Relative Deprivation and Social Movements: A Critical Look at Twenty Years of Theory and Research*

The relative deprivation perspective was widely employed in the social movement literature of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In spite of the growing popularity of some newer approaches which criticize the relative deprivation perspective (resource mobilization or resource management perspectives), there have been no attempts to analyze and evaluate the relative deprivation perspective in any systematic fashion. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the “classic” relative deprivation literature in order to critically assess the perspective on the basis of its theoretical coherence and clarity and its empirical validity. The general conclusion reached is that while the relative deprivation perspective was an advance over earlier approaches which viewed social movements as resulting from the expression of irrational impulses, the relative deprivation perspective is itself affected by too many serious conceptual, theoretical, and empirical weaknesses to be useful in accounting for the emergence and development of social movements.     

Comparison of household-survey estimates with projections of mortality and orphan numbers in sub-Saharan Africa in the era of HIV/AIDS

The United Nations publishes estimates of HIV prevalence, AIDS mortality, and orphan numbers for all countries of the world. It is important to assess the validity of these model-based estimates since they underpin much policy concerned with care and prevention. Household surveys that ask questions about the survival of children's parents (orphanhood) offer an independent source of data with which these estimates can be compared. Survey estimates of maternal and paternal orphans are significantly lower than model estimates for 40 surveys in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa (p < 0.001, p = 0.002). This is probably because adult mortality from causes other than AIDS is lower than assumed in the models, although under-reporting of orphanhood in surveys may also play a role. Reducing adult mortality from causes other than AIDS brings the model estimates into close agreement with the surveys. This suggests that the fraction of orphans attributable to AIDS is greater than estimated previously.     

Correlates of sexual experience among university students

It was hypothesized that males experiencing erectile and/or ejaculatory difficulties would exhibit higher levels of hostility, intrapunitiveness, submis‐siveness, be more sensitive to rejection, and perceive their fate as being dictated largely by external forces (locus of control), when compared to a control group. Similar differences were predicted between the dysfunctional males and their wives. Further predictions were made concerning differences between wives of the dysfunctioning males and the control wives. The sample of 19 dysfunctioning males and their wives were compared with a sample of 25 control males and their wives. All were Israeli Jews. The predicted differences between patients and controls were found for all variables except submissiveness. Sensitivity to rejection and the guilt subtest were particularly important predictors. Patients' wives and control wives differed only in aspects of hostility. The patients were also more sensitive to rejection than their own wives and regarded women to be significantly lower in status. Suggestions for further research and clinical implications of these results are discussed.     

Children's and Adolescents' Developing Perceptions of Gender Inequality

Two studies examined children's and adolescents' developing perceptions of gender inequality. The first study examined perceptions of inequality among 272 early, middle, and late adolescents, focusing on the spheres of politics, business, and the home. Results indicated an age‐related increase in perceptions of male dominance. Men were seen to have more power and status in politics than in business whereas relative equality was seen to exist in the home. The second study included 96 child and adolescent participants aged 7–15 and once again found an increase in general perceptions of male dominance with age. Results suggest that young children are less explicitly aware of gender inequality than might be assumed given their extensive knowledge of power‐loaded gender‐role stereotypes.     

Fathering an ADHD child: an examination of paternal well-being and social support

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of having a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on the social and emotional well-being of fathers. While mothers have been carefully scrutinized in ADHD-related literature, fathers have been largely excluded from research designs developed to explore the effects of raising a child with ADHD. Prior research has been primarily based on small, clinically referred and homogenous samples, often without comparisons or controls. This research utilizes a nationally representative sample from the 2001 U.S. National Health Interview Survey to determine differences between fathers of children with ADHD and control fathers and to analyze how the ADHD status of the child, problematic behavior, use of medication, and paternal social support influences fathers’ sense of well-being. This research is also designed to determine whether there are child and family contexts in which the effect of ADHD status on paternal well-being is moderated. Contrary to previous findings about the emotional and social burden associated with raising an ADHD child, few differences between fathers were found.     

Deviance and Definitional Processes: a Conceptual and Empirical Analysis*

The failure of the labeling perspective to account for informal reaction processes is noted. Viewing informal labeling in terms of emergence and the documentary method, definitional processes are divided into two categories: (1) intra-situational definitions concerning the practical problems of negotiating an inter-actional encounter, and (2) trans-situational definitions in which the actor is evaluated in terms of cultural knowledge and prior experience. A repeated measures experimental study is discussed which indicates that intra-situational and trans-situational definitions are differentially responsive to variations over time in the typicality of an actor's behavior. Implications for the concept of “aligning actions” are discussed.     

The Chesapeake Health Plan: an HMO model for foster children

The model of health care delivery described here is a successful, workable approach to meeting the health care needs of foster children. Given sufficient flexibility in the regulatory process, it may be adapted to a variety of definable, high-risk populations. The actual delivery of care depends in part upon the administrative and physical resources available, but it is equally dependent upon the philosophy of care of the program and its staff and upon cooperative efforts between health care and social service agencies.     

A Shelter-Based Stress-Reduction Group Intervention Targeting Self-Esteem,Social Competence,and Behavior Problems Among Homeless Children1

It has been estimated that families with children now account for 40% of the population who become homeless. Given the consistency of research showing the potentially damaging effects of homelessness as a stressor upon the social and emotional development of children, the question of importance is how to best intervene to reduce the likelihood or severity of such possible negative consequences. The approach taken here involved the development of a Shelter-Based Stress-Reduction Group Intervention Targeting Self-Esteem and Behavior Problems Among Homeless Children. Data were collected on 52 elementary-schoolage children from family-shelter facilities in Central Florida. The child’s level of psychosocial functioning was assessed using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) and Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Although the repeated measures ANOVA techniques applied to those subjects were nonsignificant, the relatively small sample size in study conditions led to consideration of the magnitude of effect sizes obtained in treatment and comparison groups. The changes in the intervention group’s mean scores on key psychosocial outcome variables of interest were consistent with hypotheses, providing suggestive evidence of the potential utility of stress management training.     

Not one of the guys: The female researcher in a male-dominated setting

An important, but frequently overlooked, issue in qualitative research is how the status characteristics of the researcher affect the process of gaining access to, establishing, and maintaining rapport with respondents or informants in a setting. Some researchers may never succeed in achieving more than superficial acceptance from their respondents because of the status each researcher occupies. Female researchers studying male-dominated groups frequently find themselves in just such a position or do not attempt to gain entry in certain male-dominated settings. Sex-role expectations may hamper women's work in the field. Until recently, little attention was given to these issues.This paper discusses the dilemmas faced by female researchers in male-dominated settings. It begins by examining how the instructional fieldwork literature addresses this issue and finds that it generally does not. In addition, the literature's advice to novice fieldworkers, while perhaps appropriate for males, may be inappropriate for females, given stereotypical sex-role expectations. Novice female researchers must turn to accounts of experienced female researchers for discussions of problems they may encounter in field settings. The paper then turns to my study of a prosecutor's office. Similarities between my experiences and those of other female researchers are noted, and suggestions are made about how women in the field can manage and even overcome these problems.