6,018 research outputs found
Unsettling Appearances: Diane Arbus, Erving Goffman and the Sociological Eye
Both the photographer Diane Arbus and sociologist Erving Goffman were fascinated by the way we present ourselves to others and this paper sets out how each understood the drama of human interaction. It begins by exploring how their work parallels some developments in the sociology of deviance, and notes how Goffman was one of the earliest critics of this field, before briefly sketching out Arbusâs controversial career and then turning to a more detailed look at three of her images. It concentrates on how the gap between intention and effect, or what Goffman terms the difference between the impressions we âgiveâ and those we actually âgive offâ, are at the core of her work and this sociological insight animates her compositions. The paper then describes how their work unsettles ânormal appearancesâ and provides rich resources for understanding human conduct
Interaction Rituals and Jumbled Emotions Among âRelative Strangersâ: Simulated Patient Work on a Trainee Complementary Therapy Practitioner Program
Learning games such as role-play (which we refer to as âsimulated interaction ritualsâ) are commonly used as social tools to develop trainee health practitioners. However, the effect of such rituals on individual and group participant emotions has not been carefully studied. Using a heuristic approach, we explore the experiences of complementary therapy practitioner trainees (and their trainers) participating in a personal development course. Ten trainees and two tutors were interviewed, observational notes taken, and a secondary qualitative analysis undertaken. Participants and tutors described a medley of disparate emotional and moral responses to group rituals, conceptualized in this article as âjumbled emotions.â Such emotions required disentangling, and both trainees and staff perceived participating in unfamiliar rituals âwith relative strangersâ as challenging. Front of stage effects are frequently processed âbackstage,â as rituals threaten social embarrassment and confusion. Concerns around emotional triggers, authenticity, and outcomes of rituals arise at the time, yet trainees can find ways to work through these issues in time
Doing gender locally: The importance of âplaceâ in understanding marginalised masculinities and young menâs transitions to âsafeâ and successful futures
Observable anxieties have been developing about the position of boys and young men in contemporary society in recent years. This is expressed as a crisis of masculinity, in which place is often implicitly implicated, but is rarely considered for its role in the shaping of young menâs practices, trajectories and aspirations. Drawing on research conducted with young people who accessed a range of social care support services, this article argues that transition means different things for young men in different locales and that local definitions of masculinity are required to better understand young menâs lives and the opportunities available to them. The authors argue that home life, street life, individual neighbourhoods, regions and nations all shaped the young menâs identities and the practices they (and the staff working with them) drew on in order to create successful futures and âsafeâ forms of masculinity. It is suggested that this place-based approach has the potential to re-shape the âcrisisâ discourse surrounding masculinity and the anxieties associated with young men
Measuring the symptomatic, physical, emotional and social impacts of dry mouth: A qualitative study
Objective
To explore the impacts of dry mouth in order to develop a comprehensive conditionâspecific OHRQoL measure.
Background
Dry mouth has been shown to have significant, if not more severe impacts on OHRQoL, than dental caries. Yet there remain few studies reporting on how to develop a comprehensive measure of the impact of dry mouth on OHRQoL.
Methods
This study was a qualitative study using semiâstructured interviews. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 17 people with dry mouth (14 women, three men). The sample was drawn to capture a comprehensive range of impacts of dry mouth. These interviews were analysed using a framework approach informed by existing functionalist approaches to OHRQoL.
Results
Participants reported a huge range of symptoms associated with perceived dry mouth resulting in extensive impacts on physical, emotional (psychological) and social functioning. Dry mouth could also result in restrictions in social participation which, under some conditions, could be disabling. These impacts were modified by psychological, social and environmental factors.
