From Getting Ahead to Getting Back on One’s Feet: Performing Masculinity as a Self-help Reader

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 716-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott McLean ◽  
Laurie Vermeylen
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Financial Success ◽  
Scholarly Research ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Insight Into

Despite the fact that millions of men engage in self-help reading, there has been little scholarly research about the reception of self-help texts by male readers. We explore how men read self-help books through presenting the results of forty-five qualitative interviews with readers of books in the domains of career and financial success, health and well-being, and interpersonal relationships. Our interviewees expressed awareness of the stigmatized role of the male self-help reader and performed two patterns of masculinity, influenced by hegemonic ideals, within this context: the resourceful man getting ahead in life; and the wounded man getting back on his feet. A small proportion of our interviewees challenged conventional notions of masculinity, demonstrating the potential for men to read self-help books in diverse ways. Our findings shed important insight into how men read self-help books and into the performance of masculinity in the context of such reading.

Qualitative Methods and Neighborhood Health Research

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danya E. Keene
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Insight Into

This chapter discusses qualitative methods in neighborhood health research, including the use of individual interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. The majority of studies examining the role of neighborhoods and health outcomes have been quantitative in nature. However, qualitative methods offer an important contribution to our understanding of how neighborhoods shape health and well-being. By drawing on resident perspectives and observations of daily life to illuminate complex and often previously unknown processes, qualitative methods can help to shed light on how places shape health behavior, how place affects access to health risks and resources, or how experiences of place may get under the skin to affect health. These methods can also provide insight into the agency of residents who actively engage with the structural features of their environment.

scholarly journals Becoming a Grandparent and Its Effect on Well-Being: The Role of Order of Transitions, Time, and Gender

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 2250-2262
Author(s):  
Giorgio Di Gessa ◽  
Valeria Bordone ◽  
Bruno Arpino
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Modifying Factors ◽  
And Gender ◽  
First Time ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Objectives Although the majority of older people are grandparents, little is known on whether and how the transition into grandparenthood affects their well-being. Moreover, evidence on whether the order of the transition, the time since grandchild’s birth, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the offspring modify the grandparental well-being is scarce. Taking into account these factors, our study examines the association between becoming a grandparent and subsequent well-being. Methods Our study is based on grandparents aged 50 and older from Waves 4–6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Using longitudinal analyses, we investigate associations between becoming a grandparent and subsequent life satisfaction, positive affect, and depression controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as health and well-being at baseline. Furthermore, we explore the role of modifying factors such as whether the grandchild was first-born, the time since transition, and sociodemographic characteristics of the offspring who became a parent. Results Becoming a grandparent has a positive effect on well-being only among women who became grandmothers for the first time and via their daughters. Moreover, this effect is particularly strong in the proximity of the birth of the grandchild. No effects were found among first-time grandfathers. Having an additional grandchild does not affect well-being of grandparents, regardless of the offspring’s characteristics. Discussion Transitioning to grandparenthood per se does not affect well-being. More research is needed to further investigate if interpersonal relationships and changes in roles triggered by becoming a grandparent could help promote well-being in later life.

The Power of Positive Thinking: A Hidden Curriculum for Precarious Times

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott McLean ◽  
Jaya Dixit
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
Positive Thinking ◽  
Cultural Logic ◽  
Self Help ◽  
The Relationship

In this article, we explore the relationship between adult education and socioeconomic precariousness, through extending existing scholarship regarding the concept of the hidden curriculum. We analyze transcripts of 134 qualitative interviews undertaken to explore the learning experiences associated with reading self-help books in the domains of career and financial success, health and well-being, and interpersonal relationships. We find that, in addition to facilitating learning connected to the reasons for which people seek out books, self-help reading encourages people to be positive, optimistic, and confident; to stop thinking negatively; and to change their interpretation of themselves and their lives. We argue that the hidden curriculum of positive thinking both reflects and reproduces the cultural logic of precariousness that characterizes contemporary labor markets and domestic relationships, and we encourage adult educators to apply the concept of hidden curriculum to the critical study of other forms of educational practice.

