Search

This thesis dives into the crucial topic of belongingness, the innate human need to feel close, connected, and accepted by others (Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016). It specifically focuses on junior employees within the consulting sector, a group that has faced unique challenges in modern work settings. These settings, which have transitioned from traditional office environments to remote and hybrid working arrangements, have been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The thesis addresses the significant challenge junior consultants face in establishing a sense of belonging in these new working environments. This factor is pivotal for their integration and long-term engagement work. Employing a qualitative methodology, 28 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with consultants working in 10 medium—to larger consulting firms. These interviews explored workplace belongingness in hybrid work settings. They were analyzed using thematic coding derived from previous literature. The findings of this study expand the previous research and theoretical understanding of belongingness, highlighting that although different paths may lead to a sense of belongingness, social interactions within the physical space are the most valuable aspect for employees. However, the findings point to paradoxes of desires among consultants. Firstly, while they value social interactions, many are unwilling to give up their autonomy for sociability. Secondly, while they prioritize physical presence at the office, they are most present during the days filled with meetings when social interactions are limited. Finally, other factors may support or hinder the cultivation of belonging among employees, such as frequency and quality of social interactions, stress level, leadership transparency, organizational culture, and personal recognition. The findings can empower organizational management professionals to create policies that foster inclusive and supportive workplace, promoting e

This dissertation explores the connections between the group construction of Swedishness, whiteness, and belongingness, exploring how these dynamics shape individuals' experiences of belongingness and non-belongingness. Employing a social-psychological lens, the research investigates the interplay between race and ingroup construction, shedding light on the complexities of Swedish identity within the broader global context. The dissertation comprises of a introduction (Kappa) and three stand alone articles, each contributing to the academic discourse while intersecting in their themes. The first article utilizes quantitative data to examine the feelings of belongingness among individuals from different ethnic backgrounds in Sweden. Results indicate a positive correlation between national and ethnic identifications, allowing for concurrent membership in various groups without contradiction, yet also suggests an empirical link between being appraised as Swedish and being white. The second article presents qualitative data, revealing that 'Swedishness' is closely tied to whiteness, particularly among white participants who also espoused hesitancy and adversion to the concept of ‘race’. In contrast, non-white participants display a more nuanced perspective on race and racialization. The third article investigates whether majority ethnic in-group and non-majority out-group members perceive and agree upon broad and specific representations of 'Swedishness' through a classic social categorization experiment. Results suggest a prevalence of associating 'Swedishness' with white individuals, despite efforts towards multicultural representation. Through these investigations, the dissertation provides valuable insights into the construction of Swedish group identity and its implications for both in-group and out-group members. By addressing research gaps and employing diverse methodologies, this work contributes to a deeper understanding of intergroup relations and identity dyn, Paper III in dissertation as manuscript. Paper III is not included in the fulltext online

Following the completion of the study, it was found that there exists a significant relationship between perceived Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) congruence and employee outcomes, particularly organizational commitment, as elucidated through the lens of social identity theory. The investigation aimed to elucidate how employees' personal values and assessments of CSR dimensions could positively shape their attitudes and commitment to their organizations. The study, conducted with participants from various organizations recruited via the Amazon Mechanical Turk (M-Turk) platform, delved into three key CSR dimensions: Discretionary, Ethical, and Economic Responsibility. Results indicated that organizations can bolster organizational commitment by fostering a sense of alignment between CSR endeavors and employees' values. Specifically, when employees perceive harmony between their personal values and the CSR initiatives of their organization, they are more inclined to feel a heightened sense of Belongingness and commitment to the organization. The study also highlighted the mediating role of Belongingness, suggesting that the relationship between CSR and organizational commitment is significantly influenced by employees' feelings of Belongingness. These findings underscore the importance for organizations to tailor CSR initiatives in a manner that resonates with their employees' values, thereby nurturing a sense of Belongingness and fostering stronger organizational commitment. Moreover, the study underscores the need for further cross-cultural research to ascertain the generalizability of these findings across diverse cultural contexts.

Global migration has increased the number of binational, mixed-status families that encounter family reunification processes and restrictive migration law. However, limited research exists on how the citizen partner in such family constellations is affected by the phenomenon. This thesis considers Swedish citizens’ experiences when planning to move back to Sweden from abroad with non-citizen family members. Moreover, the study intended to investigate which strategies were used by the citizens to gain family rights. The case study draws on primary data from 10 semi-structured interviews with Swedish citizens who have non-citizen partners from different countries. The findings demonstrate that the family reunification process is experienced as discriminatory by the citizen sponsors as they feel their family rights are denied. The state intervention into their intimate lives affects their identity and belongingness. Several strategies, including contact with media/politicians and collective mobilisation, were employed to perform citizenship and claim political rights as citizens with families. Citizens without adequate resources were unable to embark the family reunification process without splitting up their families due to high maintenance requirements. Meanwhile, wealthier citizen sponsors, with economic and social capital, could start the process without needing to split up their families. Overall, these findings highlight social and political inequalities in the Swedish family reunification process.

Fan Culture has changed and challenged storytelling through social media platforms like TikTok, Tumblr, and Instagram, opening doors to other perspectives outside the dominant social groups. In the blink of an eye, fandom has turned pop culture into a conversation, highlighting every displeasure or appreciation for the fictional worlds. In these conversations, fans start talking about the representational gaps in the media and come to the mutual understanding that to be represented, marginalized social groups need to break down the mold built by the dominant groups. My project highlights the complexity and diversity of literary fandoms. The interactive website will feature a series of profiles that will investigate how fan culture has fostered a sense of identity and reflection for those who belong to marginalized groups. The interviews I conduct will cover a variety of topics, including how readers have found representation in books featuring marginalized characters and how readers have had to create their own representation in fictional settings of their own design. My investigation aims to help us understand how representation is required to highlight the multicultural nature of our world. It’s past time that the world recognized fandom for more than its negative aspects and instead acknowledged its potential for social good.&nbsp

