The Disease of Language and the Language of Disease

Author(s):  
JAMES W. FERNANDEZ

This chapter raises some of the interlinked matters that have been very much at issue in press, television, and the world wide web since September 11. First is the role of the imagination itself, and of the unimaginable, in experiencing and categorising what we have difficulty understanding, and its role in our coming to terms with and coping with difficult matters of any kind. Second are the social interaction processes of categorisation and re-categorisation. Third is the contribution to our understanding provided by attention to the play of tropes in social life, and to the importance of tropology to our anthropology. Fourth are the multitude of moral issues and their claim upon our actions and reactions: the morality present in religious fundamentalism, for example. But also now under intense and renewed debate is the morality of political assassination, of racial profiling, of the employ of weapons of mass destruction. And fifth, in all of this and everywhere we find the disease of reification/entification of our newly realised world historical problem, the increasing disparity of well being. These are the diseases of language investigated here.

Nursing Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Chehrazi ◽  
Mahbobeh Faramarzi ◽  
Somayeh Abdollahi ◽  
Maria Esfandiari ◽  
Shiva Shafie rizi

Author(s):  
Quan Gao ◽  
Orlando Woods ◽  
Xiaomei Cai

This paper explores how the intersection of masculinity and religion shapes workplace well-being by focusing on Christianity and the social construction of masculinity among factory workers in a city in China. While existing work on public and occupational health has respectively acknowledged masculinity’s influences on health and the religious and spiritual dimensions of well-being, there have been limited efforts to examine how variegated, and especially religious, masculinities influence people’s well-being in the workplace. Drawing on ethnography and in-depth interviews with 52 factory workers and 8 church leaders and factory managers, we found that: (1) Variegated masculinities were integrated into the factory labor regime to produce docile and productive bodies of workers. In particular, the militarized and masculine cultures in China’s factories largely deprived workers of their dignity and undermined their well-being. These toxic masculinities were associated with workers’ depression and suicidal behavior. (2) Christianity not only provided social and spiritual support for vulnerable factory workers, but also enabled them to construct a morally superior Christian manhood that phytologically empowered them and enhanced their resilience to exploitation. This paper highlights not only the gender mechanism of well-being, but also the ways religion mediates the social-psychological construction of masculinity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110441
Author(s):  
Cristina Maria Bostan ◽  
Tudor Stanciu ◽  
Răzvan-Lucian Andronic

Concordant with classical theoretical guidelines (i.e., social facilitation, social constructivism theory, and the Pygmalion effect) we tested the need for competition and perception of being valued by teachers to be better motivated for learning in school. We extend knowledge by testing these associations mediated by the social economic status given by the well-being of the family (i.e., controlling for gender and socio-economic status). A total of 214 Romanian students (45.3% boys) with ages between 13 and 17 years were administered the PEER questionnaire (i.e., perception of being valued by teachers, school-children motivation, and the need for competition). Results show a positive relation between the need for competition and motivation for learning. We also found positive relations between the perception of being valued by the teacher and motivation for learning and the need for competition. We conclude that motivation is higher when the need for competition is higher and the perception of being valued by teachers is higher.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leodoro J. Labrague ◽  
Cherry Ann Ballad

AbstractBackgroundThe lockdown measures imposed by many countries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have been useful in slowing the transmission of the disease; however, there is growing concern regarding their adverse consequences on overall health and well-being, particularly among young people. To date, most studies have focused on the mental health consequences of the lockdown measures, while studies assessing how this disease control measure influences the occurrence of fatigue are largely absent.AimThe aims of this study are two-fold: (a) to examine the levels of lockdown fatigue, and (2) to determine the role of coping behaviours, personal resilience, psychological well-being and perceived health in fatigue associated to the lockdown measure.MethodsThis is an online cross-sectional study involving 243 college students in the Central Philippines during the sixth month of the lockdown measure implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five standardised scales were used to collect the data.ResultsOverall, college students reported moderate levels of lockdown fatigue, with a mean score of 31.54 (out of 50). Physical exhaustion or tiredness, headaches and body pain, decreased motivation and increased worry were the most pronounced manifestations of fatigue reported. Gender and college year were identified as important predictors of fatigue. Increased personal resilience and coping skills were associated with lower levels of lockdown fatigue.ConclusionCollege students experience moderate levels of fatigue during the mandatory lockdown or home confinement period. Resilient students and those who perceive higher social support experience lower levels of fatigue during the lockdown period compared to students with low resilience and social support. Lockdown fatigue may be addressed by formulating and implementing interventions to enhance personal resilience and social support among college students.


