scholarly journals Getting personal: investigating how living with universal credit affects emotions and identities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sophia Constance Negus

This thesis investigates the impacts of Universal Credit (UC) on emotions, wellbeing, identities, and the ‘self’. The findings are of growing importance as increasing numbers of people are receiving UC. Six million people now engage with a ‘violent’ system (Cooper and Whyte, 2017) which pushes people further from the labour market, society, health, and their ‘self’. UC introduced radical changes to British working-age social security, with aims to ‘simplify’ the system, reduce costs and fraud, and ‘make work pay’. Since launching in 2013, there has been growing evidence on the negative impacts of UC, yet, little is known about the impact UC has on emotions, wellbeing, identities, and the ‘self’, a gap in knowledge this thesis addresses. A geographically bound case-study was adopted using semi-structured interviews and participant-solicited diaries to investigate the diverse realities and impacts of UC. The analytical framework utilises several concepts and theories, drawing upon Elias (1994) as it is argued UC is a ‘civilising offensive’ (Powell, 2013), and Goffman (1997/2007) to explore the impacts on identities. This thesis provides empirical contributions to knowledge surrounding the extent and severity of the impacts of UC on emotions and the ‘self’. The research found that harm inflicted from UC carries serious consequences and the experiences indicate a systemic erosion of people, lives, and possibilities. The findings demonstrate how UC is experienced as dehumanizing and destabilising of emotions, wellbeing and the ‘self’. It provides important insights into how people respond to UC and the significant resources spent on ‘self-management’ as individuals attempt to preserve their identities which are under threat from institutional scrutiny, stigma and increasing poverty. Therefore, this thesis provides an important contribution to knowledge surrounding the corrosive nature of UC.

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 576-587
Author(s):  
Leonardo P. O. A. Campos ◽  
Fernando Oliveira de Araujo ◽  
Raynne Suzano de Freitas ◽  
Chrystyane Gerth Silveira Abreu

Highlights: Development of partnership with local entities for integrated social actions; Actions and projects are developed as close as possible to the public audience; Participation in meetings and community councils; Establishment of constant dialog between social management and community leaders; Dialog with public entities; Work communication with all the impacts caused by the implementation of the megaproject, according to the affected area. Goal: Analyze, through a case study, what were the effects resulting from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the territory of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, and how they were perceived by the stakeholders during and after the performance. Design / Methodology / Approach: On-site open and participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and on-site questionnaires and descriptive statistics Results: A series of consequences were triggered, affecting each of the different stakeholders in different ways. Limitations of the investigation: Megaprojects promote mutually positive and negative impacts concerning the local stakeholders and their multiple and different perceptions. Thus, results cannot be generalized. Practical implications: Fragmentation of the megaproject, heterogeneity, and perceptions of different stakeholders Originality / Value: Practices that are sensitive to the stakeholders’ engagement and impacts perceived.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 668-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke E Vandenberg ◽  
Jenny Advocat ◽  
Craig Hassed ◽  
Jennifer Hester ◽  
Joanne Enticott ◽  
...  

Abstract Despite emerging evidence suggesting positive outcomes of mindfulness training for the self-management of other neurodegenerative diseases, limited research has explored its effect on the self-management of Parkinson’s disease (PD). We aimed to characterize the experiences of individuals participating in a facilitated, group mindfulness-based lifestyle program for community living adults with Stage 2 PD and explore how the program influenced beliefs about self-management of their disease. Our longitudinal qualitative study was embedded within a randomized controlled trial exploring the impact of a 6-week mindfulness-based lifestyle program on patient-reported function. The study was set in Melbourne, Australia in 2012–2013. We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants before, immediately after, and 6 months following participation in the program. Sixteen participants were interviewed prior to commencing the program. Of these, 12 were interviewed shortly after its conclusion, and 9 interviewed at 6 months. Prior to the program, participants felt a lack of control over their illness. A desire for control and a need for alternative tools for managing the progression of PD motivated many to engage with the program. Following the program, where participants experienced an increase in mindfulness, many became more accepting of disease progression and reported improved social relationships and self-confidence in managing their disease. Mindfulness-based lifestyle programs have the potential for increasing both participants’ sense of control over their reactions to disease symptoms as well as social connectedness. Community-based mindfulness training may provide participants with tools for self-managing a number of the consequences of Stage 2 PD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-78
Author(s):  
Mafalda Maria de Medeiros Anderson ◽  
Elza Fátima Rosa Veloso ◽  
Leonardo Nelmi Trevisan ◽  
Silvio Roberto Stefani

