this experience and its developmental implications. Exposure to nontraditional lifestyles opens up new socialization opportunities and raises the possibility of stress‐inducing dissonance between participating socializing agents and the messages they deliver. Socialization ambiguity is introduced as a model for culture change and adolescent stress, and it is applied to a sample of 10‐ to 20‐year‐olds (N=295) in the islands of Samoa. A physiological marker of stress (antibodies against the Epstein‐Barr virus) is employed to overcome some of the difficulties associated with measuring stress outcomes. Socialization ambiguity is found to be a significant source of stress on the remote island of Savai'i and the transitional area of rural Upolu, although the direction of the association is different, possibly reflecting divergent socialization goals in these two regions.     

Konvergenz, Divergenz Oder Hybridisierung?

Zusammenfassung In der aktuellen Globalisierungsliteratur gibt es verschiedene Thesen zur Entstehung einer Weltkultur. Sie lassen sich schlagwortartig als Konvergenz, Divergenz und Hybridisierung bezeichnen. Dabei wird von unterschiedlichen Wirkungsmechanismen und Voraussetzungen globaler Kulturentwicklung ausgegangen. Um hier zu begründeten Einsch?tzungen zu kommen, wird ein Modell skizziert, mittels dessen die Beziehungen zwischen der globalen und der lokalen Ebene zu fassen sind. Die drei Thesen zur Entstehung von Weltkultur unterstellen spezifische Konstellationen dieser Ebenen und neigen zu übergeneralisierungen. Verschiedene dieser Selektions-und Wirkungsbeziehungen werden in den Blick genommen. Es wird gefragt, welche globalen Kultureffekte die mit Modernisierung verbundenen sozialstrukturellen Ver?nderungen haben. Da kulturelle Prozesse nicht auf strukturelle Bedingungen reduziert werden dürfen, sondern eine Eigenlogik entfalten, müssen die Mischungen zwischen globaler und lokaler Kultur gesondert analysiert werden. Die Herausbildung einer Weltkultur l?uft in der alltags?sthetischen, der normativen und der kognitiven Dimension jeweils anders ab. Zum Schluss wird mit der „Standardisierung von Differenzen” eine These pr?sentiert, die die globale Kulturentwicklung besser erfasst als die g?ngigen Annahmen.     

One-year outcomes from the CASAWORKS for Families intervention for substance-abusing women on welfare

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substance-abusing women on welfare to sobriety and self-sufficiency by addressing their substance abuse, domestic violence, employment, and basic needs. DESIGN: A field evaluation with repeated measures at 6 and 12 months on an intent-to-treat sample of 529 women conducted in 11 selected sites across the country. There were significant improvements shown in substance use and family and social functioning by the 6-month point, and additional improvements in employment by the 12-month point. By 12 months, more than 46% were abstinent from alcohol and other drugs, and 30% were employed at least part-time. There were only modest improvements shown in the medical and psychiatric status of these women. These preliminary findings suggest that site-level interagency coordination and program-level case management were associated with improvements in the targeted areas as predicted by the model. Future work will require a more closely specified, manual-guided form of the intervention plus the inclusion of control groups and cost measures to fully evaluate the cost benefits from the final form of the intervention.     

Best practices for physical activity programs and behavior counseling in older adult populations

Physical activity offers one of the greatest opportunities for people to extend years of active independent life and reduce functional limitations. The article identifies key practices for promoting physical activity in older adults, with a focus on those with chronic disease or low fitness and those with low levels of physical activity. Key practices identified: (a) A multidimensional activity program that includes endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility training is optimal for health and functional benefits; (b) principles of behavior change including social support, self-efficacy, active choices, health contracts, assurances of safety, and positive reinforcement enhance adherence; (c) manage risk by beginning at low intensity but gradually increasing to moderate physical activity, which has a better risk:benefit ratio and should be the goal for older adults; (d) an emergency procedure plan is prudent for community-based programs; and (e) monitoring aerobic intensity is important for progression and motivation. Selected content review of physical activity programming from major organizations and institutions is provided.     

Reassessing the Insurance Effect: A Qualitative Analysis of Fertility Behavior in Senegal and Zimbabwe

A number of prominent demographers have recently reiterated the argument that a lasting mortality decline is a key determinant of the fertility transition. Of the main hypothesized pathways linking fertility to mortality, the one least studied is the insurance hypothesis: the notion that, in high‐mortality contexts, people decide to have more children in order to anticipate possible future child deaths and lessen the risks of having too few surviving offspring. In‐depth interviews and focus groups from Zimbabwe and Senegal are used to examine this hypothesis and to extend it into a broader theory of reproductive decision making under uncertainty. Whereas insurance strategies are frequent in Zimbabwe and occur in urban Senegal, in the higher‐mortality settings—the rural Senegalese site and the recent past described by respondents in Zimbabwe and urban Senegal—deliberate fertility‐limitation strategies are rare. The data depict fundamental changes in attitudes, strategies, and behaviors concerning family size over time and, in Senegal, over space. Important reproductive goals and risks extend far beyond numbers of children and mortality. Parents seek to have healthy, successful children for many reasons including companionship, descendants, and old‐age support. Diverse investments in child quality (their education, health, etc.) and quantity (numbers of births) are the main means to attain these goals and, less recognized by demographers, are also important ways for parents to manage uncertainty in family‐building outcomes; the “classic” insurance mechanism is only one, often minor, aspect of the quantity option.