Milieu Approach Research Articles

Fashion and Politics, The Politics of Fashion: Józef Simmler’s Portrait of Emilia Włodkowska, Society Portrait and Haute Couture

The article proposes an analytical approach tuned to 19th-century society portraiture and tests it on Józef Simmler’s Portrait of Emilia Włodkowska (1865, National Museum in Warsaw). The pictured ball gown was likely by Worth and presented as being worn in Paris rather than in Warsaw to respect the politically-motivated Polish national mourning (1861–1866), culminating during the January Uprising (1863–1864) against Russian rule, that precluded organizing and attending balls at home. The portrait was an act of public performance—and indeed it was publicly exhibited at the artist’s posthumous exhibition in Warsaw in 1868. Its staging and costuming reflected the sitter’s particular agenda fine-tuned to multifarious current contexts: she promoted her Warsaw fashion house and herself as a respectable society lady and competent agent of French fashion in the period of political turmoil and resultant expectations concerning Polish women’s dress and conduct. The portrait showcases Simmler’s juste milieu approach and illustrates a very current shift in the fashionable female silhouette, advocated by Worth, while referencing the dress and artistic tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries and drawing inspiration from the new medium of photography.

THE CONDITIONS FOR THE FORMATION OF THE CORPORATE CULTURE OF A CHILDREN’S HEALTH CAMP TEAM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MILIEU APPROACH

The article analyses the conditions for the formation of the corporate culture of a children’s health camp team in terms of the milieu approach, which makes it possible to reveal the features of the pedagogical environment of children’s recreation organisations as a self- developing system with many functions. The corporate culture of a children’s health camp is considered in the author’s interpretation as a socio-andragogical phenomenon, expressed in the concurrence and acceptance of the value system by all subjects of interaction. The main factors and conditions for the development of the corporate culture of a children’s health camp are studied both in the context of the “milieu paradigm” and from the standpoint of the organisation’s management and management theory. A reasoned conclusion is made about the need to maintain a balance between commercial profitability and pedagogical ethics in the activities of children’s health camps in competitive market conditions.

Milieu-specific differences in symptom severity and treatment outcome in psychosomatic rehabilitation in Germany.

Previous studies that focused on socioeconomic differences did not comprehensively explain existing inequalities in psychosomatic rehabilitation in Germany. We applied a social milieu approach, which additionally includes sociocultural factors such as lifestyles, attitudes and values, to investigate differences among patients in symptom severity, psychosocial impairment and improvement over the course of the intervention. As a model for social milieus, the empirical Sinus milieus were used. 2,000 patients of two psychosomatic rehabilitation clinics in Germany were included and their milieu was assessed with the Sinus milieu indicator for Germany 10/2018 questionnaire. BDI-II (N = 1,832) and HEALTH-49 (N = 1,829) questionnaires were used to measure depressiveness and psychosocial impairment at admission (T0) and discharge after 5 weeks of treatment (T1). Milieu differences in severity and improvement were analyzed by mixed-model ANOVAs. Milieu distribution was not representative of the overall population of Germany. We found significant differences between patients from different milieus in both BDI-II and HEALTH-49 (p < 0.001). Patients from the Precarious Milieu had the highest burden of depressive symptoms in BDI-II and the highest impairment on all HEALTH-49 scales at T0 and T1. Over the course of rehabilitation, patients from all milieus improved significantly in all domains (p < 0.001). Significant interaction effects showed milieu-dependent differences in improvement for depressiveness on the BDI-II [F(9, 1822) = 2.50, p = 0.008] and for three HEALTH-49 scales, namely Psychological well-being [F(9, 1819) = 3.30, padj = 0.005], Interactional difficulties [F(9, 1819) = 2.74, padj = 0.036] and Activity and Participation [F(9, 1819) = 4.94, padj < 0.001], while post-hoc tests only revealed two significant group differences for the last scale. In all domains, patients from the Precarious Milieu retained higher symptoms and impairment at T1 than patients from better-off milieus had at T0. Social milieu was associated with symptom severity, treatment access and outcome of psychosomatic rehabilitation patients. Milieu-specific sociocultural habits, psychosocial needs and therapeutic demands may help describe differences and should be considered in therapy planning and implementation, to improve equal access, quality and effectiveness of rehabilitation. Therefore, further research on milieu-specific differences and needs is necessary.

Do values and political attitudes affect help-seeking? Exploring reported help-seeking for mental health problems in a general population sample using a milieu framework.

