Distributive Justice and The Problem of Friendship

ArticleFriendship distributes critical benefits across society and does so unequally. Income, levels of education and health vary dramatically according to the quality of individuals' friendships. Further, friendships shape the motivations and aspirations of their participants. In light of these facts, this article questions whether and how egalitarian requirements should apply to personal friendship. I first show that existing theories of distributive justice, whether they are ‘outcomes centred’ or ‘institutionalist’, have reasons to consider personal friendship as a direct subject of justice. However, both fail to provide reasonable guidelines for how to apply the requirements of justice to friendship. I thus argue that principles of justice, in particular fair equality of opportunity, ought to assess and govern that part of the social structure that controls the production and distribution of friendship bonds across society. I theorise a ‘relational distributive structure’, mainly constituted by civil society associations, as the appropriate subject of justice

A concept analysis of befriending

Aim. To report an analysis of the concept of Befriending. Background. Befriending is an intervention used in a range of nursing, health and social care settings to provide support for individuals who are socially isolated or lack social support. However, in many cases befriending and its impact remains poorly understood and under researched. Concept analysis provides clarification of the concept and basis for further research and development. Design. Concept analysis. Data sources. AMED, Psyc Articles, Psych Info, Medline, MedlinePlus, Social Science Index and CINHAL databases were searched for literature published between 1993–2013 using the search term Befriending. Methods. Walker and Avant’s method of concept analysis was chosen. This combined with insights from Risjord’s work produced a theoretical concept analysis which focused on the concept in peer reviewed academic literature. Results. There are currently several ways the mechanisms of befriending and its effects on individuals and communities are understood. It is possible however to identify key attributes which define the concept and differentiate it from related concepts, such as peer support and mentoring. Key attributes are that it is an organised intervention, involving the creation of an emotionally connected friendlike relationship, where there is a negotiation of power. Conclusion. This concept analysis has clarified current understandings and uses of befriending. It provides the basis for widening the focus of research into the effectiveness and impact of befriending on those who are befriended, those who befriend and the communities where befriending takes place

BeFriend: platforma za kontekstno-svjesno ad-hoc društveno umrežavanje

Ad-hoc social networks, focused on managing user social relationships in a novel fashion based on establishment of temporary social connections among users with mutual interests and/or needs, provide an innovative medium for upgrading existing, as well as developing new social relationships. This paper describes the BeFriend, a context-aware ad-hoc social networking platform based on Facebook and Google+ social graphs. The BeFriend platform is for mobile users equipped with a smartphone -- after installing and activating the BeFriend client, they are able to receive push notifications when a certain rule is triggered (e.g. it is Friday evening, Ewan and Luke are drinking beer in a bar and one of their Facebook/Google+ friends passes nearby). Personal agents within the BeFriend platform provide autonomous decision-making in the platform, decrease the need for user input and enable automated social discovery of new community members. The proof of-concept BeFriend platform presented in this paper is available in form of BeFriend application for users possessing Android-based smartphones.Ad-hoc društvene mreže su usmjerene na novi pristup upravljanju društvenim odnosima koji se temelji na uspostavi privremene društvene povezanosti među korisnicima sa zajedničkim interesima i/ili potrebama. Na taj način ad-hoc društvene mreže predstavljaju inovativni medij za nadogradnju postojećih te razvoj novih društvenih odnosa. Ovaj rad opisuje platformu za kontekstno-svjesno ad-hoc društveno umrežavanje BeFriend, koja je zasnovana na društvenim grafovima Facebook i Google+. Platforma BeFriend je namijenjena korisnicima pametnih pokretnih uređaja te omogućuje, nakon instalacije i aktivacije klijenta BeFriend, primanje push-obavijesti potaknuto aktiviranjem određenog pravila (primjerice, Ewan i Luke piju pivu u kafiću u petak navečer te njihov Facebook/Google+ prijatelj upravo prolazi pokraj kafića). Osobni agenti koji su dio platforme BeFriend omogućuju samostalno donošenje odluka unutar platforme, što smanjuje potrebu za korisničkim akcijama ili intervencijama i omogućuje automatski pronalazak novih članova društvene zajednice. Prototip platforme BeFriend koji je opisan u ovome radu dostupan je kao aplikacija BeFriend korisnicima koji posjeduju pametne pokretne uređaje zasnovane na operacijskom sustavu Android

