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This article pretends to show conflict as natural and proper of human nature. The author thinks the conflict is a manifestation of the limited adaptation ability the human brain has; thus, it needs to transform the environment and the others to survive. On the other hand, culture as a human creation settles rules not shared by all people. Then, the keys for a functional handling of conflicts can be found in the improvement of raising habits as a long-term solution, and in the transformation of education, oriented now to live in community, creativity and difference acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Sociológicos is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Endoxa is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study is to assess behaviors, eating disorder (ED), related cognitions, and core beliefs in university students. The sample was composed of 449 psychology students (13.2% men and 86.8% women). The instruments included sociodemographic and eating related data, the MAC questionnaire (Mizes Anorectic Cognitions), the ICA scale (Inventory of Eating Behaviors) and the SQ questionnaire (Schema Questionnaire). Results from inventories showed important ED symtomathology in a 10% of the sample. Women showed more severe behaviors and specific ED cognitions compared to men. Those students who had previous ED treatment presented more ED-related behaviors and more severe cognitions compared to those who did not have such a treatment. A strong association between ED-related behaviors and specific cognitions was found in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Losada observed management teams develop their annual strategic plans in a lab designed for studying team behaviour. Based on these findings he developed a dynamical model of team interaction and introduced the concept of meta learning (ML) which represents the ability of a team to avoid undesirable attractors. This paper analyses the dynamic model in more detail and discusses the relationship between ML and the new concept of systems intelligence (SI) introduced by Saarinen and Hämäläinen. We propose that the ML ability of a team clearly represents a systems intelligent competence. Losada's mathematical model predicts interesting dynamic phenomena in team interaction. However, our analysis shows how the model also produces strange and previously unreported behaviour under certain conditions. Thus, the predictive validity of the model also becomes problematic. It remains unclear whether the model behaviour can be said to be in satisfactory accordance with the observations of team interaction. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on ethnographic data to examine how moral person-hood, emotions, and social relationships are constructed quite differently within two organizations with the similar goal of holistically caring for the dying. The analysis shows how the moral rhetoric and related practices at a mainstream hospice encourage volunteers to esteem a static conception of the self-as-character, whereas the Buddhist approach requires volunteers to engage in a process of transcending a self that is continually being worked on. The analysis points to paradoxes in the hospice conceptions of a "good death " and offers critical reflection on the assumption that Western and Buddhist approaches to hospice care are largely equivalent. Organizational, structural, and phenomenological strands of symbolic interactionist thought are drawn on to interpret these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interactionist approach provides a relevant point of view on human-natural environment relations. This essay draws on an interactionist approach from a Meadian, pragmatic, social constructionist perspective. In the context of grounded distinctions for interpreting "natural environment," this discussion considers instances of human intervention and levels of responses, for example, individual, social, cultural, historical, and Utopian, as variant, even conflicting, reconstructions of the foundational relationship of human-natural environment interaction. Incorporating a pragmatic model derived from Rachel Carson, the work at hand focuses on knowledge and ethical claims, as discourse and action shift from preventing to mitigating and adjusting environmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults have a reduced capacity to take the perspective of another, and it has been suggested that disinhibition may be one mechanism contributing to this difficulty. To test this possibility, we had behavioral measures that were sensitive to inhibitory failure and to theory of mind (ToM) administered to younger and older adults. One of the measures of ToM directly manipulated inhibitory demands, involving either high or low levels of self-perspective inhibition. The results indicated that older adults were selectively impaired on the high-inhibition condition. Further, of the various aspects of cognitive functioning that we assessed, including memory, mental flexibility, and cognitive speed, only cognitive disinhibition mediated age-related differences in ToM. These results suggest that inhibitory control is an important mediator of ToM in late adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failing to take into account the impact of the political context on protest has serious empirical and theoretical implications for our understanding of the phenomenon. First, it means that protest is conceptualised in rather general terms, and second, accounts of why people participate are therefore somewhat static, emphasising factors that predispose people to protest over more dynamic factors that stimulate protest. This undermines theoretical explanations of action based on rational choice and privileges more sociological accounts of behaviour. By adopting a novel methodological approach and analysing change over time, this article sheds light on the factors that ‘trigger’ protest. In doing so, it shows that the dynamics of protest can be expressed successfully within a rational choice framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have verified that this discipline has traditionally been addressed from Normativist approaches lacking any scientific basis. From this supposition we have detected that Protocol, aided by auxiliary disciplines such as Heraldry, Nobility and Vexilology, can only be discovered from scientific angles that link it to Communication Sciences. As well as establishing and classifying hierarchically the formalities that have been articulated in the acts and people intervening in it, the protocol of the 21st century also administers a full communication process. From this premise, in the experimental part of this piece of research, we have formulated an applied empirical method (Delphi method). The proof of the results have led us to affirm that Protocol is an instrument of communication that is both persuasive and symbolic (verbal and non-verbal) and used by institutions or organizations (public/private) to convey a uniform and coherent transmission of their own corporate identity and culture. Protocol becomes the natural personalised extension of corporate communication, presented by any interlocutor in their commercial communication and Public Relations actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of