Purpose – This article analyzes the career transition of middle-aged professionals, according to three factors: identity transition, transition drivers and resources triggered in transition.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research, developed from semi-structured interviews with professionals between 35 and 54 years old. Content analysis was used in the evaluation categories and in the definition of the interview categories.Findings – It was demonstrated, in part by the interviewees, the construction of expectations that alternated the accomplishment of a dream, with cycles of anguish, especially for the financial aspects involved. The subjective factors of the transition process appeared in the interviews, both due to the conflict between the search for personal satisfaction in the new career and the safety flow of the previous one, as well as the complex balance between personal and professional life during the transition.Research limitations/implications – The sampling has no mathematical or statistical basis, preventing the generalization of its results. A quantitative study is recommended to understand how the transition occurs in middle-aged professionals, analyzing a large number of respondents.Practical implications – For middle-aged professionals, this study suggests the need for planning in the career transition phase and the assimilation of the self-management logic as a definitive career dynamic.Social implications - Companies must recognize the impact of career transitions on retaining professionals.Originality/value - This article contributes on the elucidation of the main drivers and resources available for the career transition of middle-aged professionals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696929
Author(s):  
Jill Mitchell

BackgroundThere is an emerging debate that general practice in its current format is out-dated and there is a requirement to move to a federated model of provision where groups of Practices come together. The emergence of federations has developed over the past 5 years but the factors that influence how federations develop and the impact of this new model is an under researched area.AimThe study explored the rationale around why a group of independent GP practices opted to pursue an alternative business venture and the benefits that this strategy offered.MethodA single organisational case study of a federation in the North of England was conducted between 2011–2016. Mixed methods data collection included individual and group semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys.ResultsFederations promote collaborative working, relying on strategic coherence of multiple individual GP practices through a shared vision and common purpose. Findings revealed many complexities in implementing a common strategy across multiple independent businesses. The ability of the federation to gain legitimacy was two dimensional – externally and internally. The venture had mixed successes, but their approach to quality improvement proved innovative and demonstrated outcomes on a population basis. The study identified significant pressures that practices were experiencing and the need to seek alternative ways of working but there was no shared vision or inclination to relinquish individual practice autonomy.ConclusionOrganisational development support is critical to reform General Practice. Whether central funding through the GP Five Year Forward View will achieve the scale of change required is yet to be evidenced.


Author(s):  
Rizki Mohamed

The Tagueleft basin is geographically located in the northern edges of the Middle High Atlas, which is a geomorphological fragile area. The impact of human activity has accelerated water erosion in this mountains area. This is reflected in dynamic and unstable foothills, a decrease in forests density and degradation in the production of the land. On the other hand, land degradation due to human overexploitation of natural resources has increased land degradation in the area. The interest in the risk of erosion on the foothills in the area under study comes in the context of our contribution to clarify the role of geomatical and geomorphological approaches in explaining and identifying the mechanisms responsible for current foothills dynamism through water erosion and its negative impacts on the environment and local development. The aim of the study was to use the EPM (Erosion Potential Méthod) which is formulated by Slobodan Gavrilovic for erosion in mountainous areas and to test the reliability of its results based on fieldwork and remote sensing data. The results of the erosion assessment and its quantification by applying the coefficient (W) for the theoretical model in the area under study have shown that erosion is very important and it touches on wide areas as it appears through the domain classification of the distribution erosion in Tagueleft basin.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Ljungkvist ◽  
Börje Boers ◽  
Joachim Samuelsson