El acontecimiento festivo se convierte en un campo privilegiado para comprender la importancia de las diferentes formas de sociabilidad que revelan marcas culturales, de pertenencia e identidad de un pueblo en su manera de actuar, pensar, celebrar, ser y estar en el mundo. Desde esta perspectiva, nuestro objetivo es entender el partido como un espacio de sociabilidad, entendiendo los partidos como una práctica social encaminada a promover y organizar los mecanismos que establecen la relación del individuo con la cultura, con miras a crear las condiciones necesarias para la forma de celebrar, y de relacionarse individual y colectivamente en un determinado contexto social. En este sentido, la investigación etnográfica fue mi elección metodológica, ya que parece ser el camino que mejor refleja la cotidianidad y los acontecimientos especiales que nos llevan a una comprensión de las redes de significados entre la fiesta y el “modo de celebración” y colectivo. , las creencias, las formas de vida que son compartidas por el sujeto y con su grupo social. Por lo tanto, celebrar, festejar, conmemorar recae, sobre todo, en la reunión de personas que se reúnen con un mismo propósito, en el que el inicio de la fiesta se constituye apropiadamente por caminos o perspectivas diferentes, porque para cada uno de los involucrados (el juerguista , el visitante, el fiestero, el que hace promesas, el devoto, el residente local, el investigador) se suscita por intereses y perspectivas subjetivas, revelando diferentes significados, de ahí la polisemia promovida por o por la palabra fiesta., O evento festivo torna-se um campo privilegiado para se compreender a importância das diversas formas de sociabilidade as quais revelam marcas culturais, de pertencimento e identitárias de um povo na sua forma de agir, de pensar, de celebrar, de ser e de estar no mundo. Nesta perspectiva nosso objetivo é compreender a festa como espaço de sociabilidade, pois as festas são entendidas como prática social voltada à promoção e organização dos mecanismos que instauram a relação do indivíduo com a cultura, com vista à criação das condições necessárias ao modo de celebrar, e de se relacionar de modo individual e coletivo num determinado contexto social. Neste sentido, a pesquisa de cunho Etnográfico foi a minha escolha metodológica, uma vez que parece ser o caminho que melhor traduz a rotina diária e os eventos especiais que nos levam a uma compreensão das redes de significações entre a festa com o “modo de celebração” e de coletividade, as crenças, os modos de viver que são partilhados pelo sujeito e com seu grupo social. Com isso, festejar, celebrar, comemorar recai, sobretudo, na reunião de pessoas as quais se juntam para um mesmo fim, em que o princípio da festa apropriadamente se constitui por diferentes caminhos ou olhares, pois para cada um dos envolvidos (o folião, o visitante, o festeiro, o promesseiro, o devoto, o morador do local, o pesquisador) é despertado por interesses e perspectivas subjetivas, revelando diferentes significados, daí a polissemia promovida para ou pela palavra festa. &nbsp, A festive event becomes a privileged field for understanding the importance of the different forms of sociability which reveal cultural, belongingness and identity marks of a people in their way of acting, thinking, celebrating, being and being in the world. From this perspective, our objective is to understand the party as a space for sociability, for parties are understood as a social practice aimed at promoting and organizing the mechanisms that establish the individual's relationship with their culture, with a view to creating the necessary conditions to celebrating, and to relate individually and collectively in a given social context. In this sense, ethnographic research was my methodological choice, since it seems to be the path that best reflects the daily routine and special events that lead us to an understanding of the networks of meanings between the party and the “celebration mode” and of collectivity, the beliefs, the ways of living that are shared by the subject and with his social group. Therefore, celebrating, commemorating means, above all, on the gathering of people who come together for the same purpose, in which the beginning of the party appropriately constitutes itself through different paths or perspectives, because for each of those involved (the reveler, the visitor, the party-goer, the promise-giver, the devotee, the local resident, the researcher) is aroused by interests and subjective perspectives, revealing different meanings, hence the polysemy promoted by or by the word party.

The article's objective is to elucidate the concept of hybrid/transnational identity within a cosmopolitan backdrop, depicted in Aamer Hussein's novel, The Cloud Messenger. The study underscores the pivotal role of literature and art in shaping individuals' lives and minds. It scrutinizes the characters' endeavors to navigate cultural boundaries, engage with diverse perspectives, and construct their own sense of belonging. This research explores the intricacies of these individuals' struggles, negotiations, and transformations as they grapple with their memories and aspirations. By drawing upon Appiah’s theory of ‘rooted cosmopolitanism’ in the realm of Pakistani English literature, this qualitative and descriptive study offers a nuanced examination of the rootedness of first and second-generation diaspora streams within their native culture. It promotes ‘respect’ and ‘acceptance’ among ‘citizens of the world’. The study highlights the importance of literature and art in transforming individual’s life and mind. It illuminates the characters' encounters with poetry, love, and work, all of which significantly shape their adult lives. Despite their extensive travels to various countries, they grapple with a persistent sense of displacement and the quest for a genuine sense of belonging.

Recently there has been considerable evidence that high performance work system (HPWS) has garnered scholarly interest in the public healthcare context. Despite this growing interest, there remain a number of gaps that need to be addressed. First, human resource (HR) scholars have criticised the HPWS concept as lacking an established definition and consensus about the number of bundles that should be combined to constitute an experienced HPWS measure. Second, there is limited research examining when employees evaluate their experienced HPWS as a bundle of job demands. Based on these knowledge gaps, I conducted a two-phase study in the public healthcare context in Ghana to fill the identified gaps. The first phase of this study sought to validate a measure of experienced HPWS that has both content and context relevance in the public healthcare setting. The second phase of the study examined the moderating effect of experienced HPWS as a bundle of job demands on the first and second stages of the indirect effects of interpersonal conflict and emotional demands through belongingness on work engagement. This was guided by theoretical insights from transactional model of stress and the literature on the dark side of HPWS. To achieve the objective of the first phase of this study, I utilised the Delphi method to validate bundles of HR practices that were generated from the HPWS literature in the public healthcare context. The Delphi is a suitable method because it helps to resolve conceptual discrepancies and provide clarity on a valid and theoretically coherent measure of experienced HPWS based on the consensus opinion of expert panellists. Results from three Delphi surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics. In phase two, I used field survey data to examine the moderating effect of experienced HPWS as a bundle of job demands on the association between job stressors (i.e., interpersonal conflict and emotional demands) and belongingness on one hand, and the associ

The neo-Durkheimnian model suggests that feedback and emotional communion between participants during a collective gathering (i.e., perceived emotional synchrony: PES) is one of the key mechanisms of collective processes. This shared emotional experience gives rise, in turn, to more intense emotions, this being one of the explanatory models of the positive psychological effects of collective participation. Through a quasi-longitudinal design of three measurement-times (N = 273, 65.9% women; age: 18–70, M = 39.43, SD = 11.64), the most massive social mobilization that is celebrated in favor of the Basque language in the Basque Country (Korrika) was analyzed. Repeated measures and sequential mediation analyzes supported the model. The effect of participation on social integration was mediated by the increase in emotions of enjoyment through PES; the effect on social acceptance, social contribution, and social actualization was mediated by increased kama muta through PES; the effect on collective empowerment was mediated by the increase in self-transcendent emotions through PES; and the effect on remembered well-being was partially mediated by PES. Finally, it was also verified for the first time that the effect of participation on social integration, social acceptance and social actualization was maintained through PES (but not through emotions) for at least 6–7 weeks after the event ended. Also, it is concluded that Kama muta is a relevant emotion during collective gatherings.

