Why Anxious People Lean to the Left on Economic Policy: Personality, Social Exclusion, and Redistribution

We presented a brief review of studies identifying mechanisms associated with selfdefeating (or self-destruction) patterns. The latter patterns are defined as any deliberate or intentional beliefs and behaviors that have negative effects on the self or on the self’s projects. It is reviewed studies examining self-esteem, threatened egotism, deservingness, and social exclusion entailing self-defeating patterns. A recent literature witnesses that a low level of selfesteem can lead to self-defeating patterns. Second source is threatened egotism. Self-defeating responses are especially common when people feel that others may perceive them less favorably than the people desire. Two variables related to self-esteem may mostly tap vulnerability to ego threats. One is narcissism as inflated or exaggerated favorable views of self. Another is unstable self-esteem. Third source of self-defeat is deservingness. Much theorizing and research of it is originating with Just World Theory. It indicates that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get. The general idea is that, to the extent people might adopt various self-defeating beliefs and behaviors following the experience of misfortune because people feel compelled to view misfortune. Fourth source of self-defeat is social exclusion. It relies on the assumption that the need to belong is one of the most basic human motivations. Then so being excluded from social relationships would be a potentially powerful blow. The social exclusion leads to anxiety, depression, jealousy, loneliness, low self-esteem, fear of social rejection and exclusion. In conclusion, it is worth noting that self-esteem, threatened egotism, deservingness, and social exclusion appear along the interpersonal axis Self – Others relationships yet in various biases. Thus, our claim is that mechanisms associated with selfdefeating patterns would be heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. Besides, our assumption is that self-defeating patterns would be based on a common resource. It would combine selfesteem, threatened egotism, deservingness, and social exclusion as some portions of commonality. Then, some perspective can be delineated to move from one-dimensional questionnaires to multidimensional ones to measure self-defeating patterns and to construct a new theory of self-defeating beliefs and behaviors.

Considering differences in support systems and socioeconomic characteristics, findings from studies of high-income nations could be biased if generalized to population of low- and middle-income countries. Insights into roles of social support in socioeconomic characteristics and health relationships are valuable for health interventions targeting older adults in low-resource communities, such as rural Cambodia, but such knowledge remains unexplored. This study examined mediating roles of social and welfare support in associations between socioeconomic characteristics and health among older Cambodians. Data came from a 2019 survey of older Cambodians age 60 and older (N=220) living in three rural provinces. Dependent variables included health complaints and psychological well-being index. Independent variables were wealth index derived from household items and living conditions, and subjective socioeconomic characteristic derived from three self-perceived economic circumstances. Social support and welfare support were operationalized using Social Support and Social Network scale and status of welfare assistance, respectively. Mediation analysis using Structural Equation Modeling substantiated a full mediation effect of social support on the relationship between subjective socioeconomic characteristic and psychological health. A partial mediation of social support was also found in the subjective characteristic and physical health relationship. However, no mediation was found in relationships between wealth index and health. Welfare support did not mediate any relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and both health outcomes. Healthy aging interventions in low-resource settings could benefit from improving existing support system of family and friends, which may buffer the impact of economically negative self-image on one’s health and well-being in the community.

