bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marital Communication Across the Generations: Learning and Rebellion, Continuity and Change
Authors: VanLear C. Arthur
Published: March 2007

This study examined the influence of parents' marital styles on their children's marriage. A cross-sectional study of two generations of married couples using Fitzpatrick's Relational Dimensions Instrument found the following. Whereas children do not blindly or totally replicate their parents' marital styles, they do appear to learn some aspects of their own marital style (sharing and traditionalism) from their parents, providing their parents are satisfied with their marriage. The results also show changes in marital styles consistent with common notions of changes in our culture (more sharing and less traditionalism). Young husbands rebelled against their fathers' style of conflict by selecting a different conflict style. Young husbands also married wives with conflict styles unlike their mothers. Young wives married husbands like their fathers in terms of traditionalism. Finally, certain aspects of the marital styles of both fathers and mothers predicted their daughters' marital satisfaction.
Support Networks Before and after Retirement
Authors: van Tilburg Theo
Published: March 2007

Changes in one's personal network can be expected to follow after retirement. A certain loss of relationships, for example with colleagues, is inevitable. How do people who are either about to retire or have recently done so react to this life event? Do they form new relationships or deepen their existing ones? Which type of relationships are most likely to be terminated? Is over benefiting or under benefiting in support a significant aspect in the termination of relationships? This article addresses these questions on how retirement affects support networks. The data were obtained from 50 men, interviewed before and after retirement. At T2 approximately a third of the personal relationships were no longer part of the network. The average size of the networks had not changed. A larger proportion of network members was unemployed and most of the relationships with colleagues were terminated. The relationships were evaluated as being more pleasant and the frequency of the contact was higher. On average, the relationships at T2 were with older persons and tended to be more frequently with an acquaintance than those at T1. More exchanges were carried out at T2 than at T1. They were mainly exchanges in which support was given by the respondents to network members, so that there was a small reduction in the overall reciprocity. The results confirm the hypothesis concerning the significance of reciprocity for the stability of exchange relationships.
The Frequency and Determinants of Marital Disagreements in a Community Sample
Authors: McGonagle Katherine A. , Kessler Ronald C. , A. Schilling Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

Although information about marital disagreements is included in most scales of marital quality, disagreements have generally not been studied as outcomes of importance in their own right. This is unfortunate in light of recent research documenting that marital disagreements have a powerful effect on mental health over and above the effects of marital quality. In this report, we describe a prospective analysis of the frequency and determinants of marital disagreements aimed at taking a first step toward treating disagreements as important in their own right. The analysis is based on a two-wave community survey of married couples that obtained basic descriptive information about both the frequency of marital disagreements and a variety of social and personal characteristics that might be their determinants. Results show that nearly all respondents report having marital disagreements at least some of the time, with the vast majority reporting average frequencies between one and two disagreements per month. Prospective analyses of daily diaries obtained from a random subsample of the survey respondents confirmed the accuracy of these retrospective frequency estimates. Multiple regression analyses revealed that personality and social support are the most powerful predictors of disagreement frequency. We close with a discussion of the implications of these results for future research on marital disagreements.
Shared Activities and Marital Satisfaction: Causal Direction and Self-Expansion versus Boredom
Authors: Reissman Charlotte , Aron Arthur , Bergen Merlynn R.
Published: March 2007

Fifty-three married couples were randomly assigned to engage in activities for 1.5 hours each week for 10 weeks that were self-defined as (a) exciting or (b) pleasant, or couples were in a (c) no-special-activity control group. Pretest and post-test data were obtained on a standard marital satisfaction measure (adjusted for scores on a social desirability index). A planned linear contrast comparing the two activities groups to the control group was not significant and had a small effect size; thus the theory that any kind of activity enhances marital satisfaction was not supported as an explanation for the well-established association of time together and satisfaction. However, the other planned orthogonal contrast found significantly higher satisfaction for the exciting than the pleasant group, a difference that had a moderate effect size. This finding is consistent with views emphasizing habituation as an obstacle to relationship maintenance - for example, Aron & Aron's (1986) prediction from their self-expansion model that sharing stimulating activities will enhance marital satisfaction.
Marital Discord and Dysphoria: For Whom does the Marital Relationship Predict Depressive Symptomatology?
Authors: Beach Steven R.H. , O'Leary K. Daniel
Published: March 2007

