Sources of Mattering for Women and Men: Gender Differences and Similarities in Feelings of Social Significance

2021 ◽  
pp. 073112142110571
Author(s):  
Rebecca Bonhag ◽  
Paul Froese
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Republican Party ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Group Memberships ◽  
Sense Of Mattering ◽  
Gender Differences And Similarities

Social mattering refers to an individual’s perceived sense of significance in the world and is a key aspect of overall mental health. Using data from a representative survey of adult Americans, we test the extent to which societal-level status, community engagement, group memberships, and interpersonal attachments affect men’s and women’s sense of mattering. We find that women gain social significance to the extent that they feel attached to others interpersonally, in terms of romantic relationships, parenthood, friendships, and closeness to family. Men’s sense of mattering is significantly influenced by broader social factors, like their strength of attachment to the Republican Party, their social media use, and their ability to donate money to the community. These differences suggests that gender norms lead men to also seek significance from the broader community and through group memberships while women rely mainly on their close social ties to feel like they matter.

It Is Your Decision to Date Interracially: The Influence of Family Approval on the Likelihood of Interracial/Interethnic Dating

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199413
Author(s):  
Byron Miller ◽  
Savanah Catalina ◽  
Sara Rocks ◽  
Kathryn Tillman
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Interracial Romance ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Do So

Although attitudes toward interracial romantic relationships (IRRs) have generally improved over the years, many Americans still disapprove of their family members being in IRRs. Prior studies have examined correlates of individual-level attitudes about interracial romance, but less is known about whether family members’ attitudes are directly associated with young people’s decisions to date interracially. Using data collected from 790 romantically involved college students at two large public four-year universities, we find that young adults who believe their siblings, parents, and grandparents approve of IRRs have greater odds of dating interracially. Compared to Whites, Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be interracially involved but their decision to do so is much less dependent on the approval of their parents and grandparents. We also find young adults are more likely to date interracially if they have five or more relatives with IRR experience themselves. The findings and their implications are discussed.

Community Interest Congruence

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-395
Author(s):  
Samuel B. Rennebohm ◽  
Melissa Caris ◽  
Jyssica Seebeck ◽  
John W. Thoburn
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Individual Therapy ◽  
Substantial Evidence ◽  
Community Values ◽  
Community Interest ◽  
Emotionally Focused ◽  
Interest Congruence ◽  
The Relationship

Attachment has been shown to play a significant role in adult romantic relationships, and there is substantial evidence supporting the use of attachment-based interventions with couples. Prevailing conceptualizations of dyadic functioning often incorporate biological and psychological factors, such as attachment, but often limit their scope of social factors to the dyad itself. Such conceptualizations do not attend to the relationship between couples and their wider community. Awareness of social and community values is much more common in individual therapy but has not been integrated into couple’s work. In this article, we propose a biopsychosocial foundation for viewing the relationship between couples and their wider community through the lens of attachment, in which securely attached couples are more likely to have community interest congruence and insecurely attached couples are more likely to experience incongruence. Translating this theoretical foundation into practice, we also propose a stepwise approach for integrating community interest work into the established framework of emotionally focused therapy with couples.

scholarly journals Scaling Uncertainty in Visual Perception and Estimation Tasks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Brower Schille-Hudson ◽  
David Landy
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Uncertain Information ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Estimation Task ◽  
The Core ◽  
Bayesian Formulation ◽  
Visual Properties ◽  
The Bayesian Approach ◽  
Regular Patterns

Demographic perception—the perception of social quantities of geopolitical scale and social significance—has been extensivelystudied in cognitive and political science (Citrin & Sides, 2008; Gilens, 2001; Herda, 2013). Regular patterns of over- and under-estimation emerge. Americans greatly overestimate, for instance, the proportion of citizens that identify as gay or Muslim, while underestimating those that are Christian. While these errors have been attributed to social factors such as fear of specific minorities (Gallagher, 2003; Wong, 2007), other work has suggested that these patterns result from the psychophysics of the perception of proportions (Landy, Guay & Marghetis 2018). A Bayesian formulation suggests that biases in the estimation of both social proportions and simple visual properties result from a common source: ‘hedging’ uncertain information toward a prior. Here we present a novel lab paradigm and two experiments that manipulate uncertainty in a simple (dot estimation) task, verifying the core assumptions of the Bayesian approach.