Humans have had a special need and desire for the sense of ‘Identity’ ever since the first days of civilization. ‘Identity’ is the end result of everyone's efforts. A person has no value if he can't prove who he is. Human beings employ a variety of means (name, address, celebrity, fortune, popularity, etc.) to establish their position in the world. Many of the themes in Jhumpa Lahiri's books revolve on the tensions that arise between Indian and American cultures due to the author's background as a Bengali Indian American. Her protagonists are often members of the Indian diaspora who are homesick and lonely because to an identity conflict or a longing for the past and suffer from cultural identity sensibility and belongingness inadequacy. Her writings show how migrants feel about their adopted country, how they miss their homeland, and how they fight for a new place for themselves and suffer from cultural identity sensibility and belongingness inadequacy there, although they try to build a better economic and social life. Despite coming from a variety of backgrounds, all of Lahiri’s protagonists are stuck between two cultures: the one they left behind and the one to which they are trying to adapt and finally suffer from cultural identity sensibility and belongingness inadequacy. This clash of cultures is a recurring theme in her writing. Even while immigrants to the United States quickly adjust to daily life in the new country, they never lose their longing for the customs and culture of their birthplace. Although they benefit from a better environment and more opportunities, they are nonetheless influenced by their Indian heritage and hence have mixed feelings about life in the United States. This study examines how Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies deals with issues of cultural identity sensibility and belongingness inadequacy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a gender difference in potential employees' experiences of an organisational description due to the language used. The research questions were "Does the type of language in an organisational description lead to women and men feeling differently regarding job appeal?", "Does the type of language in an organisational description lead to women and men feeling differently regarding belongingness in the workplace?" and "Does the use of communal or agentic language lead to different levels of identity threat for women and men respectively?". The survey was conducted through a quasi-experiment in six randomised groups where gender affiliation and organisational description constituted the dependent variables. The study participants (N = 203, 108 women and 92 men) were recruited through a convenience sample. They were randomly assigned one of the three organisational descriptions with either communal, agentic or neutral language. Standardised questions were answered regarding job appeal, belongingness and identity threat. The study's main findings were that women felt less job appeal and belongingness and higher identity threat in the agentic organisational description. At the same time, men did not show any difference in either job appeal, belongingness or identity threat in any organisational description., Syftet med studien var att undersöka om det finns en könsskillnad i potentiella arbetstagares upplevelser av en organisationsbeskrivning på grund av språk. Forskningsfrågorna löd “Leder typ av språk i en organisationsbeskrivning till att kvinnor och män är olika attraherade av en organisation som arbetsgivare?”, “Leder typ av språk i en organisationsbeskrivning till att kvinnor och män till olika grad tror att de kommer passa in (känna tillhörighet) på arbetsplatsen?” och “Leder bruk av kommunalt och agentiskt språk till identitetshot hos kvinnor respektive män?”. Undersökningen genomfördes med ett kvasiexperiment i sex randomiserade grupper där könstillhörighet och organisationsbeskrivning utgjorde beroendevariablerna. Studiens deltagare (N = 203, 108 kvinnor och 92 män) rekryterades genom ett bekvämlighetsurval och blev slumpmässigt tilldelade en av de tre organisationsbeskrivningarna med antingen kommunalt, agentiskt eller neutralt kodat språk. Därefter besvarades standardiserade frågor angående organisationsattraktion, tillhörighet och identitetshot. Huvudfynden i studien var att kvinnor kände mindre organisationsattraktion och tillhörighet samt högre identitetshot i den agentiska organisationsbeskrivningen samtidigt som männen inte visade någon skillnad gällande varken organisationsattraktion, tillhörighet eller identitetshot i någon av organisationsbeskrivningarna. Hur en organisation använder språk vid rekryteringsprocesser kan därmed få direkta konsekvenser för vem som känner sig inbjuden till organisationen.

As cities densify around the world, the quality of city spaces increasingly shows its importance, influencing citizens’ mental health. Loneliness has become a normal phenomenon in the city along with its development and can affect every person for different reasons and cause serious problems. This research targets Amsterdam and argues why a well-being city such as Amsterdam also suffers from loneliness, aiming to explore the relationship between loneliness and architecture and find architectural solutions to reduce loneliness in Amsterdam. The existing research has shown that belongingness can act as a way to reduce loneliness. Thus, the main research question is: How can architecture create a belongingness environment to alleviate and heal the feeling of loneliness in Amsterdam? This research focuses on the theory of human relationship belonging, the place belonging, and the construction of belonging, searching for architectural strategies that can alleviate loneliness. Further analysis of Amsterdam and Amsterdam southeast’s city space answers the question and raises the opportunities to improve and solve the problems. Creating a belongingness environment with architectural strategies, based on the research, in city public venues provides a way to heal this unpleasant loneliness in Amsterdam and leads to a better well- being future., Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences

Syftet med studien var att sammanställa tidigare forskning om multikulturalismen och identitet för att studera multikulturalismens påverkan på individens identitetsutveckling. Studiens frågeställningar var ”Hur påverkar kultur formandet av individens identitet? och ”Hur hanterar individen upplevelsen/upplevelserna av att leva mellan olika kulturer?”. Den metoden som användes var en litteraturstudie och åtta artiklar valdes ut genom elektroniska databassökningar i OneSearch och ProQuest. För att tolka det empiriska materialet användes Andrafiering som teoretiskt begrepp samt R/CID modellen. Studiens resultat visar att nackdelarna av att uppleva brist på tillhörighet i båda sina kulturer och anpassningen till den ena kulturen skapar en isolering av den andra. När individen känner sig trygg i sin identitet tar man avstånd från den etnocentristiska mentaliteten och inser att man är en blandning av olika kulturer och försöker förena dessa istället för att skifta identitet. Studien visade vidare att individerna uppskattar resan de gjort igenom stegen då de inser alla fördelarna med sina erfarenheter. Tredje kulturs individer anser att tillhörigheten kommer från delade upplevelser med folk i sin omgivning snarare än land, kultur och etnicitet. Slutsatsen av studien var att den identitetsutvecklingen som Third Culture Individuals genomgår bidrar till att de blir mer öppensinnade och fördomsfria. Att inte ha en säker omgivning, och vara delad mellan flera kulturer, gör det svårt för individen att nå en trygg identitet och därför skiftar individerna identiteter beroende på vilket sammanhang de befinner sig i., The aim of the study was to compile previous research about multiculturalism and identity to study multiculturalism's effects on identity development. Our research questions were: “How does culture affect the construction of the individual’s identity?” and “How does the individual cope with the experiences of living between different cultures?”. The method chosen was a literature review and eight articles were selected through electronic database searches in OneSearch and ProQuest. The theoretical framework used to analyze the result was “Otherization” and the R/CID model. The study highlights the disadvantages of the lack of belonging to both cultures and how adaptation to one culture creates isolation to the other. When the individual feels safe in their identity, they abandon the ethnocentric mentality and realize that they are a mix of cultures and try to unite these. The study showed that individuals appreciate the journey through the levels as they benefit from the experience. TCI:s believe that belonging comes from shared experiences with people in their surrounding rather than country, culture and ethnicity. The study concludes that the identity development that TCI:s fulfill contributes to them becoming more open-minded and unbiased. Also, lacking a stable environment and being in the middle of several cultures makes it difficult for the individual to reach a secure and confident identity, and therefore TCI:s shift their identity depending on the context in which they find themselves.

Career’s identification is an important factor for the Study Engagement, performance, and abandonment of studies. In engineering education, it becomes key due to the deficit in these variables. The need for an updated and precise instrument for its measurement motivated the present investigation to adapt and evaluate the Organizational Identification with Educational Centers (IOCE) scale for this population. An instrumental and cross-sectional research was carried out whose participants were 287 engineering students at a Chilean university that tested 3 potential models. The best fit was obtained with a model that considers 2 factors of the first order and one of the second order. Furthermore, the measures of reliability and criterion validity were favorable. The usefulness of the IOCE for the evaluation of the construct in engineering students is concluded, considering adaptations in their form of research and the understanding of its factors., La identificación con la carrera es un factor importante para el compromiso, desempeño y el abandono de los estudios. En la educación en ingeniería se vuelve clave debido al déficit en estas variables. La necesidad de un instrumento actualizado y preciso para su medición motivó la posibilidad de adaptación de la escala de Identificación Organizacional con Centros Educativos (IOCE) para esta población. Así, el objetivo de la presente investigación es mostrar el proceso de adaptación y evaluación llevada a cabo. Para ello, se realizó una investigación instrumental y transversal cuyos participantes fueron 287 estudiantes de ingeniería en una universidad chilena, que testeó 3 modelos potenciales. El mejor ajuste se obtuvo con un modelo que considera 2 factores de primer orden y uno de segundo orden. Además, las medidas de confiabilidad y validez de criterio fueron favorables. Se concluye la utilidad del IOCE para la evaluación del constructo en el estudiantado de ingeniería, teniendo en cuenta adaptaciones en su forma de pesquisa y de la comprensión sobre sus factores.