The article examines the ability of early and concurrent relationship satisfaction to predict newlyweds' level of depression. The sample was composed of 241 couples, all of whom were white, responding to advertisements for couples about to marry. Both spouses were assessed prior to marriage and at 6 and 18 months after marriage. Marital relationship variables were found to be predictive of later depressive symptomatology for all spouses, but a chronically dysphoric subsample was found to be more reactive to changes in marital adjustment. The results are taken as support for the hypothesis that those who are chronically dysphoric are more vulnerable to stresses within the marital relationship. There was no evidence that the prospective effect of marriage on later symptoms was moderated by gender.
Perceived Family Relationships of Bullies, Victims and Bully/Victims in Middle Childhood
Authors: Bowers Louise , Smith Peter K. , Binney Valerie
Published: March 2007

A multi-theoretical perspective was used to identify family patterns as perceived by children who bully others at school, are victims of such bullying, or both (bully/victims). A sample of 20 bullies, 20 victims, 20 bully/victims and 20 control children was selected from three middle schools by peer nomination. Four assessment measures, the Family Relations Test, the Parenting Style Questionnaire, the Family Systems Test and the Separation Anxiety Test, were used. The four subgroups yielded quite distinct profiles on the first three of these tests. The results show the importance of treating bully/victims as a separate subgroup, and the utility of considering the child's perspective on family relations. Results for the Separation Anxiety Test were non-significant and the implications of this are discussed.
Children's Acquisition of Appropriate Norms for Friendships and Acquaintances
Authors: Pataki Sherri Painter , Shapiro Cheryl , Clark Margaret S.
Published: March 2007

Research with adults demonstrates the existence of distinct norms governing the intentional giving and receiving of benefits within the context of different types of relationships. This study focuses on the development of children's adherence to these norms. We examined first and third grade children's allocation of jointly earned rewards after they had worked on a task with either an acquaintance or a friend. In both grades, more children working with friends than with an acquaintance divided the reward equally. In both grades acquaintances tended to use an equity norm more often than did friends. This effect was not significant among first graders but was significant among third graders. Moreover, third grade pairs of friends were significantly more likely than first grade pairs of friends to divide rewards equally. These results provide evidence of children's increasing use of communal norms in their friendships.
Sexual Satisfaction and Marital Well-Being in the First Years of Marriage
Authors: Henderson-King Donna H. , Veroff Joseph
Published: March 2007

We consider the importance of sexual satisfaction in the first years of marriage. First, we examine how husbands' and wives' feelings of affirmation and tension in their marriage relate to levels of sexual satisfaction. Further, we explore the relationship between sexual satisfaction and four dimensions of marital well-being: competence, control, equity and happiness. Data from a longitudinal study of black and white couples were analysed separately by race and gender. In both the first and third years of marriage, feelings of affirmation and tension were associated with sexual satisfaction for all race and gender groups. Sexual satisfaction was related to several dimensions of marital well-being, though not always in the expected direction, and the patterns differed across race and gender groups. Sexual satisfaction is at least as important to wives as to husbands, but it is important to conduct separate analyses for race and gender groups.
Accommodation and Attachment Representations in Young Couples
Authors: Scharfe Elaine , Bartholomew Kim
Published: March 2007

In a prospective study, we examined the relationship between internal representations of attachment and accommodation. Participants consisted of both members of established young couples (N = 128; mean age = 24.4 years at time 1; mean relationship length = 47 months at time 1). Participants were administered the Peer Attachment Interview and a relationship satisfaction scale twice over 8 months. At time 2, participants completed the Accommodation Scale to assess responses to potentially destructive behavior by romantic partners. Current and previous attachment representations predicted the use of accommodation strategies. In particular, security was associated with the use of constructive accommodation strategies and fearfulness was associated with the use of destructive accommodation strategies. With few exceptions, the pattern of correlations between attachment ratings and accommodation responses was the same after the effects of relationship satisfaction were partialled out. The results suggest that accommodation may be one avenue through which attachment representations contribute to the quality of relationships.
Between Spearheads: Bricolage and Relationships
Authors: Conville Richard L.
Published: March 2007

A narrative perspective was employed to explore the problematic concept `relationship'. Relationships are said to exist either in relational partners' patterned behaviors or in their shared perceptions, although neither alternative is well supported in the literature. In response, the claims were made (1) that relationship narratives transcend the behavior/perception dilemma by both depicting partners' behaviors and reporting their perceptions, and (2) that relationship stories are our primary source of knowledge about relationships. Certain advantages of this approach were developed, and to illustrate them, L6vi-Strauss's concepts of bricoleur and bricolage were used as analytical tools for examining selected relationship stories. The narratives examined were excerpts from James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Russell Baker's Growing Up, and Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings. Their accounts were found to depict persons-in-relationship as well as certain commonly encountered episode types. In addition, the concept of the bricoleur called attention to the centrality of process in relationships, and the concept of bricolage pointed to the nature and source of materials for conducting relationships, their portability from one relationship to another, and their social-dialogical dimension.
Dating Relationship Quality: Effects of Global Self-Verification and Self-Enhancement
Authors: Katz Jennifer , Anderson Page , Beach Steven R.H.
Published: March 2007