現今，失業問題已成為全球性的議題，也成為一種普遍的社會經驗，而電視 媒體紛紛以「失業悲歌」為標題描寫失業家庭的崩解與破碎，亦道出個人的失業 問題不僅對其自身產生影響，也進一步造成家庭系統的變動和失衡。回顧國內歷 年來針對失業議題進行的研究，可發現較少探究失業此壓力事件對家庭產生的轉 變和家庭如何對此壓力做出因應，故本研究以負擔家計者失業的家庭為研究對 象，分析家庭因失業所面臨的問題與生活轉變，以及家庭的壓力因應經驗，期從 中瞭解失業家庭的深切需要和真實的生活樣貌。 本研究採取質化研究深度訪談法，透過立意抽樣的方式，訪談6 個家中有就 學或就托子女的失業家庭，除以失業者為必要受訪對象，並視其家庭結構及受訪 意願，納入其它家庭成員作為訪談對象。研究發現在後工業化和全球化的影響 下，就業躍升為一新社會風險，影響所及不再限於傳統弱勢人口群和底層階級， 各階級、年齡和性別間皆存在一定的就業風險。此外，失業為家庭帶來牽一髮而 動全身的轉變，影響層面不僅是家庭經濟的匱乏、成員生心理健康、家庭內部次 系統間的互動模式，更擴及家庭和其它外在系統的互動關係、社會參與以及社會 保險制度和政策方案的使用情形，家庭所經歷的生活轉變某種程度上為一種社會 排除經驗，彼此間交互影響，環環相扣。最後，研究發現相同的危機事件，家庭 的因應經驗各不相同，首先，家庭成員乃透過外在和內在因素共同建構對失業的 認知經驗，包括個人過往工作經驗、個人和公司互動經驗、人格特質、工作價值 觀以及性別；第二，家庭在面對失業危機時，乃採取認知、心理情緒、資源交錯 運用的因應作為，且因應乃一動態的歷程非恆常不變，另就家庭如何運用和管理 內外在資源以因應失業危機，可將失業家庭分為「資源匱乏型」、「資源自足型」、「善用外部資源型」3 種因應類型；第三，家庭的因應結果不盡相同，可能引發另一波危機，也可能化危機為轉機，若以「經濟狀況」和「自我落差」此兩向度呈現家庭的因應結果，可將失業家庭分為「經濟自立，自我落差明顯」、「依靠社會福利支撐，自我落差明顯」、「依靠社會福利支撐，自我不落差明顯」三種型態。 依據研究發現，本研究在政策制度面和社會工作實務面分別做出建議，在政 策制度面建議檢討勞動政策，包括保障從事非典型工作者和關廠工人的勞動權 益、再檢討就業服務和職業訓練，另放寬取得社會救助和福利服務的資格，以及 政策規畫應納入反社會排除理念。於社會工作實務方面，落實以家庭為中心的服 務思維並納入家庭生命週期的思考，並建立跨單位的合作與轉介機制，而基層服 務工作者應提供「套裝式」的服務資訊，以及關注失業者和其它家庭成員的情緒 壓力和心理狀態。

Drawing on the social support hypothesis, this paper examines social supports available to a sample of student parents in a small city in Southern Ontario and how they experienced and valued those supports. Our wider research project investigated the experiences of young student parents enrolled in an alternative high school, particularly looking at the effectiveness of a newly introduced mentorship program. Following protocols approved by our university’s Research Ethics Board, we conducted up to three qualitative, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 11 female student parents before, during, and after the summer closure of their high school program (29 interviews in total), most of whom were working-class, white, and heterosexual. In this study, we explore three questions: (1) what challenges do student parents experience in their daily lives; (2) when and where do student parents receive supports, and what form do these supports take; and (3) how do student parents perceive and value these supports? Using thematic analysis, we identified that participants experienced daily challenges due to a lack of mental health supports, adequate housing, childcare, and time. Six spheres of social support were shared by most of our participants: friendships, family members, intimate relationships, relationship with child/ren, mentorship, and program support. These spheres provided a variety of the three types of support distinguished by the social support hypothesis (i.e., emotional/social, tangible, and informational). Implications for the design of programs aiming to meaningfully support the well-being of student parents are discussed.

The second chapter introduces the evolutionary perspective on social cognition, emphasizing the prioritorizing of survival and reproduction as basic human motives. It then describes an example of the interaction between genes and environment that directs evolution, before considering the universality of emotions as an example of the product of evolutionary pressures shaped by social motives that stem from the basic human motives. It then addresses the how and why questions surrounding humans’ advanced social and intellectual abilities, pinpointing spontaneous social cognition and gesture and language respectively. It then explores modern environmental pressures that continue to guide human beings’ social and intellectual evolution.