Peter Shaffer holds a place of pivotal importance in Modern British Drama. The variety and complexities of life that Shaffer presents through his works, give us a good idea that he is a playwright who intends to further the representative nature of theatre as an agency of influence. The acute fidelity with which he perceives and deliberates upon life narratives remains a preserve in which the playwright influences his proficient talent to good use. He works upon aspects of human situations with a deep sense of purpose and understanding which bespeak of his merit as a playwright. Five Finger Exercise is a play by Peter Shaffer that stands as an important work in the formative years of his career as a playwright and contributes a notable standing to his oeuvre as a writer in the making. Paralleled in the reputation of the drama of the fifties with Look Back in Anger as a profound dramatic work, it is Peter Shaffer’s Five Finger Exercise that holds its ground as a work of incredible consequence about complexities of human ordeals. The ‘family’ and its private frontier remains a compelling subject for drama and it also seeks our renewed enquiry, one that is exemplified in the action of the play, Five Finger Exercise. The paper instils a vital seeking through an academic deliberation, accentuating a vigorous argument as to why it needs to recognised as an important work in English theatre history. It is the domain of the Harringtons’ family and their trials and turmoils that puts into question a consequential deliberation on beneath the surface reality of the family/domestic space. The paper also serves to explore the psychological and emotional dimensions of human behaviour and its treatment as part of the narrative which seeks to highlight Peter Shaffer’s perspicuity and his acumen as a writer.

The purpose of this systematic review of 107 papers is to address the conceptual confusion about what inclusive leadership (IL) behavior entails and understand the theoretical development of IL. Synthesizing the divergent conceptualizations of inclusive leader behaviors, we propose a multilevel (i.e., employee, team, organizational) model of IL behavior consisting of four dimensions namely, fostering employee's uniqueness (e.g., promoting diversity); strengthening belongingness within a team (e.g., building relationships); showing appreciation (e.g., recognizing efforts and contributions); and supporting organizational efforts (e.g., promoting organizational mission on inclusion). Further, we provide a summary of studied variables as a nomological network in relation to inclusive leadership and an overview of the different theories (e.g., social exchange, intrinsic motivation) supporting the respective relationships and explaining the underlying mechanisms (e.g., reciprocity, motivation). We propose future research to empirically test the multi-level model of IL and examine the predictive value in terms of employee and organizational outcomes.

As a country of high migration, Sweden presents an interesting case for the study of belongingness. For the children of migrants, ethnic and national identification, as well as ascriptive identity, can pose challenges to feelings of belongingness, which is an essential element for positive mental health. In this article, survey data were collected from 626 Swedes whose parents were born in the following countries: Somalia, Poland, Vietnam, and Turkey. The results show that Poles significantly felt they received more reflective appraisals of ascription than any other group. However, despite not feeling as if they were being ascribed as Swedish, most group members (regardless of ethnic origin) had high feelings of belongingness to Sweden. Overall, individuals who felt that being Swedish was important for their identity indicated the highest feelings of belongingness. Further, individuals across groups showed a positive correlation between their national identification and ethnic identification, indicating a feeling of membership to both. These results mirror previous research in Sweden where individuals' ethnic and national identities were positively correlated. The ability to inhabit multiple identities as a member of different groups is the choice of an individual within a pluralistic society. Multiple memberships between groups need not be contradictory but rather an expression of different spheres of inhabitance.

In an increasingly digital world, virtual work becomes more common every year. Additionally, virtual work has suddenly become the reality for a large part of the world’s population due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, a study on virtual teamwork is currently of high relevance. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding and provide knowledge on enablers and constraints for communication, collaboration and belongingness in virtual teams as well as ICTs impact on the virtual teamwork. The study has a phenomenological research design with a qualitative approach. Empirical data has been collected by studying three transnational, virtual teams by conducting six semi-structured individual interviews. The sample was selected through a strategic selection. A thematic analysis has been conducted to compile and analyze the data, which thereafter has been set in relation to the theoretical framework of the study. The enablers found in the results were flexibility and availability for communication, clearly defined roles, high level of both task- and relationship based communication as well as depth of relationships, trust and shared understanding for collaboration, and responsibility, seeing into team members homes and virtual social team activities for belongingness. Additionally, ICTs were found as a main enabler for all themes. The identified constraints were time dispersion for all three themes, as well as virtuality as a whole. Additionally misunderstandings was identified for collaboration and lack of natural and spontaneous social conversation for belongingness. Furthermore, the findings implicate that ICTs with characteristics of richer type in relation to media richness are preferred most of the time to enable a better virtual work climate regards to communication, collaboration and belongingness. However, some criteria for media richness cannot be fully utilized in virtual teams due to time dispersion. Lastly, findings implicate that the choice, I en allt mer digitaliserad värld blir virtuellt arbete vanligare varje år. Virtuellt arbete har dessutom hastigt blivit verklighet för en stor del av världens befolkning på grund av coronapandemin. Därför är en studie om virtuellt teamarbete av hög relevans i dagens samhälle. Syftet med denna studie är att få en djupare förståelse och ge kunskap om möjliggörare och begränsningar för kommunikation, samarbete och tillhörighet i virtuella team samt ICTs inverkan på virtuellt teamarbete. Studien har en fenomenologisk forskningsdesign med ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Empirisk data har samlats in genom att studera tre transnationella, virtuella team genom genomförandet av sex semi-strukturerade, individuella intervjuer. Intervjupersonerna valdes ut genom ett strategiskt urval. En tematisk analys har genomförts för att sammanställa och analysera data, som sedan satts i förhållande till det teoretiska ramverket för studien. De möjliggörande faktorer som hittades i resultaten var flexibilitet och tillgänglighet för kommunikation, tydligt definierade roller, hög nivå av både uppgifts- och relationsbaserad kommunikation och relationsdjup, förtroende och delad förståelse för samarbete, samt ansvar, att få en inblick i teammedlemmarnas hem och virtuella sociala teamaktiviteter för tillhörighet. Dessutom identifierades ICT som en övergripande möjliggörare. De identifierade begränsningarna var tidsskillnader för alla tre teman samt virtualitet i helhet. Utöver detta var missförstånd identifierat för samarbete och brist på naturlig och spontan social interaktion för tillhörighet. Dessutom visar resultaten på att ICTs med egenskaper av rikare typ i förhållande till media richness oftast föredras för att möjliggöra ett bättre virtuellt arbetsklimat när det gäller kommunikation, samarbete och tillhörighet. Vissa kriterier för media richness kan dock inte utnyttjas fullt ut i virtuella team på grund av tidsskil

Thwarted belongingness is an established predictor of suicide ideation. Emerging theory suggests belongingness may be a crucial pathway through which risk factors such as dysfunctional emotion regulation influence suicide ideation. This study examined whether belongingness mediated the relationship between emotion regulation and suicide ideation in young people (16–25 years). Participants (n = 1699; 63.6% females, M = 20.24 years, SD = 2.45 years) completed measures of these constructs, including the emotion regulation domains of internal-functional, internal-dysfunctional, external-functional, and external-dysfunctional. Belongingness mediated over half of the association between three emotion regulation domains and suicide ideation (internal-functional: 55.6%, internal-dysfunctional: 54.1%, and external-functional: 64.8%). Consistent with current etiological suicidality models, results suggest low belongingness is an important precursor to suicide ideation in young people, and that there is an inter-relationship between emotional regulation styles and belongingness.

