scholarly journals “Enthusiastic Admiration Is the First Principle of Knowledge and Its Last”: A Qualitative Study of Admiration for the Famous

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402110067
Author(s):  
Yue Meng-Lewis ◽  
Huiping Xian ◽  
Gavin Lewis ◽  
Yupei Zhao

The concept of fame has been associated with celebrities, wealth, attractiveness, and social recognition. Nevertheless, people have admiration for the famous who may not be celebrities. Admiration is regarded as one of the emotions of appreciation, or moral emotions, triggered by positive appraisals of excellence. It is present when seeing extraordinary displays of skills talent or achievement. However, theoretical and empirical research on admiration and its psychological effects on people are scarce. In this article, we discuss a qualitative study that explores a collection of experiences of admiration for the famous. Based on 26 in-depth interviews with residents in southern England, we explored why people admire famous individuals and how the experience may produce positive attitudes and behaviors. We found that through admiring famous individuals who are perceived to share similar interests and attributes, people may develop positive thinking about their own lives and may be more active in seeking new opportunities or engaging in self-growth. We also discuss the potential problems of admiration. This exploratory research contributes to the literature of positive psychology and has implications for furthering the understanding of people’s well-being.

Author(s):  
Palma ­Candia ◽  
Hueso­Montoro ◽  
Martí-García ◽  
Fernández-Alcántara ◽  
Campos-Calderón ◽  
...  

Background: Aging and longevity are important topics nowadays. Purpose: To describe how older adults perform the occupational adaptation process in the extreme region of Magallanes (Chile), and to identify the factors that might contribute to successful occupational adaptation and well-being. Method: Qualitative study, with a phenomenological interpretative approach. In-depth interviews were carried out with 16 older adults, with high or low levels of well-being, assessed with the Ryff Scale. An inductive content analysis according to Elo and Kyngäs was performed. Findings: Resilience, self-esteem and interdependence with significant others are key elements that promote well-being. Participants develop strategies to minimize the effects of environmental factors. The occupation’s function in terms of socialization, use of time, and social participation is revealed as a conditioning factor of occupational adaptation. Implications: Interventions with older people to achieve a successful occupational adaptation process must take into consideration the commitment to meaningful activities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Alkire ◽  
Johannes Pohlmann ◽  
Willy Barnett

Purpose Internet user privacy risks have been a topical subject with respect to consumers, corporations and governments. In line with the recent privacy scandals linked to social media, the aim of this study is to explore users’ privacy protection behaviors (PPB) on Facebook through the actions they take to protect their privacy, their underlying motives and the values behind these protective actions. Moreover, this study aims to address an unintended consequence of Facebook usage. Despite Facebook’s positive and uplifting goal of connecting people, consumers are forced to resort to specific behaviors to protect their privacy and well-being. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an exploratory research approach by using a well-established qualitative technique: structured laddering interviews. In total, 20 in-depth personal interviews were conducted with the Millennials. Findings Results show that the process of privacy protection is initiated by experiences, uncertainty and literacy, rather than threats, which leads to concerns that trigger PPBs. The most common PPBs include: “Reflection,” “Avoidance,” “Intervention,” “Restriction,” “Control,” and “Restraint.” The underlying motives for the adoption of these strategies include: “Success,” “Security,” “Social Recognition,” “A World of Peace,” “Exclusivity of Self,” “Being in Control,” “Meaning” and “True Friendship”. Originality/value The present research adopts a transdisciplinary framework to help fill the gap regarding the interplay of PPBs on Facebook, the triggers of those behaviors and their underlying motives. It contributes to the service literature and practice as it provides insights into a growing area of interest, whereas more social media channels are being created and more services are using social media strategies to engage and interact with their customers. Finally, it addresses the growing need to consider the impact of technological services, including internet and social media, on consumers’ and societies’ well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Betty Yung ◽  
Barbara Leung