This study explored the effects of self-verification and self enhancement on dating relationship quality. We predicted that dating persons should be more intimate, satisfied, and committed when they perceive that their partners evaluate them in ways that are either consistent with or more positive than their own self-evaluations. A survey of dating undergraduate women involved in stable dating relationships tested these predictions, using global and specific measures of self-evaluations and perceived partner evaluations of the self. Global self-verification and self-enhancement each accounted for unique variance in measures of intimacy and satisfaction. Parallel findings emerged with regard to self-verification and self-enhancement based upon specific self-attributes, although these findings were less robust. Divergence from earlier work that suggested no role for self-verification among dating couples is discussed, and implications of self-verification and self-enhancement for relationship quality during courtship are addressed.
Intergroup Relationship Rules in Northern Ireland: The Effect of Denominational Information on Children's Ratings
Authors: Stringer Maurice , Irwing Paul
Published: March 2007

Northern Irish children's use of relationship rules when inter acting with own and other group members was examined using a rule endorsement methodology derived from Argyle & Henderson (1984, 1985). A total of 503 children, who ranged from 9-11 years old and who attended Protestant (state) or Catholic (maintained) schools were presented with four vignettes depicting instances of positive and negative in-group and out-group behaviour. The results revealed that children use rules in a simplistic manner with a single intimacy factor underlying their ratings. Children differentiated clearly between positive or negative behaviour in their use of rules. Denominational information had a smaller effect on children's ratings, with both Protestant and Catholic children displaying a significant preference for `Protestant' as opposed to `Catholic' actors. The results are discussed in terms of other examples of children's self-derogation found in Northern Ireland and the utility of this methodology in understanding in-group and out-group bias in intergroup encounters and relationships.
`Making Moosic': The Development of Personal Relationships on Line and a Comparison to their Off-Line Counterparts
Authors: Parks Malcolm R. , Roberts Lynne D.
Published: March 2007

Despite the rapid development of the Internet over the past decade and the associated media hyperbole about cyberspace relationships, there is a paucity of systematic research examining the prevalence, type and development of personal relationships in on-line settings. This research examines relational topography in real-time text-based virtual environments known as MOOs (Multi-User Dimensions, Object Oriented). Current users of MOOs (235) completed a survey on MOO relationships, with 155 also completing a survey on offline relationships. Almost all survey respondents (93.6%) had formed ongoing personal relationships on MOOs. The most commonly reported types of relationships were close friendships, friendships and romances. The majority of relationships formed (83.6%) was with members of the opposite sex. Levels of relational development (interdependence, depth, breadth, code change, commitment, predictability/understanding, network convergence) were typically moderate to high. Most relationships had migrated to other virtual environments, and a third had resulted in face-to-face meetings. On average, MOO relationships were found to be more developed than newsgroup relationships, but less developed than off-line relationships. It was concluded that MOOs provide an inherently social and powerful context for the formation of personal relationships, many of which will transfer to other settings.
Friendship, Sociology and Social Structure
Authors: Allan Graham
Published: March 2007

This article is concerned with the contribution that sociology has made to our understanding of the ways in which friendships are socially patterned. Rather than treating these ties as individual or dyadic constructions, it examines how the social and economic contexts in which they develop influence their form. It focuses particularly on the impact that social location has on friendship, arguing that both class and status divisions are important for understanding the character of informal solidarities. However, both of these must be seen as dynamic, for neither class nor status characteristics are fixed; both alter biographically and historically, and as they alter they pattern the friendships individuals sustain. The final section of the article attempts to explicate how structural change at the end of the 20th century will affect friendship. While some theories of privatization imply that informal relationships are becoming less significant socially, the argument developed here is that the transformations of late modernity are likely to result in informal solidarities of friendship becoming more central.
It was your Fault! Self-Serving Biases in Autobiographical Accounts of Conflicts in Married Couples
Authors: Schüutz Astrid
Published: March 2007

