Human Relations Research Articles

Water as Metaphor of Human Beings in English and Vietnamese Poems

This study aims to investigate the conceptual metaphors of water, which are metaphorically used to describe human beings, emotions, behaviours and relationships in English and Vietnamese poems. Based on the theory of cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphors of Kövecses (2002) and Lakoff and Johnson (1980), this study examined 200 English and Vietnamese samples from a collection of poems written in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Through the application of descriptive, quantitative, and qualitative approaches and contrastive analysis, the study reveals that there are 6 categories of water images which are metaphorically used to characterize human beings. The study also finds out the similarities and differences between conceptual metaphors of water symbolizing human beings in English and Vietnamese poems. This investigation is hoped to improve our understanding of how metaphorical phenomena are interpreted across languages and enhance the process of teaching and learning English.

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the patient on hemodialysis resilience scale.

The study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the hemodialysis resilience scale (PHRS) in the Turkish population. A cross-sectional methodologic study involved 136 hemodialysis patients at two dialysis centers affiliated with a foundation university in Turkey. The updated guidelines for the Intercultural Scale Adaptation Stages, Language, and Culture Adaptation were followed. Cronbach's α of the PHRS-Tr was 0.94. A three-factor structure was extracted, namely "the pursuit of positive meaning in the present," "building the will to live through close human relationships," and "acceptance of hemodialysis as a part of daily life" explaining 66.82% of the total variance. Test-retest reliability was conducted with 50 patients within the sample 2 weeks after the first application. The correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was r = 0.680. The study results indicate that the PHRS-Tr is a valid and reliable tool for assessing resilience status in Turkish hemodialysis patients.

Relations between Totems and Humans, the Dagara of Jirapa in the Upper West Region of Ghana, and Indigenous Belief Systems and Lessons for Modern Environmental Conservation

This essay investigates how the Dagara totemic relationship with totems may be used to protect biodiversity. The Jirapa municipality, one of the municipalities in Ghana's Upper West Region, is the subject of this essay. The study looked into how the totemic connection could be used to advance biodiversity protection and conservation in the Jirapa municipality and elsewhere. It made use of a phenomenological research. No matter where they are located, people who share a totem or, for that matter, a common ancestor, have similar belief systems and take part in similar cultural rituals, according to the study. One of the most important findings of the study was that people would go to great lengths to protect and never destroy their totems, whether they were plants or animals. Because they considered it to be one of them, the people whose totem it was protected the object. This resulted in the preservation of several plant and animal species. Totems represent family, clan ties, and what people view as appropriate or wrong behavior, according to one conclusion. The participants' conversation led them to the conclusion that totems are spiritual beings that defend their human relationships. In conclusion, there are numerous ways that this link might be used to protect biodiversity. The report makes the suggestion that modern conservation organizations, agencies, and partners use indigenous cultural practices in their conservation programs. In order to increase natural resource conservation, communities where these kinds of traditional or cultural practices are still practiced should be encouraged to maintain and spread these traditions abroad. Keywords: Jirapa, Dagara, totems, symbiotic relationships, and conservation of nature

A Journey into the Evolution of Human Host-Oral Microbiome Relationship through Ancient Dental Calculus: A Scoping Review

One of the most promising areas of research in palaeomicrobiology is the study of the human microbiome. In particular, ancient dental calculus helps to reconstruct a substantial share of oral microbiome composition by mapping together human evolution with its state of health/oral disease. This review aims to trace microbial characteristics in ancient dental calculus to describe the evolution of the human host-oral microbiome relationship in oral health or disease in children and adults. Following the PRISMA-Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, the main scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, Cochrane Library) have been drawn upon. Eligibility criteria were established, and all the data collected on a purpose-oriented collection form were analysed descriptively. From the initial 340 records, only 19 studies were deemed comprehensive enough for the purpose of this review. The knowledge of the composition of ancient oral microbiomes has broadened over the past few years thanks to increasingly well-performing decontamination protocols and additional analytical avenues. Above all, metagenomic sequencing, also implemented by state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools, allows for the determination of the qualitative-quantitative composition of microbial species associated with health status and caries/periodontal disease. Some microbial species, especially periodontal pathogens, do not appear to have changed in history, while others that support caries disease or oral health could be connected to human evolution through lifestyle and environmental contributing factors.