Abstract. The comparative welfare state literature contends that different welfare state structures engender different structures of welfare state support. The argument is that social welfare regimes that distribute their benefits selectively tend to produce patterns of support graduated by the likelihood of accessing these selective (or ‘targeted’) social benefits, especially as indexed by social class. Where benefits are universally distributed, by contrast, support is expected to be more consensual and to cut across class and related cleavages. This article empirically tests this ‘interest‐based’ account and extends it by adding a ‘values‐based’ component. The authors find that the impact of both interests and values – specifically, orientations toward the capitalist system – on welfare state support is conditional on welfare state structures. It is argued that these results help to resolve a paradox in the comparative welfare state literature: strong evidence for differentiation in social welfare support by program type, but weak evidence for differentiation in class effects by program type. Data for the analysis come from the Canadian Election Studies of 1993, 1997 and 2000.

The objective of the present study was to examine the respective contribution of job stress dimensions (work demands, job control, and social support at work), personality traits (neuroticism and alexithymia), and psychological distress (anxiety and depression) to somatization in a population of nurses. Therefore, a number of logistic regression analyses were conducted, with the presence versus absence of three functional somatic syndromes (functional dyspepsia (FD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and idiopathic chronic fatigue (CF) and current somatization, defined as the presence of at least two medically unexplained symptoms (median number of symptoms for the sample) and four medically unexplained symptoms (highest quartile for the sample) during the past month, as the outcome variables. The results pointed out that job stress dimensions significantly and independently contributed to IBS (job control) and CF (work demands). The personality trait neuroticism was a significant predictor of both current somatization and functional somatic syndromes, whereas alexithymia primarily predicted the presence of more severe and/or more enduring forms of somatization. Finally, three out of five outcome variables were predicted by psychological distress. Future studies should examine (a) to what extent distinct patterns of associations can be found between specific job stress dimensions on the one hand, and specific functional somatic syndromes on the other and (b) the potential interaction between job stress and personality dimensions in determining somatization. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study examined the effects of three sources of perceived social support and four coping strategies on measures of negative affect among 44 hospitalized and nonhospitalized women with breast or gynecological cancer undergoing radiation therapy. The results showed different patterns of relations between the variables in the two groups of patients. Among hospitalized patients, support from medical staff and family and problem-oriented coping were the most significant predictors of negative affect. Among nonhospitalized patients, the most significant predictors of negative affect were family support, physical isolation/suppression of emotions, and avoidance coping. The results concerning the relationship between social support and coping strategies among hospitalized patients showed that support from medical staff was a positive predictor of problem-oriented coping, whereas friends' support was a negative predictor of physical isolation/suppression of emotions among nonhospitalized patients. Although the hypothesis of social support as coping assistance was confirmed to some extent, the results suggest that social support does not exert its effects of reducing negative affect predominantly through coping strategies; its effects are direct. Because of the different patterns of relations stemming from the different situational demands of the two social settings, the authors propose two different models that emphasize the importance of accounting for the different settings when examining stress and the coping process.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between social support coping mechanisms and mental health among people with disabilities using a case study of Namungalwe sub county, Iganga district, Eastern Uganda. The study was guided by one research objective namely; to find out the impact of social support coping mechanisms on mental health among people with disabilities in Namungalwe sub county in Iganga district. The study employed the use of a cross-sectional descriptive research design which involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The sample totaled 100 individuals including guardians of individuals with disabilities, community development officers, and town management committees. These were purposely and randomly selected. Data was gathered via questionnaires and interview guides. According to study findings, there was a number of challenges faced by people with disabilities in Namungalwe sub county in Iganga district include PWDs facing discrimination and social exclusion, inaccessibility to healthcare services, employment opportunities and financial assistance plus collateral to secure financial loan services; also PWDs faced a challenge of inadequate social support assistance. Further, the study revealed that there was a significant positive impact of social support coping mechanisms on mental health among people with disabilities including social support assisting PWDs in providing positive living sessions hence reviving hope and that social support mechanisms improved one’s self esteem and felt a positive attitude toward self. The study findings revealed that there was a number of recommendations on mental health among people with disabilities in Namungalwe sub county in Iganga district including implementing community-based programs to foster social inclusion and support networks positively to enhance mental health outcomes; to incorporate mental health education into disability support services helps PWDs better understand the importance of mental health and available resources. In the end, it was recommended that there is need to include people with disabilities in leadership committees which will help raise their voices because they are in the category of the most marginalized individuals in the society.