Accounts of naturally occurring interpersonal conflicts were collected in interviews with 25 married couples from a community sample. The findings suggest that even in non-distressed close relationships accounts of conflict are distorted in a self-serving manner. Both partners tended to emphasize their own needs and hurt feelings, and to refer to aspects that excused or justified their own behaviour. Each partner also tended to blame the other for initiating the conflict, to describe the partner’s behaviour as irrational and incomprehensible, and to refer to prior negative partner behaviour. Results are interpreted in terms of self-serving biases and favourable self-presentation. Effects of self-focused attention and actor observer biases are discussed.
Unrealistic Gendered and Relationship-Specific Beliefs: Contributions to Investments and Commitment in Dating Relationships
Authors: Fitzpatrick Jacki , Sollie Donna L.
Published: March 2007

This study focuses on beliefs about intimate relationships, and how these beliefs are related to individuals' experiences in ongoing romantic relationships. More specifically, we examined how unrealistic beliefs contributed to commitment and components of the investment model (rewards, costs, match to ideal comparison level, alternatives, investment size, barriers). Two types of beliefs were examined: unrealistic gendered beliefs focused on assumptions about irreconcilable differences in men and women's relational needs, whereas unrealistic relationship-specific beliefs reflected standards about perfection and mindreading in interactions with one's romantic partner. Females' unrealistic gendered beliefs and relationship-specific beliefs were associated with more alternatives, lower match to ideal comparison levels, and lower commitment. Regression analyses indicated that components of the investment model mediated the relationship between (i) commitment and gendered relationship beliefs and (ii) commitment and relationship-specific beliefs for females. Males' gendered beliefs were not related to commitment or any component of the investment model; relationship-specific beliefs were associated with greater costs and greater alternatives. No mediating effects in the relationship between commitment and relationship-specific beliefs were detected for males. The results are discussed in the context of previous research and gender socialization.
'Reichsbund der Kinderreichen' : the League of Large Families in the Population Policy of Nazi Germany
Authors: Stephenson Jill
Published: March 2007

The seriousness with which the German 'League of Large Families' takes its work can scarcely be understood outside of the Third Reich today. But its seriousness to the rest of Europe should not be underestimated.1
How to write Business Intelligence Reports
Authors: Smith J.K.
Published: March 2007

Satisfying the information needs of a large international company has become a complex and highly specialised activity. A simple literature search or a few published papers are often insufficient to answer the specific requirements of many enquirers. Information Services at ICI Wilton have tried to meet the challenge by producing business intelligence reports. These are reviews of collated and assessed information tailor-made to answer specific enquiries. This paper outlines our approach to writing such reports.
Trading in Fictions: What Do We Know About British Television Imports and Exports?
Authors: Schlesinger Philip
Published: March 2007

This article surveys information available on the imports and exports of television fiction programmes in Britain. The scope of the problem is defined, then imports are discussed, with the conclusion that the USA is the largest source by far of foreign programming, but that quota restrictions are still important. The evidence on imports may be thin but, it is argued, even less is known about British exports. The official statistics tell us little and do not square with press reports—evidently commercial secrecy plays a role here. The activities of the BBC and ITV companies in the international market are considered. In conclusion, it is argued that a full-scale investigation of this area is overdue, particularly if policy-making for the national and European audiovisual industries is to be well informed.
News Diffusion in Sweden: The Role of the Media
Authors: Weibull Lennart , Lindahl Rutger , Rosengren Karl Erik
Published: March 2007

The pattern of news diffusion in connection with the murder of Olof Palme, Sweden's Prime Minister, was studied in Swedish surveys carried out among the population and the news media. The diffusion was delayed by the fact that the murder took place around midnight, when the broadcast media were closing down, and some morning newspapers were already being printed. Radio was the primary source of learning, and personal information came next. Diffusion curves are presented not only for the population but also for the news media themselves. The results of the study are discussed and interpreted in terms of media systems and media habits, which are held to be as important for the processes of learning and diffusion as are characteristics of the event itself.
Why People Watch Soap Opera: An Analysis of the Explanations of British Viewers
Authors: Livingstone Sonia M.
Published: March 2007

The high popularity of soap opera raises important questions about viewers' involvement with the genre. British viewers' explanations for watching soap opera are shown to concern escapism, realism, relationship with characters, critical response, problem-solving, role in viewer's life, emotional experience and entertainment. These are discussed in relation to research on critical response to the media, the expressed aims of soap opera producers, uses and gratifications research and perceived differences between British and American programmes. That viewers take soap opera seriously, and consider that the characters and problems portrayed are highly realistic and personally involving, has implications for issues of media effects.
Television and Age-Related Differences: A Contribution to the Debate on the `Disappearance of Childhood'
Authors: Werner Anita
Published: March 2007

