932 research outputs found
An examination of the verbal behaviour of intergroup discrimination
This thesis examined relationships between psychological flexibility, psychological inflexibility, prejudicial attitudes, and dehumanization across three cross-sectional studies with an additional proposed experimental study. Psychological flexibility refers to mindful attention to the present moment, willing acceptance of private experiences, and engaging in behaviours congruent with one’s freely chosen values. Inflexibility, on the other hand, indicates a tendency to suppress unwanted thoughts and emotions, entanglement with one’s thoughts, and rigid behavioural patterns. Study 1 found limited correlations between inflexibility and sexism, racism, homonegativity, and dehumanization. Study 2 demonstrated more consistent positive associations between inflexibility and prejudice. And Study 3 controlled for right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, finding inflexibility predicted hostile sexism and racism beyond these factors. While showing some relationships, particularly with sexism and racism, psychological inflexibility did not consistently correlate with varied prejudices across studies.
The proposed randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention to reduce sexism through enhanced psychological flexibility. Overall, findings provide mixed support for the utility of flexibility-based skills in addressing complex societal prejudices. Research should continue examining flexibility integrated with socio-cultural approaches to promote equity
Oltreoceano. The Isthmus and the American Continent: Literatures, Cultures and Histories
Il presente studio si propone di analizzare la funzione di contatto/ponte tra le realtà anglofone, francofone, latinoamericane, esercitata dalla zona istmica e, per estensione, da tutti i territori centroamericani, isole comprese. Nell'acquisizione estetica della natura, nel dialogo aperto con l'individuo e con la società , la letteratura diventa un punto nodale per penetrare nel mondo esterno e nel microcosmo interno e per indicare nel viaggio all'interno dello spazio fisico una necessità per tutti coloro che intendono la scrittura come missione della conoscenza. Il contatto tra culture mette in gioco qualsiasi base identitaria e stabilisce nuovi punti di riferimento, trasformando la cultura in ricchezza e coscienza, anche individuale. Pertanto, partendo dal contesto, è interessante vedere se i testi letterari inglesi, francesi e spagnoli dell'area affermano gli impulsi nella direzione di una globalizzazione inarrestabile o se prevale la scelta di coltivare le proprie radici culturali, seppur modificate o "contaminate" all'interno di un territorio multiculturale
Addressing Rural America’s Suicide Disparity Among Men: How Mental Health Stigma Is Communicated Through Storytelling Networks
The suicide rate disparity of men in rural America has continued to increase year after year. While this is a complex public health problem with many contributing factors, this study examines the stigma of mental illness in men, a recognized contributing factor to increased suicide rates among rural men. Grounded in communication infrastructure theory and the model of stigma communication, this study sought to collect data for the first phase in the development of a stigma communication intervention program for Rabun County, GA, a rural Appalachian community in north Georgia. Twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted with Rabun County residents to assess the communication infrastructure, where stigma narratives are encountered in the communication infrastructure, and what stigma narratives are present in the communication infrastructure. Findings showed that stigma narratives were most encountered on the micro-level, specifically through conversations with family and friends. On the meso-level, church organizations were also reported as highly influential in the spread of stigma messages surrounding men with mental health issues. Some of the most prominent stigma messages associated with men with mental illness were weakness, lacking faith, and dangerousness. Suicide stigma also appeared to be much stronger than the stigma of mental illness. Through this research, a theoretical model was also developed to aid in future intervention studies of this type. The model of stigma storytelling combines concepts from communication infrastructure theory and the model of stigma communication. Future research should use this model to continue the development and implementation of the multi-phase stigma communication intervention program in Rabun County. Additional research in this area should continue to explore how the stigma of mental health issues in men contributes to the rising rates of suicide rates. The stigma of suicide and suicidal ideation in rural populations should also be explored further as this topic does not seem to be perceived the same as mental illness, suggesting the topic of suicide is more taboo, carrying a stronger stigma than mental illness in general
Being WELL in the Neoliberal University: Conceptualising a Whole University Approach to Student Wellbeing and Experiences of Living and Learning at UK Universities in a Neoliberal Higher Education Context
Background
Epidemiological trends demonstrating disproportionate, proliferating, and unequal student and staff mental health outcomes at UK universities have coincided with a marked neoliberalisation of higher education. With few exceptions however, these trends have been conceptualised in isolation,
with epistemological predisposition towards isolated individual-level explanations and interventions for distress across student mental health research that are in inherent tension with the implementation of a whole university approach to wellbeing in policy and practice. To address these conceptual, methodological, and practice-based gaps across the field, this thesis seeks to address the primary research question: ‘how do students experience wellbeing and living and learning in a neoliberal higher educational context and what are the implications for the conceptualisation and operationalisation of a whole university approach?’