In recent years, workforce diversity has attracted considerable research attention. However, few attempts have been made to study the perceptions of inclusion and diversity specifically from LGBT+ employees’ perspectives. The aim of this study is therefore to contribute valuable insights into LGBT+ employees’ perceptions of inclusion and diversity at work. The findings intend to develop readers’ understanding of the potential impacting factors and outcomes of perceived LGBT+ inclusion, as well as the perceived organizational prerequisites for creating an LGBT+ inclusive workplace. Following a qualitative method and abductive strategy, semi- structured interviews with eleven LGBT+ employees from Accenture, a global consultancy company in the Nordic region, were conducted with an interpretative approach. Interviews were thematically analyzed together with company materials. Alongside other findings, uniqueness was only found to be valued among LGBT+ employees to a certain extent. Conversely, beyond a certain point of focus on the LGBT+ inclusion and diversity, excessive organizational efforts were suggested to trigger backlashes. Furthermore, heteronormativity, the silence of non-disclosure, perceived acceptance within the Nordic society, and the subjective view of adequacy towards the level of focus on LGBT+ inclusion was identified as factors impacting the employees’ feelings of inclusion. Additionally, openness towards coming out and the constructs of work engagement were suggested as outcomes of perceived workplace inclusion. Finally, showcasing actions, active leadership, LGBT+ role models, training, and bottom-up forces were identified as prerequisites for a workplace to be perceived as inclusive. These results illustrate the complexity of understanding LGBT+ employees’ perception of workplace inclusion, which further highlights the need for future research within the area.

Globally, increased length-of-life trends parallel the rise in reported levels of loneliness. Social connectedness is associated with a 50% reduced risk of premature mortality, and research has shown there is a moderately strong association between people who are lonely and people who have an unmet desire to belong. As so, urban planners and designers continually try to understand place relationships within communities to better the health and welfare of future generations. This thesis acknowledges there is a gap of understanding how the built and natural environment play a role in an increased sense of belonging, thus contributing to an alleviation of reported feelings of loneliness and potentially increasing length and quality of life. Utilizing the ‘Blue Zone’ island of Ikaria as a case study, where residents commonly live well beyond 90 and 100 years, this thesis aims to better understand connections between longevity and the physical environment for the longest-lived, cataloguing how these connections influence feelings of belonging. The research consists of a site visit to Ikaria, Greece, where data was collected over the period of five days, employing interview and field observation methods. Drawing from key concepts within environmental psychology and placemaking, the work critically explores the perceptions of Ikarian elders and the public space they regularly inhabit, as well as their role in contributing to sense of place and feelings of belonging. The conclusion offers suggestions on how urban planners might take these findings into consideration, as it is of great importance for planning professionals to better understand individual perceptions of their environment, which may help prevent alienation and increase overall wellbeing.

In light of globalization and increased cultural diversity, the question of cultural identity becomes particularly salient in many societies today. Whereas most studies have concentrated on cultural identity of immigrants, less is known about the identity constructions of non-immigrants and receiving country nationals living in a multicultural setting. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with a foreign population of 48% provides an excellent example case here. The present study examined the cultural identity of two generations of native Luxembourgers, drawing on a content analysis of qualitative interviews with N = 18 participants belonging to nine family dyads, each composed of one (young) adult child and one parent. As Luxembourg’s cultural diversity has increased continuously in the last decades, we focussed here on similarities and differences between (young) adults and their parents in order to find out in how far age (i.e., different points in the individual life span) or generation (i.e., growing up in different times and historical contexts) might be highlighted in their cultural identity constructions. Five main domains pertaining to Luxembourger’s cultural identity were found through qualitative content analysis: ‘the Luxembourgish language’, ‘Belongingness to Luxembourg and the love for Luxembourg as a homeland’, ‘Europeanization and multiculturalism in Luxembourg’, ‘Representing Luxembourg as a native in international contexts’ and ‘Luxembourgish traditions and history’. While the older generation focused more on the feeling of belongingness to their home country, the younger generation made more specific links to Europe and multiculturalism. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

This study investigates processes for dialect change in two seemingly similar rural villages (Torsby and Edsbyn) in two separate dialect areas in Sweden. The aim is to describe dialect change since the 1940s, and to explain the reasons for the different processes by using sociolinguistic and culture analytical methods. In both Edsbyn and Torsby the dialects are levelling towards the standard, but with different momentum. In Edsbyn, the dialect is much more standardized than in the signifi- cantly more stable Torsby. In a Swedish context, the linguistic stability in Torsby is striking. The culture analysis reveals that part of the explanation for the difference between Edsbyn and Torsby is the way the citizens perform belongingness. The Edsbyn informants consider themselves as part of a larger north Swedish area, whereas the Torsby informants primarily display a very local be- longingness. In other words, there seems to be a connection between how large a region a person considers him- or herself to be part of, or feels belongingness to, and how important the dialect is. In this case, the smaller the region, the more important the dialect. In the article, we suggest that the reason for the separate processes of dialect change in Edsbyn and Torsby is the informants’ orientations to place and dialect., https://doi.org/10.33063/diva-399810

The late life experiences of men in the oldest-old age group have been under-researched, and their perspectives on ageing successfully neglected. This study explored the perspectives of oldest-old Swedish men on what a 'good old age' and ageing successfully meant to them. A purposive sample of 17 men, aged 85-90 years, was drawn from the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men. An interview guide explored participants' perspectives on their ageing experiences and how they viewed ageing successfully. Participants were interviewed twice, with 1-2 weeks between interviews, and both interviews were recorded and transcribed. Content analysis identified four themes: i) Adaptation, concerning the ability to adapt to growing old with increasing limitations; ii) Sustaining Independence, related to financial resources and good health as the foundation for independence; iii) Belongingness, representing close relationships, established friendships, and the significance of the spouse; and iv) Perspectives of Time, also a common thread in all themes, in which past life experiences create an existential link between the past, the present and the future, establishing continuity of the self and enhancing life satisfaction. The participants presented themselves as active agents involved in maintaining meaning and achieving life satisfaction; a process related to the ability to manage changes in life. Our findings have resonance with models of healthy or successful ageing, but also diverge in important ways, since such models do not consider the significance of an individual's life history for their present well-being, and primarily conceptualise health as an outcome, rather than as a resource.