Cinema and the Digital Revolution: The Representations of Digital Culture in Films

This article examines popular cinema’s interactions with digital culture, focusing on cinema and social structure. A product of technological and social developments, digital culture has introduced the creation of cyberspace, the emergence and spread of social media, and the formation of virtual communities. This article focuses on a specific period (1980 – 2010) to examine the evolution in cinema of portrayals of digital culture. The analysis includes four influential films: WarGames (1983, by John Badham), Perfect Blue (1997, by Satoshi Kon), Pulse (2001, by Kiroshi Kurosawa), and Life in a Day (2011, by Kevin Macdonald, Loressa Clisby, and Tegan Bukowski). The article provides a guide to popular cinema's interaction with and use of the possibilities offered by digital culture, revealing how the four selected films reflect digital culture themes. Each film demonstrates different aspects and dynamics of digital culture at a particular time, offering a unique look at that period's social and technological landscape through its portrayal of technological developments, human relations, cultural values, and social norms. Each film evaluates the impact of the digitization process on cinema from different perspectives, depicting how cinema adapts and responds to technological changes.

Visual Preference for Socially Relevant Spatial Relations in Humans and Monkeys.

As a powerful social signal, a body, face, or gaze facing toward oneself holds an individual's attention. We asked whether, going beyond an egocentric stance, facingness between others has a similar effect and why. In a preferential-looking time paradigm, human adults showed spontaneous preference to look at two bodies facing toward (vs. away from) each other (Experiment 1a, N = 24). Moreover, facing dyads were rated higher on social semantic dimensions, showing that facingness adds social value to stimuli (Experiment 1b, N = 138). The same visual preference was found in juvenile macaque monkeys (Experiment 2, N = 21). Finally, on the human development timescale, this preference emerged by 5 years, although young infants by 7 months of age already discriminate visual scenes on the basis of body positioning (Experiment 3, N = 120). We discuss how the preference for facing dyads-shared by human adults, young children, and macaques-can signal a new milestone in social cognition development, supporting processing and learning from third-party social interactions.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Urban Planning of Port Harcourt City, Nigeria

Background: Coronavirus disease is a communicable and contagious respiratory disease that has not only affected human social lives, interactions and relationships but equally changed other significant patterns of people’s normal lives, and there is need for a robust urban planning to meet the emerging changes. This study sought to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the inhabitants of Port Harcourt City and its implications on urban planning in Port Harcourt City, Nigeria. This study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected human interactions and business activities, and its implication on urban planning in Port Harcourt city. Methods: The study adopted descriptive survey design with questionnaire used for data collection. Port Harcourt inhabitants aged 18 years and above were studied using four major clusters in Port Harcourt city. Purposive sampling technique was used to select participants from five most affected COVID-19 business areas in each cluster in the year 2020. A total of 400 participants assessed on people’s economic activities and welfare attributes using Likert-scale. Data were analysed using simple percentages, mean and standard deviation. Results: Major findings revealed that COVID-19 negatively affected the lives of people, closure of markets and other economic centres, lack of face-to-face communication and interaction, change in people’s social welfare and lifestyle, to halt in education and academic activities, restriction in movement and transportation, and household welfare challenges. It is suggested that policymakers should intensify efforts to ensure coronavirus is eradicated by providing COVID-19 drugs to all Nigerians.  Conclusion: The study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to mitigate the multifaceted impacts of COVID-19 in Nigeria, emphasizing equitable access to essential medications as a crucial strategy for combating the pandemic's adverse effects on society. Novelty: This research offers novel insights into the broad-ranging impacts of COVID-19 on various aspects of life in Nigeria, highlighting the imperative of equitable access to medications as a pivotal solution.

Mother Pampa in Salman Rushdie’s Victory City

Erich Neumann's The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype provides a profound and comprehensive analysis of the mother archetype, delving into its deep-rooted significance in the human psyche. Neumann explores how this universal representation of motherhood represents not only life, nourishment, and protection but also encompasses broader themes of creation, sustenance, and empowerment. By examining its manifestations across diverse cultures, myths, and religions, he uncovers the far-reaching impact of this archetype on both individual and collective consciousness. Neumann's analysis of the mother archetype particularly emphasises the mother’s role in shaping human experiences, relationships, and cultural narratives. The writer examines Salman Rushdie’s novel Victory City based on these aspects of matriarchy leading to the complex interplay between the personal and collective unconscious, highlighting how the mother archetype influences understandings of femininity, masculinity, and the dynamics of power.