ASKETIK ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Puji Laksono

Religious fundamentalism that leads to the action of religious radicalism becomes a common event that must be prevented. Religion that should be the source of love, peace, and salvation in human life is used as an instrument of abomination. This can be seen from the recent events of global terrorism acts today. This research has a theme about the role of Pesantren Nurul Ummah in preventing religious fundamentalism-radicalism which is a the form of acts of terrorism. The purpose of this research is to know how the role of Pesantren Nurul Ummah in preventing religious fundamentalism-radicalism in the form of acts of terrorism. This research was conducted on foreign students at Pesantren Nurul Ummah, Kembang Belor, Pacet, Mojokerto. The method used is qualitative The theory used is the Social Construction theory of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann. Data were collected through direct observation and in-depth interviews. The validity of the data was done by using triangulation. The results of this study indicate that the root problem of religious fundamentalism that led to the action of religious radicalism, can be seen from the aspect of a shallow religious understanding. The teachings of Islam contained in the Qur’an and Hadith in their understanding are not adapted to the social context. The role of pesantren in preventing religious fundamentalism radicalism, namely by playing the three functions. Among other religious functions, by giving an understanding of the text of the Qur’an and Hadith in accordance with its context, which is called asbab al-nuzul or asbab al-wurud. Then the function of education, by inculcating social values, such as the value of nationalism and pluralism. And the last is the social function, namely to equip students with social activities related to society. Keywords: Pesantren, religious fundamentalism, Islam.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria José Ferreira ◽  
Rui Sofia ◽  
David F. Carreno ◽  
Nikolett Eisenbeck ◽  
Inês Jongenelen ◽  
...  

The global COVID-19 pandemic crisis has caused an unprecedented impact on most areas of people’s lives. Thus, framed within the scope of Existential Positive Psychology (PP2.0), this study aimed at assessing the psychological distress of adults living in Portugal during the first national lockdown, how they are coping with stress, as well to contribute to a deeper understanding about the role that positivity, experiential avoidance, and coping strategies have in psychological distress and well-being. For this purpose, 586 Portuguese adults (73% females) ranging between 18 and 78 years old (M = 38.96, SD = 12.20) completed an online survey during the initial phase of the pandemic crisis in Portugal. Findings suggest that experiential avoidance was the strongest predictor of a negative response (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and negative emotions), whereas positivity was a better predictor of psychological well-being and lower levels of depression. Additionally, self-blame, behavioral disengagement, and emotional venting were strong risk factors for psychological distress, whereas positive reframing, planning, and acceptance were associated with more positive outcomes. These findings highlight the critical role of experiential avoidance on individuals’ psychological distress and the essential contribution of positive life orientation in promoting flourishing. By offering a better understanding of the complex navigation through the dialectics between positive and negative life features, this study provides important and useful cues for psychological interventions directed at promoting a more positive and adaptive human functioning even through such potential adverse and painful life events.


KWALON ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thaddeus Müller

Beyond navel-gazing and narcissism.Ferrell’s auto-ethnography as part of ethnography Beyond navel-gazing and narcissism.Ferrell’s auto-ethnography as part of ethnography The labeling of auto-ethnography as navel-gazing does not do justice to the variety with which auto-ethnography is applied. A distinction should be made between emotional and analytical auto-ethnography. In the first form the central person of the researcher plays the central role, in the second auto-ethnography is applied to get a better understanding of the social world which is being studied. In this article the author discusses the second approach by using the work of Jeff Ferrell. Ferrell is a well-known cultural criminologist, who focuses critically on the cultural understanding of social life. By looking at how Ferrell applies auto-ethnography, insight is gained into the added value of this method for qualitative studies: (1) the integration of the personal experiences of researchers in texts in order to achieve a richer description of the social worlds they explore, (2) making explicit the role of the researcher in publications, and (3) developing new (more appealing) forms of representation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-40
Author(s):  
D.A. Bistiakina ◽  
◽  
T.V. Soloveva ◽  
E.G. Pankova ◽  
◽  
...  

the article presents the results of the author’s research carried out within the framework of the scientific project “Transforming the social well-being of war veterans in the context of Russian transformations at the regional level”, analyzing the social well-being of older people during the period of the introduction of the forced self-isolation regime due to the danger of the spread of coronavirus infection. The role of state and public social organizations in mitigating the consequences of forced self-isolation of older people is revealed.


Author(s):  
Alan Ryan

This chapter describes a “dramatistic,” “dramatic,” or “dramaturgical” approach to the study of social interaction. It asks whether the dramaturgical model insists on the theatricality of social life merely in the sense of insisting that people fill roles just as persons act parts in a play. This is the question of whether the crucial element in the dramaturgical picture is that cluster of insights that goes under the general heading of “role distance.” The chapter considers the peculiarities of rational explanation and about the role of reconstructions of “the thing to do” other than the role of explaining an action or series of actions by focusing on voting behavior in the terms proposed by Anthony Downs's An Economic Theory of Democracy. It also examines some recent accounts of the phenomenon of suicide, along with the rationality principle, which Karl Popper calls “false but indispensable” to the social sciences.


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