Gender Equity and the SDGs

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Dettori ◽  
Geeta Rao Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Partnership ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Health And Well Being

This chapter identifies some of the most stubborn gender-based risks and vulnerabilities girls face as a cohort from preadolescence through late adolescence across the domains of personal capabilities, security, safety, economic resources, and opportunities. It reviews progress made during the Millennium Development Goal era in improving girls’ health and well-being and looks to the role of adolescent girls in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. The chapter concludes by recommending an approach for global partnership that is linked to national and local actions and that is centered on priority interventions that can catalyze change, at scale, for adolescent girls.

scholarly journals Psychological Consequences of the Delay in the Silent Mentor Programme During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives From Family Members of Silent Mentors

2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110009
Author(s):  
Li Ping Wong ◽  
Sik Loo Tan ◽  
Haridah Alias ◽  
Thiam Eng Sia ◽  
Aik Saw
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Health And Well Being

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on the Silent Mentor Programme (SMP); this pause has not only caused unprecedented challenges for the delivery of medical education but has forced changes in the programme ceremony sessions. We aimed to describe the psychological impact and experiences of family members of silent mentors during the COVID-19 pandemic using qualitative interviews. Many expressed feelings of remorse and unrest about the unprecedented delay of the SMP. The delay increased negative emotions particularly among some elderly family members; however, there was no prominent negative effect on their functional health and well-being. Several participants relayed the belief that the soul cannot rest until the body receives a proper burial while some worried about the deterioration of the physical condition of the mentors. In conclusion, findings provide insights into the importance of not overlooking the mental health implications of delaying the SMP in future outbreaks or crises.

scholarly journals Long COVID and the role of physical activity: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e047632
Author(s):  
Helen Humphreys ◽  
Laura Kilby ◽  
Nik Kudiersky ◽  
Robert Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

ObjectivesTo explore the lived experience of long COVID with particular focus on the role of physical activity.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews.Participants18 people living with long COVID (9 men, 9 women; aged between 18–74 years; 10 white British, 3 white Other, 3 Asian, 1 black, 1 mixed ethnicity) recruited via a UK-based research interest database for people with long COVID.SettingTelephone interviews with 17 participants living in the UK and 1 participant living in the USA.ResultsFour themes were generated. Theme 1 describes how participants struggled with drastically reduced physical function, compounded by the cognitive and psychological effects of long COVID. Theme 2 highlights challenges associated with finding and interpreting advice about physical activity that was appropriately tailored. Theme 3 describes individual approaches to managing symptoms including fatigue and ‘brain fog’ while trying to resume and maintain activities of daily living and other forms of exercise. Theme 4 illustrates the battle with self-concept to accept reduced function (even temporarily) and the fear of permanent reduction in physical and cognitive ability.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the challenges of managing physical activity alongside the extended symptoms associated with long COVID. Findings highlight the need for greater clarity and tailoring of physical activity-related advice for people with long COVID and improved support to resume activities important to individual well-being.

Pateicības izpausmes folklorā psiholoģiskā kontekstā

2021 ◽  
pp. 42-53
Author(s):  
Ieva Ančevska
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Health And Well Being

The article examines the depiction of gratitude and related events in Latvian folklore through comparative evaluation. Gratitude is considered in a psychological context, comparing the attitude expressed in folklore with the findings of modern scientific research. Gratitude is a concept that is usually associated with a relationship or a benefit, it is most often aimed outwards, dedicated to someone else, but at the same time, it creates a pleasant feeling within the person. In modern psychology, gratitude is receiving more and more attention from researchers because its manifestations stimulate the formation of positive emotions and contribute to the improvement of the person’s overall well-being. Research and clinical studies in psychotherapy confirm that gratitude plays an important role in improving mental health and reducing depressive, destructive feelings. In turn, neuroscience research shows the potential of a grateful and positive attitude in strengthening psycho-emotional health and well-being in general. In Latvian folklore, gratitude is depicted as an important part of ritual events, which helps to ensure a positive, balanced connection with the forces of nature, gods, and society. In folklore, the importance of gratitude is emphasised more when building family relationships or accepting various situations and occurrences in life. In both psychological research and the practice of systemic therapy, as well as in folklore, gratitude appears as one of the most important values of interpersonal connection, which promotes the formation of harmonious relationships. Similar to the opinions of psychology, the folk world views emphasise the motivational role of gratitude in improving the quality of human life and health in general.

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