Help-seeking for mental health problems is facilitated and hindered by several factors at the individual, interpersonal and community level. The most frequently researched factors contributing to differences in help-seeking behaviour are based on classical socio-demographic variables, such as age, gender and education, but explanations for the observed differences are often absent or remain vague. The present study complements traditional approaches in help-seeking research by introducing a milieu approach, focusing on values and political attitudes as a possible explanation for differences in help-seeking for emotional mental health problems. A representative cross-sectional survey of N=3,042 respondents in Germany was conducted through face-to-face interviews about past help-seeking for mental health problems, socio-demographic characteristics and values and political attitudes. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that belonging to a cosmopolitan intellectual milieu group was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of past help-seeking for mental health issues (psychotherapeutic/psychological help-seeking [OR=2.09, 95% CI: 1.11-3.93, p<0.05) and primary care (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.15-4.24, p<0.05]), whereas members of individualist and conservative milieu groups were less likely to report having sought help from a psychotherapist, but not from a general practitioner. Increased odds ratios were also found for a number of socio-demographic variables, such as being aged 26years and over, a female gender and more than 12years of formal education. Associations between socio-demographic variables remained significant, and the explained variance of the used models improved considerably when milieu variables were added. We discuss how milieu-specific patterns were relevant for explaining differences in mental health service use in addition to socio-demographic factors. It seems promising to consider help-seeking from a milieu perspective to improve disparities in access to and the use of psychotherapy as well as to resource allocation.

Gender Issues in the Scientific Milieu–Approaches and Solutions

From time immemorial, gender discrimination is prevalent all over the world. This discrimination based on sex had sprouted from the male autocracy and dominancy and is engulfed in almost all sectors, whether it be domestic or official and this is well rooted in scientific research field too. Eventhough, this is a global problem, this is more pronounced in developing and underdeveloped countries. Considered in a global perspective, women account for a minority of the world’s researchers when compared to their male counterparts. This article discusses about the problems faced by women researchers, societal conditions that aggrevate these problems and plausible solutions to the problems by which more women can be brought to the limelight of research field.

Merre tovább, netgeneráció?

My study attempts to explore the lifestyle-based segments of the Hungarian youth through aninnovative methodology based on social media data, incorporating the dimension of digitizationinto the creation of lifestyle groups. The examination of the segments’ lifestyle attitudes isassisted by a review of the related theoretical milieu approaches, international and Hungarianempirical milieu researches

Commentary:Recognizing the value of the milieu in therapeutic residential care for children and youth

ABSTRACT Therapeutic residential care differs markedly from other forms of out-of-home care for children and youth. Support for the view that therapeutic residential care needs to be a milieu approach that leverages all interactions in the living environment to achieve a beneficial emotional and behavioral experience for children and youth is presented. A therapeutic milieu has the advantage of maintaining focus on what is in the best clinical interest for a child by aligning and coordinating all interactions and activities. We provide a rationale for a milieu-based foundation for therapeutic residential care that consists of five elements: care, treatment, nurturing, teaching, and order. Attending to milieu as defined will provide a sound foundation upon which effective and well-implemented treatment can be fully expressed.

A Social Milieu Approach to the Online Participation Divides in Germany

Research on digital divides has been helpful in advancing our understanding of the social structuration of Internet access, motivations to go online, digital skills, and Internet (non-)use, including participatory uses. However, digital divide research has been criticized for oversimplifying the relationship between demographic characteristics and Internet use and for its under-theorization. A social milieu approach, inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theory, presents an excellent set of concepts to address these criticisms and thus advance digital divide research. This article uses the social milieu approach for an empirical investigation of the participation divides in Germany. Focus groups and online communities with 96 participants from seven distinct Internet milieus serve to differentiate online participation along social lines. The results show that German citizens are strongly segregated into distinct Internet milieus that differ in their intensity, variety, understanding, and attitudes toward online participation. Each milieu displays specific participatory patterns and some of the findings challenge existing research on digital and participation divides. Implications are derived and limitations of the approach carved out.

A Social Milieu Approach to the Online Participation Divides in Germany

Research on digital divides has been helpful in advancing our understanding of the social structuration of Internet access, motivations to go online, digital skills, and Internet (non-)use, including participatory uses. However, digital divide research has been criticized for oversimplifying the relationship between demographic characteristics and Internet use and for its under-theorization. A social milieu approach, inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theory, presents an excellent set of concepts to address these criticisms and thus advance digital divide research. This article uses the social milieu approach for an empirical investigation of the participation divides in Germany. Focus groups and online communities with 96 participants from seven distinct Internet milieus serve to differentiate online participation along social lines. The results show that German citizens are strongly segregated into distinct Internet milieus that differ in their intensity, variety, understanding, and attitudes toward online participation. Each milieu displays specific participatory patterns and some of the findings challenge existing research on digital and participation divides. Implications are derived and limitations of the approach carved out.

