An Unhealthy Obsession with Theory

As the flagship journal of the Association for Information Systems (AIS), the Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) invites the incoming president of AIS to write an editorial about issues facing AIS and its members. In this editorial, I argue that over the past 30 years, information systems research has shifted to what I see as an unhealthy obsession with one particular type of theory to the exclusion of other types. I believe this obsession is stifling new research and is preventing us, as a discipline, from leading technology innovation. The solution is simple: return to our roots and embrace other types of theory. The opinions in this editorial are solely mine, and do not reflect the official policy of AIS, or the opinions of my colleagues at AIS or those who serve at JAIS

Celebrating Organization Theory: The After‐Party

Organization and management theory as a field faces criticisms from several scholars that it has an unhealthy obsession with ‘theory’, while at the same time seeing very little cumulative theoretical progress. Some have even accused the field of being mired in the 1970s. Lounsbury and Beckman counter with an expansive review of several thriving domains of contemporary organizational research that demonstrate the theoretical vibrancy of the field. This article responds by seeking to define ‘theoretical progress’ in ways that extend beyond just the volume of articles produced. It finds that 1970s‐era classics have seen a surge of citations since the turn of the twenty‐first century, consistent with a view of limited progress. It concludes by outlining three areas of problem‐driven research eminently worthy of attention from organizational researchers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110768/1/joms12094.pd

The Influence of the Media on the Epidemic of Eating Disorders in the United States

There is an epidemic happening in the United States. It is highly visible, yet it is still largely ignored. It affects women ninety percent of the time but can also affect men, and has been seen recently in younger and younger people (Hesse-Biber et al., 2006). It is an epidemic of eating disorders, and anyone who has lived through the past few decades can see that it has gotten worse. This paper will discuss several ways in which our society has contributed to the increase in eating disorders, namely in the use of visual portrayals of extremely thin women, the proliferation of weight-loss advertising, and the effect of these on one’s immediate socio-cultural network in continuing the obsession with weight. I will focus on women in this paper, though that is not to discount the men who are afflicted with eating disorders. In fact, eating disorders are increasingly affecting men and it is a very serious issue. It is a topic that deserves much more research and comparison with women’s experiences. I will conclude this paper by discussing ways in which we might reverse this epidemic and what is already being done to prevent and eventually end eating disorders

Eat Y’Self Fitter: Orthorexia, Health, and Gender

Orthorexia is a condition in which the subject becomes obsessed with identifying and maintaining the ideal diet, rigidly avoiding foods perceived as unhealthy or harmful. In this paper, I examine widespread cultural factors that provide particularly fertile ground for the development of orthorexia, drawing out social and historical connections between religion and orthorexia (which literally means “righteous eating”), and also addressing how ambiguities in the concept of “health” make it particularly prone to take on quasi-religious significance. I argue that what makes this sort of disordered eating destructive to both men and women is ultimately a common urge to transcend rather than to embrace the realities of embodiment. In sum, I believe that orthorexia is best understood as a manifestation of age-old anxieties about human nitude and mortality—anxieties which current dominant sociocultural forces prime us to experi- ence and express in unhealthy attitudes toward healthy eating

The Effect of CWS on Adolescent Health

This article will be covering the problem of celebrity worship. Celebrity worship has been in debate over the past few years regarding whether it is a harmful activity or not among adolescents, but with the recent established psychological disorder of Celebrity Worship Syndrome, it can be shown that it has become a serious health issue. One side argues that celebrity worship is harmless, even a helpful practice to pursue. The other side, however, argues that celebrity worship is detrimental to the mental and physical wellbeing of the adolescents. It is important to understand what celebrity worship entails, the different tests in place used to measure it, and the effect practicing celebrity worship can have on an adolescent to full realize how harmful engaging in celebrity worship really is

Writing a Children Story Book: Rosaline the Beautiful Rose

This project brings up an issue about beauty concept in a form of children's story book with fantasy genre for children at the ages of 12 to 15. The story shows some beauty concepts in the world through the main character's fantastical adventure. The main character of this story is a beautiful little girl who always wants to be the most beautiful girl wherever she is. The main character thinks that beauty will help her to gain attention from everybody, and she loves to be the center of attention. The beauty concept obsesses her very much because of the beauty hegemony that appears in her society. Then through the magical journey in the four countries, the main character learns that beauty is not something as simple as the way she knows about it before. The main character experiences the false consciousness of beauty concepts from the society conditioning. In the end of the story, the main character then realizes that inner beauty is far more important than physical beauty

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who\u27s the Thinnest of Them All?