group dynamics occurring in small group interactions often hinders the performance of teams. The availability of rich multimodal information about what is going on during the meeting makes it possible to explore the possibility of providing support to dysfunctional teams from facilitation to training sessions addressing both the individuals and the group as a whole. A necessary step in this direction is that of capturing and understanding group dynamics. In this paper, we discuss a particular scenario, in which meeting participants receive multimedia feedback on their relational behaviour, as a first step towards increasing self-awareness. We describe the background and the motivation for a coding scheme for annotating meeting recordings partially inspired by the Bales’ Interaction Process Analysis. This coding scheme was aimed at identifying suitable observable behavioural sequences. The study is complemented with an experimental investigation on the acceptability of such a service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many attempts are underway for developing meeting support tools, but less attention is paid to the evaluation of meetingware. This article describes the development and testing of an instrument for evaluating meeting tools. First, we specified the object of evaluation—meetings—by means of a set of input, process, and outcome factors. Then, we designed the process of evaluation, consisting of, first, the generation of meeting behavior in the form of a controlled series of meetings within the context of a project and, second, the measurement of the identified meeting factors. To measure these factors, a rating scale, questionnaires, and information flow analysis were used. Next, the instrument was tested, and the factors for successful meetings were determined in 13 projects in which four participants had to meet four times. The evaluation instrument proved to be a reliable and useful aid for the development and improvement of meeting tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Because US smoking rates have not declined during the past decade, there is a renewed need to identify factors associated with smoking cessation. Using a nested case — control design, we explored the association between ability to sustain cessation over an extended period and demographic, smoking, medical, and behavioral variables. Methods. We selected a sample of 1379 sustained quitters (abstinent from smoking for at least 40 months) and 1388 relapsers (abstinent for more than 8 months before relapse) from participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, a nutritional intervention study involving Finnish men aged 50 to 69 years at baseline. Contingency table and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate potential differences between the 2 groups on baseline variables. Results. Compared with sustained quitters, relapsers were more likely to report symptoms of emotional distress and higher levels of nicotine dependence, to drink more alcohol, and to report more medical conditions. Conclusions. Factors associated with both tobacco use and comorbid conditions impact an individual's ability to maintain long-term smoking cessation. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of action and potential common pathways among these factors may help to improve smoking cessation therapies. (Am J Public Health. 2008; 98:549-555. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.084137) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Constructs such as drinking expectancies (beliefs regarding the effects of alcohol) and motives (drinking alcohol to achieve a valued end) have been shown to be associated with various stages of alcohol use behaviors. However, little is known of the extent to which genetic and environmental influences contribute to individual differences in expectancies and motives. Methods Using data from 3656 young adult same-sex female twins, we examined the association between measures of drinking expectancies and motives and drinking behaviors. Using twin models, we estimated the extent to which genetic, shared and non-shared environmental factors influenced individual differences in expectancies and motives and also tested whether the extent of the genetic and environmental contributions on expectancies varied across abstainers and users of alcohol. Results Expectancies predicted initiation of alcohol use. Both motives and expectancies were associated with frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption and drinks-to-intoxication. There was no evidence for heritable influences on expectancies and enhancement motives, with familial similarity for these traits being due to shared environment. Heritable influences on social, coping and conformity motives ranged from 11% to 33%. When expectancies were stratified by alcohol use, significant heritable influences (31–39%) were found for cognitive–behavioral impairment and risk-taking/negative self-perception (RT/NSP) in abstainers only, while environmental influences contributed to familial variance for other measures of expectancies in alcohol users. Conclusions Environmental influences (both familial and individual-specific) shape alcohol expectancies, while heritable influences may predispose to motives for drinking. Individual differences in expectancies are moderated by alcohol use, suggesting that sources of individual differences in expectancies may vary in drinkers versus abstainers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a New York City man risked his own life to save a stranger on the subway tracks, the New York Times interpreted his behavior not in terms of virtue but as a product of certain ‘hard-wiring’ he happened to possess. In denying virtue, the Times followed a school of thought that is pervasive in social science (referred to in this paper as the ‘individualists’) who, for example, explain charitable donations by pointing out tax deductions, explain volunteer work by revealing the opportunities contained therein to meet other singles, and so on. Actually, the assumptions and arguments which ground this widespread ‘denial of virtue’ are both empirically and normatively flawed, and the theory itself is belied by data about people doing good for moral reasons. Evidence drawn from personal introspection, from empirical studies of human behavior, from analysis of voting as a civil act, from interpreting peoples’ reaction to Alzheimer’s disease, from critical inspection of the logic of ‘individualist’ social explanations, and from a normative criticism of the products of the ‘individualist’ approach all support a rejection of the ‘individualist’ approach. The deniers of virtue should heed the evidence and pay mind to the amoralizing consequences of their erroneous theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author criticizes the power of the government to influence culture and behavior in the U.S. through laws, regulations, grants, entitlements and tax credits. She opines that the humanist John Dewey and his Columbia Teachers College colleagues, who argued against objective truth, against authoritative notions of good and evil, and against religion and truth, have changed the curricula in schools. She cites the role of the federal courts in upholding the power of schools to affect culture.