القيادة الأخلاقية ودورها في بناء الثقافة التنظيمية في المؤسسات التعليمية الابتدائية في منطقة الدمام

The study aimed to reveal the role of ethical leadership in building organizational culture in educational institutions in the Dammam region. To achieve the goal of the study, the descriptive analytical approach was followed, so that a stratified random sample of school leaders was selected, numbering (13) leaders, (37) educational and administrative supervisors, and (3) Department director, (41) department heads, and (79) other leadership professions. The electronic questionnaire was applied to them, and the study concluded the following: 1. There is a high degree of practicing ethical leadership among them, as well as a large degree of practicing organizational culture in primary educational institutions in the Dammam region. 2. There was also a close, statistically significant correlation at the level of (0.01) between ethical leadership and its role in the organizational culture of the educational institutions in the study sample. 3. Most of the leaders in the study strongly agreed on the degree of practicing ethical leadership with regard to the dimensions of human, personal, and professional relations behaviors. 4. Most of the leaders in the study agreed to a moderate degree on the degree of organizational culture with regard to its elements, which are values, beliefs, norms, and finally, expectations.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF BIOPHILIA TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Addressing the application of biophilia in urban areas, this article aims to analyze the effectiveness of its implementation in promoting sustainable development in its three main dimensions: environmental, economic, and social. The study proposes three specific objectives. Firstly, to highlight the intrinsic connection between humans and nature, examining how this relationship has evolved over time and how the biophilic concept reaffirms it as a fundamental core. Next, to analyze how the 2030 Agenda, a global commitment to sustainable development, relates to biophilic principles, and to assess whether Brazilian legislation is contributing to integrating these principles into urban life in the country. Finally, to investigate and understand how the different dimensions of sustainable development connect to biophilic principles and their impacts on well-being in urban areas, especially in achieving goal 11.7 of the aforementioned Agenda. Considering biophilia as one of the guiding principles of sustainable development, it is concluded that when applied in urban areas, it is a principled conception capable of reconciling urban progress and human relations with nature, providing an increase in individuals' well-being and contributing to the expansion of green areas in urban spaces, as well as collaborating with sustainable precepts. The contribution of this study lies in the need to establish a new paradigm for human interaction with the environment through development that promotes harmonious interaction with nature. To achieve the intended scope, the present research employed the hypothetico-deductive method, starting from the concept of biophilia to analyze whether its principles and guidelines can inspire sustainable actions, involving bibliographic and documentary research.

From contact to connection: a comprehensive examination of affective touch in educational settings

We often talk about the way we talk, and we frequently try to see the way we see, but for some reasons we have rarely touched on the way we touch. The communication we transmit with touch is perceived to be one of the most powerful means of establishing human relationships. In particular, tactile communication with parents, caregivers and teachers is particularly important for infants and students, as it helps make stronger relationships between educators or teachers and schoolers and also between students. Research has demonstrated the numerous benefits that an affective touch has on students, physically, socially and cognitively, or as has observed, touch touches deeper that just one’s skin and it is a recipe for creating meaningful relations. However, in the educational context, touch is perceived to be a complex phenomenon full of tension and emotion. For years, a dilemma has arisen in educational institutions in some countries, whether teachers can touch students or not? Despite the benefits that affective touch brings to students, cases of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior at school have alerted the education system, to such an extent that many teachers worldwide consider what is and is not appropriate when communicating affectively with their students through touch. In this perspective article, by drawing on previous literature reviews, we shall highlight the benefits that affective touch has on learners.

Management Configurations in an Internationalized Brazilian Organization: Human Resources Management, Market and Labor Relations Dynamics

The article analyzes the different configurations of management in a family-owned and recently internationalized firm and observes how the organization understands human resources management (HRM), market dynamics and labor relations in different contexts. This qualitative research consists of a case study based on a field survey and in-depth interviews with human resources managers in a large Brazilian family-owned organization operating in South America. The findings point out differences in management in the firm’s manufacturing plants depending on the country and similarities of the HRM practices within the same country. It was possible to observe a transitioning form of HRM toward the strategic level in the case of Brazil. However, this form of HRM is subsidiary to the traditional notion of HRM in other Latin American countries. Also, the firm monitors the labor market, and the labor relations it establishes are adapted according to the country. The study contributes theoretically by discussing management configurations for HRM, market and labor relations under a transnational approach, and the methodology allows comparative research. Finally, the research offers an empirical contribution by illustrating the management dynamics of a family-owned and recently internationalized firm in different regions of South America.

