Negative Myths Research Articles

Reaching across the disability divide: The case for collaboration with the disability community to construct a robust informed consent process around prenatal screening and diagnosis

Reaching across the disability divide: The case for collaboration with the disability community to construct a robust informed consent process around prenatal screening and diagnosis

“The Young Ones are the Condom Generation”: Condom Use amongst Out-of-School Adolescents in Rural Southwest Uganda

This article reports on factors influencing condom use among out-of-school adolescents in rural southwest Uganda. Despite an abundance of negative discourses and myths about condoms in the community, these adolescents believe condoms protect them from sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and premarital pregnancies. Girls want partners to use condoms, but most lack the confidence to insist. Girls aged 13 to 14 reported the least difficulty asking for condoms; older girls attributed this to coming-of-age in the era of AIDS when condom use is the norm. Boys under 16 years want to use condoms, but lack confidence in application skills. Boys over 17 years always use condoms with casual partners, but only occasionally for pregnancy prevention with steady partners. Girls need skills training to improve confidence in negotiating condom use. Younger boys require training to improve confidence in skills with condom application. These findings are compared with studies conducted with in-school adolescents in the same study area. Health promotions that provide this skills training and focus on the need to think of the health of future family would be most effective for out-of-school adolescents. This study shows that it is self-confidence, rather than years of schooling, that has the greatest impact on condom use in this cohort.

Between myth and reality: an exploratory study of secondary school pupils’ information behavior

This paper presents and discusses the results of an exploratory case study of secondary school pupils’ information behaviour. According to Rowlands et al. (2008) many myths exist about the Google Generation (those born after 1993) that tend to overestimate the positive impact of ICTs on the young. The ubiquitous presence of technology has not resulted in improved skills in information retrieval, information seeking and evaluation. However, information skills are needed more than ever if people should be able to navigate competently in the information society. At the national level there is an intensive need for educational research and inquiry into the information and digital literacy skills of young people. This will help guide the way library services and digital information systems are designed in addition to facilitate how information literacy programs are developed and implemented in an educational practice. The research on young people’s information behaviour by Rowlands et al. was carried out in 2007. To determine whether the picture of the Google generation is consistent with reality a number of the myths investigated in 2007 were explored among 43 Danish secondary school pupils in 2009. Four research questions guided the study: What characterises the information behaviour of Danish secondary school pupils? Does the information behaviour differ across school year? If so, in which way? How is information seeking conceptualized and experienced? How is the study centre and library conceptualized and experienced? The case study was carried out at a secondary school in Zealand called Frederiksborg Gymnasium (FG), and the results of the pilot study will provide the foundation of a larger study on Danish secondary school pupils. The participants were 20 pupils at their first year of studying (1g) and 23 pupils from their third and final year of studying (3g) – all representatives of the Google Generation. Two identical surveys were handed out in class to all the 43 participants. The survey addressed demographic issues as well as myths about the pupils’ information behavior. The survey was followed by two focus groups; one with 6 participants from 1g and another with 7 participants from 3g. To compare each participant’s profile with his or her utterances in the interview, a more detailed demographic survey was filled out. The focus groups were finally followed by an interview with the librarian at FG to get background information and information on pupils’ behavior as experienced by her. The interview data were recorded on tape and transcribed. It was found that the information behaviour of secondary school pupils to a large extent confirm the negative myths of the Google Generation. However, pupils at their third year generally tend to be more critical and to demonstrate more critical information skills. The implications of the study are finally discussed, which regards the information practice of young people, the perceptions of the physical and digital library among young people as well as the underlying methodology of the study.

El mito negativo de Antonio López de Santa Anna: replanteamientos en la historiografía, la ficción literaria y el cine

To represent historic events and personalities both literary fiction as well as cinematography re-elaborate myths and symbols which conform to the collective imagination. Moving from this supposition, this paper approaches the representation of the Mexican soldier and president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in the novel El seductor de la patria, by Enrique Serna, and in the film Su Alteza Serenisima, by Felipe Cazals. The analysis of both fictional approaches to this anti-hero of Mexican history is situated within the debate on free textbooks and the frame of reconsideration which during the 1990s and beginning of the new millennium was realized regarding the negative myth into which this 19th century general and politician had been converted in the collective imagination.

Pedagogical Red Tape: Difficulties in Teaching the Bureaucracy to Undergraduate Students

Americans are often perceived as holding extremely negative views of governmental bureaucrats. Phrases like bureaucratic waste and unresponsive bureaucracy fill the mainstream media and taint the image of bureaucrats. Beginning in basic high school civics classes, students are taught to respect the lawmaking process, the executive power of the President, and the interpretive influence of judges, yet very few are instructed to remember the mail carrier who delivers their mail consistently or the social service worker who handles a constant stream of phone calls—perhaps even on their behalf. Given the lack of background most students have on the bureaucracy, political science classes at the collegiate level are imperative in helping to overcome the popularly held negative myths of these important institutions. This article examines how academics attempt to tackle the complex issues surrounding the American bureaucracy with their American government students.