Different hypotheses exist about the development of the generation gap in modern society, and about the role of television in this respect. Neil Postman (1982) claims that TV has caused the differences between age groups to diminish and that childhood has disappeared. This article deals with the question of the influence of television on differences between `children' and `adolescents'. It begins with an overview of three different approaches taken by other writers and then presents new data on the difference between children and adolescents in respect of leisure time activities before and after the introduction of television. The results do not support the hypothesis that television diminishes age-related differences.
Gorbachev's Glasnost: A Concept in Need of Theory and Research
Authors: Goban-Klas Tomasz
Published: March 2007

The concept of glasnost goes back all the way to Tsarist Russia and can also be found in Lenin's works. In proclaiming a policy of glasnost, Gorbachev is focusing less on the right to know, and even less on the freedom of the press, than on the usefulness to the regime of an informed and involved citizenry. While certainly encouraging criticism of those in the apparatus who oppose his policies, Gorbachev hopes above all that glasnost will make it possible to win the voluntary collaboration of society — especially the intelligentsia — in his programme of modernizing the Soviet system. The concept also marks a growing understanding of the role of information in modern society. In particular, it serves the pursuit of three major goals: broadening access to existing information; improving the quality and quantity of information; and making better use of it to inform policy at all levels. As much as glasnost is a concept in need of definition, it is also one in need of theory and research. Meanwhile it presents communication scholars with both new challenges and new research opportunities.
The Road to Media Unification: Press and Broadcasting Law Reform in the GDR
Authors: Hoffmann-Riem Wolfgang
Published: March 2007

Germany's reunification has had enormous repercussions on GDR media. Initial efforts to establish autonomous structures with emphasis on the media's social responsibility were soon abandoned. The distribution of West German newspapers began at an early stage as did the acquisition of virtually all publishing and printing companies by West German companies. The governmentally established Treuhandanstalt acted in essence as a quasi-licensing authority, setting structural policy for the press through the sale of regional newspapers belonging to the former state party, the SED. In television and radio, the former State Broadcasting Institution will be dissolved by the end of 1991. West Germany's first and second stations, ARD and ZDF, have extended their operations into the East to fill the vacuum left by its demise. The first laws concerning the licensing of private broadcasting have been designed to achieve the greatest possible deregulation. Noticeably absent are approaches for paying particular regard to the cultural identity of East Germans or for ensuring that the `parents of the Revolution' can take part in broadcasting.
Studio Audience Discussion Programmes: An Analysis of Viewers' Preferences and Involvement
Authors: Livingstone Sonia , Wober Mallory , Lunt Peter
Published: March 2007

A nationally representative sample (of some 3000 people aged 12 and over) was asked if they watched studio audience discussion programmes and, if so, how often and with what degree of appreciation. The 500 people who had seen such programmes (shown in morning hours or other off-peak times) were asked to indicate their perceptions of and involvement in the genre on 33 response items. In order to identify why and how viewers watch and participate in this emerging (sub)genre, these judgements were analysed using factor analysis and multiple regression.

This large-scale survey tended to support findings from smaller, qualitative studies of the genre, revealing viewers' scepticism of the experts, their sense of involvement in the genre, their cautious acceptance of the genre as a putative mass mediated public sphere, and their interest in hearing the voices of ordinary experience. The advantage of a survey, however, is that audience reception could also be analysed in terms of viewers' age, gender and class. Viewers' age was the main differentiating factor, with older viewers being more critical of the debates and more respectful of the experts on the programmes. In general, the appeal of the programmes, and the amount of respect accorded to experts compared to ordinary participants, depended in part on how seriously viewers regarded the programmes as public debates rather than pure entertainment. Similarities and differences between the British and American versions of the genre were also discussed.
Substantive Theories and Formal Models — Bourdieu Confronted
Authors: Rosengren Karl Erik
Published: March 2007

Cumulativity in communication science presupposes a systematic interplay between substantive theory, formal models and empirical data. Research on lifestyle and communication, for instance, has been going on for about a century, but only when substantive theory was systematically related to both formal models and empirical data did it really take off. Recent developments show that the notion of lifestyle is usefully defined as patterns of individual action determined by personal characteristics (primarily values and attitudes) as differentiated from patterns of action determined by structural characteristics of the surrounding society and by positional characteristics of the individual (forms of life and ways of life, respectively). Thus defined, lifestyle phenomena stand out as important components of individual communication patterns, especially mass media use. Confronting in terms of statistical and graphical models Bourdieu's theory of lifestyle with these theoretical developments it becomes clear that Bourdieu's conceptualization of lifestyle and its determinants is insensitive, clumsy and unnecessarily cumbersome. It is suggested, therefore, that Ockham's razor be applied.
British Media and European Union News
Authors: Morgan David
Published: March 2007