Features of Modeling the Formation of Teaching Staff Competitiveness

The state is interested in the formation of teaching staff competitiveness of both higher and secondary vocational education institutions, as it is associated with solving the problems of training competitive specialists for innovative production, increasing the social efficiency of organizations and institutions, economic recovery of the country. In this regard, this article reveals the specifics of modeling the process of the teaching staff competitiveness formation. Major approaches to the study of this problem were the integrative and milieu approaches, a symbiosis of which allows creating competitiveness of the teaching staff, taking into account the features of college educational environment, involving integration of educational, methodological and research activities of teachers; features of professional and interprofessional interaction between members of college teaching staff with staffs of other educational institutions, scientific research institutes, professional community. Specifics of modeling the formation of college teaching staff competitiveness consist in the set of components proposed by the authors (theoretically-methodological, functionally-targeted, substantive, procedural and productive clusters) and in their contents.

Russian

This article aims to illustrate the need to consider adopting new trends in Russian education through the prism of the mentality of Russian society. To provide a rationale for the author’s position, the work employs the axiological and milieu approaches. The article demonstrates that one should take account of the nation’s mentality in order to introduce innovations in a proper way. The work provides a rationale for the author’s position concerning the perception of the

Visual meaning-making in an underprivileged neighbourhood landscape: milieus and atmospheres

By bringing together the spatially oriented ‘milieu’ and ‘atmosphere’ approach with the method of self-generated photo elicitation, this visual essay examines the possibility of the mediation of new meanings in urban neighbourhood representation and spatial organization. The milieu/atmosphere relationship offers a methodological background for visual communication in landscape, where, besides common and conscious interpretations, expression is given to non-graspable, sometimes inexplicable internal atmospheric experiences that have great potential to shift acknowledged understandings and interpretations of landscape aesthetics. A reflexive self-generated photo elicitation is introduced to bringing into communication unfamiliar atmospheric visual landscape experiences. This method is used in the underprivileged parts of the Kopli neighbourhood of North-Tallinn, Estonia. Some of the participants’ representations were handled as atmospheric pictures, which, although different from the acknowledged milieu approach, brought into communication the milieu character of a strong neighbourhood.

Developing a Clinical Framework for Children/Youth Residential Treatment

The idea of implementing consistent overall clinical approaches in residential treatment facilities may improve care by influencing family engagement, interactional styles of residential staff and clinicians with children and youth, specific therapeutic interventions including the management of problematic behaviors, milieu approaches, and group interventions, as well as inform programmatic structure, rules, and expectations of residential living. A clinical framework should demonstrate contemporary and evidence supported practices in order to achieve meaningful success. This article summarizes a literature search and discussion points regarding family/community engagement, individualized assessment/treatment, interprofessional teams, and organizational factors in developing a clinical framework for children/youth residential treatment.

Municipalities and regions in locational competition – Relevant factors for success and political implications

Improving the business conditions of municipalities and regions, competitiveness concerning the location of new businesses and attraction of highly qualified labor are considered classical topics within regional economics and industrial location theory. Locational competition has intensified over recent years in the wake of the process of globalization, the general development towards a knowledge-based economy, and the dynamic of the international and the national division of labor. This analysis will be carried out in three steps. Firstly, traditional (e.g. industrial location theory) and newer economic approaches (e.g. new economic growth theory, innovative milieu approach etc.) will be outlined by means of discussing their insights and implications regarding the process of industrial location. This discussion shows that modern economies are increasingly developing into service and knowledge societies, in which factors formerly viewed as relevant within locational competition are becoming less important. Secondly, the paper analyzes the empirical evidence for these theoretical findings. According to existing empirical work, the evidence suggests that present studies mainly support the theoretically derived thesis of a shift in the classical ranking of locational factors. Finally, the paper seeks to explore conclusions concerning the design of local and regional economic policy at multiple governance levels.

Developing social confidence in women in secure psychiatric settings

A group therapy programme to develop social confidence in women in secure settings addresses issues of interpersonal functioning using principles of behaviour management. This complement to Reinforce Appropriate Implode Disruptive (RAID) milieu approach produced encouraging results on measures that reflect interpersonal confidence.