Best management practice adoption amongst potato producers in Ontario: a study of drivers and barriers

Best management practices (BMPs) are practical, affordable alternatives to conventional production systems. They contribute to improving the agricultural production system’s ability to address social, economic, and ecological challenges. BMPs enhance the viability and sustainability of agriculture when successfully applied, but in systems where intensive industrial agriculture predominates, their use is limited. Working with potato producers (large, medium, and small scale) in South-Western and Central Ontario, Canada this project applied a Systems Thinking approach to understand motivating drivers and structural, institutional, and organizational barriers impacting the adoption of BMPs for potato cultivation. This study used a mixed-methods approach for two years to collect quantitative and qualitative data using a farm-level survey, focus groups, workshops, and participant observation. Data was collected regarding demographics, management approaches, social networking, and perceived challenges with BMPs uptake. Our data analysis revealed that family and future generations, ecosystem, soil and human health, community and social relationships, and efficiency and profitability were motivating drivers (based on beliefs and values) influencing management decisions. However, structural, institutional, and organizational barriers (including market access, regulation, production efficiencies and competition), mediate producers’ abilities to act according to these motivations. Small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale producers are impacted by these barriers differently. In understanding the decision-making factors which drive BMP uptake in Ontario’s potato sector, policy and program design can leverage drivers and reduce barriers.

Man as Nature’s Prodigal: A Study of Environmental Degradation in South East Nigeria, 1990-2022

Man’s degradation and abuse of the environment has become accelerated and much more difficult to manage due to increased human population and industrialization. Against this background, the study examines the role of man in environmental degradation in South East Nigeria between 1990 and 2022. This research, by its nature, adopted the qualitative research methodology because it cannot be subjected to quantitative analysis. The research findings showed that there were several environmental degradation challenges facing South East Nigeria, including soil erosion, land and water pollution, solid waste disposal and air pollution. These were caused mainly by human factors, especially technology and industrialization. The work argued that the South East people had a healthy relationship with the natural environment before the advent of British colonial rule. This relationship changed as a result of colonialism and its attendant effects in the area. Thus environmental problems in South East Nigeria developed over time as human socio-economic relations changed in global context.

ملامح الصورة الإنسانية في الشعر النسائي الخليجي (1990-2000م) وتشكلاتها: رؤية واقعية نقدية في تجربة سعاد الصباح

This study attempts to identify the dimensions and features of the issues of the humanistic trend in the poetry of contemporary Arab women in the Gulf region and the formations of their images in the poetry of Sheikha Suad Al-Sabah, by citing poetic texts from her collections published during the last decade of the third millennium, dismantling them, analyzing them, and monitoring the effects of that transformation and its consequences on Society in light of its treatment during the period specified for the study; To link it to the process of contemporary issues and renewal on the literary and critical scene in the Arab region, at the local, international and global levels, in everything related to the concerns of contemporary man and his position on life; To show the stylistic characteristics and phenomena she relied on in forming the images of her human poem, And highlighting its aesthetic and semantic value, whether in terms of the structure of the language or its coding, and the aesthetics of its poetic formation. In continuation of what literary studies have covered about it, and based on the fact that literature is the broad space that helps spread virtuous values, lofty principles, and high ideals in life with the aim of establishing human relationships based on justice and harmony.

Sociodemographic and environmental characteristics associated with thoughts of death and suicidal ideation in community-dwelling residents of a rural town in Japan: analyses from a perspective of accompanying problems