British reporters in Brussels provide much of the European Union (EU) news for British audiences. This article focuses on those reporters — on their views on access, constraints, sources and the EU `news story' itself. Are EU institutions fostering integration by managing their news appropriately? Have British reports `gone native' or are they typical of Brussels-based reporters from many EU countries?
Prototyping through Key Events
Authors: Brosius Hans-Bernd , Eps Peter
Published: March 2007

Since reunification, the German public has witnessed four highly violent riots and attacks against aliens and foreigners. Both at home and abroad, the riots at Hoyerswerda and Rostock, as well as the arson attacks of Mölln and Solingen, have led to fears of a growing hostility against aliens and of an increasing right-wing radicalism in the united Germany. Besides these four key events, the Federal Office for Criminal Investigation (Bundeskriminalamt) recorded approximately 15,000 other attacks, molestations and offences. This study examines the impact of the four key events on subsequent news coverage. Using content analyses and data from the Federal Office for Criminal Investigation, we found that journalists' news selection was influenced considerably by each of the key events. Attacks similar to the key events in terms of victims, location and type of event had a higher chance of being published. Our data suggest that news selection can best be explained by a prototyping process, that is, an interaction between attributes of events and news-gathering routines of journalists.
New Challenges for European Multimedia Policy
Authors: Hoffmann-Riem Wolfgang
Published: March 2007

In order to ensure a certain quality of communicative achievements on behalf of the development of individuals and societies, media regulation will still be indispensable in the age of multimedia. The main question is not how to justify regulation but rather how to design it adequately. It will be a challenge to hold on to normative premises of political liberalism, of societal emancipation and of protection against manipulation as well as to stimulate the potential of differing values, information and ideas in Europe. The most promising form is regulation which concentrates on regulating structures which help improve the effectiveness of access at different levels and to different uses (especially fairness of communication, distribution and reception).
Television News and the Public Sphere in Italy
Authors: Statham Paul
Published: March 2007

As new political alliances are being formed in the attempt to establish a new political system away from the corruption of the old system, politics in Italy has been opened up for legitimation to the public sphere of civil society to an unprecedented extent. This would be less of a cause for concern if three of the four national private television channels were not owned by one of the major political protagonists, Silvio Berlusconi. At a crucial time in Italian politics, it would appear that the television news may be unable to provide `fair play' to the competing political parties and collective actors in the vital function of supplying political information. This article presents a comparative analysis of the coverage of political discourse on three television channels (two private, one state). The findings are contextualized within a critical assessment of the media/politics interface and the supply of political information to the Italian public. This article examines three related factors that constitute a process of dynamic change in the television coverage of politics in Italy: first, the increasingly commercial and competitive basis of broadcasting between the state/private `duopoly'; second, the unresolved political conflict over regulatory controls for standards of political expression and media control; and third, the emergence of the television medium as an arena for competition between political actors.
Patterns of Old and New Media Use among Young People in Flanders, Germany and Sweden
Authors: Johnsson-Smaragdi Ulla , d'Haenens Leen , Krotz Friedrich , Hasebrink Uwe
Published: March 2007

How do children and adolescents integrate the so-called `new' media, i.e computer-based media and services, as a part of their media environment? Will they displace other media? This question is analysed for three countries, Flanders, Germany and Sweden. The focus of the comparative analyses is to identify general trends in how young people deal with new media offers, rather than to describe and explain intercultural differences. First we report general findings on media availability and use of young people in the three countries. Television undoubtedly still occupies a dominant position in the lives of children and teenagers in all the countries involved. With regard to PC and television console games, availability and amount of use differ considerably, with Swedish young people being ahead of those in Flanders and Germany. Second, correlational and factor analyses lead to remarkably similar factor structures for the three factors, indicating that these correlations represent more general trends in how young people combine different media. Third, we define different patterns of media use in clustering the respondents according to their amount of use for different media. Finally, the results are discussed with regard to societal processes like individualization, globalization and economization.
Rationalization, Transformations of Consciousness and Intercivilizational Encounters
Authors: Nielsen Donald A.
Published: March 2007