This paper seeks to reflect on issues related to the nature of housing choice, drawing on qualitative empirical data collected in in-depth interviews. This paper discusses two perspectives related to housing choice, namely, the ‘market perspective of housing choice’ and the ‘perspective of housing choice for well-being’. The ‘market perspective of housing choice’ highlights that desirability generally increases with a greater range of housing choice as the housing supply increases till a climax is reached, after which a further expansion of housing choice may indicate an excess housing supply, which may not be advantageous and home-buyers may instead ‘decide not to choose or buy’. The ‘perspective of housing choice for well-being’ reveals that choice in the housing arena is often viewed as a means to eventual well-being, rather than as an end in itself. Housing choice is ‘genuine’ and ‘meaningful’ if there are meaningful and significant options among a few desirable housing alternatives. ‘Fake housing choice’ involves having to choose from among housing options that are all generally bad.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e049851
Author(s):  
Naureen Akber Ali ◽  
Anam Shahil Feroz ◽  
Noshaba Akber ◽  
Rida Feroz ◽  
Salima Nazim Meghani ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased level of anxiety and fear among the general population related to its management and infection spread. Considering the relevance of present circumstances, we explored perceptions and attitudes of community members towards their mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.SettingWe conducted an exploratory qualitative study using a purposive sampling approach, at two communities of Karachi, Pakistan.ParticipantsIn-depth interviews were conducted with community members including, young adults, middle-aged adults and older adults of both genders. Study data were analysed manually using the thematic analysis technique.Primary outcomeThe primary outcome is assessing community perception towards their mental well-being amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 27 in-depth interviews were conducted, between May and June 2020. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the general communities; (2) current coping mechanisms to adapt to the new reality and (3) recommendations to address the mental health of communities. Generally, community members underwent increased anxiety and fear due to the contagious nature of the virus. Alongside, social, financial and religious repercussions of the pandemic have also heightened psychological distress among community members. However, community members were able to point out some of the coping mechanisms such as getting closer to God, connecting with family, participating in mental health sessions and resetting lives by indulging in diverse activities. Simultaneously, they also recommended the need for remote mental health services for elders and continuous efforts by the government to address the mental health needs of the community.ConclusionCOVID-19-associated mental health consequences have hit every individual in society. The study finding has the potential to guide the development of context-specific innovative mental health programmes to overcome the pandemic repercussions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naureen Akber Ali ◽  
Anam Shahil Feroz ◽  
Noshaba Ali ◽  
Ridah Feroz ◽  
Salima Nazim Meghani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly resulted in an increased level of anxiety and fear among the general population related to its management and infection spread. Due to the current unprecedented situation the normal routine life of every individual has been hindered which may cause florid mental distress. Considering the relevance of present circumstances we explored perceptions and attitudes of community members towards COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on their mental well-being. Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study using a purposive sampling approach, at two communities of Karachi, Pakistan. In-depth interviews were conducted with community members including, young adults, middle-age adults, and older adults of both genders. Study data was analyzed manually using the conventional content analysis technique. Results: A total of 27 in-depth interviews were conducted, between May and June, 2020. Three overarching themes were identified: (I) Impact of COVID-19 on mental health of the general communities; (II) Current coping mechanisms to adapt to the new reality; and (III) Recommendations to address mental health of communities. Generally community members underwent increased anxiety and fear due to the contagious nature of the virus. Alongside, social, financial and religious repercussions of the pandemic have also heightened psychological distress among community members. However, community members were able to point out some of the coping mechanisms such as getting closer to God, connecting with family, participating in mental health sessions and resetting lives by indulging in diverse activities. Simultaneously, they also recommended the need of remote mental health services for elders and continuous efforts by the government to address mental health needs of the community at larger scale.Conclusion: COVID-19-associated mental health consequences have hit every individual in the society. The study finding has the potentialto guide the development of context-specific innovative mental health programs to overcome the pandemic repercussions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052096923
Author(s):  
Mandy McKenzie ◽  
Kelsey L. Hegarty ◽  
Victoria J. Palmer ◽  
Laura Tarzia

Young women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are most likely to turn to their friends for help. Although friends can play a critical role in providing support, there is little research that examines friends’ experiences. In this qualitative study, we explored how friends of young women experiencing IPV perceived their role in responding to IPV in the context of friendship. We held in-depth interviews with 15 friends of young women who had experienced IPV and used reflexive thematic analysis to develop key themes from the data. We developed two overarching themes that reflected participants’ perceptions of the roles they had played or considered as a friend in responding to IPV: “taking action” (which included “providing an outsider’s view,” “being an advisor or coach,” “being a protector,” and “taking a stand”); and “being there” (which included “being a listener,” “being a companion” and “being an ally”). Their perceptions were shaped by friendship expectations, as well as by understandings of IPV. However, deciding what role to play in supporting their friend was constructed as challenging due to conflicting expectations that arose in the context of friendship. It involved balancing a perceived responsibility to do what they thought was best for their friend’s well-being, a need to promote honesty and mutuality in the friendship, along with a competing obligation to respect their friend’s choices, maintain her trust and ensure equality in the friendship. Being friends with the abuser as well as with the victim created additional complexities. Based on our findings, we identify key areas to address in developing interventions to assist friends to respond to young women experiencing IPV. These could guide friends on how to play an effective support role while also maintaining the friendship and managing the significant emotional impacts of providing help.


