A problem-solving approach to pastoral care with emphasis on the social context of Christian ministry

This thesis presents a new approach to pastoral care called problem-solving. Part I begins with a discussion of the nature and purpose of pastoral ministry; then looks at methods of care in the field of social work practice. Problem-solving is discussed as a comprehensive and flexible model for pastoral care; a process that can be adapted to work with individuals, groups, and the community at large, and thereby a means of expressing the social concerns of the Christian Gospel.Part II presents a theory of human behaviour for interpreting and explaining problems encountered in ministry. The theory is the product of an interdisciplinary approach which correlates insights from systematic theology with insights from the social and psychological sciences. Two fundamental units of interaction, the human relationship and the social transaction, are examined in the theological perspective. Several diagnostic tools are presented for analysing problem situations in social and theological context.Part III sketches in broad outline a program for pastoral ministry that integrates the three generic methods of social work practice: casework, group work, and community work into one comprehensive approach to pastoral care. In distinction from Part II, here is a theory about how behaviour can be changed or modified in the act of care — it is, in other words, practice theory. Illustrations and examples are provided which are based on my experience as a minister and community worker in the city of Glasgow.Part IV discusses the writings of three major pastoral theologians: Eduard Thurneysen, Thomas Oden, and Seward Hiltner. The work of each author is presented and then critiqued in regards to methodology, knowledge base, practice theory, and theological frame of reference The preference is for a methodology which encourages two-way dialogue and correlation between theology and the human sciences; a theory of human behaviour which includes insights from both psychology and the social sciences; a practice theory that can be adapted to human needs at different levels of social involvement; and a theological frame of reference which expresses the social dimensions of God's plan for the world. The purpose of this section is also to draw attention to a two-fold danger, commonly found in much of pastoral literature, of doing pastoral theology from a static, closed, and individualistic perspective or with no systematic theological frame of reference at all.Part V seeks to avoid this two-fold danger by adopting a new theological framework for pastoral ministry. Pastoral care is described as a ministry of word-in-deed in response to a theological understanding of God's Word as God's deeds in the midst of human events Attention is directed to the importance and purpose of the "world" in God's redemptive plan and the Church is described as an instrument of God's mission to the world. The aims and goals of pastoral care are discussed in the context of the Kingdom of God and problem-solving is seen as a mode of preparation; a way of becoming intentional about the demands of Christian ministry. This section completes the search for a new frame of reference by offering a theology of the Word which is dynamic in perspective and social in scope

Continued development of a detailed model of arc discharge dynamics

Using a previously developed set of codes (SEMC, CASCAD, ACORN), a parametric study was performed to quantify the parameters which describe the development of a single electron indicated avalanche into a negative tip streamer. The electron distribution function in Teflon is presented for values of the electric field in the range of four-hundred million volts/meter to four billon volts/meter. A formulation of the scattering parameters is developed which shows that the transport can be represented by three independent variables. The distribution of ionization sites is used to indicate an avalanche. The self consistent evolution of the avalanche is computed over the parameter range of scattering set

Lake Michigan Salmonid Stocking Costs in Wisconsin

The costs of stocking salmonids in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan are estimated for 1985. Estimation procedures and costs per stocked and captured fish are presented. Fingerlings of a species were found in most cases to cost more per captured fish than yearlings. However chinook salmon fingerlings were least expensive at an average cost of only $0.35 per captured fish. Most expensive were brook yearlings and fingerlings at$12.67 and $10.14 respectively. While a full policy evaluation awaits additional research on species specific benefits, three tentative conclusions can be drawn for the Wisconsin fishery. First, the role of brook trout in the fishery should be reviewed. Second, despite difficulties with lake trout rehabilitation, the role of lake trout in the sport fishery is encouraging and may justify continued stocking. Finally, increased stocking of the popular chinook salmon may be justified if the recent problems of low capture-per-release rates can be solved.restocking costs, benefit-cost methodology, sport fisheries, salmonids, Lake Michigan, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Caregivers' experiences with the new family‐centred paediatric physiotherapy programme COPCA : a qualitative study

Caregivers' experiences during early intervention of their infant with special needs have consequences for their participation in the intervention. Hence, it is vital to understand caregivers' view. This study explored caregivers' experiences with the family-centred early intervention programme "COPing with and CAring for infants with special needs" (COPCA)

Useful Lessons from My Career as an Academic in Information Systems

This “last lecture” is to my fellow academics in information systems. My career spans the entire period of the adoption of information technology in organizations (from punched cards to the internet), the rise of the organization function of information systems, and the emergence of an academic field of IS (also called Management information Systems or MS). have had great opportunities to work with colleagues to: found an MS department, head an MS research center, create new S degrees and curricula, and write original books and manuals. I have been very involved with the Minnesota MS doctoral program as advisor to many doctoral students and on many dissertation committees. have been involved internationally and have been part of the leadership for our major S organizations. In my “last lecture” will address two topics. The first is how I see the future of our field. The second is some personal career advice for my younger colleagues. I have had many successes and some failures, and have observed the careers of many faculty members and doctoral students. I will summarize my observations as actionable advice about being a successful academic while being a happy, contributing human being

Behavioral Flexibility and the Evolution of Primate Social States

Comparative approaches to the evolution of primate social behavior have typically involved two distinct lines of inquiry. One has focused on phylogenetic analyses that treat social traits as static, species-specific characteristics; the other has focused on understanding the behavioral flexibility of particular populations or species in response to local ecological or demographic variables. Here, we combine these approaches by distinguishing between constraining traits such as dispersal regimes (male, female, or bi-sexual), which are relatively invariant, and responding traits such as grouping patterns (stable, fission-fusion, sometimes fission-fusion), which can reflect rapid adjustments to current conditions. Using long-term and cross-sectional data from 29 studies of 22 species of wild primates, we confirm that dispersal regime exhibits a strong phylogenetic signal in our sample. We then show that primate species with high variation in group size and adult sex ratios exhibit variability in grouping pattern (i.e., sometimes fission-fusion) with dispersal regime constraining the grouping response. When assessing demographic variation, we found a strong positive relationship between the variability in group size over time and the number of observation years, which further illustrates the importance of long-term demographic data to interpretations of social behavior. Our approach complements other comparative efforts to understand the role of behavioral flexibility by distinguishing between constraining and responding traits, and incorporating these distinctions into analyses of social states over evolutionary and ecological time