This article provides a critical reconstruction of Benjamin Nelson's work on the sociology of civilizations. His main concepts for civilizational analysis are located within the sociological tradition, in particular, the work of Durkheim, Mauss and their school and Max Weber. The article focuses especially on the historical, comparative and analytic value of Nelson's distinction among three types of structures of consciousness (sacro-magical, faith and rationalized structures), particularly the historical role of rationalized structures. It suggests how these concepts might be given both a fuller analytical differentiation and more detailed historical specification. The article emphasizes how inter-civilizational encounters provide the settings for cultural innovations which serve as starting points for the later historical transformations of civilizations. Outcomes of civilizational encounters between Greece, Rome and Judaism in the Hellenistic era are given special attention. The article's main themes are illustrated throughout by reference to a variety of substantive issues and historical comparative civilizational contexts. These include the role of world religions, sciences, philosophies and other cultural forms in the ancient world, Western Europe, Russia and elsewhere.
THE SOCIAL MEANINGS OF LEISURE
Authors: Pronovost Gilles
Published: March 2007

This paper deals with the symbolic content of leisure from the point of view of a sociological analysis of its social meanings. We firstly put leisure within the general context of social values, since values relate to the most fundamental grounds from which people tend to legitimate action. In that respect, it is argued that leisure is not as global as values related to work and family, for instance, but is rather found to be a sectorial value, referring to some specific sectors of social life, or some specific activities, or some particular periods of time, considered as `important' by way of gratifying attributes (such as `pleasant', etc.). During the course of daily life, values tend to be adapted to specific action, context, and actors, in terms of social norms, which is our second level of analysis. It is suggested that four main categories of norms can at least be distinguished: norms of action, of involvement, of interaction, and contextual norms. Then values and norms are interiorised and integrated within social personality. Therefore, it follows that another level of analysis can be distinguished: the system of expectations as related to social roles, i.e. the social definitions of how various specialised leisure roles must be performed, as related to the other social roles an actor is identified with. The social meanings of leisure refer to a multi-dimensional, relatively well-structured system of definition and interpretation of daily activities based on values, norms and role expectations.
THE ECONOMIC ETHICS OF RUSSIAN-ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY: PART II - RUSSIAN OLD BELIEVERS AND SECTS
Authors: Buss Andreas
Published: March 2007

In Part I, the patrimonial-bureaucratic Muscovite state and the aspects of Russian-Orthodox religion, which led to an attitude of world-indifference, were analysed. In this second part the economic ethics of the Russian Old Believers and of the major sects are analysed and it is shown that the development of congregational religion led to more self-responsibility and, particularly in the case of some sects, to more congregational discipline. Moreover, the Skoptsy and Molokans seem to have turned away from the mysticism of the Orthodox Church and from magical means of salvation. They developed an ascetic inner-worldly conduct of life and achieved, like many Old Believers, considerable economic success.
From Competitive Theorizing Towards a Synthesis in the Global Study of Political Movements
Authors: Ayres Jeffrey M.
Published: March 2007

This article examines cross-national social movement theory for its analytic utility in addressing the critical role that political processes play in social movement mobilization. First it critically reviews recent cross-national research on political movements, highlighting the growing body of literature which confirms the mobilizing role played by political processes. Second, it discusses the essential propositions presented by the three major approaches to the field - the new social movement, resource mobilization and political opportunity - discussing each school's ability to account for the role that politics plays in movement mobilization. Finally, this article argues that of these three models, a reconceptualized, synthetic political process approach represents a more inclusive alternative for arriving at a more generalized understanding of the important interplay between movements and politics.
The Ideological Positions of Engineers in Syria
Authors: Hanafi Sari
Published: March 2007

In this article I examine the potential ability of engineers to assert themselves as modernizers, i.e. to define themselves from the viewpoint of their profession, relative to their country's economic development. In this perspective, the position of Syrian engineers is not only the result of a reaction to the economic crisis or to the political situation. Instead this refers to the complex space where social, political, religious and national factors are combined. I also attempts to consider engineers as a heterogeneous group rather than a coherent one. They form several sub-groups, each of which combines a modernizing position in the guise of technocratic and technicist aims with identity orientations: professional, corporate, Islamic disengaged and/or vanguard identity.
Politics and Sociology in Greece, 1950-98
Authors: Kokosalakis Nikos
Published: March 2007

The development of sociology in Greece cannot be understood outside the political history and the general socioeconomic development of the country. This article outlines the general political trends in postwar Greece and points to the collapse of the dictatorship of the Colonels in 1974 as a historical landmark for the development of democracy and the growth of sociology as an academic discipline in Greece. The general sociological patterns and the prevalence of Marxist sociology are briefly explored within the same framework. Finally, developments in sociology in Greece are linked to developments in international sociology and to general socioeconomic change at a national and global level.
Homeschooling: Creating Alternatives to Education
Authors: Farenga Patrick
Published: March 2007