An Introduction, Review, and Conceptual Analysis of Mattering as an Essential Construct and an Essential Way of Life

2021 ◽  
pp. 073428292110576
Author(s):  
Gordon L. Flett
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Current Article ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sense Of Mattering ◽  
Extended Discussion

While the importance of having self-esteem is widely recognized and has been studied extensively, another core component of the self-concept has been relatively neglected—a sense of mattering to other people. In the current article, it is argued that mattering is an entirely unique and complex psychological construct with great public appeal and applied significance. The various ways of assessing mattering are reviewed and evidence is summarized, indicating that mattering is a vital construct in that deficits in mattering are linked with consequential outcomes at the individual level (i.e., depression and suicidal tendencies), the relationship level (i.e., relationship discord and dissolution), and the societal level (i.e., delinquency and violence). Contemporary research is described which shows that mattering typically predicts unique variance in key outcomes beyond other predictor variables. Mattering is discussed as double-edged in that mattering is highly protective but feelings of not mattering are deleterious, especially among people who have been marginalized and mistreated. The article concludes with an extended discussion of key directions for future research and an overview of the articles in this special issue. It is argued that a complete view of the self and personal identity will only emerge after we significantly expand the scope of inquiry on the psychology of mattering.

Is China a Deviant Case? A Societal-Level Test of the Modernization Theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 003232172092480
Author(s):  
Yingnan Joseph Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Modernization Theory ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
The Government ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Deviant Case

Some view China as a deviant case to the modernization theory. This view is based on two observations. First, the Chinese middle class shows no distinct democratic orientations. Second, one’s trust in the Chinese Communist Party regime rises as he or she gets financially better off. However, the modernization theory by its nature is a societal-level theory, and it has not yet been tested at the societal level in China. This study undertakes this task by examining the relationship between a province’s economic development and its political trust in the central government and its tolerance of public criticism of the government. The two provincial-level variables are estimated by Multilevel Regression and Poststratification using data from China Survey 2008, CGSS 2010, 2012, 2013, and the 2010 National Census. The results, which are corroborated by county-level Multilevel Regression and Poststratification, strongly support the modernization theory.

Neighborhood Disorder, Social Ties, and Preventive Healthcare Utilization among Urban-Dwelling Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1387-1398
Author(s):  
Kenzie Latham-Mintus ◽  
Ashley Vowels ◽  
Swapnali Chavan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Screening Colonoscopy ◽  
Neighborhood Disorder ◽  
Preventive Healthcare ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Restricted Use

Objectives: This research examines whether perceived neighborhood disorder influences the use of preventive healthcare services (i.e. influenza vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, cholesterol screening, colonoscopy, and dental care) by older adults and whether social ties buffer the potential adverse effects of perceived neighborhood disorder. Methods: Using data from the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, binary logistic regression was used to generate odds ratio estimates of preventive healthcare use in the past 2 years. Results: We find that greater levels of neighborhood disorder were associated with fewer dental care visits net of social and health factors. Regular participation in four or more social activities was associated with decreased odds of restricted use and increased odds of receiving a pneumonia vaccine and colonoscopy. Discussion: This research provides evidence that perceived neighborhood disorder may act as a barrier for specific preventive healthcare services and highlights the need for targeted intervention.

Group Commitment Among U.S. Party Factions: A Perspective From Democratic and Republican National Convention Delegates

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1376-1408
Author(s):  
Kimberly H. Conger ◽  
Rosalyn Cooperman ◽  
Gregory Shufeldt ◽  
Geoffrey C. Layman ◽  
Kerem Ozan Kalkan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Republican Party ◽  
Policy Preferences ◽  
Party Organization ◽  
National Convention ◽  
Democratic Parties ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Over Time