Community Cohesion in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

This paper discusses how the critical elements of ‘developing relationships’ and ‘understanding emotions’ within a social marketing framework can be used to influence local government strategy and communications aimed at improving community cohesion and addressing negative myths. Under New Labour, community cohesion became a national and local priority. This is a case study of how one local authority — The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) — has addressed this issue by taking a social marketing approach. The paper also briefly discusses the ‘tone of voice’ adopted by LBBD in response to extensive insight work before outlining an innovative staff training programme. Most frontline staff have now participated in this programme, and the authors are currently evaluating its effectiveness in improving communications and cohesion within the community.

Late Life Love and Intimacy

Aging is a complex process that involves factors such as cultural, ethnic, and gender differences and is unique to each individual. Love, sexual intimacy, and sexuality are characteristics that help define individuals and often contribute to how well they will continue to live and age. Enhanced knowledge and healthy attitudes about sexual needs and feelings of older adults living in the community or in long term care settings may help to dispel negative myths, stereotypes, and self-fulfilling attitudes in older adults and in the general public. This awareness will support the perception that full sexual expression is part of the entire extent of adulthood.

Błoński’s Essay Years Later

The author reflects upon Jan Błoński’s essay “Biedni Polacy patrzą na getto” (Poor Poles look at the ghetto) nearly twenty years of its publication by Tygodnik Powszechny. He points at the innovative character of the depiction of Polish-Jewish issues in the moral context, outside of all the political embroilments. Błoński’s voice is unique, because it acknowledges, in the spirit of the Gospels, that analysis of Polish- -Jewish relations is a fundamental issue for the Polish society, a “homework” that needs to be done. This essay, Głowiński claims, is free from the embroilment in the dualism of the negative and positive myths regarding these relations. The author writes about reactions to this text, the letters to the editor and notes one particular voice, which he reads as an internalised nationalist ideology and the dangerous continuation of the nationalist discourse. Głowiński’s sketch concludes the post scriptum, in which the author refers to another article, published in 2006 by Gazeta Wyborcza, regarding the current historical policy, whose proponents see Błoński’s essay as a negative referencepoint. The author notes that this essay constantly evokes strong emotions, and, as an expression of critical patriotism, still has its ardent opponents.

Officer attitudes towards adult male prisoners who self‐harm: development of an attitudinal measure and investigation of sex differences

The aim of the current study was to explore attitudes towards self-harm in a sample of prison officers, with subsidiary aims of assessing if these attitudes alter as a function of the prisoner's behavior and the sex of the participant. One hundred and sixty-two officers (100 men and 62 women) completed a general measure of their attitudes towards prisoners and one designed to assess Attitudes towards Prisoners who Self-Harm (APSH). Participants rated their perceptions of two adult male prisoners depicted in vignettes. The vignettes depicted identical types of self-harm but varied the behavioral characteristics of the prisoners involved, with one depicted as "well-behaved" and the other as "disruptive". Women were more likely than men to report positive attitudes towards self-harm and in particular were less likely than men to endorse negative myths regarding self-harm. The prisoner depicted as "disruptive" invoked increased negative attitudes than the "well-behaved" prisoner. This finding was consistent across sex. The current study indicates that APSH are comprised of a number of components that were influenced by the sex of the participant and the behavioral characteristics of the prisoners depicted. The implications of these findings to practice are discussed.

Therapists’ Group Attachments and their Expectations of Patients’ Attitudes about Group Therapy

A large body of literature has supported the application of attachment theory to the understanding of psychotherapy. In addition, a more recent social psychological literature is exploring the application of attachment theory to the area of group dynamics and group process. The current study is designed to integrate these two distinct bodies of literature. In a preliminary fashion, we examined the relationship between group therapists’ group attachment styles and their assumptions and expectations of their patients’ attitudes about group psychotherapy. Seventy–six therapists completed the Smith, Murphy & Coats (1999) measure of group attachment style. They also completed the Revised Group Therapy Survey (Carter, Mitchell, & Krautheim, 2001) from the viewpoint of a typical patient they treat. As hypothesized, therapists with more group attachment anxiety assumed that patients would hold more negative myths and misconceptions about group treatment than therapists with less group attachment anxiety. The utility of a group attachment construct in future research and practice is discussed.