Societal standards of feminine beauty are presented in all forms of popular culture, thus bombarding women with images that portray what our society considers to be the “ideal body type.” These images, as seen on the cover of magazines, in popular films and in all forms of web and print advertising, are consistently depicted and easily described with one word: skinny. The regular use of unnatural, unhealthy and unrealistic models sends the implicit message that in order for a woman to be beautiful, she must attain this ultra-thin physique. Such adulation of these images encourages women to sacrifice their health in order to be considered attractive by societal standards. Today we live in a world in which “healthy” is defined as “skinny” and “skinny” has morphed from a physical characteristic into a lifestyle. This paper examines the answers to questions: “What is this ‘thin-ideology’ that all women strive to achieve?,” “How has popular culture effected the ability of women to properly perceive a healthy body weight?” and “How far are women willing to go to reach these unrealistic standards?” This paper highlights the transformation of the way in which women are viewed as our cultural perceptions have taken a risky turn from a celebration of uniqueness to a pressured life filled with attempts to fit an unhealthy mold. Finally this paper calls for the need for combative work against these harmful messages and our societal need to redefine “healthy” in the context of our “skinny obsession.

Orthorexia nervosa: relationship with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, disordered eating patterns and body uneasiness among Italian university students

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between ORTO-15 score and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, disordered eating patterns and body uneasiness among female and male university students and to examine the predictive model of ORTO-15 in both groups. Methods: One hundred and twenty students participated in the present study (mean age 22.74 years, SD 7.31). The ORTO-15 test, the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Test-26 and the Body Uneasiness Test were used for the present study. Results: Our results revealed no gender differences in ORTO-15 score. Our results show, rather unexpectedly, that in female students lower scores, corresponding to greater severity, were related to less pathological body image discomfort and obsessive-compulsive signs, while in male students, lower ORTO-15 scores were related to less pathological eating patterns, as behaviors and symptoms. Conclusion: Further studies regarding the relationship between ON and anorexia nervosa, as well as obsessive-compulsive symptoms, are needed to better understand the causality. Level of Evidence Level V, descriptive study

The complex territory of well-being: contestable evidence, contentious theories and speculative conclusions

This paper brings together evidence and theories from a number of disciplines and thinkers that highlight multiple, sometimes conflicting understandings about well-being.We identify three broad strands or themes within the literature(s) that frame both the nature of the problem and its potential solutions in different ways. The first strand can be categorised as the "hard" science of well-being and its stagnation or decline in modern western society. In a second strand, social and political theory suggests that conceptualisations of well-being are shaped by aspects of western culture, often in line with the demands of a capitalist economic system.A third theme pursues the critique of consumer culture's influence on well-being but in the context of broader human problems.This approach draws on ecology, ethics, philosophy and much else to suggest that we urgently need to reconsider what it means to be human, if we are to survive and thrive. Although no uncontroversial solutions are found within any of these themes, all play a necessary part in contributing to knowledge of this complex territory, where assumptions about the nature of the human condition come into question

The complex territory of well-being: contestable evidence, contentious theories and speculative conclusions

This paper brings together evidence and theories from a number of disciplines and thinkers that highlight multiple, sometimes incommensurable understandings about well-beings. Three broad strands are identified. The first strand is categorised as the 'hard' science of well-being and its stagnation or decline in modern western society. The second strand, social and political theory suggests that conceptualisations of well-being are shaped by aspects of western culture, often in line with the demands of a capitalist economic society. The third theme pursues the critique of consumer culture's influence on well-being but in the context of broader human problems. This approach draws on ecology, ethics, philosophy and much else to suggest we urgently need to reconsider what it means to be human, if we are to survive and thrive