Parties need to win elections, but they also heed the policy preferences of activists to provide the incentive to mobilize. Moving beyond the debate as to whether parties as a whole are policy or office driven, we examine groups within parties and identify different factions that place differential emphasis on office-seeking versus policy-demanding. Using data from the 2012 Convention Delegate Study of Democratic and Republican Party national delegates, we identify distinct factional groups within each party. We map these factions within each party, finding policy-driven and office-driven factions of delegates in both Republican and Democratic parties. We evaluate each group’s response to political and party involvement, support for the larger party organization, and response to both intra- and interparty conflict. Finally, we make clear the picture of factional relationships within each party by accounting for how factional goals are integrated into the party organization over time.

scholarly journals Straying from the Flock? A Look at How Americans’ Gender and Religious Identities Cross-Pressure Partisanship

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin C. Cassese
Keyword(s):  
Republican Party ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Religious Identities ◽  
Presidential Candidates ◽  
National Election Study ◽  
And Gender ◽  
White Evangelicals ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Social Sorting

White evangelicals–both men and women–are a mainstay of the Republican Party. What accounts for their ongoing loyalty, particularly when Republican candidates and leaders fail to embody closely held moral standards around sexual monogamy and propriety, as Donald Trump did in 2016? To answer this question, I draw on research about social sorting and polarization, as well as gender and religion gaps in public opinion, to theorize about the nature of the cross-pressures partisans may experience as a result of the religious and gender identifications they hold. Using data from the 2016 American National Election Study, I evaluate whether cross-cutting identities have a moderating effect on partisans’ thinking about gender issues, their evaluations of the presidential candidates, and their relationship to the parties. I find only modest evidence that gender and evangelical identification impact political thinking among white Republicans, including their reactions to the Access Hollywood tape. Other groups, however, experienced more significant cross-pressures in 2016. Both evangelical Democrats and secular Republicans reported less polarized affective reactions to the presidential candidates and the parties. The results highlight the contingent role that gender and religious identities play in the United States’ highly polarized political climate.

scholarly journals Participation and attitudes towards gambling in Ghanaian youth: an exploratory analysis of risk and protective factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklin N. Glozah ◽  
Barry Tolchard ◽  
David J. Pevalin
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Sports Betting ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Based ◽  
Social Difficulties ◽  
Using Data

AbstractPurposeThere is little information on youth gambling in Ghana even though there is an unprecedented emergence of various types of gambling and gambling venues throughout the country. The aim of this cross-sectional exploratory study was to examine the role of perceived social difficulties and perceived protective social factors in participation and attitudes of Ghanaian youth towards gambling using data from a school-based survey (n = 770).MethodsParticipants completed measures on perceived social difficulties, perceived protective social factors, attitudes towards gambling and participation in four types of gambling.ResultsSports betting was the most common form of gambling. There were significant differences in gambling participation with males gambling more than females. Youth who reported more perceived social difficulties from family and friends had a more positive attitude and a negative attitude towards gambling, respectively. Youth who reported higher protective social factors from family and teachers were less likely to have a negative attitude towards gambling. In all situations, high frequency gambling resulted in a more positive attitude towards gambling.ConclusionPerceived social difficulties influences Ghanaian youths to have a positive attitude towards gambling, however, protective social factors from family and teachers may help youth to have a negative attitude towards gambling, gamble less and consequently achieve academic success.

scholarly journals Victimization, Crime Propensity, and Deviance: A Multinational Test of General Strain Theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-430
Author(s):  
Marco Teijón-Alcalá ◽  
Christopher Birkbeck
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Self Report ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Recent Extension

General Strain Theory (GST) identifies victimization as one of the strains most strongly related to crime which, like other sources of strain, is moderated by individual and social factors. Recently, Agnew extended the theorization of coping strategies by proposing that the effects of strain on deviance are conditioned by individual and social factors in combination, rather than singly, which he labeled crime propensity. Tests of the propensity hypothesis have so far yielded mixed results, highlighting the value of additional studies. Whereas previous tests have focused on single countries, either in North America or Asia, we test the propensity hypothesis using data on adolescents in 25 countries collected through the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3; n = 57,760). A series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions show that the relationship between victimization and delinquency/substance use is conditioned by the effects of individuals’ crime propensity, thereby supporting the recent extension to GST.

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