Vulnerability and existence theory in catastrophic times

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-94
Author(s):  
Bryan S. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Work Force ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Existence Theory ◽  
Careful Attention ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Over Time

‘Existence theory’ is a bold and imaginative contribution to social theory. Baert, Morgan and Ushiyama (hereafter ‘the authors’) draw on a broad range of existing approaches from Heidegger to Schutz to build a social theory that draws attention to time, the stages of life and the unavoidably precarious nature of human existence. At the same time, they pay careful attention to the social context in which time and existential precariousness combine to form what they call ‘the existential ladder’. Our lives are to some degree measured by the ‘existential milestones’ that we confront over time. These are not invariable stages, but they traditionally included entry into the work force, courtship and marriage, parenthood and maturity, and old age and death. There are in addition norms that attend these transitions. For example, procreation and parenthood are not for the elderly. Old fathers with young children are regarded as foolish if not reprehensible. Failure to pass through the milestones at the appropriate time may result in disappointments, stress and unhappiness.

A longitudinal study of depression in old age I: outcome and relationship to social networks

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aideen Freyne ◽  
Sabina Fahy ◽  
Angela McAleer ◽  
Fiona Keogh ◽  
Margo Wrigley
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Psychiatric Service ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Integrated Networks ◽  
Longitudinal Outcome ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

AbstractObjectives: To ascertain the relationship between social network type and depression over time.Method: A longitudinal outcome study of depressed elderly patients attending an old age psychiatric service was carried out. Subjects were seen at baseline and regular intervals over two years.Results: Depression severity at baseline and at follow-up times differed according to subjects' social network. Those with more socially integrated networks had the best outcome and those who had more dependent networks had a poorer outcome. There was a lot of movement between networks over time for subjects, with many moving towards more dependent networks.Conclusions: When treating depression in the elderly it is important to consider the social network and milieu in which the patient resides. Treatments should include strategies encouraging the maintenance and formation of social integration.

The Social Context and Resources of the Unmarried in Old Age

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat M. Keith
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Role Transitions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Life Course

A model of singleness in later life was developed to show how the social context may influence the personal and social resources of older, unmarried persons. The unmarried (especially the divorced) will be an increasing proportion of the aged population in the future, and they will require more services than will the married. Role transitions of the unmarried over the life course, finances, health, and social relationships of older singles are discussed with implications for practice and future research.

Actor-Network Theory and Autopoiesis

2009 ◽  
pp. 67-79
Author(s):  
Lars Steiner
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Actor Network ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Over Time

A new knowledge management perspective and tool, ANT/AUTOPOIESIS, for analysis of knowledge management in knowledge-intensive organizations is presented. An information technology (IT) research and innovation co-operation between university actors and companies interested in the area of smart home IT applications is used to illustrate analysis using this perspective. Actor-network theory (ANT) and the social theory of autopoiesis are used in analyzing knowledge management, starting from the foundation of a research co-operation. ANT provides the character of relations between actors and actants, how power is translated by actors and the transformation of relations over time. The social theory of autopoiesis provides the tools to analyze organizational closure and reproduction of organizational identity. The perspective used allows a process analysis, and at the same time analysis of structural characteristics of knowledge management. Knowledge management depends on powerful actors, whose power changes over time. Here this power is entrepreneurial and based on relations and actors’ innovation knowledge.

Individuality and habits in institutional economics

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 791-809
Author(s):  
Heath Spong
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Institutional Economics ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Structure Framework ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

AbstractIn this paper a sophisticated conception of individuality is developed that extends beyond simple heterogeneity and is consistent with the approach of institutional economics. Studies of human biological and psychological development are used to illustrate the foundations of human individuality and the impact of the social environment on individual development. The link between the social environment and ongoing agential properties is established through the role of habits, which provide some continuity to individual personalities over time and assist them in navigating the social context they inhabit. Reflexivity is established via an agency-structure framework that endows individuals a changeable self-concept and an ability to interpret their relationship to the social context. The coordination of different individuals is explained not simply through reference to institutional structure, but also through the agent-level properties of shared habits. While reducing differences between individuals to one of degrees, shared habits are shown to be particularly important in the context of agent-sensitive institutions. Finally, the potential for different institutional experiences to impact the reflexivity of individuals is explored.

