Social construction of national identity: Taiwanese versus Chinese consciousness

The struggle to break away from the parent state and claim independence often results in political unrest, terrorist activities and even ethnic cleansing. Understanding the nature of the secessionist movement does not only preserve national unity, but can also avoid conflict and violence, and maintain peace. Irredentist and secessionist advocators generally defend themselves in terms of common blood, race or culture. None of them regards the issue from the human agency theory, namely Weber-Thomas-Berger's social construction theory. This paper uses phenomenological analysis to explain the origin of national identity and hence the emergence of a nation. It argues that social construction of national reality originates from everyday life experience taken for granted during socialization. Individuals make sense of the external world. Experiences taken for granted become the actor's stock of knowledge. A common scheme of knowledge shared by the community serves to differentiate in-group (nationals) and out-group (foreigners). Collective consciousness thus defines national identity and hence a nation. Unless people (both in-group and out-group) interact with and learn from each other, different stocks of knowledge taken for granted will create political conflict. This theory is applied to the Taiwan Strait conflict. People in Taiwan are searching for national identity, manifested in the processes of Sinicization and Taiwanization. The struggle between Chinese and Taiwanese consciousness is the underlying cause of conflict within Taiwan and across the Taiwan Strait. The growing tendency of Taiwanization and diminution of Sinicization in Taiwan render the Cross-Strait relation vulnerable. The paper concludes that Cross-Strait exchanges and communication provide opportunities for people to understand each other and re-define their national identity, hence resulting in a peaceful political resolution between Taiwan and mainland China.     

Predicting geographic transience in homeless young adults across three U.S. cities: Who are these frequent flyers and distance travelers?

ABSTRACT

Prior research reveals high rates of geographic mobility (i.e., transience) among homeless young adults (HYAs). Yet to date, little is known about predictors of different aspects of their transience as well as characteristics of the most highly transient HYAs. This study thus used the risk/resilience framework to identify predictors of three measures of HYAs’ transience (i.e., number of intercity moves, total distance traveled, and average distance traveled) as well as to identify the characteristics of the most highly transient HYAs: frequent flyers (i.e., HYAs with seven or more intercity moves), distance travelers (i.e., HYAs who have traveled average distances greater than 1,092 kilometers), and combined frequent flyers and distance travelers (i.e., HYAs with seven or more intercity moves and average travel distances greater than 1,092 kilometers). Purposive sampling was used to recruit 601 HYAs (ages 18–24) from Los Angeles, Austin, and Denver. Three Ordinary Least Squares regression models identified predictors of each facet of transience. Chi-square tests and independent t-tests were then used to identify profiles of frequent flyers and distance travelers by using the upper quartiles on the variables number of intercity moves and average distance traveled, respectively. Findings reveal similarities in the risk predictors and profiles. The resilience characteristic of self-reliance was a consistent predictor of all three measures of transience. Understanding that transience among HYAs serves both adaptive and maladaptive purposes can inform service providers in customizing interventions aimed at supporting adaptive travel to make it safer as well as preventing and reducing maladaptive travel.     

Recentering our tendencies: Immigrant youth development and the importance of context in social work research

According to Weiner’s model, help giving has various determinants such as social and individual causes, affective reactions, and responsibility. The aim of this study was (1) to examine the influence of bullying acts, the victim’s behavior at work, and revictimization on equity judgments and the perceived responsibility of perpetrators and victims; and (2) to test the determinants of help decisions. Twelve vignettes of bullying at work submitted to 133 participants varied according to the severity of bullying, the victim’s pro- or antisocial behaviors, and the victim’s antecedents. The results showed that the situation was judged less equitable, the victim less responsible, and the perpetrator more responsible, and the intention of help was increased, (1) when the perpetrator’s acts were serious, and (2) when the bullied person had shown prosocial behavior versus antisocial behavior. The help increased more (1) when the perpetrator’s acts were harmful and (2) when the victim had shown prosocial behaviors.     

Impact of Biological Children's Adjustment on Their Siblings Who Were Adopted From China

This study investigated how biological children's adjustment influenced the adjustment of their younger siblings who were adopted from China. It included 40 families with 40 biological children (average age, 7.9 years; SD = 2.3) and 40 adopted Chinese children (average age, 3.5 years; SD = 2.0). Data provided by the adoptive mothers showed that the biological children's average age was 5.3 years (SD = 3.0) when the adopted children arrived. While 95% of the adopted children and 40% of the biological children were girls, both groups of children showed favorable adjustment (as measured with the Child Behavior Checklist). The adopted children's adjustment was influenced by the adjustment of the biological children if they showed rejecting behaviors toward the adoptive mother initially and had difficulty adjusting to the biological children early on. The magnitude of the effect, however, was small.     

Systemic Therapy and Aged Respite Care A Neglected Area

This paper discusses how placing an elderly individual in nursing home respite care can lead to the emergence of major marital issues for an elderly couple. It illustrates how one can intervene systemically to change the context of this event, so that it is freeing for the individuals concerned rather than punishing. The discussion focusses on the main developmental issues for the aged and how these need to be considered for therapy and there is a review of research on the effects of out of home placement on individuals and their carers. The main techniques discussed are the use of letter writing and reflexive questioning to provide avenues for alternate explorations for the individuals concerned. These techniques were used to help a husband and wife escape repeated serious escalations that became depleting and damaging to them personally and to their relationship. There is brief comment also on the lack of attention given to psychotherapy for the elderly, with some suggestions for change.     

Rationality of indecisive choice functions on triadic choice domains

Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for weak order representations of indecisive choice functions on domains containing all triples of (possibly non-distinct) choice alternatives, i.e., triadic choice domains. These conditions are compared with Arrow's formulation of the Weak and Strong Axioms of Revealed Preference and with Richter's Congruence Axiom.This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. GS-35640X. The author is indebted to the referee of an earlier draft of this paper for numerous helpful comments.