Equity theory proposes that individuals compare ratios of their own outcomes and inputs to the ratios of outcomes and inputs of others. According to this theory, if the ratios are unequal, individuals are motivated to take actions that will restore equity. Although equity theory has received considerable attention from organizational scholars, relatively few studies have investigated the cross-cultural applicability of the theory. In this conceptual paper, the value-orientation model of culture is used to identify the ways in which the cultural context may influence how employees conceptualize inputs and outcomes, their selection of referent others, their equity preferences, and their reactions to inequity. The paper also describes potential avenues for future investigations of equity theory in cross-cultural settings. Finally, some practical implications of this work are discussed as well. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the consensual stereotypes religious students have of the nonreligious. The stereotype's content, subtypes, subtype strengths, and valence were examined using multiple methods derived from the stereotype content literature. Results indicated that the nonreligious stereotype is diverse and that some impressions of nonreligious people may be quite negative. Six subtypes were identified within the principal stereotype. The most unfavorable subtype was related to a perceived disbelief in religion and spirituality. The most favorable subtype was associated with individualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the dry forest of southern Madagascar, a region of global conservation priority, formally protected areas are nearly totally absent. We illustrate how the continued existence of unique forest habitats in the Androy region is directly dependent on informal institutions, taboos, regulating human behavior. Qualitative interviews to map and analyze the social mechanisms underlying forest protection have been combined with vegetation analyses of species diversity and composition. Of 188 forest patches, 93% were classified as protected, and in Southern Androy all remaining forest patches larger than 5 ha were protected. Eight different types of forests, with a gradient of social fencing from open access to almost complete entry prohibitions, were identified. Transgressions were well enforced with strong sanctions of significant economic as well as religious importance. Analyses of species diversity between protected and unprotected forests were complicated because of size differences and access restrictions. However, since, for example, in southern Androy >90% of the total remaining forest cover is protected through taboos, these informal institutions represent an important, and presently the only, mechanism for conservation of the highly endemic forest species. We conclude that social aspects, such as local beliefs and legitimate sanctioning systems, need to be analyzed and incorporated along with biodiversity studies for successful conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores theoretical and applied questions that are relevant to social scientists' efforts to understand and confront sexual stigma. A framework is presented for conceptualizing such stigma as a cultural phenomenon with structural and individual manifestations. The latter include enacted stigma and felt stigma, as well as internalized stigma, which encompasses self-stigma among sexual minorities and sexual prejudice among heterosexuals. Insights suggested by the model for reducing sexual prejudice are discussed. At the structural level, the framework highlights processes whereby heterosexism legitimates and perpetuates sexual stigma and the power differentials that it creates. Social and behavioral scientists, roles in working to eliminate heterosexism are discussed, and psychologists' contributions to court cases challenging state sodomy laws are described. It is argued that confronting sexual stigma will not only address an important social problem but will also enrich scientific understanding of human behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion of innovation, as a successful western method that aims at spreading knowledge to change certain socio-economic behavioural attitudes in the context of production and consumption, succeeded in providing an alternative to mainstream communication theories. Despite its advantages in certain social contexts, there is still an urgent need to (re)consider the actual potential of diffusion in changing behaviours and attitudes in communities that does not own yet the optimal socio-economic basis for systematic application of diffusive models. A study of indigenous communities must necessarily focus on anthropological characteristics and hierarchies, in which kinship, sex, age and value system play a decisive role in the flow and (diffusion) of the communication and information. A second aspect, which needs to be highlighted is mainly the size of democratic components in a diffusion model, and its capability to cater for a two-way flow of communication, instead of only systemic persuasion and adoption. There is still a strong need to scrutinise the elements that systematically function to marginalise certain socio-economic and/or socio-political groups in the process of communication due to the systematic one way flow of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive neuroscience has provided powerful tools that now permit the investigation of human social cognition and behavior with unprecedented accuracy. This review summarizes some of the features of the human brain that differentiate it from the brains of other animals, some of the methods used in cognitive neuroscience, and concludes with an example of research from the author's own lab that implicates the amygdala in emotion recognition, social judgment, and autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differing from the previous studies, this study proposed a more integrated tourist behavior model by including destination image and perceived value into the “quality–satisfaction–behavioral intentions” paradigm. The structural relationships between all variables with respect to different stages of tourist behaviors were investigated in the study. The results show that destination image have both direct and indirect effects on behavioral intentions. In addition, the path “destination image→trip quality→perceived value→satisfaction→behavioral intentions” appears evident in this study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The British Association of Social Workers has actively opposed Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs). It is the contention of this article that there is a pressing need to interrogate factors which are influencing and driving the ASBO agenda during the period of New Labour in Britain. The discussion begins by referring to the significance of key-words and phrases in social work and social policy. This is followed by an examination of the recent (re)appearance of concern about 'anti-social behaviour'. A critical overview of the White Paper Respect and Responsibility: Taking a Stand against Anti-Social Behaviour (Home Office, 2003a) is then provided. It is then argued that Tony Blair and former home secretary, David Blunkett, played distinctive roles in creating Britain's ASBO politics. This, moreover, is a politics which potentially narrows social work's role and purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on egoism wherein the basis of morality is the pursuit of one's own welfare. It mentions that a substantive egoist specifies a certain state of the person as his ultimate good, while a formal egoist identifies an individual's ultimate good as acting according to the reasons applicable to him. Thus, formal egoistic person does things for others for his own benefit, and not because he expects to merit is some way.