FYI: TMI: Toward a holistic social theory of information overload

First Monday ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Lincoln
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Rational Behavior ◽  
Information Usage ◽  
The Social ◽  
Critical Understanding ◽  
Theory Of Information

Research into information overload has been extensive and cross-disciplinary, producing a multitude of suggested causes and posed solutions. I argue that many of the conclusions arrived at by existing research, while laudable in their inventiveness and/or practicality, miss the mark by viewing information overload as a problem that can be understood (or even solved) by purely rational means. Such a perspective lacks a critical understanding in human information usage: much in the same way that economic models dependent on rationality for their explanations or projections fail (often spectacularly, as recent history attests), models that rely too heavily upon the same rational behavior, and not heavily enough upon the interplay of actual social dynamics—power, reputation, norms, and others—in their attempts to explain, project, or address information overload prove bankrupt as well. Furthermore, even research that displays greater awareness of the social context in which overload exists often reveals a similar rationality in its conceptualization. That is, often the same “social” approaches that offer potential advantages (in mitigating information overload) over their “non-social” counterparts paradoxically raise new problems, requiring a reappraisal of overload that takes social issues into account holistically.

What makes employees engaged with their work? The role of self-efficacy and employee’s perceptions of social context over time

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Consiglio ◽  
Laura Borgogni ◽  
Cristina Di Tecco ◽  
Wilmar B. Schaufeli
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Over Time

Purpose – Work engagement represents an important aspect of employee well-being and performance and has been related to both job and personal resources. The purpose of this paper, based on Social Cognitive Theory, is to emphasize the proactive role of self-efficacy which is hypothesized to predict work engagement, not only directly, but also indirectly through positive changes in employee’s perceptions of social context (PoSC); namely, perceptions of one’s immediate supervisor, colleagues and top management. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 741 employees of a communication service company completed two questionnaires, with a time interval of three years. Structural equation modeling was performed in order to test the hypothesized model. Findings – Results revealed that, as expected: first, initial self-efficacy predicts work engagement three years later; and second, positive changes in employee’s perceptions of the social work context across the three year period, mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and work engagement. Research limitations/implications – Results relied only upon self-report data. Moreover, each variable was only measured at the time in which it was hypothesized by the conceptual model. Practical implications – The significant role of self-efficacy as a direct and indirect predictor of work engagement suggests the development of training programs centered on the main sources of self-efficacy, specifically focussed on the social work domain. Originality/value – This research provides evidence of the substantial contribution of self-efficacy to work engagement over time. Moreover, the results also support the beneficial effects of self-efficacy through its influence on the improvements in the individuals’ perceptions of their social context.

scholarly journals Profissionalização em Gerontologia

2005 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agostinho Both
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
New Horizons ◽  
The Social ◽  
Professional Profile ◽  
Social Improvement

Resumo: O texto compreende um discurso analítico sobre a realidade daqueles que trabalham com os idosos ou com questões voltadas para o envelhecimento e a velhice, avaliando o atual perfil profissional e a oportunidade de pensar sobre sua formação e sua identidade. O autor acredita que a atual realidade profissional em gerontologia é incipiente e que a visibilidade da velhice e suas demandas ampliarão novos horizontes pela profissionalização dos serviços e pelos conhecimentos desta área. É observado que existe apenas um sistema profissional e um sistema de ocupações que aos poucos se delineiam no atendimento e no aperfeiçoamento social em relação ao envelhecimento e à velhice, e cuja formação é híbrida, não existindo, portanto, um profissional cuja formação seria formalizada num curso de graduação e com atribuições oficialmente reconhecidas. Ao final são levantadas questões para se pensar a possibilidade da existência de um profissional com formação específica em Gerontologia. Palavras-chave: Profissionalização. Gerontologia. Profissão. Abstract: The text consists of an analytical speech about the reality of those who work with the elderly or with issues directed to aging and old age, by assessing the current professional profile and the chance to think about their shaping and their identity. The author believes that the current professional reality in gerontology is incipient and that the visibility and the demands of old age will widen new horizons by means of professional services and the knowledge of this field. One notices that there is only one professional system of occupations which little by little are outlined in the service and in the social improvement regarding aging and old age, and whose shaping is hybrid and, therefore, there is no practitioner whose shaping would be formalized by a graduation course, and with officially accredited assignments. Questions are raised in the end in order to think about the possibility of practitioner with a specific major in gerontology. Keywords: Professionalization. Gerontology. Profession.