Conclusions
If we are to measure the impacts of oral conditions, it is important that this is done systematically and with reference to existing conceptual models of health. Current measures of the impact of dry mouth cover symptoms, discomfort and physical impacts along with some aspects of how people cope with the condition. This study proposes a more comprehensive approach that includes the full range of impacts people experience. Such an approach may enable us to focus on âdownstreamâ and âupstreamâ interventions for dry mouth
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The selfie and the transformation of the publicâprivate distinction
The selfie is a contemporary form of self-portraiture, representing a photographic image of the human face. The selfie is created for the purpose of reproduction and to communicate images visually with others from a distance. The proliferation of web 2.0 technologies and mobile smart phones enables users to generate and disseminate images at an unprecedented scale. Coupled with the increasing popularity of social media platforms, these technologies allow the selfie to be distributed to a wide audience in close to real time. Drawing upon Erving Goffmanâs approach to the study of face-to-face social interaction, this article presents a discussion of the production and consumption of the selfie. We draw upon Goffmanâs dramaturgical approach, to explore how the âpresentation of selfâ occurs in the context of a selfie. Next, we consider how the selfie as a form of visual communication holds critical implications for mediated life online as individuals go about doing privacy. We conclude by reflecting on the role of the selfie and its impact on the boundaries between public and private domains in contemporary social life
Inclusive Masculinity and Facebook Photographs Among Early Emerging Adults at a British University
Central to debates about the construction of masculinity in sociology is the influence of culture and what constitutes acceptable displays of masculinity. This article adopts a novel approach in examining this question. It adopts a summative content analysis, combined with a semiotic analysis, of 1,100 Facebook photographs, in order to explore the underlying meanings within the photos and the performances of masculinity. Facebook photographs from 44, straight, White, male, early emerging adults attending the same university are used as a representation of an individualâs ideal self. These are then analyzed in order to determine the behaviors endorsed by peer culture. It was found that the sample overwhelmingly adopted inclusive behaviors (including homosocial tactility, dancing, and kissing each other), and inclusive masculinity theory was utilized to contextualize participantsâ constructions of masculinity. Thus, this research shows that emerging adult males at this university construct their masculine identities away from previous orthodox archetypes. It is argued that the reducing importance of gendered behavior patterns may represent an adoption of what are perceived as wider cultural norms and act as a symbol of adulthood to these early emerging adults
Serving within the British army: research into mental health benefits
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in British Journal of Nursing, copyright © MA Education, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjon.2011.20.19.1256The mental health (MH) of soldiers remains extremely newsworthy and is regularly featured in high profile media forums that focus on post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the authors feel that there are distinct benefits to serving within the Army, and that it provides effective occupational medical, MH and welfare support. This research study explores potential benefits and stressors of being in the Army and provides an overview of Army mental health services (AMHS) through the perspectives of AMHS personnel, 84% of which were nurses. The study indicated that the Army can provide a protective community, sharing a bond based on common values and experiences. The Army can provide soldiers with career opportunities that are not available in civilian life, and there are opportunities to develop an employment profile, enhanced by internal and external educational training, and encapsulated within a progressive career pathway. The Army can also be seen to offer an escape route, preventing soldiers entering a life of crime, and supplying the stable family these soldiers had never experienced. The provision of leadership, within an environment where soldiers are valued and stigma is not tolerated can potentially shield against MH problems
Controlled dephasing of Andreev states in superconducting quantum point-contacts
We have studied the relaxation and dephasing processes in a superconducting
quantum point contact induced by the interaction with an electromagnetic
environment. Based on a density matrix approach we obtain the rates for the
dissipative dynamics as function of the transmission, the phase difference on
the contact and the external impedance. Our calculation allows to determine the
appropriate range of parameters for the observation of coherent oscillations in
the current through the contact.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Physical Review
Capability in the digital: institutional media management and its dis/contents
This paper explores how social media spaces are occupied, utilized and negotiated by the British Military in relation to the Ministry of Defenceâs concerns and conceptualizations of risk. It draws on data from the DUN Project to investigate the content and form of social media about defence through the lens of âcapabilityâ, a term that captures and describes the meaning behind multiple representations of the military institution. But âcapabilityâ is also a term that we hijack and extend here, not only in relation to the dominant presence of âcapabilityâ as a representational trope and the extent to which it is revealing of a particular management of social media spaces, but also in relation to what our research reveals for the wider digital media landscape and âcapableâ digital methods. What emerges from our analysis is the existence of powerful, successful and critically long-standing media and reputation management strategies occurring within the techno-economic online structures where the exercising of âcontrolâ over the individual â as opposed to the technology â is highly effective. These findings raise critical questions regarding the extent to which âcontrolâ and management of social media â both within and beyond the defence sector â may be determined as much by cultural, social, institutional and political influence and infrastructure as the technological economies. At a key moment in social media analysis, then, when attention is turning to the affordances, criticisms and possibilities of data, our research is a pertinent reminder that we should not forget the active management of content that is being similarly, if not equally, effective
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