Social work as a bureaucratic professional labour: an empirical analysis in non-profit organizations in northern Portugal

In the last decade and a half, a new perspective on sociological analysis of professional groups has gradually emerged: professionalism and professionalization are no longer analysed as opposed to bureaucracies. In a previous article, we developed an analytical model in which we theorized a hybrid concept of Bureaucratic Professional Work (BPW), based on a theoretical hypothesis of association between various organizational forms (divisional bureaucracies, professional bureaucracies, neo-bureaucracies and post-bureaucracies) and different types of professional work in social work. Structured interviews were conducted with 63 social work professionals who work in 35 non-profit organizations of social services in northern Portugal. We questioned how these professionals perceive their own work in relation to the level of control and centralization of decisions, the routine of procedures and the predictability of results. We also study how social constraints, the tasks performed and work in multidisciplinary teams vary according to the type of BPW. This allows us to detail the modalities of the BPW and set out exploratory hypotheses for other more extensive quantitative studies as well as complementary studies of a qualitative nature.     

Influencing support of charitable objectives in the near and distant future: delay discounting and the moderating influence of construal level

Two studies investigated the delay discounting effect in charitable giving situations, and whether construal level moderates this effect. In both studies, construal level was manipulated by inducing a concrete vs. an abstract mindset. Participants were asked how much time (Experiment 1) or how much money (Experiment 2) they would be willing to volunteer or donate, respectively, to a self-chosen charitable organization in either the near or distant future. Participants committed themselves to contributing more time and money in the distant than in the near future. Additionally, an abstract (vs. concrete) mindset reduced this delay discounting effect, particularly for monetary donations. Delay discounting of costs associated with altruistic behavior and the role of construal level in increasing donations and volunteering are discussed.     

The Role of Supervision in Professional Development of Social Work Specialists

The professionals use social services supervision as an educational and administrative process, meant to support. Supervision is a relatively new field introduced in the Romanian social welfare institutions. The article approaches the role of supervision in the process of professional development of social workers, following a research based on Grounded theory. We conducted this research into an elite NGO, in the North-Eastern Romania, in the domain of child protection. Supervision is a social practice based on the relationship between a person with extensive professional experience and a professional effectively involved in case management. Supervision is seen as a prerequisite to quality social services organization. Effectiveness of the supervision process may be an indicator of the quality of social work practice in an organization. The data were collected through interviews of participants in the research. The interviewed subjects operate with a definition of the supervision as being a practice based on individual or group interview, formal or informal, consisting in a series of specific phases (initial, development, end). Supervision involves the establishment of professional relationships between the participants and the quality of services and training received. This definition is partially different from those in the literature.     

The effects of income source,context, and income level on tax compliance decisions in a dynamic experiment

This study employs a laboratory experiment to explore the joint effect of income source (earned versus endowed) and decision context (tax versus nontax) on tax compliance behavior. During the experiment, subjects faced various income levels and made multiple reporting decisions. The results indicate that overall compliance is not significantly affected by the interaction of income source and context. However, this joint effect influences the relationship between income level and compliance and how compliance behavior evolves over time. In both cases, the treatment group with earned income in a tax context displays behavior that is distinct from the other three groups.     

Validation of an Arabic ADAM questionnaire for androgen deficiency screening in the Arab community

Background.?It is well documented that testosterone levels decline with age, this decline is associated with symptoms which could be assessed denoting androgen deficiency. We investigated the validity of an Arabic version of the Saint Louis University androgen deficiency in ageing men (ADAM) questionnaire to screen for androgen deficiency in Saudi and non Saudi Arabic speaking men.

Methods.?It was a cross sectional study of ambulatory community-based Arabic Saudi men recruited from Volunteers in Riyadh city, Capital of Saudi Arabia, aged 18–80 years. Seven hundred thirty men agreed to fill the Arabic ADAM questionnaire, they were invited to a morning blood sample for total testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin and those who agreed to complete the whole study were only 407 men. Low serum bioavailable testosterone (BT) levels (androgen deficiency) were defined as <10th percentile of serum BT levels in young healthy Saudi men (18–30 years).

Results.?Cronbach's Alpha of 0.71 (n?=?730) showed a good internal consistency of the Arabic ADAM questionnaire. Among participants, 18.2% and 77.6% had low serum BT levels and a positive ADAM questionnaire, respectively. The prevalence of positive ADAM and low serum BT is increasing with age. The Arabic ADAM questionnaire had a high sensitivity of 86.5%, a low specificity of 24.3%, and positive predictive values (+PVs) and negative (?PVs) of 20.3% and 89%, respectively.

Conclusion.?The Arabic ADAM questionnaire has a very good sensitivity but very low specificity for screening of androgen deficiency in Saudi men, therefore biological confirmation is needed especially when clinical symptoms of androgen deficiency are present.     

Electronic Technology for Social Work Education and Practice: The Application of Telephone Technology to Counseling

SUMMARY

The author in this article argues for the legitimization of the telephone in one-on-one and group professional practice in social work. She contrasts telephone hotline work and face-to-face counseling with her view of telephone counseling.     

Issues of Divine Healing in Psychotherapy

Abstract

Despite Biblical and empirical support for divine healing, there are several barriers to accepting it as an aspect of psychotherapy for many professionals and religious people. Two of the major barriers to the acceptance of divine healing are professional ideologies and theories. These professional stances likely play a critical role in the disinterest in religion and spiritual experiences reported by the majority of professionals that conduct psychotherapy.

Another barrier is the divergent theologies regarding spiritual experiences such as divine healing. Many persons of theistic faith subscribe to theologies that often impede experiences of healing by the Holy Spirit. Finally, the scientific method is often used to address questions about spiritual experiences that are more likely conundrums. However, belief in divine healing ultimately is based on faith.     

高校专业设置预测系统的思考与建议

以高校毕业生就业为切入点,围绕影响学生就业的主要因素——专业设置,探讨了专业设置预测系统的多重性与复杂性,并结合研究过程中的思考,提出了一些建议。     

提升辅导员队伍建设实效的途径探讨

高校辅导员集教育、管理与服务于一体的职责决定了其在高校学生管理与大学生思想政治教育中具有举足轻重的地位。文章从辅导员角色的定位,辅导员应具备的职业素质,辅导员考核体系的完善方面进行了阐述,旨在提高人们对辅导员角色及辅导员职业素质的认识,以便更好地开展辅导员队伍的选配、培养与考核方面的工作,提升辅导员队伍建设的实效。     

DNA of the House

ABSTRACT

The article aims to illuminate the hidden path by which a symbolic dimension in a traditional society is transferred to the modern world. The modernization process in Seoul during the second half of the twentieth century was one of the most intense and radical. The traditional courtyard house, which had been the single form of dwelling in the city for centuries, was replaced by modern houses within a few decades. Apartment housing became the most dominant housing type, and this new spatial setting reshaped domestic lifestyles. At the surface level, there seems to be no connection between the old and new housing culture. A series of analyses reveals, however, that there exists a hidden dimension of “level distinction,” i.e. a conceptual differentiation between high- and low-level floors that has not only survived the radical change, but also guided the direction of contemporary housing development.