Risk Perception and New Age Beliefs

This is a study of risk perception in relation to New Age (NA) beliefs, including traditional folk superstition and belief in paranormal phenomena, as well as use of alternative healing practices. Data were also obtained on trust dimensions and on personality and psychopathology variables, as well as religious involvement. It was found that four factors accounted for the investigated NA beliefs, which were termed higher consciousness beliefs, denial of analytic knowledge, traditional superstition, and belief in the physical reality of the soul. NA beliefs were strongly and positively related to religious involvement, and negatively to educational level. These beliefs were also positively related to maladjustment and to concerns over tampering with nature. In regression analyses, it was found that NA beliefs explained about 15% of the variance of perceived risk, and that the most powerful explanatory factors were higher consciousness beliefs and beliefs in paranormal phenomena. Traditional superstition and use of healing practices did not contribute to explaining perceived risk.     

On expected sample range from heterogeneous symmetric distributions

It is shown that for independent (but not necessarily identically distributed) random variables with distributions symmetric about the respective medians (means), the expected value of the sample range is a minimum when these means are all equal.     

新疆民族人口空间分布的测量与分析--基于＂五普＂、“六普”数据

本文利用第五次人口普查和第六次人口普查数据,以新疆两个主要民族——维吾尔族和汉族人口为例,分析了民族口人空间分布的全局和局部特征及其变化趋势。研究结果发现,新疆的维吾尔族和汉族人口都有较强的空间内聚性;两个民族人口集中的地区总体呈现互补状态,各有人口密集地区;比邻聚居、成片联结的区位形态都较明显。维吾尔族人口聚居的集中程度高于汉族人口。汉族人口的聚集区域面积相对小而分散。了解和认识民族人口的空间分布特征,对于推动建立各民族相互嵌,入的社会结构和社区环境,促进各民族的交往交流交融,具有重要意义。     

东北新石器文化的分期与特点

文章将整个东北地区的新石器文化自早至晚区分为三个发展阶段和七个不同时期 ,逐一确定了各个文化所处的时间位置。从遗址分布、房址、墓葬、生产工具、生活用具、原始艺术品、经济类型等方面 ,概括了东北地区新石器时代考古学文化的基本特征。     

《天真时代》中的人物形象原型研究

《天真时代》是美国女作家伊迪丝·华顿最成功的作品之一。小说展示了一幅19世纪末20世纪初“老纽约”上流社会的风俗画。作家在小说中运用二元对立的原型叙事手法塑造了一系列生动的人物形象如梅·韦兰、纽兰·阿切尔、埃伦·奥兰斯卡以及凯瑟琳等。本文从社会学角度探讨作品中的人物形象与神话原型之间的关系,同时指出,《天真时代》利用神话人物的文化传承巧妙地表达了华顿的道德理想：以“良知”克服情感。     

When Mr. Right Becomes Mr. Wrong: Women’s Postdivorce Name Choice

ABSTRACT

Divorced women (N = 185) who had changed to their husband’s name responded to a survey about their postdivorce name choice, which included demographic questions, Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction in General Scale. Resumers were younger and had more education than women maintainers. Resumers were married for fewer years and had fewer children at the time of divorce. Gender attitudes were not related to postdivorce name choice. Bivariate results provided some support for the hypothesis that name choice would be related to well-being measures. Maintainers reported significantly higher levels of autonomy and competence, but there was no difference in relatedness and self-esteem. Further analysis showed these relationships were moderated by age. Higher levels of autonomy and competence were seen in maintainers, but only among younger women. Possible explanations and the need for further research are discussed.     

论王小波《黄金时代》的历史叙事

《黄金时代》始终以一种审美性的眼光来结构历史,以诗意的语言来描绘"文革"记忆,使历史记忆多了一份诗意与美感,少了一份壮烈与凄惨。作者对于"文革"记忆有着复杂的态度,于批判中杂糅着理想主义因子。《黄金时代》典型地实践了"陌生化"手法,以儿童视角来结构历史,增强了作品的感染力与趣味性。     

Family Man or Conqueror? - Contested Meanings in an Engineering Company

This paper explores significant symbols within a multi-national company called Engco . First, the metaphor of Engco as a family was prevalent among middle and junior managers. Second, there was a corporate image conveyed by top management through glossy publications, a masculine image of conquering competitors and the physical environment. These contradictory symbols appeared to co-exist at different levels of the organisation. Third, a symbol that appeared common to the entire organisation, although increasingly contested, was that of engineering, an image generally associated with male actors. Fourth, more equivocal, were references to a 'golden age' for the company in the post war period, when manufacturing was in its heyday. The paper discusses how these symbols worked with and against each other. All the symbols were found to differing degrees to shape particular constructions of masculinity and femininity within the organisation, which limited the expression of identity of both men and women. The paper suggests that Engco's organisational culture was in flux, and discusses both the role of management at different levels of the organisation as creators and consumers of image and identity, and the organisational construction of gender. The paper takes a symbolic interpretative approach and discusses both the theoretical background and methodology employed.     

Age of Consent

SUMMARY

Age of Consent throughout history has usually coincided with the age of puberty although at sometimes it has been as early as seven. Early on age of consent was a familial or tribal matter and only became a legal one in the Greco-Roman period. The Roman tradition served as the base for Christian Europe as well as the Christian Church itself which generally, essentially based upon biological development, set it at 12 or 14 but continued to set the absolute minimum at seven. In the past century there has been a tendency to raise the age of consent but the reasons for the change have not always been clear and the issue has been further complicated by the reluctance of many contemporary historians to recognize what the actual age of consent in the past has been. This failure has distorted the importance of biology on age of consent in the past.