In Sweden, nursing is strongly gender segregated. Additionally, there is a national nursing shortage. To target these issues simultaneously, the current study attempted to make nursing more appealing to men (and as a secondary aim, also to women) by making agency salient in a job advertisement in a sample of Swedish high school students (N = 242, 75 men). Agency salience was manipulated through removing occupational title and by describing the occupation in agentic terms (compared to communal terms). The manipulation aimed to positively affect job appeal by increasing men’s sense of belongingness as well as the perceived congruence between occupational goals and the goal affordance of nursing. Results showed that manipulating agency salience in a job advertisement did not make nursing more appealing to men or women (as compared to when communion was salient), nor did it affect belongingness or goal congruence. However, corroborating previous research, the study found that belongingness predicted appeal for men, and communal goal endorsement positively predicted the appeal of nursing regardless of gender (but women tended to have higher communal goal endorsement). The discussion contextualized these findings, suggesting that the manipulation may have lacked effect due to the strong connotations nursing has with femininity and low status, meaning it may be hard to increase job appeal with a wording manipulation alone. Nevertheless, the shown importance of belongingness and goal congruity for job appeal suggests that creating job advertisements that target these can be an efficient way to reduce the gender segregation and nursing shortage.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, 2017., Finding ways to attract, engage, and retain Black men in church has proven to be a Herculean task across denominations irrespective of demography or geography. Given that one of the chief goals of the church is to win more souls for Christ, the Black church must attest the categorical imperative issued in Matthew 25:45 to minister to the "least of these." Hence, the burning question: what active role can the Black church play in rupturing, reducing, and reversing the preschool to prison pipeline? In the predominantly Black communities of Brooklyn, the borough of churches, most churches struggle with getting men to come to church, and even in cases when they come, their attendance is sporadic at best. In the four primary designated communities for this study there is an abundance of formerly incarcerated men ready to fill our churches. There are many challenges for the church in closing the gap between where churches are with respects to male members and where they would like to be. In many cases the lack of resources (financial, human, etc.) makes overcoming the challenges nearly impossible. This study seeks to not only help churches build ministries specifically for those Black men returning home from incarceration, but it seeks through the creation of a digital ministry resource center to arm churches with resources and information that will enable them to be helpful in stemming the tide of Black men and their sons through the prison industrial complex.

Within higher education at Research 1 (R1) institutions, there are a variety of different roles and positions within the university. In particular, faculty at an R1 school vary from having independent roles (such as tenure track positions, emeritus roles, and practitioner or educator positions) to mentored or sponsored roles (such as non-tenure track teaching or research positions and post-doctoral fellowships). Each subset of faculty roles contains areas of challenges and areas of opportunity. Of those faculty positions, careers that educate both undergraduate and graduate student populations in STEM are being pushed by many agencies to improve the quality of education to allow for increased student successes. Our Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department managed to improve the retention of chemical engineers from 45% to roughly 90% over the span of a few years. The overarching research question this dissertation will address is how we can continue to improve the teaching of faculty members and spread the successes in the department to other disciplines. As the Association of American Universities would suggest, this dissertation will approach this retention success from the focal point of the instructor. Instructors encounter many challenges when teaching or incorporating change in their practices. An abbreviated list of different challenges across teaching include: developing ways to promote higher order thinking, understanding the nature of group or team assignments, having an appropriate depth of content knowledge, disseminating curricula and pedagogy, developing reflective teaching and questioning personal beliefs, use of information communication and technologies, relations and adoption of professional communities, utilizing different teaching structures, such as using student learning initiatives, and adopting evidence-based teaching practices, such as using an interactive classroom. With a plethora of different areas to spend time on, this dissertat

A study on building belongingness through the design of outdoor public spaces in the expatriate community Meerhoven, Eindhoven

BACKGROUND: The impact of positive social relationships on the health of municipal employees in the elder care sector in Sweden needs further examination. OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between health and relationships among elderly care employees using a salutogenic perspective. METHOD: Survey of all employees (n = 997) in special housing, home care and Disabled Support and Services in a Swedish municipality. The questionnaire, which had a salutogenic perspective, included information on self-rated health from the previously validated SHIS (Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale), psychosocial work environment and experiences, social climate, and health-promoting workplace relationships. RESULTS: The response rate was 69% . Results of a multivariable linear regression model showed four significant predictors of health: general work experiences, colleague belongingness and positive relationships with managers and care recipients. In another model, colleague belongingness was significantly related to satisfaction with care recipients, work, length of employment as well as general work experiences and relationships with managers. CONCLUSION: Strengthening of positive work relationships, not only between workmates but also with managers and care recipients, seems to be an essential area for employee health promotion. Colleague belongingness may be deepened by development of a positive work climate, including satisfactory work experiences, positive manager relationships and a stable work force.

A plethora of interdisciplinary research has highlighted the increase of global mobility and diasporic communities. While talent emigration has shown to have a multiplicity of benefits, particularly as gaining diversified sets of skills is essential in the face of globalization. However, widely researched concepts such as the ‘brain drain’ have conveyed the dark side of talent emigration and the ramification of countries’ desiccation for scarce skills. With a history fraught with tensions and immense loss of talent, South Africa is a country in continuous transformation, but is on the cusp of another significant ‘brain drain’. Hence, this study aimed to explore the micro-diffusions and conditions in the South African context which proliferate the emigration of talented potential leaders. The research design was qualitative, with specific use of the actors approach as methodology to gain insight into perspectives of South Africans living, working and studying in Sweden. Twenty-one participants from five cities were involved in the focus group dialogues, namely; Gothenburg, Kalmar, Lund, Linköping and Stockholm. As a participant-observer, I too was involved in the sense-making of how talent delineated their identities and relation to South Africa. Certain aspects of the findings were expected regarding the conditions which serve as push factors for emigration, such as participants’ frustrations and despondency with increasing rates of crime, unemployment and corruption. However, the most accentuated and poignant micro-diffusion which perpetuates talent’s emigration derives from conflicts of identity and belongingness, deep-seated inherited guilt and helplessness. Whilst there is a desire to ameliorate the social ills which plague the country, there also seems to be a palpable need for escapism away from the persistent historical complexities of South Africa.

Today, concepts such as sense of place, belongingness and place attachment in urbanization and architecture, especially in environmental studies have drawn the attention of the scholars. However, the relationship between the two concepts is not investigated. In the present research, first, concepts such as sense of place, belongingness and its effective factors were clarified and then, a theoretical framework was developed from the above-mentioned variables. The case study area is Masouleh in the north of Iran. The applied method in the research was Quantitative and qualitative approach, and library references were used. Moreover, interviews were conducted in order to develop theoretical foundations and collect information of the region. The content of the interview and its questions were based on the library studies. Accordingly, there are 8 open question items based on which the participants express their opinions and perceptions about their inhabitants. The results showed that there are four major categories of concepts including culture, nature, society and activity which form the concept of sense of place and is one of the most significant factors in creating the belongingness to the place. In the following, the secret for the survival of such places related to belongingness will be explained.

Quest is one of the important Archetypes of literature. It is ubiquitous in literature from ancient times. The focus of the present article is to study the play “The Hairy Ape” written by Eugene O’Neill as a narrative of quest of belongingness and identity. The aim is to show how all the elements of quest narrative are present in the plot of this play. The play is the quest narrative in the backdrop of modern civilization. The sense of identity and belongingness is like the Holy Grail quest. All the elements of the quest plot are realistic in place of fantastic. Being expressionistic play all the depths of heart and mind are given an overt expression. This article tries to analyze the quest of identity in The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’ Neil.

