Effects Of Social Constraints Research Articles

“Saying ‘thank you’ or something more than lip service”: a variational analysis of the influence of gender and social status on responses to congratulations on Chinese WeChat

Abstract Existing studies on responses to congratulations to date have displayed a general culturally-bound finding that Chinese speakers prefer to take a detour approach. However, the effect of social constraints on response strategies have not received the attention it deserves. Drawing on a variational pragmatic approach, this study explores the constraints of gender and social status on the pragmatic variation of Chinese WeChat users’ responses to congratulations. Building upon an integrative data set of congratulatory interactions in actual online messages, the findings suggest that gender and social status overlap in complex ways, but with a clear tendency: both men and women significantly tend towards an acceptance strategy when responding to congratulations on WeChat, while social status influences the sub-strategies used in accepting congratulations across both male and female groups. The findings challenge previous stereotypes about Chinese language variation in responses to congratulations. The current results suggest that Chinese speakers have already made a transition from following the Modesty Maxim to using the Agreement Maxim, and have also incorporated the Obligation Maxim. Chinese speakers also consider rapport and reciprocity when responding to kind congratulatory remarks.

Where do we stand with the covariation framework in primate societies?

Comparative study of the social systems of macaques has revealed correlated variations between species in multiple social traits such as the asymmetry of dominance relationships, preferential treatment of kin, patterns of aggression and reconciliation, modes of socialization, and access to food resources. Macaques can be classified on a scale of four categories of social styles, ranging from the least to the most tolerant species. This led to the development of the covariation framework, which addresses the constraints responsible for the linkages between social traits, and their consequences on the evolution of primate social systems. Decades of research have provided a wealth of information that supports, complements, expands, or challenges the covariation framework. In this article, I review this body of knowledge and consider covariation in its two aspects, that is, as a pattern and as a hypothesis. I first consider the extent to which social styles can be invariant, the strength of correlations between traits, and the possible extension of the framework to nonhuman primates other than macaques. I then discuss how to formulate hypotheses, identify sources of linkage between traits, make predictions about the effects of social constraints, assess the tolerance dimension of social styles, and consider the breaking of linkages between traits. Whereas socioecological studies aim to understand how adaptation to the ecological environment determines the shape of social systems, the covariation framework is a complementary research program that seeks to unravel the internal processes that restrict or channel change in social behavior.

Health-related quality of life and social constraints among Chinese breast cancer patients: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundMost research studying social constraints has been performed among Caucasian or Asian American breast cancer (BC) patients, but few studies have evaluated social constraint levels and explored the effect of social constraints on the integrative health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Chinese BC patients. Therefore, our study aimed to examine the association of social constraints with HRQOL among Chinese women with BC.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of 136 Chinese women diagnosed with BC in Liaoning Province, China, from December 2020 to May 2021. Questionnaire information contained HRQOL, social constraints, social support, social stigma, and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the association of psychological factors with HRQOL.ResultsThe mean score of FACT-B was 96.05 (SD = 18.70). After controlling for potential confounders, social constraints (Beta = − 0.301, P < 0.001) and social stigma (Beta = − 0.241, P = 0.001) were negatively associated with HRQOL and social support (Beta = 0.330, P < 0.001) was positively associated with HRQOL, which explained 44.3% of the variance in HRQOL.ConclusionsThe findings of the current study suggest that Chinese BC patients’ HRQOL needs to be enhanced after treatment. Social constraints have a strong association with HRQOL. Intervention strategies focusing on less personal disclosure should be considered to avoid social constraints and improve HRQOL among Chinese patients with BC.

INCREASED VALUE OF SUBSTANCES OR DECREASING ALTERNATIVES? BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

COVID-19 offers a chance to test the Reinforcer Pathology (RP) model through the effects of social constraints on the motivation to use drugs. Aims. This study aimed to empirically assess the RP model in the context of a cross-sectional online survey in Spain. Method. During the strictest period of confinement (14th March-12th April 2020), 203 participants provided measures on past 30-day use of legal and illegal substances and responded to hypothetical alcohol and cigarette purchase tasks. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to inform on pre- and intra-pandemic substance use patterns. Breakpoint (i.e., price at which consumption ceases), elasticity (i.e., sensitivity of demand to rises in costs) and intensity (i.e., unrestricted consumption) were used as indicators of substance use demand. Results. Past 30-day alcohol use decreased from 71.4% (145/203) to 50.7% (103/203), tobacco from 14.3% (30/203) to 12.8% (26/203), and cannabis from 8.9% (18/203) to 4.4% (9/203). Predictably, illegal substance use went from 1% (2/203) to 0%. Conclusions. Despite reductions in substance use, alcohol and tobacco reinforcement, as measured by intensity and breakpoint, slightly increased within the first month of confinement. Potentially beneficial nudges and intervention strategies are discussed from the preventive and treatment standpoint.

The social embedding of a syntactic alternation: Variable particle placement in Ontario English

AbstractThe present work investigates the effects of social constraints on word order variation in particle placement in Ontario English, Canada. While previous research has documented numerous linguistic factors conditioning the choice of variant, social correlates have so far remained unexplored. To address this gap, we analyze 6,047 variable phrasal verbs from the vernacular speech of six communities in Ontario. These data were coded for length of the direct object, verb semantics, community, and the individual's education, gender, age, and occupation. Our analyses confirm previous findings that variation in particle placement is predominantly determined by direct object length. However, we also expose significant social and geographic factors, and importantly an effect of age, with younger speakers using the joined variant more than older speakers. Further analysis confirms that the latter effect is consistent across communities, indicating a change in progress, possibly due to ongoing grammaticalization of particles in the verb phrase.