ObjectiveSuicide prevention has been focused on primary prevention as a group rather than individuals. However, we aimed to identify sociodemographic and environmental characteristics of individuals with suicidal thoughts among rural residents in Japan.MethodsIn 2015, a cross-sectional home visit survey was conducted in a rural town in Akita Prefecture. A total of 1,844 residents aged ≥ 20 years (response rate, 65%) answered a self-administered questionnaire about suicidal thoughts in the past one month. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate sociodemographic and environmental characteristics associated with suicidal thoughts in models with accompanying problems for human relations problems (HRP), health problems (HP), and financial problems (FP), or with no accompanying problems.ResultsIn total, 218 (men 9.4%, women 13.8%) had suicidal thoughts with accompanying problems for HRP (n = 104), HP (n = 112), and FP (n = 72). The risk characteristics were Kessler Psychological Distress Scale scores ≥ 9 in models with HRP, HP, and FP or with no accompanying problems; being a woman and current smoking with no accompanying problems; absence of a person for help in a model of FP; and absence of family member for help in a model of HRP or with no accompanying problems. The mitigating factor were being optimistic (a domain of resilience skills identified by factor analysis) in models of HRP, HP, and FP or with no accompanying problems; being aged 70–79 and being aged ≥ 80 in a model of HRP.ConclusionsSuicidal thoughts among rural residents in Japan were associated with multifactorial sociodemographic and environmental characteristics.

A Research on the Dual Value Model of Individual Transaction Decision in Ethnic Chinese Society

Abstract In ethnic Chinese society, interpersonal relationships significantly influence transaction decisions, contrasting with Western economic rationality which often neglects the role of "human relationships". This research introduces a Dual Value Model (DVM) to explore how Chinese individuals navigate these complex interpersonal dynamics in transaction decisions. It highlights the integration of Potential Social Value (PSV), stemming from the counterparty's social status (vertical relationship) and emotional closeness (horizontal relationship), with Potential Economic Value (PEV), focusing on the economic outcomes of the transaction. These two potential values are defined through expectancy theory to facilitate communal comparison. This duality necessitates a balance, demonstrating a unique economic-social tradeoff where individuals might accept lower economic benefits in favor of enhancing or maintaining favorable “Guanxi.” The concept of "guanxi mark-down (GMD)" and "Compensatory Mark-up (CMU)" are introduced as strategies employed to steer this balance, reflecting the social etiquette and economic pragmatism within Chinese transactional behavior. The research aims to provide a nuanced understanding of Chinese transaction decision-making, offering insights for guiding interpersonal relationships and economic considerations in a socio-cultural context deeply influenced by Confucian principles. Keywords: Transaction decision, Dual value model (DVM), Potential social value (PSV), Potential economic value (PEV), Guanxi; Expectancy theory.

Миры и смыслы Александра Асмолова (беседа с ученым)

<p>A transcript of a conversation with A.G. Asmolov in the program "Learning to Live", which was recorded 2 years ago, but was released recently, on the eve of his anniversary, on the YouTube channel "Enlighteners" (link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW1pP2c99oM&t=1373s). The conversation is conducted by the editor-in-chief of the TV channel "Enlighteners" and the electronic newspaper "Vesti Obrazovaniya" T.N. Voloshko, a graduate of the MGPPU master's degree and a candidate for the UNESCO chair "Cultural and Historical Psychology of Childhood of MGPPU". And the interview tells about childhood, youth and the first steps in psychology, describes his most ordinary day, recalls a meeting with his teacher Alexey Nikolaevich Leontiev and other teachers, invites him to the worlds of psychology, art, literature and human relations.</p>

‘Social’ robot and social relations in care settings: Undefined positionality and fixed temporality

Socially assistive robots in eldercare settings, i.e. ‘social’ robots, are currently being promoted and studied, particularly in Japan. Among these studies, clinical evaluation of their effectiveness in experimental research predominates, while studies that critically and analytically describe relations between actors in long-term care settings where robots are present are growing but still scarce. In this paper, we argue that understanding how older adults facing the loss of autonomy and their caregivers interact with robots in relational terms is helpful to explain the usage and non-usage of, and eventual resistance to social robots entering into care settings. This is why, in order to understand human relationships with social robots in elder care homes, this paper combines a ‘script’ approach and a ‘critical care’ one. Based on content analysis of a unique set of reports on trials of a social robot in multiple care facilities in Japan from 2018 to 2020, as well as interviews with stakeholders and ethnographic observations conducted in 2022, we answer two questions: 1) how do social robots shape social relations of care? 2) how do social robots affect social relations between care professionals, care recipients and robots? We proceed to discuss two of the characteristics emphasised in the ethics of care and examine them in depth: the positional and temporal aspects. Our major result is that, while the robot was easily adaptable to care environments because its position in relationships is not defined, embedded clock time flow in the robot was objective and linear, which indicates that some robot-created situations were seen as problematic by actors in care settings.

Human Relations Annual Call for Special Issue Proposals

Human Relations Annual Call for Special Issue Proposals