Significant others and the dynamics of the family network (from the Proches et Parents survey to the Biographies et Entourage survey)

With the increase in separations, family recomposition, and new modes of cohabitation, the contours of the family have become less clearly defined. It has become important to separate the family group from its statistical framework – the household – while taking account, in both time and space, of the interpersonal relationships built up over the life-course. In response to these objectives, the French National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) conducted two surveys, Proches et Parents in 1990 and Biographies et Entourage in 2001, which use new concepts to address these new family realities: the local family circle which, for an individual, includes family members living in the same municipality, with whom he/she has a close and strong relationship in terms of mutual support and regular contact, and the concept of entourage (contact circle), which includes close relatives, all co-resident persons, whether relatives or not, but also significant others who have marked the individual's life. Far from being limited to the immediate family, the universe of familial and elective relationships covers a much more complex reality whose contours may be limited to the family or extended to a wider circle of relatives and friends. It describes an affective and residential proximity that reveals a mutual support network of varying strength, which may or may not be solicited, which may be avoided or, on the contrary, revived in response to events affecting its members.     

Baby boomers and their entourage

The post-war generation of baby boomers has witnessed major transformations in family life as well as being at the vanguard of them. A study undertaken in Paris and London in 2006 among 90 individuals born between 1945 and 1954 reveals, however, strong relationships with ageing parents and adult children. Family groups based on local or dispersed entourages, with regular contact and the exchange of support, are clearly identified. Other configurations include families where affective ties persist but contact between the baby boomers and their entourage is less frequent. Few baby boomers have replaced family members with friends or remain socially isolated. These results show that the rise of individualism associated with the baby boomers has not weakened inter-generational ties, although tensions exist between the demands of family solidarity and individual projects.     

Cross‐Cultural Comparison of the Effects of Optimism,Intrinsic Motivation,and Family Relations on Vocational Identity

This study explored the effects of optimism, intrinsic motivation, and family relations on vocational identity in college students in the United States and South Korea. The results yielded support for the hypothesized multivariate model. Across both cultures, optimism was an important contributing factor to vocational identity, and intrinsic motivation partially mediated the link from optimism to vocational identity. In addition, family relations moderated the mediation effect of intrinsic motivation with American students but not Korean students. With Korean students, family relations moderated the direct link from optimism to vocational identity. These results have significant implications for counseling to promote vocational identity development for diverse college students.     

Changing Needs and Changing Service Delivery for Long-Term Care in Hong Kong

Summary

Both the need for and delivery of long-term care in Hong Kong are shaped by the interaction of the traditional and modern. Rapid social change is affecting traditional family structures and roles in care of the elderly, resulting in increased demand for formal care, which to date has been provided mainly by way of residential care. This growth of demand will escalate with rapid population aging in coming decades. In response to this burgeoning demand, current planning is seeking to reshape the established service system and tackle problems in service delivery in ways that will address the bias towards residential care and improve quality of care.     

儒家早期“报”的思想释解

报是中国社会关系的重要基础,也是古代哲学的一个重要命题。《礼记》等儒家典籍中的报可以总结为报天、报神、报君和报亲等多种形式,并体现出宗教性、交互性、对等性、层次性、对象性和延宕性等重要特征。其运作方式主要有等报、差报和不报三种,各有其适用条件和范围。作为一种隐性社会正义机制,报也有其潜在风险,需要予以仔细辨析。     

论家班对昆曲的影响

在昆曲发展史上,昆曲的命运与家班紧紧相连。家班是联结文人与昆曲的纽带。通过家班,文人的审美理想与艺术追求才得以在昆曲中体现。因此,可以说,家班对提升昆曲的艺术品味起到了极为重要的作用。家班阶段的存在,确立了昆曲“尚雅”的美学追求,奠定了昆曲“精美”、“雅致”的审美格调。同时,作为一种重要的演出形式,家班还奠定了昆曲独特的艺术特征：在戏曲情节的推演上,用“歌舞并重”的方式进行呈现;在角色配置上,以正旦、小旦、正生为主;在演出方式上则以折子戏为主。     

Well‐being among employed and non‐employed caregiving women in Taiwan

Chou Y‐C, Kröger T, Chiao C, Pu C‐Y. Well‐being among employed and non‐employed caregiving women in Taiwan This study addressed various groups of non‐employed/employed and non‐caring/caring women in Taiwan. Data from the 2006 National Taiwanese Women Survey (at age 16–64, n= 6,017) were analysed to determine whether there are differences in terms of well‐being, as measured by self‐rated health and family life satisfaction, between women who work and/or care and between different carer groups. Other factors associated with well‐being of carers of young children (n= 1,697) were also analysed. The results showed that non‐employed carers of disabled adults stood out as the most disadvantaged group. However, the importance of work has been replaced by support among carers of young children. This study suggests that unpaid carers, particularly carers of disabled adults who are non‐employed, ought to be supported by policies. To improve carers' well‐being, care–work reconciliation among working‐age women needs to be included in the future care scheme in Taiwan.     

Social Work,Siblings, and SIDS: Conceptual and Case-Based Guidance for Family System Intervention

ABSTRACT

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a tragic loss event within the family, impacting adults as well as children. This article uses three case illustrations to discuss the role of a SIDS event on the family system with a special focus on the emergent challenges for surviving siblings of various ages. Practice application examples are woven throughout the review to illustrate the age-specific grief responses which may occur following a SIDS event. The article also presents a theoretically supported intervention matrix that integrates models of bereavement support and family system responses, taking into account children's varying developmental needs and tasks based on sibling age.     

The debate over the joint parental responsibility model in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Law Reform Commission recommended the joint parental responsibility model into Hong Kong's family law in 2005. A public consultation on whether to implement the model by legislative means was launched in late 2011. An Internet search and secondary analysis of public opinion about the model and its legislation was conducted. It was found that stakeholders held diverse opinions on the legislation of the model. The greatest concern is over the inadequate support to facilitate a workable relationship between separated/divorced parents, and the methods used in protecting victims of domestic violence from ongoing abuse due to the continuous contact with the abusive parent necessitated by the model. Non-resident parents are invisible in the debate. Their absence in the debate has made the consultation a partial and incomplete one, though it saves the discussion from a gender competition between fathers' rights and mothers' rights. Taking a historical and comparative perspective, this paper makes a comprehensive review of the debate in Hong Kong, with reference to the debate at an international level. Implications to the social work profession and social work practice are discussed.     

汉代张安世家族兴盛考

张安世家族是汉代众多的官宦世家之一,自张安世受封富平侯始,传国八世,历经篡乱,二百年间未尝谴黜,这在两汉时期极为少见。据文献记载,张安世死后极尽哀荣,天子赠印绶,送以轻车介士,赐茔杜东,将作穿复土,起冢祠堂。近年来相关的考古发现有幸使这一史实得以印证。2008年,陕西省考古研究院发掘了张安世的家族墓,出土铜车马器、铜礼乐器、玉器、封泥等大量文物,而其墓园形制规格极高。这一发现也证实了张安氏家族的兴旺发达。张安世家族之所以能长久不衰、持续发展,绝非偶然。张氏家族良好的家风及坚定的政治立场是其安身立命的根本;紧跟时代潮流使家族逐步儒家化体现其与时俱进、吐故纳新的发展特点;与当权者及皇室的婚姻关系创造了良好的外部条件;宗族团结使其具有较强的凝聚力等主客观因素造就了一个两汉时期的世家大族。