scholarly journals La vejez y el deporte como objeto de representaciones sociales (The old age and the sport like object of social representations)

Retos ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 118-121
Author(s):  
Luis Javier Ruiz Cazorla ◽  
José Luis Chinchilla Minguet ◽  
Manuel Ruiz Cazorla
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Social ◽  
El Sistema

En el presente trabajo analizamos la función social de la Educación Física y el deporte respecto a las personas mayores. Se trata de una relación mediatizada por las representaciones sociales que los agentes implicados poseen sobre la vejez, el cuerpo, la salud y el deporte, no exentas de estereotipos y prejuicios que condicionan sus prácticas sociales. Constituye un problema social y a la vez un reto para las instituciones erradicar las prácticas sociales de exclusión a que dan lugar. Para ello resultan imprescindibles dos pasos. En primer lugar denunciar los contenidos de las representaciones sociales sobre la vejez y las actividades físico-deportivas que favorecen la exclusión social, especialmente desde el Sistema Educativo y los medios de comunicación. En segundo lugar promover los medios materiales y condiciones estructurales necesarias para el cambio social.Palabra clave: Vejez, deporte, educación física, representación social, función social.Abstract: In the present work we analyzed the social function of the Physical Education and the sport with respect to the elderly people. One is a relation hyped by the social representations that the implied agents own on the old age, the body, the health and the sport, nonfree of stereotypes and prejudices that condition their social practices. It constitutes a social problem and simultaneously a challenge for institutions to eradicate the social practices of exclusion to that they give rise. For it two steps are essential. In the first place to denounce the contents of the social representations on the sport old age and activities physical that favor the social exclusion, especially from the Educative System and mass media. Secondly to promote the average materials and necessary structural conditions for the social change.Key words: Old age, sport, physical education, social representation, social function.

scholarly journals The social patterning of mortality in a cohort of elderly Swedes

1996 ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olle Lundberg ◽  
Ingemar Kåreholt
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
Functional Abilities ◽  
Proportional Hazard ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
Death Registry ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Social class differences in mortality among the elderly have received only limited interest. In this paper we analyze the impact of social class on mortality from mid-life onwards. In 1968 1,860 persons born between 1892 and 1915 were interviewed and followed in the national cause of death registry for the period 1968-1991. In addition. 537 of the 563 survivors were fe-interviewed in 1992. We employ proportional hazard regressions to analyze the impact of social class on death risks over time. There are fairly small class differences in the probability of reaching old age. However, it appears that mortality differentials were steeper before retirement age than after. Still, the size of class differences in mortality seem smaller than expected on the basis of other studies. At the same time steep class gradients in illness and functional abilities exist among survivors. Some possible explanations for these somewhat contradictory findings are discussed.

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd: Differences in Dominance Relationships in Isolated Versus Socially Embedded Pairs of Fish

Behaviour ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 140 (10) ◽  
pp. 1193-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Murch ◽  
Craig Tovey ◽  
Ivan Chase
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Dominance Behavior ◽  
Dyadic Interactions ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
The Social ◽  
Game Theoretic ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Over Time

AbstractWe performed experiments with cichlid fish to test whether several basic aspects of dominance were the same in isolated pairs as in pairs within a social group of three or four. We found that the social context, whether a pair was isolated or within a group, strongly affected the basic properties of dominance relationships. In particular, the stability of relationships over time, the replication of relationships in successive meetings, and the extent of the loser effect were all significantly less in socially embedded pairs than in isolated pairs. We found no significant winner effect in either isolated or socially embedded pairs. These findings call into question many current approaches to dominance that do not consider social context as an important factor in dominance behavior. These findings also cast serious doubt on the validity of empirical and theoretical approaches based on dyadic interactions. Among these approaches are game theoretic models for the evolution of aggressive behavior, experimental designs evaluating how asymmetries in attributes influence the outcome of dominance

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