We are earthen vessels carrying God\u27s treasure

Historical series, 11. 2 Cor 4:5-18. Preached at a 2003 conf convention in the Saskatchewan synod

The changing nature of friendships over the lifespan

The current study examined differences in friendships between younger adults and older adults. One hundred and fifty eight participants completed various measures, which examined the importance of specific friendship qualities. Peer nominations were used to examine the number of close friends, with an additional component added to assess proximity of one\u27s closest friends. Results indicated that both demographic variables and proximity of equal importance for both younger adults and older adults. Results also indicated that both cohorts chose friends close to their own ages. The researchers conclude there are few cohort differences in what younger and older adults value in their friends

On Getting Along and Getting Ahead: How Personality Affects Social Network Dynamics

Hoe gaan mensen met elkaar om binnen organisaties? In dit proefschrift wordt onderzocht hoe persoonlijkheid en interpersoonlijke waarnemingen de dynamiek van sociale netwerken beïnvloeden. Hierin worden twee studies gepresenteerd die ons begrip over het ontstaan van vriendschap binnen organisaties vergrooten. Het eerste onderzoek bestudeert hoe de persoonlijkheidskenmerk ‘proactive persoonlijkheid" – het vermogen van een individu om zichzelf of haar / zijn omgeving te veranderen (Bateman & Crant, 1993) – bijdraagt aan de vorming van de perceptie van competentie en vriendschap binnen teams. Het tweede onderzoek bestudeert hoe de Five Factor persoonlijkheidskenmerken bijdragen aan de dynamiek van vriendschaps- en conflictnetwerken, alsmede hoe vriendschap en conflict elkaar beïnvloeden.How people get along and get ahead socially within the organizations? This dissertation studies the role of personality and interpersonal perceptions in social network dynamics. It presents two studies that advance our understanding on how friendship unfolds within the organizations. The first study looks into how proactive personality - individuals’ inclination to shape their environment and foster change - contributes to the formation of perceptions of competence and friendship in teams. The second study looks into how Five Factor personality traits add to dynamics of friendship and conflict networks and looks into how friendship and conflict mutually influence each other

The Anti-War Adoption of Lord of the Rings

Ten years after Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was first published in 1954, an unexpected party discovered Middle-earth. America’s counterculture adopted the series, despite its largely conservative, patriarchal, and militant ideologies. Tolkien himself was not fond of the hippie movement, calling them his “deplorable cultus” (Helms 7). Although always adamant that his books were not allegory, the hippies found it anyway and applied his art to their own agendas. Second-wave feminists understood Eowyn’s refusal to let her romantic interest and her father determine her fate, as well as her fear of being kept in a cage and unable to participate in “great deeds,” as resistance against the patriarchy. Mordor’s impersonal machines, existing in stark contrast to the Shire’s green pastures, spoke to environmentalists. The Shire’s uninvolved and distant authority – bringing about Middle Earth’s most peaceful, selfless, and content residents – resonated among anarchists. Even the drug culture identified with the hobbits’ love for pipeweed and mushrooms. (Ciabattari) But it was the anti-Vietnam movement which took up Tolkien’s work more than any other group. “Frodo Lives,” and “Go Go Gandalf,” became the countenance of the young American counterculture. This essay will examine the publication and reception of Tolkien’s work, as well as his philosophies on war, peace, and power which resonated among the anti-Vietnam movement, and which continues to resonate as we search for truth and peace in a disordered world

The quality of inter- and intra-ethnic friendships among roma and non-roma students in Hungary

In this paper I compare the quality of inter- and intra-ethnic friendships. Findings of previous studies suggest that interethnic friendships are less likely to be characterized by closeness and intimacy than friendships among same-ethnic peers. I analyze data of a Hungarian panel study conducted among Roma and non-Roma Hungarian secondary school students. Descriptive analysis of 13 classes shows that interethnic friendships are indeed less often characterized by a co-occurring trust, perceived helpfulness, or jointly spent spare time nomination than intra-ethnic ones. This association holds if I include self-declared ethnicity as well as peer perceptions of ethnicity into the analysis. Analyzing self-declared ethnicity of students I also find that interethnic relations are less often reciprocated than intra-ethnic ones. If I concentrate on ethnic peer perceptions, however, I find that outgoing nominations of non-Roma students are more often reciprocated by classmates perceived as Roma than by classmates perceived as non-Roma