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the development of the five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) over time by taking a founder’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on an in-depth single-case study. It combines semi-structured interviews in the company with archival data, such as annual reports, press clips and interviews in business magazines. Findings The results indicate that the EO dimensions change from being personalized and directly solution-oriented to being intangible value-creation-oriented. Originality/value By suggesting ownership-based EO configurations, this study contributes insights into how different ownership forms propel EO. These configurations – that is, personal, administrative based and intangible focused – show the impact of the EO dimensions and provide a systematic and theoretical understanding of EO change over time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-123
Author(s):  
Mita Sri Handayani ◽  
Muhammad Nur Wangid ◽  
Andre Julius

The background of the current study is the urgency of possessing good social cognition to adapt to the social changes that are happening quickly. Weak social cognition makes individuals less in empathy, aggressive or unhappy in their daily life. The link between self-management and social cognition lies in cognitive adjustment. Hence, the authors think it is important to do research that focuses on the implementation of counseling with self-management techniques in developing social cognition. The authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-management in improving social cognition. The present study used one group pretest-posttest quasi-experiment. We invited 10 students from Universitas Ma'soem, Indonesia to participate in the experiment. They were selected based on a low social cognition score after filling the self-report of nineteen items social cognition scale. The results showed counseling with self-management techniques effective in improving university students' social cognition. Besides, limitations and recommendations are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-221
Author(s):  
Rafaqat Ali ◽  
Furrukh Bashir ◽  
Rashid Ahmad

The current study was heading for determining the impact of Pakistani university students’ socioeconomic classes on their personality traits. Demographic and personality questionnaires were filled by available university students online. The stepwise regression technique facilitated to generate regression models to define impacts of different socioeconomic classes on students’ different personality traits. Different regression models highlighted the significant negative impacts of the middle upper socioeconomic class on Agreeableness, Extraversion and Neuroticism personality traits. The lower socioeconomic class was found to have positive impact on only one personality sub-trait self-discipline. Whereas, the upper lower socioeconomic class caused positive impacts on students’ trust sub-trait, Conscientiousness trait and negative impact on excitement seeking sub-trait of personality. The importance of these impacts of socioeconomic classes on different personality traits and the possible implications are discussed with respect to university students’ academic performance and academic behaviour.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Singkham Lueyeevang

<p>Over the last decade, construction of hydropower dams has increased rapidly around the world, including in developing countries. For many countries including Laos, energy production and export play a significant role in promoting and boosting economic growth and development. Energy production generates substantial revenue and foreign exchange from exporting electricity and expands economic activity domestically. However, construction of hydropower dams also causes negative effects on the people who live at and around the dam site. Some local communities have been affected indirectly, while others require relocation to other areas bringing significant change, including for women. This research explores the impact of resettlement from hydropower dam creation on women by using the Nam Mang 3 hydropower dam in central Laos as a case study. This dam, completed in 2005, required the relocation of approximately 150 households from two villages at the dam site. The research draws on a social constructivist epistemology, qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, and analysis of relevant policy documents. Interviews involved 18 participants including both male and female from the three affected villages. Results indicate that the resettlement of villagers by the Nam Mang 3 hydropower dam has generally improved living conditions of the resettled communities. Women were found to have greater opportunities to benefit from home-based business, employment and wage labouring. In addition, with better access to modern facilities and services, women have been able to save greater time from agricultural activities and divert this time saving to other economic activities. Overall, access to water supplies, roads, and transport have reduced women’s workload significantly. Access to improved health services and facilities have also improved women’s wellbeing. Girls have greater opportunities to attend school and seek employment in towns. However, this research identified some challenges experienced by the resettled such as the reduction of agricultural and grazing land area, and that new livelihood options were not accessible to all women. Instead of these challenges, the experience with the Nam Mang 3 hydropower project has highlighted one of the key lessons learnt that is worth highlighting for future resettlement programs, which is to have the resettlers fully engaged in the entire process of resettlement and livelihood strategy development.</p>


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