Throughout the world, the labor market is clearly gender segregated. More research is needed to explain women's lower interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors and particularly to explain men's lower interest in HEED (Health care, Elementary Education, and the Domestic spheres) majors. We tested self-efficacy (competence beliefs) and social belongingness expectations (fitting in socially) as mediators of gender differences in interest in STEM and HEED majors in a representative sample of 1,327 Swedish high school students. Gender differences in interest in STEM majors strongly related to women's lower self-efficacy for STEM careers and, to a lesser degree, to women's lower social belongingness expectations with students in STEM majors. Social belongingness expectations also partly explained men's lower interest in HEED majors, but self-efficacy was not an important mediator of gender differences in interest in HEED. These results imply that interventions designed to lessen gender segregation in the labor market need to focus more on the social belongingness of students in the gender minority. Further, to specifically increase women's interest in STEM majors, we need to counteract gender stereotypical competence beliefs and assure women that they have what it takes to handle STEM careers.

Loneliness is a distressing state indicating that one's basic need for social connection is not being met. In an effort to satisfy the need for social connection, loneliness may increase the processing of social cues and desire to connect with others. Yet the neural substrates that contribute to the drive for increased connection in response to loneliness are not known. The ventral striatum (VS), previously shown to increase in response to craving food and other rewarding stimuli, may contribute to "social craving" when one is lonely. That is, the VS may track one's 'hunger' for reconnection much as it tracks hunger for food. To examine this, participants reported on their feelings of loneliness before undergoing an fMRI scan where they viewed cues of potential social reconnection (images of a close other). Consistent with the hypothesis that loneliness stems from an unmet need for connection, loneliness was associated with reduced feelings of connection with the close other. Furthermore, greater reported loneliness was associated with increased VS activity to viewing a close other (vs stranger). Results extend the current literature by showing that lonely individuals show increased activity in reward-related regions to their closest loved ones, possibly reflecting an increased desire for social connection.

Background: Belongingness has been argued to be a prerequisite for students' learning in the clinical setting but making students feel like they belong to the workplace is a challenge. From a sociocultural perspective, workplace participatory practices is a framework that views clinical learning environments to be created in interaction between students and the workplace and hence, are dependent on them both. The aim of this study was to explore the interdependence between affordances and engagement in clinical learning environments. The research question was: How are nursing students influenced in their interactions with clinical learning environments? Methods: An observational study with field observations and follow-up interviews was performed. The study setting comprised three academic teaching hospitals. Field observations included shadowing undergraduate nursing students during entire shifts. Fifty-five hours of field observations and ten follow-up interviews with students, supervisors and clinical managers formed the study data. A thematic approach to the analysis was taken and performed iteratively with the data collection. Results: The results revealed that students strived to fill out the role they were offered in an aspirational way but that they became overwhelmed when given the responsibility of care. When students' basic values did not align with those enacted by the workplace, they were not willing to compromise their own values. Workplaces succeeded in inviting students into the community of nurses and the practice of care. Students demonstrated hesitance regarding their desire to belong to the workplace community. Conclusion: The results imply that the challenge for clinical education is not to increase the experience of belongingness but to maintain students' critical and reflective approach to health care practice. Additionally, results suggest students to be included as an important stakeholder in creating clinical learning environments rather th

Return migration has not been associated with negative psychosocial outcomes, while the experience of children involved in this process has been largely overlooked. This article looks at the migration experience of Albanian-origin children and young people upon their families’ return to Albania. Contrasting with a primordial understanding of ‘homeland’, ‘belongingness’ and ‘return migration’, which is focussed on the nation-state, the findings show that a lack of (diasporic) belongingness affects children’s wellbeing upon their families’ return to the country of origin. While children show remarkable mechanisms of coping and resilience, contextual factors moderate the links between migration and psychosocial wellbeing.

De senaste åren har antalet människor som tvingats på flykt från sina hemländer ökat markant med cirka 17 miljoner jämfört med 2011. Ett antal av dessa flyktingar är barn under 18 år som skiljts från sina föräldrar och som sökt sig till Sverige i hopp om att få en tryggare tillvaro samt ett bättre liv. Sveriges kommuner har ansvaret för det praktiska mottagandet och socialnämnden har det yttersta ansvaret för de ungas hälsa, vilket innebär att personal runt de ensamkommande unga måste kunna identifiera om de unga far illa. Tidigare forskning har uppmärksammat att ensamkommande unga utestängs och utsätts för rasistiska fördomar samt bristande tolerans för deras kultur och språk. Tidigare forskningsstudier har dock gett en delad bild av hur ensamkommande unga reagerar när de möts med diskriminering och vardagsrasism och därför har denna studies syfte varit att undersöka de ensamkommande ungas upplevelser och reaktioner i sådana situationer. Studien har haft en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och induktivt angreppssätt. Åtta ensamkommande unga, mellan 17 till 18 år, deltog i studien och som datainsamlingsmetod användes semistrukturerade intervjuer. De två övergripande teman som genererades var de ungas tankar om det svenska samhället och de ungas tankar om hur omgivningen bemöter dem. Vid analysen användes hermeneutisk meningstolkning och teorier om rasifiering och vardagsrasism. Slutsatserna från studien var att ensamkommande unga bemöts med uteslutslutning och samhälleliga negativa föreställningar om deras kultur och identitet samt att de i viss mån utsätts för olika former av rasistiskt motstånd. Studien visar även att de ensamkommande unga har reagerat med känslor av frustration, besvikelse, maktlöshet, utanförskap och rädslor i kontakt med svenskar., The number of people forced to be refugees have increased tremendously in the last few years. Some of these refugees are minors under the age of 18 who are separated from their parents and families and come to Sweden in the hope of getting safer and better life. Sweden has municipalities and social welfare boards which are responsible for the reception of the minors and the minors’ health respectively. For these units to give proper help to the unaccompanied minors, they must be able to identify if the minors are exposed to bad situations. Previous researches have shown that unaccompanied children are exposed to discrimination and racial stereotyping in addition to less tolerance to their culture and language. These researches, however, have different picture of how the unaccompanied minors react when they face discrimination and daily-racism. Therefore, this research studied unaccompanied children with the purpose of finding out their experience and reaction related to discrimination. The study has followed a qualitative research strategy with inductive approach. Eight unaccompanied minors between 17–18 years old participated in the study and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The two overall themes generated were the minors thought about the Swedish society and their though about how this society meets them. The collected data was analyzed using hermeneutic interpretation and theories of racialization and daily-racism. The study reached to the conclusion that the unaccompanied children faced exclusions, societal misconception about their culture and identity and to some extent exposure to different forms of racial resistance. The study also showed that the unaccompanied minors have reacted with feelings of frustration, disappointment, powerlessness, alienation and fear towards the Swedish society.