2021 ◽  
pp. 263208432110612
Author(s):  
Ni Wayan Septarini ◽  
Sharyn Burns ◽  
Bruce Maycock

Introduction The prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM (men who have sex with men) and transgender women (waria) in Bali is of significant public health concern. According to the 2015 Integrated Biological and Behavioural Survey (IBBS), HIV prevalence among MSM in Denpasar (the capital city of Bali) was 36% – the highest prevalence in this population reported nationally. In addition, 26% of MSM and 25% of waria in Indonesia were living with HIV in 2015. There is limited research examining the attitudes, behaviours and experiences of MSM in Indonesia, and specifically in Bali. This study will develop a model to help understand the social-cultural context, attitudes, behaviours, and experiences to inform interventions to increase safe sex practices amongst Indonesian MSM and waria who live in Bali. Methods and analysis The community-engaged research (CEnR) study, employing a sequential mixed-methods approach, will engage MSM and waria community throughout all five phases. The first two phases will include partnership building and exploratory research (focus group discussions/FGDs). Phase three will include the administration of a survey ( n = 374 Indonesian MSM and waria). Phases four and five include explanatory (in-depth interviews) and dissemination phases, respectively. Multivariate analysis will be employed for the quantitative data (the survey) and thematic analysis will be used to analyse the qualitative data (FGDs and in-depth interviews). Discussion The findings of this CEnR will inform culturally congruent interventions for organisation working with MSM and transgender to promote safer sexual health practice and improve general well-being of this community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ruiz-Eugenio ◽  
Ana Toledo del Cerro ◽  
Sara Gómez-Cuevas ◽  
Beatriz Villarejo-Carballido

Background: Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLG) are evidence-based interventions implemented in very diverse educational and health settings. The main elements that make DLG a co-creation intervention and promote health during the COVID-19 crisis lockdown are presented. This study focuses on the case of a DLG that is being promoted by an adult school in the city of Barcelona.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a communicative approach. Seven in-depth interviews with participants in the online DLG have been conducted. Five of them are women without higher education ranging from 56 to 85 years old and two are educators of this school.Results: The main results are 2-fold. First, the factors that make DLG a co-creation intervention, such as egalitarian dialogue and dialogical creation of knowledge in the decision-making process, are found. Second, the results show how DLG is contributing to creating a supportive environment that breaks the social isolation of confinement and improving the participants' psychological and social well-being.Conclusions: The findings from this study contribute to generating knowledge about a co-creation process between adult education participants and educators in education and health promotion during the COVID-19 lockdown, which could be replicated in other contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ozan Güler ◽  
Murat İsmet Haseki

This study aims to explore the positive psychological effects of culinary experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown days. Qualitative research methods adopted to provide a deeper understanding. Data was collected through a structured online survey from 30 participants in Turkey. This occurred between April 10th and June 3rd, 2020 when the strict confinement measures were applied. Content analysis was deductively applied according to the Stebbins’s Theory of Casual vs. Serious Leisure which classifies the well-being according to characteristics of leisure experiences. The results revealed that at the first stage people went into the kitchen with the motivation of pure happiness and relaxation indicating hedonic well-being. However, people who intended to spend time with culinary activities with the expectations of pure happiness left the kitchen with eudaimonic outcomes by gaining special skills and knowledge, self-actualization and self-enrichment. When these outcomes are evaluated based on the Stebbins’s theoretical framework, culinary activities have both casual and serious leisure experience characteristics in terms of psychological well-being. It is understood that culinary activities have versatile leisure characteristics. Thanks to the culinary activities, people do not only obtain pure happiness and relaxation but can draw wider inferences about their life by realizing their own potential during the psychologically challenging COVID-19 lockdown days.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13010
Author(s):  
Anja Scheurich ◽  
Alexandra Penicka ◽  
Stefan Hörtenhuber ◽  
Thomas Lindenthal ◽  
Elisabeth Quendler ◽  
...  

Proponents of hay milk farming claim several benefits on an ecological and economic level, while little about the social aspects has been studied so far. The present study serves as a first exploration of certain aspects of social sustainability from the perspective of hay milk farmers. The results of an online survey of 284 Austrian hay milk farmers are presented. The statistical analyses included Fisher’s exact tests (contingency tables), Kendall’s rank correlations and a two-step cluster analysis. The sampled farms show positive attitudes toward the work in agriculture (e.g., contribution to the cultural landscape) and are mainly satisfied regarding several job aspects (e.g., occupational diversity), but to a great extent dissatisfied with others (e.g., social recognition, time resources). The critical stressors are the agricultural policy, the economic situation, too little time for partnership or family life as well as bureaucracy and work overload. Multiple medium associations between aspects of well-being are revealed. Obvious and meaningful relationships between farm characteristics and aspects of well-being are scarce. The cluster analysis does little to help explain the characteristics of well-being within the patterns of farms. It therefore seems that the perception of the investigated aspects of well-being on hay milk farms is mostly formed individually and is only associated with the farms’ characteristics to a certain degree.


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