BRAZILIAN HYPERTENSES LIFE STYLE AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE CONDITIONING A NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEY

Taking care of life habits in hypertensive people becomes an imperative to improve blood pressure control and avoid damage. However, it is known that healthy behaviors can have a large influence on the social context. Based on this, we aimed to measure the effect of social constraints on the

Effects of social constraints and web-based psychoeducation on cancer-related psychological adjustment early-after breast cancer diagnosis

Purpose: Social constraints are interactions between individuals that result in preventing one’s disclosure of thoughts and emotions needed to facilitate cognitive processing of a traumatic event such as a breast cancer diagnosis. This study explored women’s perceived social constraints from spouse/partners (S/P) and family/friends (F/F) in the first months after diagnosis while engaged in a study of CaringGuidance™ After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, a web-based, psychoeducational, self-management intervention aimed at women’s psychological adjustment.Design: Randomized, controlled, pilot study.Sample: 100 women within 0–3 months of first, stage 0–II breast cancer diagnosis.Methods: Subjects were randomized to self-guided use of CaringGuidance™ for three months plus usual care or usual care alone. Social constraints (S/P) and (F/F), distress, depressive-symptoms, intrusive/avoidant thoughts, and coping were measured at baseline, 1, 2, and 3 months.Findings: The CaringGuidance™ group experienced a significantly greater decrease in perceived social constraints from S/P and F/F over three months than the usual care group. Change in social constraints from F/F significantly moderated change in depressive-symptoms and intrusive/avoidant thoughts, but the same was not true for change in S/P constraints.Conclusions: CaringGuidance™ holds promise as an intervention for newly diagnosed women to self-manage perceptions of social constraints.Implications for Psychosocial Providers: Providers should assess newly diagnosed women’s perceptions of social constraining behavior from F/F, recognizing the potential significant impact of these interactions on psychological adjustment.

When Social Constraints Increase Trust: Considering Causal Attributions as a Source of Treatment Effect Heterogeneity

The degree to which social constraints promote or undermine trust remains unknown. One classic perspective suggests that trust blossoms in the presence of social constraints, while another influential school of thought proposes that social constraints wither trust. I integrate both traditions and hypothesize that social constraints increase trust, but only to the extent that individuals attribute another’s perceived trustworthiness to the situation. As individuals increasingly attribute another’s perceived trustworthiness to dispositional factors, the positive effect of social constraints on trust declines and approaches zero. I address this debate and test my integrated model by designing two novel web-based vignette experiments of simulated car repair and group project scenarios. Findings from two large crowdsourced samples (N = 1,388 and N = 1,419) support my integrated model. Implications for existing theories and future research are discussed.

Motivations to Contribute to Non-Private Goods: Beyond Rational Choice Economics

The dominant understanding of how motivations to contribute to public goods are generated and sustained is largely shaped by the combined action of rational choice theory and neoclassical economics. This understanding relies on three key assumptions: individualism, instrumentalism and market equilibration. In this paper we question the theoretical consistency and empirical relevance of these assumptions and of their associated policy model. We argue that significant revision of this motivational theory is needed, one that takes into account intrinsic incentives, trust and strong reciprocity, as well as the effect of social constraints, money and market interactions on the propensity to contribute to public goods. The paper concludes by outlining the implications of this theoretical reconsideration for the organization of scientific research and for more effective policy making to sustain motivations.

Social constraints and distress among women at familial risk for breast cancer.

Despite literature finding support for the social cognitive processing model, which suggests that social constraints are related to distress, few studies have examined possible mediators of this effect; none have examined this relation among women with family histories of breast cancer (FH+). This study was designed to examine possible effects of social constraints on psychological distress among FH+ women. Six FH+ women (M age = 39.2 years) completed self-report measures of social constraints, avoidance, and general and cancer-specific distress. Multiple regression analyses revealed that social constraints were significantly related to both cancer-specific and general distress and that avoidance partially mediated the relation between social constraints and both types of distress. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Social Constraints and Depression in HIV Infection: Effects of Sexual Orientation and Area of Residence

Living with HIV infection is often associated with increased levels of stress and depression. Persons with HIV in non-metropolitan areas often have fewer community resources, greater social stigma, and face greater threats to mental health than their metropolitan counterparts. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among mental health, sexual orientation, and social constraints between persons living with HIV in metropolitan settings versus those living in non-metropolitan settings, focusing on the effects of social constraints on mental health. A total of 121 persons with HIV completed questionnaires at one timepoint. Neither area of residence nor sexual orientation appeared to be directly related to poorer mental health. However, gay men in non-metropolitan areas were more likely to experience both depression and social constraints with respect to talking about HIV. Individuals with greater social constraints had more depression. Social constraints appeared to account for the association between non-metropolitan residence and depression among gay male participants.

Characterizing constraints of leisure: a Foucaultian analysis of leisure constraints

Leisure constraint literature has typically assumed that constraints prevent or modify participation in leisure. In this paper, I take up the work of Michel Foucault (1926–1984) to show that social constraints are not merely restricting of leisure practices. When constraints are characterized as enabling as well as restricting, it is possible to explore when and how constraints enable and to plan to intervene with enabling constraints to improve the opportunities for participation. In order to show both the enabling and restricting effects of social constraints, the focus of the paper is first on how structural constraints of a leisure activity may restrict or enable participants. Next, as another way to emphasize that social constraints are enabling of leisure experience, Michel Foucault's work is taken up to demonstrate how constraints enable skill within a structure. Finally, structural constraints of identity are shown to impact on participation prior to engagement with a leisure experience.