Design and Methods
Grounded in pragmatist ontology, a multi-phase research design is applied containing five symbiotic studies. Study one synthesises biopsychosocial systems-based theories of wellbeing; cross-disciplinary neoliberal critique; and
Foucaultian philosophy on subjectivity to conceptualise a multi-dimensional relationship between the neoliberal higher education system and student wellbeing. Study two conducts an integrative and interpretative narrative literature review to identify the social, academic, and financial determinants of student wellbeing within the context of the neoliberal higher education system. Study three utilises a cross-sectional survey with a national sample of 815 undergraduate and postgraduate students to identify the prevalence, variance, and associations of salient social, academic, and financial determinants of wellbeing with identifiable socio-material and socio-psychological neoliberal conditions. Study four performs ten student focus groups to explore student experiential narratives of wellbeing and living and learning in the neoliberal system, whilst eliciting recommendations for policy and practice. Study five uses expert interviews with nine relevant stakeholders to explore the influence of neoliberal socio-material and socio-psychological conditions on service delivery and elucidate recommendations for the conceptualisation and operationalisation of a whole university approach.
Findings
Taken together, the findings present preliminary evidence that identifiable neoliberal higher education principles and policies mediate student exposure, both socio-materially and socio-psychologically, to academic, social, and financial determinants which demonstrably, detrimentally, and differentially impact on subjective wellbeing. It is argued therefore that pragmatic conceptualisation and operationalisation of a whole university approach must be contextualised within the neoliberal higher education
system. Implications for policy, practice, and research are presented
The challenges of public ownership in urban public spaces. The confrontation of interests in the urban development process. The case of Tirana, Albania
The present work uses Jane Jacobs' approach and methodology to observe and study the city, recognizing the idea that residents are crucial to its development and that their vision should be considered during urban planning and reconstruction of the city. . The methodological paradigm of this investigation is interpretative tending towards pragmatism with application contexts and theoretical purposes. The research tools are mixed, so the methodological approach is qualitative, while quantitative data are used to interpret the results. Given the complexity of the city's development, the researcher chose a bottom-up approach, using a multitude of methods and sources starting from narrative and historical ones, to field investigations and case studies. The global, interdisciplinary and open approach has allowed simultaneous sensory and perceptive reflections on the contents of these spaces to understand the dynamics of change. The research methodology is structured around three main dimensions: the urban dimension for which the method of field observation, photography and cartographic analysis was used; the cultural dimension for which field observation and analysis of legal packages and decisions were used; the human dimension for which field observation and community interviews were used.