Although previous research has shown that emotions are consistently associated with sport and exercise behavior, the working mechanisms are not understood to the extent of creating an intervention. The aim of this study is to identify situations and aspects of recreational sport and exercise, which lead to positive emotional reactions in people taking part in regular and long-term exercise. In this study, 24 adults (12 female, 12 male) distributed over three age groups (young, middle, and late adulthood), took part in recreational sports (individual or team sport) for at least 5 years. Semi-structured in depth interviews with questions about sport and exercise habits, long term participation and emotional response in a sporting environment were conducted in order to ascertain those situations and aspects of the exercise program triggering positive emotions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and followed Grounded Theory principles. Emerging concepts were grouped and merged into different categories representing the key aspects of sport and exercise. Four factors were identified which are associated with the emergence of positive emotions in recreational sport and exercise. Firstly, perceived competence is one of the major factors influencing emotions during exercise and can represent individual and collective success and progress, competition and challenge. Secondly, perceived social interaction is another factor comprising of all sorts of peer-related aspects such as communication with others, being part of a group and creating close relationships or friendships. Thirdly, novelty experience in contrast to other none-sporting activities such as work, family or other leisure activities was another factor. The last factor found was the perceived physical exertion comprising of the degree of exhaustion, a possibly delayed turnaround in the emotional response and the aspect of sport being a physical compensation for everyday sedentary life. The results of this study p, Peer Reviewed

This thesis examines the intersections of gay and bisexual identity with body size, or fatness. Gay and bisexual identity and fatness are marginalized social identities that seem to be incompatible (Bond, 2013). While a sense of collective identity with the gay and bisexual community has been shown to be a protective factor against internalized homonegativity in gay and bisexual men (Halpin & Allen, 2004), the degree to which this protective factor persists for fat people in an anti-fat environment like the gay and bisexual community (Wrench & Knapp, 2008) has not been explored. This intersection of identities and anti-fat culture seemed to suggest there might be a relationship between fatness and internalized homophobia. Fatness did not moderate the relationship between sense of belonging to the gay and bisexual community and internalized homonegativity, but a significant positive relationship was found between belongingness to the gay and bisexual community and body shame.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increasingly become identified as a societal expectation of companies around the world. The concept has not only risen in significance, but its impacts and potential benefits have become widely recognised by the organisational literature as well as managers. As a result, the influence of CSR practices have been discussed in regards to the numerous stakeholders that hold a vested interest in a company. However, the literature has been predominantly focused on the influence of CSR on external stakeholders such as: shareholders, customers, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the general public. As such, the attention attributed to the internal stakeholder group of employees, has been relatively underdeveloped. While focus on this area has begun to emerge throughout the literature, there continues to be a lack of attention given to the effects of CSR on an individual’s sense of belonging within the organisation. As a result, there is a lack of understanding on the nature and extent of this relationship within the existing literature. This qualitative, interview-based study of fourteen respondents, presents results that provide a greater understanding of the relationship between CSR and an individual employee’s sense of belonging. The results uncover the consequences of an organisation’s CSR initiatives on its employees and discusses its influence over fostering a sense of belonging. The findings illustrate that significant impacts upon an employee’s sense of belonging include generating a sense of pride in the organisation, promoting bottom-up, employee-driven initiatives and establishing social relationships amongst colleagues. The findings also recognise the similarly unexplored potential for this influence on employee belonging to be negatively perceived should the value of CSR be overleveraged with external stakeholders. The development of a framework to present the linkages and interconnections between these ideas are

Suicides in the U.S. military are at record highs. Senior leaders have taken a number of important steps to stem the rise in suicides, but they acknowledge it is a complex problem that requires a comprehensive approach. This Strategy Research Project provides a brief overview and history of the various studies that have been aimed at suicide prevention, details the U.S. Army War College's (USAWC) suicide prevention exercise and findings related to policy and prevention efforts, reviews additional research aimed at prevention, and explores recommendations on moving forward to create a comprehensive prevention strategy. USAWC students identified gaps in policies and programs, as well as an overall lack of national understanding of the root causes of suicide. The authors of this paper recommend that DoD adopt a strategic approach which focuses suicide prevention across four major Lines of Effort (LOEs): leadership, resiliency, belongingness, and policy.

Poster presented at the National Suicide Prevention Conference, Melbourne Australia, July 2013 Help-negation is seen when the severity of an individual's suicidal ideation increases and they become less likely to seek help as a result of their condition. Research has implicated distorted affect regulation and perceptual processes related to social support in the development of help-negation among suicidal individuals (Wilson et al., 2013). Future research needs to focus on psycho-social factors that can be linked to neurological processes that differentiate suicidal individuals from controls and are directly implicated in the help-negation processes associated with suicidal ideation. As suicidal individuals have interpersonal needs rejected they may cease to seek or accept help. The Interpersonal theory of suicide proposes that in people who think about suicide, the need to belong is not being met (Joiner, 2005). This state is referred to as Thwarted Belongingness (TB). TB is a construct which is theorised to reflect both self-report perceptions of not belonging and reductions in objective social variables such as social networks size and frequency of social interaction. Observable indicators of TB include characteristically smaller social networks and less frequent interaction with network members compared to controls (Veiel et al., 1988, Steinhausen et al., 2006). Biased information processing facilitated by suicide schemas coupled with an inability to assign accurate value to the social environment may influence whether self-report TB corresponds with reductions in objective social variables. This paper presents results of a structured literature review that examined the degree to which TB has been implicated in help-negation following suicidal ideation. The review found that social network size and frequency of social interaction have received relatively little focus in suicide research. No published studies had investigated whether network size and interaction

Purpose: This study aims to explore and understand first year nursing students' experiences of learning at a clinical education ward. Design/methodology/approach: The setting is a clinical education ward for nursing students at a department of infectious diseases. A qualitative study was carried out exploring students' encounters with patients, supervisors, students and other health care professionals. A total of 19 students were interviewed. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis investigating both the manifest and the latent content. Findings: The most important components in students' learning are mutual relationships and a sense of belongingness. A mutual relationship between the students and the patients is created and becomes the basis of students' learning. Belongingness means the students' experience of being for real a part of the team taking care of the patients. Research limitations/implications: The study, while linked to a particular teaching hospital, offers insights of more general nature by linking the findings to a theory of transformative learning. Originality/value: This study adds a deeper understanding of students' perspectives of significant characteristics to take into account when organizing clinical practice in health care education. Being entrusted and supported by a team of supervisors to take care of patients at a clinical education ward early in the education program provides an experience of internal and external authenticity. The students learn from, with and through the patients, which contributes to meaningful learning, understanding nursing, and professional development.

Purpose: The main purpose of our research is to create interesting theoretical and practical insights rather than developing empirical generalisations about the experiences of employees from Prestige Consulting and BigTech regarding the merger and subsequent integration of the two organisations. Methodology (Empirical Foundation): The research is based on an empirically driven case study within the Management Consulting industry in the United Kingdom. The research was conducted from an interpretative perspective, using qualitative research methods. Theoretical Perspective: We examine existing literature on the multiplicity of identities, the relationship between organisational and individual identities as well as the perceptions of authentic/inauthentic selves. In light of our findings, we suggest the extension of existing theory to encompass our empirical context. Research Question: Why do some BigTech employees cling to their Prestige identities after nine years of ‘integration’ when their ways of working no longer reflect these identities? Basic Findings: Ex-Prestige consultants at BigTech describe two separate selves. A non-work self seems only to have developed since the merger with BigTech. Contrary to expectations they perceive the work self – which is strongly linked to the Prestige organisational identity - as more authentic and exhibit cynicism towards the non-work self. Strong prototypes of BigTech and Prestige employees help to maintain the distinction between the selves. Conclusion: The ex-Prestige consultants’ two separate selves each fulfil a different need for the consultant: the work-hard-play-hard (Prestige) self enhances the consultants’ self-esteem by providing continued association with a high-performing elite group and distinctiveness from their BigTech colleagues; the flesh-and-blood-family-oriented (BigTech) self allows the consultant a sense of belonging to a non-work group or family.