In Western countries, women and men, young and old, enroll in adult education for different reasons. This is even more the case in China. This study helps Shanghai program planners better appreciate learners by understanding how motivational orientations vary as a function of gender and age. The Chinese version of the Education Participation Scale was administered to 448 adults enrolled in Shanghai adult education classes. It had a factor structure loosely comparable to the English version. Women were more inclined than men to be enrolled for social stimulation, social contact and cognitive interest. However, gender differences were less pronounced than those for age. The Cultural Revolution and pressures of market socialism in postmodern Shanghai appeared to shape motivational orientations of participants who came of age between 1966 and 1976. Just the fact that learners were asked about motivational orientations may change the politics of human subjectivity in Shanghai adult education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current debate on "free agency" seems to highlight the romantic aspects of free agent and considers it a genuine response to changing economic conditions (e.g., high-unemployment rate, importance of knowledge in the labor market, the eclipse of organizational loyalty, and self pride). Little attention, if any, has been given to the religious root of the free agency concept and its persistent existence across history. In this paper, the current discourse on free agency and the conditions that have led to its emergence are briefly discussed. The paper focuses on the theological perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on the concept. Implications for management and business organizations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores the many roles fulfilled by Janusz Korczak as teacher in the act of teaching. Dissemination of ideas on teaching; Increase on the scaffolding knowledge on human growth and development; Ability of model behavior to communicate acceptance and respect.