By drawing on the work of Ivan Illich, John Holt, and Jacques Ellul, one can see that alternatives to the modern concept of education are desirable and practical. The homeschooling movement enables teachers, parents, and children to step outside the concept of education and discover how it is possible to teach and learn in various ways throughout their lives, not just through organized learning in conventional schools. By using homeschooling as the lens to view the concept of producing "good citizens" (the stated purpose for compulsory schooling), new possibilities for achieving lifelong learning can be seen. This analysis also suggests how technology can become a means to achieve various personal ends, rather than just an expansion of educational techniques to use on people.
Conference Theme Lecture: STS or PRD (Policy, Research, and Democracy)?
Authors: Chubin Daryl E.
Published: March 2007

The convergences of science, technology, and soci ety (STS) may be better specified as the interaction of policy, research, and democracy. From the perspective of a long-time participant in the process of federal policy making, the author puts STS as a research and education enterprise into its broader cultural context. He addresses how, in the information age, STS promotes participation in a democracy through human resource development, paths to science literacy, and federal funding of science and technology.
Deviant Identity as a Moderator of the Relation between Negative Self-Feelings and Deviant Behavior
Authors: Kaplan Howard B. , Lin Cheng-Hsien
Published: March 2007

Informed by a general theory of deviant behavior, it was hypothesized that the positive effect of negative self-feelings on later deviant behavior would be observed only for youth who are not characterized by a deviant identity. Data from a panel of youths tested during early adolescence and retested 3 years later (N = 1,041) were used to estimate structural equations models. As hypothesized, for youths without a deviant identity, negative self-feelings had both direct and indirect (via contemporary deviant behavior) positive effects on later deviant behavior. For youths characterized by deviant identities, however, no overall effect of negative self-feelings on deviant behavior was observed due to the operation of countervailing effects. Countering the indirect positive effects of negative self-feelings (presumably reflecting alienation from the conventional order) were inverse direct effects of negative self-feelings on later deviant behavior (presumably reflecting alienation from the deviant identity stemming from its association with concomitant negative self-feelings).
Predictors of Future Expectations of Inner-City Children:
Authors: Dubow Eric F. , Arnett Mitzi , Smith Katherine , Ippolito Maria F.
Published: March 2007

Assessed in the present study were the contributions of variables thought to be related to positive expectations for the future in a sample of inner-city sixth-grade through eighth-grade students. Students completed self-report measures in September and June. At each time point, higher levels of positive expectations for the future were related to lower levels of problem behaviors and peer negative influences and to higher levels of school involvement, internal resources, and social support. In prospective analyses, higher levels of Time 1 problem behaviors and peer negative influences predicted decreases over 9 months in positive expectations for the future; higher levels of family support and problem-solving efficacy predicted increases over 9 months in positive expectations for the future. These findings have implications for further prospective research as well as for designing resilience-promoting prevention programs for at-risk youth.
Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Multidimensional Perspective
Authors: Openshaw D. Kim , Thomas Darwin L. , Rollins Boyd C.
Published: March 2007

The study empirically combines two commonly used measures of adolescent self-esteem, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a modified version of the Osgood Semantic Differential, with special attention focusing on the degree of association between the two measures. A crucial aspect of the study focused upon ascertaining the degree of association between four suggested independent dimensions of self-esteem derived from the two instruments. In addition, the study utilized sex and generation variables in assessing structural equivalence. A stratified random sample of 184 families with adolescents was taken. Self-report data were gathered from this sample. Factor analysis with varimax rotation and the Cronbach Reliability Coefficient were the statistical procedures employed. The findings of the study suggest two important considerations for self-esteem research and application: first, the results indicate that four valid and reliable dimensions of self-esteem can be derived from the two instruments; and second, the dimensions derived demonstrate structural equivalence.
Social Characteristics of Early Adolescents Upon Entering a Middle School
Authors: Jones Randy M.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship between preadolescent selfesteem and perceptions of anonymity and victimization within the school environment. Data concerning family structure, i.e., one versus twoparent familial contexts, and perceptions of generational differences were also collected. A total of 152 male and female preadolescents entering sixth grade in a 6-8 school structure responded to the questionnaire. Significant attitudinal differences were observed by gender and family structure. Specifically, males exhibited lower self-esteem than females while also reporting greater perceptions of anonymity within the new school environment. Individuals from one-parent families exhibited higher self-esteem than those from familial contexts where both parents were present. The final analysis revealed that individuals who possessed higher self-esteems also reported feeling less anonymous in the school while being more cognizant of a generational difference.