Mental health, social integration and support of informal caregivers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based representative study from Germany

The effect of social activity and social support on life satisfaction in older adults: Mediating role of social exclusion and moderating role of working status.

Do politically irrelevant events influence important policy opinions? Previous research on social welfare attitudes has emphasized the role of political factors such as economic self-interest and ideology. Here, we demonstrate that attitudes to social welfare are also influenced by short-term fluctuations in hunger. Using theories in evolutionary psychology, we predict that hungry individuals will be greedier and take more resources from others while also attempting to induce others to share by signaling cooperative intentions and expressing support for sharing, including evolutionarily novel forms of sharing such as social welfare. We test these predictions using self-reported hunger data as well as comparisons of subjects who participated in relevant online studies before and after eating lunch. Across four studies collected in two different welfare regimes — the UK and Denmark — we consistently find that hungry individuals act in a greedier manner but describe themselves as more cooperative and express greater support for social welfare.

Do politically irrelevant events influence important policy opinions? Previous research on social welfare attitudes has emphasized the role of political factors such as economic self‐interest and ideology. Here, we demonstrate that attitudes to social welfare are also influenced by short‐term fluctuations in hunger. Using theories in evolutionary psychology, we predict that hungry individuals will be greedier and take more resources from others while also attempting to induce others to share by signaling cooperative intentions and expressing support for sharing, including evolutionarily novel forms of sharing such as social welfare. We test these predictions using self‐reported hunger data as well as comparisons of subjects who participated in relevant online studies before and after eating lunch. Across four studies collected in two different welfare regimes—the United Kingdom and Denmark—we consistently find that hungry individuals act in a greedier manner but describe themselves as more cooperative and express greater support for social welfare.

One of the significant features and characteristics of the 'post Keynesian' shift in the welfare state or settlement is the emergence of 'workfare' as a dominant policy regime. Workfare involves supply side economic and social policy in the management of the unemployed and reserve army of labour. Social benefits are increasingly conditional on the unemployed participating in employment and training programmes. These policies are related to a dominant neo liberal politics whereby the market, including 'employability' and work, is seen as a route out of social exclusion. The thesis explores this theme through a comparison of two diverse welfare systems - the UK and Denmark. Through a comparative analysis, the thesis explores how far workfare is in fact a new 'mode of social regulation' or constitutes just a key element of restructuring of the contemporary welfare state. Two central elements of welfare restructuring are explored. First relates to the decentralisation of policies to different spatial scales: localities, cities and regions. Two case studies are chosen, Sheffield (UK) and Aalborg (OK), to explore the dynamics of spatial resealing of welfare and the politics of geographical uneven development, revealing that the local is a site for innovation and adaptation and as a consequence plays a crucial role in mediating national policy production. Second, as welfare is a social construction, political agency and actors within welfare-work policy regimes such as trade unions, community and social movements are of central importance to contesting and negotiating workfare at different spatial scales, including the locality. The central argument of the thesis is that 'localisation' as such involves the production of new welfare spaces which is inherently contradictory, unstable, prone to crisis and contested. The research argues that an understanding of the role of the 'local' as such is of importance to any assessment of future welfare trajectories.

Commentary on Hancock et al. (2020): Low dead space syringes are just one component of an integrated package of care needed to tackle HCV and social exclusion among people who inject drugs.