Explains the terms used to refer to the effects of social relationships on health such as social networks, social ties and social integration. Theoretical orientations of sociologists Emile Durkheim and John Bowlby; Conceptual model of how social networks impact health; Assesement of social networks; Influences of network structure and function on social and interpersonal behavior.

In this article the article focuses on veterinary care team and importance of their behavior. Topics discussed include goals of veterinary organizations such as Identification of the mission and core values to make sure accomplishment of team members day-to-day work ; concept of veterinary organizations such as respect, and description of target and motives by leaders.

The interrelationship between nonviolence and rhetoric is examined. While we have studied the world of adversarial relationships, conflict, and difference of belief, rhetorical critics have not done as much to understand the practices of seeking mutual identification, cooperation, and learning how to live with diversity and adversity. Scholars and theorists of nonviolence (and peace and conflict studies) maintain that human beings can reach mutual understanding peacefully, through a process of nonviolent conversion that is accomplished through a wide range of linguistic and symbolic acts. Nonviolent theory shows rhetoricians that language and culture--our ways of creating and perpetuating our reality--can impose minimal aggression while maximizing the potential for peacemaking. Finally, the essay presents practical applications for a better understanding of the connection between rhetorical theory and nonviolence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the putative relationship between birth order and human behavior. K. Konig's description of behavior; L.H. Stewart's analysis of the birth order of British prime minister; Question on how to measure birth order; H.E. Jones' definition of birth order; Extent of which birth order is a factor in the selection of British prime ministers.

Presents a review of an article which looks at the nature and sources of changing perceptions of work in childhood and adolescence. Understanding of categories; Connections among forms of works; Conclusion.

Presents a look at the manipulative strategies of social conduct (Machiavellianism). Study of social conduct by psychologists and evolutionary biologists; Evolutionary theories of Machiavellianism; Conclusions.

Uncertainty reduction theory has been used to explain communication behavior in initial interaction as well as in more developed relationships. An extension of uncertainty reduction theory is predicted outcome value, in which individuals expect affiliation or attraction as a possible outcome during initial encounters. A complete theory of uncertainty reduction and its relation to affiliative outcomes requires an understanding of the relations among three components of any communicative encounter: preinteraction expectancies about another's anticipated communication behavior, the structure of the interaction (e.g., behavioral actions and reactions that evolve over the course of a conversation), and the outcome of uncertainty reduction (e.g., affiliation, more certainty, ambiguity). This essay examines the relations among these communicative components in expectancy-outcome studies in which behavior is ignored, in expectancy-structure studies that link expectancies to behavioral responses, in structure-outcome studies in which behaviors are aligned with postinteraction ratings of affiliation, and in studies that examine the conjoint effect of expectancy and structure on outcome. Uncertainty reduction is viewed as a lifelong cognitive process in which new information is processed, so that there is a vague sense of uncertainty despite accumulated knowledge in given areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Swiss Journal of Sociology / Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Morality and business ethics are topics facing increased attention in modern management, yet they tend to be looked at only in relation to external relationships. However one of the most important contributions to management practice and theory (human relations) was built upon a sociological theory that was totally concerned with morality. That sociological theory was borrowed by Mayo (the 'father' of human relations) without reading the original theory; consequently he missed the real point that the theory made, i.e. a common morality embracing everyone was necessary to maintain order and social cohesion. Such a morality was only possible when we realised our social dimension through continuous contact with each other. Moral man had to be social man; occupational groups were a way of attempting to achieve this. Yet morality is a dimension of group dynamics and management training rarely mentioned, partly through ignorance, partly through a fear of what discussions of morality might lead on to, and partly through a structural blindness to non-operational problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the social identity and self-awareness approaches to group members' behavior. Effects of identity salience on behavior; Integration of the approaches; Flexibility and applicability of the model of social self-regulation; Deindividualization and social identity.

The article discusses the concept of social conditioning, citing as an example a young man wearing a studded dog's collar. It discusses the myth that constitute the enterprise of man's belief that life is an adventure of self-improvement that would liberate man from social conditioning. Moreover, it cites Ivan Pavlov's conditioning theory of learning and argues that the idea is false and relates that the man at the party was only a pantomime dog dressed in an ill-considered theory.

Presents an excerpt from the book `The Moral Sense,' by social scientist James Q. Wilson. Searching for universal rules for human behavior; Naturalness of moral senses; Change in the moral history of mankind; Universalism; Family and kinship structure; Consensual marriages; Individualism.

The social work literature reflects an increasing interest in spirituality; however, social workers appear to have different meanings of the term spirituality. Building on Canda's (1988a) conceptualization of spirituality, this article identifies and defines two meanings: spirituality-as-essence of human nature and spirituality-as-one-dimension of human experience. The different meanings of these concepts have important theoretical and practice implications. The theoretical implications include spirituality and the person as well as the beginning and development of a person's spirituality. The practice implications include views of well-being, dysfunctional behavior, and approaches to treatment. This article clarifies these definitions and their implications in order to promote greater conceptual consistency within the social work profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]