The causes of the transformation of the urban environment of the historic center of Tirana are found in the centralized approach of the institutions to the cultural common goods, where the only decision-making actor is the State, regardless of the knowledge and cultural heritage of the reference community. Despite the updates of the regulatory framework in accordance with the European directives, the decision-making framework has changed little or nothing in terms of involvement of other actors, thus maintaining an 'orthodox' approach that has been observed unchanged since 1948. The research highlights two periods in which heritage protection tools were used inappropriately, eliminating it from the territory: in the years 1967-70 and in the years 2015-2020. These two periods have in common the decision-making process imposed from above: the first during the communist regime, when the application of political ideology aimed at strengthening the communist power by fighting religion; the second refers to the use of power in the narrow interest of private economic capital, focusing decisions on the basis of cadastral parcels and not in the interest of the development of the city as a whole.Il presente lavoro utilizza l’approccio e la metodologia di Jane Jacobs per osservare e studiare la città , riconoscendo l'idea che i residenti sono cruciali per il suo sviluppo e che la loro visione dovrebbe essere considerata durante la pianificazione urbana e la ricostruzione della città . Il paradigma metodologico di questa indagine è interpretativo tendente al pragmatismo con contesti applicativi e finalità teoriche. Gli strumenti di ricerca sono misti, per cui l'approccio metodologico è qualitativo, mentre i dati quantitativi vengono utilizzati per interpretare i risultati. Data la complessità dello sviluppo della città , il ricercatore ha scelto un approccio bottom-up, utilizzando una moltitudine di metodi e fonti a partire da quelli narrativi e storici, a indagini sul campo e studi di casi. L'approccio globale, interdisciplinare e aperto ha permesso riflessioni sensoriali e percettive simultanee sui contenuti di questi spazi per comprenderne le dinamiche del cambiamento. La metodologia di ricerca si struttura attorno a tre dimensioni principali: la dimensione urbana per la quale è stato utilizzato il metodo dell'osservazione sul campo, della fotografia e dell'analisi cartografica; la dimensione culturale per la quale sono state utilizzate l'osservazione sul campo e l'analisi di pacchetti giuridici e decisioni; la dimensione umana per la quale sono state utilizzate l'osservazione sul campo e le interviste alla comunità .
Le cause della trasformazione dell'ambiente urbano del centro storico di Tirana si trovano nell'approccio accentrato delle istituzioni ai beni comuni culturali, dove l'unico attore decisionale è lo Stato, prescindendo dalla conoscenza e dal patrimonio culturale della comunità di riferimento. Nonostante gli aggiornamenti del quadro normativo in accordo con le direttive europee, il quadro decisionale è cambiato poco o niente in termini di coinvolgimento di altri attori, mantenendo così un approccio 'ortodosso' che si osserva immutato dal 1948. La ricerca evidenzia due periodi in cui gli strumenti di tutela del patrimonio sono stati utilizzati in maniera inappropriata, eliminandolo dal territorio: negli anni 1967-70 e negli anni 2015-2020. Questi due periodi hanno in comune il processo decisionale imposto dall'alto: il primo durante il regime comunista, quando l’applicazione dell'ideologia politica mirava a rafforzare il potere comunista combattendo la religione; il secondo fa riferimento all'uso del potere nell'interesse ristretto del capitale economico privato, focalizzando le decisioni sulla base di particelle catastali e non nell'interesse dello sviluppo della città nel suo insieme
Brand Engagement in Virtual Communities – A Netnographic Study
Social media groups help foster discussions, but it can be challenging for brands to maintain user engagement and collaborate in value co-creation. Despite a pressing need to comprehend the dynamics of virtual communities, there is a lack of a concerted view of how users engage with brands in virtual communities. To explore this, we use a sport-based virtual community as context since fan engagement levels are substantially higher in sports communities than in other virtual communities. Leveraging the sense of community theory and netnography as a method, we study community formation in a Facebook group comprising fans of a European football club. Preliminary findings reveal a strong presence of membership, influence, and shared emotional connection, while integration and fulfillment of needs are relatively less dominant. As next steps, we plan to examine how a sense of community evolves in virtual communities through a longitudinal approach. Potential implications are discussed
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Sonic heritage: listening to the past
History is so often told through objects, images and photographs, but the potential of sounds to reveal place and space is often neglected. Our research project ‘Sonic Palimpsest’1 explores the potential of sound to evoke impressions and new understandings of the past, to embrace the sonic as a tool to understand what was, in a way that can complement and add to our predominant visual understandings. Our work includes the expansion of the Oral History archives held at Chatham Dockyard to include women’s voices and experiences, and the creation of sonic works to engage the public with their heritage. Our research highlights the social and cultural value of oral history and field recordings in the transmission of knowledge to both researchers and the public. Together these recordings document how buildings and spaces within the dockyard were used and experienced by those who worked there. We can begin to understand the social and cultural roles of these buildings within the community, both past and present
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