scholarly journals Impact of Culture on the Pursuit of Beauty: Evidence from Five Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shilpa Madan ◽  
Shankha Basu ◽  
Sharon Ng ◽  
Elison Ai Ching Lim

Human beings have always coveted beautiful objects, but the desire to look good is reaching new heights worldwide. Although the pursuit of beauty appears universal, industry evidence suggests that it is particularly strong in Asia. This research examines the effect of culture on the pursuit of beauty. Three studies provide converging evidence that interdependent self-construal increases the likelihood of using appearance-enhancing products. Study 1 operationalizes culture through nationality and self-construal and shows that Easterners (more interdependent) are more likely to use appearance-enhancing products than Westerners (less interdependent). This use is driven by interdependents’ tendency to conform to societal norms, which in turn leads to heightened self-discrepancy (Study 2). The use of appearance-enhancing tools helps minimize this discrepancy. Study 3 shows that strength of norms moderates the impact of interdependence on the use of appearance-enhancing tools. When norms are loosely defined and adherence is not strictly enforced, interdependents’ appearance enhancement tendency is reduced. This research offers actionable insights into the pursuit of beauty, marketing of beauty brands, policy making, and consumer well-being.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merel Visse ◽  
Tineke Abma ◽  
Hetty Van den Oever ◽  
Yvonne Prins ◽  
Vincent Gulmans

Aims and objectives: This paper is a report of a study of experiences of people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) with their hospital admission. It evaluates how they perceive their treatment and care and the impact on their social life (school or work). Background: In The Netherlands, people with CF are hospitalized in seven CF centers. In general, hospitalization may raise several challenges concerning the patient’s psychosocial well-being, before, during and after the admission. The admission of people with CF is complicated, because of segregated treatment and care that aims to prevent hospital-based cross-infection. Design: This article reports on a qualitative study. Methods: Data were collected during 2009 and 2010. Nineteen people with CF admitted for more than 5 days in one of the seven Dutch CF-centres participated. Results and conclusions: The findings are organized into five contexts with subthemes: Before admission & Arrival (1); Treatment & Care (2); Room & Stay (3); Discharge (4); Social & Societal context (5). The findings show that patients express a need for enhancing the quality of some treatments, like intravenous injections and patients express normative expectations of professionals that directly relate to their psychosocial well-being, e.g. they want to be ‘seen’ and treated as human beings and not solely as patients. They desire segregation policies to be consistent, whilst simultaneously they prefer flexible segregation guidelines. In general, respondents are satisfied with hospital facilities. The study reports on challenges concerning continuation of school and work during the admission. The paper is relevant to every hospital where people are being nursed in isolation.


Author(s):  
Aviad E. Raz ◽  
Tamar Nov-Klaiman ◽  
Yael Hashiloni-Dolev ◽  
Hannes Foth ◽  
Christina Schües ◽  
...  

Abstract Definition The routinization of prenatal diagnosis is the source of bioethical and policy debates regarding choice, autonomy, access, and protection. To understand these debates in the context of cultural diversity and moral pluralism, we compare Israel and Germany, focusing on two recent repro-genetic “hot spots” of such policy-making at the beginning of life: pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT), two cutting-edge repro-genetic technologies that are regulated and viewed very differently in Germany and Israel, reflecting different medicolegal policies as well as public and bioethical considerations. Arguments First, we compare policy-making in the context of PGD for HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing, used to create sibling donors, approved in Israel under specific conditions while prohibited in Germany. Second, we compare policy-making in the context of NIPT, which came under fire in Germany, while in Israel there has been little public debate about it. Conclusion Both countries justify their contrasting policies as reflecting a concern for the well-being and care of the embryo/child, thus highlighting different concepts of embryo/child protection, (relational) autonomy, family relations, and the impact of religion and history on the promotion/protection of life. We use the juxtaposition of PGD and NIPT to highlight some inconsistencies in policies concerning the protection of extra- and intra-corporeal embryos. We conclude by drawing on the comparison to show how national variations exist alongside co-evolution.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Hakan Remzi Öztekin ◽  
Fatih Bayraktar

Hope is a future-oriented reasoning that influences psychological assets of individuals. A hopeful standing towards the future can positively influence individual well-being. Different standings in terms of hopefulness may create variations in psychological assets of people. In the current study, we examined the associations of decisiveness, self-efficacy, curiosity and self-construals with hopefulness. A total of 278 senior university students were recruited for the study from Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta, North Cyprus. Participants filled six questionnaires; the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Independent and Interdependent Self-Construal Scale, Multi-Domain Decisiveness Scale, Curiosity and Exploration Inventory II, the Dispositional Hope Scale and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The data was analyzed by hierarchical multiple regression analysis on SPSS 23 software program. The results indicated that self-efficacy and decisiveness significantly predicted hopefulness, while curiosity did not predict hopefulness and only independent self-construal had the predictive effect on hopefulness. Based on these findings, the emerging adulthood nature of the study sample was discussed, and further recommendations were presented.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S488-S488
Author(s):  
P. Cigarroa-Vázquez ◽  
I. Vargas-Huicochea