Integrating treatment for offenders with an intellectual disability and personality disorder

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the rationale for appropriate treatment for offenders with personality disorder and intellectual disability co‐morbid with intellectual disability (ID), and to describe a specific treatment model.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a narrative review of approaches to treatment for offenders with personality disorder and draws on the available research for the treatment of personality disordered offenders without ID as well as the treatment of offenders with ID.FindingsThe relevance and validity of the construct of personality disorder in intellectual disability is reviewed. Evidence from treatment of personality disorder in mainstream populations is summarized. A treatment model, which integrates adapted cognitive behavioural programmes with a social milieu approach, is then described. It is argued that this treatment model addresses the criminogenic, psychological and social needs of those with personality disorder and intellectual disability.Practical implicationsServices being developed for people with both intellectual disability and personality disorder should take account of the literature on treatment of mainstream personality disorder when developing treatment models.Originality/valueThere are few published papers concerning treatment approaches with offenders with intellectual disability and personality disorder. This descriptive paper will be of interest to clinicians working with such populations.

Towards the experiential meaning of milieu for neighbourhood regeneration: discussions on the institutional designation of milieu-valued areas in Tallinn, Estonia

This article analyses the constructive and strategic character of the milieu discourse in the planning of urban neighbourhoods in Tallinn, Estonia, that has an influence on neighbourhood regeneration. In the institutional designation of milieu areas, the concept of milieu area means the coherent historical housing environment as assessed by planning experts. The article argues that this milieu discourse has strategic aims in terms of preserving architectural housing heritage and acknowledging the traditional understanding of the heritage value. This has influenced, in the collective knowledge, the specific perception of the term ‘milieu’ that will in turn influence the change of a neighbourhood’s social structure and of its placemaking. For example, the concept of milieu area is used by real estate agents for selling and renting apartments in deprived neighbourhoods that are institutionally acknowledged as the neighbourhoods with the milieu value. The study concludes that the expert-based milieu discourse does not consider the socio-spatial neighbourhoods’ everyday life, which is significant in terms of viable neighbourhood regeneration. The reconstruction of the milieu term towards an experiential milieu approach is suggested, as the involvement of residents in neighbourhood regeneration is especially essential in the neighbourhoods of the dispossessed.

Improving the active involvement of stakeholders and the public in flood risk management – tools of an involvement strategy and case study results from Austria, Germany and Italy

Abstract. The EU Flood Risk Management Directive 2007/60/EC aims at an active involvement of interested parties in the setting up of flood risk management plans and thus calls for more governance-related decision-making. This requirement has two perspectives. On the one hand, there is (1) the question of how decision-makers can improve the quality of their governance process. On the other hand, there is (2) the question of how the public shall be appropriately informed and involved. These questions were the centre of the ERA-Net CRUE-funded project IMRA (integrative flood risk governance approach for improvement of risk awareness) that aimed at an optimisation of the flood risk management process by increasing procedural efficiency with an explicit involvement strategy. To reach this goal, the IMRA project partners developed two new approaches that were implemented in three case study areas for the first time in flood risk management: 1. risk governance assessment tool: An indicator-based benchmarking and monitoring tool was used to evaluate the performance of a flood risk management system in regard to ideal risk governance principles; 2. social milieu approach: The concept of social milieus was used to gain a picture of the people living in the case study regions to learn more about their lifestyles, attitudes and values and to use this knowledge to plan custom-made information and participation activities for the broad public. This paper presents basic elements and the application of two innovative approaches as a part of an "involvement strategy" that aims at the active involvement of all interested parties (stakeholders) for assessing, reviewing and updating flood risk management plans, as formulated in the EU Flood Risk Management Directive 2007/60/EC.

Lifestyles and Their Impact on Energy-Related Investment Decisions

This paper presents an empirical survey of energy-related investment decisions made by private households in Germany. The investment behaviour is segmented and discussed by applying the milieu approach. The decision makers are clustered in certain lifestyles, as represented by the Sinus-Milieus® from the Sinus Institute. To analyse the relationship between the lifestyles of house owners and their energy-related investment decisions, telephone interviews were conducted in order to acquire data on currently installed heating systems and preferences for future heating systems in private residential buildings. The results of the survey support the hypothesis of a link between lifestyles and the energy-related investment behaviour. Based on the observed relationship between lifestyles and decisions on energy technologies, predictions of energy trends in private residential buildings can be improved. In addition, the knowledge about specific development paths allows the utilisation of the information for information campaigns and the promotion of energy supply technologies which lead to lower CO2-emissions.

Exercise‐induced metabolic perturbation: all roads lead to Rome

Exercise‐induced metabolic perturbation: all roads lead to Rome