Medical residents, as a population that is in formation and that represents the workforce in public hospitals, are in a particularly vulnerable situation for the development of burnout syndrome (BOS), defined as a psychosocial disease in response to chronic stress in the work environment. This study analyzed the impact of BOS on a personal level, residents’ ways of coping, and the perceived needs to prevent it.ObjectivesTo analyze the experience of BOS in medical residents of Mexico City.MethodsQualitative design with a phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants were medical residents in training who agreed to participate. Data analysis was based meaning categorization and condensation, as well as some elements of discourse analysis.ResultsWe had interviews with residents of gynaecology, otorhinolaryngology, family medicine and psychiatry. We have found that there are some specific aspects that contribute to the development BOS:– the hidden curriculum that has become evident through unnecessary punishments;– various roles to be met simultaneously by residents;– the basic needs like sleeping and eating right are not being met due to excessive workload.– impact in general health.ConclusionsIt is necessary to make visible the complexity of the BOS and its impact on trainees to prevent deterioration in the quality of life and overall health status. It would be to achieve the satisfaction of basic needs as essential conditions for physical and mental well-being of all human beings, and more so for those whose task is to contribute to the health of others.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2003 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 933-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan E. Cross ◽  
Jonathan S. Gore ◽  
Michael L. Morris

2002 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-201
Author(s):  
Mir Annice Mahmood

The author of this book has enriched international political economy by introducing a new aspect, namely, the impact of the steadily advancing global communications industry on economies and societies and, more specifically, on human security. The latter is a broad-based concept developed by the UNDP to reflect, through certain key indicators, human well-being. This consists of a very strong element of social justice in which human beings can satisfy their needs by organising the appropriate political, economic, and cultural institutions within a framework that provides the maximum level of participation and autonomy. For the latter to be achieved, it is essential that people have the means to decide what they wish to do in life and then can translate these wishes into actuality. As the author quotes Streeten, human security is “a broad approach to improving human well-being that would cover all aspects of human life, for all people, in both high-income and developing countries, both now and in the future” (p. 5).


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1565-1579
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Rivers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how human resource (HR) practitioners subjectively experience emotions in their working lives and how they navigate emotionally challenging work. Design/methodology/approach A narrative methodology and participant-led photo-elicitation methods were used with five HR practitioners from different sectors to uncover experiences of emotion in their work. Findings Participants describe themselves as perceived by non-HR employees as non-emotional human beings, expected to “take” emotional expression from others, but to display little themselves. HR practitioners use emotion-focussed coping strategies, both self and team-care, to cope with the emotionally challenging work inherent in their role. Research limitations/implications As a pilot study of five participants, further research is needed to strengthen the findings; however, the in-depth qualitative methods used provide rich insight into their working lives. Practical implications HR practitioners’ well-being should not be taken for granted or overlooked in organisations. Opportunities for informal networking with HR communities and training/coaching interventions could provide support on approaches to the emotional challenges faced. Originality/value This paper provides insights into how HR practitioners experience the challenges of their work, in contrast to mainstream research emphasising the impact of human resource management policy and practices on employees and organisations. Attention is drawn to the subjective experience of emotion, rather than the mainstream objectification, managerialisation and generalisation of emotion.


2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Täuber ◽  
Kai Sassenberg

The present research is the first to examine the impact of self-construal on newcomers’ motivation to conform with the goals of a novel group. We argue that when social identity (i.e., individuals’ concern for a specific group) has not yet been developed, newcomers rely on self-construal (i.e., individuals’ chronic concern for ingroups and connectedness with others in general) to derive norms for group-serving vs. self-serving behavior. Results of an experiment (N = 157) supported this prediction: Self-construal moderated the relationship between group goals and individual goals (cognitive conformity) as well as the relationship between group goals and members’ effort (behavioral conformity). Specifically, low independent and high interdependent self-construal was associated with greater cognitive and behavioral alignment of the self with the group compared to high independent and low interdependent self-construal. Findings are discussed regarding the role of self-construal as a precedent of conformity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6361
Author(s):  
Wojciech Trzebiński ◽  
Radosław Baran ◽  
Beata Marciniak

The paper aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and possible future global epidemic events on shopping behavioral patterns. Specifically, the paper investigates consumer pandemic-related isolation behavior (which manifests itself via preference for shopping without leaving home, and avoiding contact with other people while shopping offline) as a consequence of consumer interdependent self-construal, with the mediating role of consumer pandemic-related emotions of disgust, fear for oneself, fear for others, and sadness. The results of two surveys conducted in different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland (October 2020, and January 2021, respectively) suggest two opposing indirect effects of interdependent self-construal on isolation behavior: a positive effect through disgust, and a negative effect through sadness. Additionally, a positive indirect effect through fear was visible in the second study. Moreover, two dimensions of interdependent self-construal (i.e., vertical and horizontal) are demonstrated to have opposing effects (a positive effect and a negative one, respectively) on pandemic-related disgust, and in turn on isolation behavior. The above results indicate that, in the context of the pandemic, consumer self-construal influences pandemic-related emotions, and in turn consumers’ tendency to isolate themselves. Implications for marketers and society were discussed from the perspective of economic and sustainability goals.


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