Bisexual Issues in Same-Sex Couple Therapy

SUMMARY The bisexual identity of a partner in a same-sex couple may not be an issue in the relationship, or it may introduce fear, mistrust, and divisiveness. Mixed-orientation couples face problems stemming from the dichotomizing of sexuality, negative myths and stereotypes, and lack of awareness of models and resources. It can be particularly problematic when a partner's bisexuality is first addressed within a committed relationship. Case examples illuminate some of the issues. Therapeutic tasks include addressing the context of oppression, assessing developmental stages of sexual identity and the relationship, clarifying personal meanings of bisexuality, providing education and resources, and, possibly, facilitating negotiations regarding safer sex and polyamory. Optimal couple therapy provides affirmation of bisexuality, validation of same-sex relationships, and reflection of the partner's and relationship's strengths.

Sexuality in the Nursing Home

Despite a growing body of literature that contradicts previous stereotypes, negative myths about late life sexuality have persisted. These attitudes had been more entrenched in nursing homes where residents' sexuality have been perceived primarily as behavioral. At one nursing home, a policy and video training program on sexual expression was developed, with staff training, environmental modifications, and work with families, based on sexual expression as a right of consenting adults. This policy can serve nursing homes which face challenges presented by new cohorts of older adults and their families.

Advising Adults: Telling or Coaching?

Whether we teach or advise students-and some would say advisors are teaching-we have a responsibility to enhance students' collegiate learning experiences by understanding who they are and what needs they have. The adult learner is not an exception to this assumption. While much variation exists in defining and categorizing the adult learner, what we do know for sure is that adult learners are a unique and diverse group of individuals. Today's diverse group of adult learners comes to higher education from many walks of life. Some are displaced workers, transitioning from the industrial to the information age. They may be facing career changes at a time in their lives when they thought they would be planning for retirement. Adult learners include women who delayed their educational pursuits until after raising their children or providing for aging parents. Some adult learners have retired from one career and have embarked on another, thus requiring retraining or education. And, minority and others who could not afford education in earlier years are seeking to enhance their skills and abilities. While there may be those who consider adult to be less effective or successful than traditional aged students, Richardson and King (1998) refer to an Australian study that indicates that adult perform better overall than normal age students, that they have a positive influence on the course, and that their tutorial contribution is considerably better than that of normal age students (p. 69). They dispute the negative myths about adult and surmise that biological and maturational factors are less important than life experiences. Adult learners have much to offer to the educational arena, including their experiential learning and other ways of knowing. Instructors and advisors have a responsibility to offer these a positive, successful educational experience. Human relationships are a key factor in experiencing a great college education (Light, 2001). Light encourages a partnership between the advisor and student that goes beyond basic course scheduling to a plan that fosters personal growth and development. Thus, higher education is experiencing a shift from prescriptive (course scheduling) advising to developmental academic advising, taking a holistic approach to student advising (Strommer, 1995). Poison (1994) defines developmental advising as an (p. 21). It is through this institutional lifeline that can have successful collegiate experiences as well as plan and prepare for fulfilling and rewarding careers, regardless of their age or numerous reasons for returning to higher education. Polson (1994) posits, Adults perhaps more than any other student population need someone within the institution who cares (p. 22). So how do we as educators and academic advisors build relationships with adult that facilitate a successful collegiate experience? Do we offer them run-of-the-mill prescriptive academic advising or do we take a more personal approach, offering them a developmental academic advising experience? Do we understand the difference between prescriptive and developmental academic advising? And, do administrators recognize the value of this advising approach and provide the academic and student support services to support it? Advising Concepts Prescriptive academic advising merely addresses course selection and academic regulations. It is a one-way street--the advisor holds the control and the power. Prescriptive advising is an event that limits the student to the advisor's choices. Developmental advising is a process. The advisor empowers the student to explore all options and participate fully in the decision-making process. Prescriptive advising directs and dictates, thus empowering the advisor. Developmental advising facilitates and guides, thus strengthening the advisor/advisee relationship and empowering the student for personal, academic, and career success. …

Invisible Mothers: A Content Analysis of Motherhood Ideologies and Myths in Magazines

The purpose of this study is to identify prevalent motherhood ideologies and myths in contemporary women's magazines. The results indicate that contemporary magazines promote a traditional motherhood ideology, yet perpetuate motherhood myths that undermine mothers who stay home. Traditional motherhood, which excludes Women of Color and employed mothers, is promoted. Mothers are almost exclusively presented in the domestic, rather than the public or integrated domestic–public, contexts. Myths that employed mothers are busy, tired, and guilty, and that employed mothers neglect and are unattached to their children, are not upheld. However, negative myths that at-home mothers are confused, overwhelmed, and interested only in superficial topics are upheld in the magazines analyzed. The implications of these results on the perpetuation of patriarchy are discussed.

Job Satisfaction Among Early School Leavers Working in the Trades and the Influence of Vocational Education in Schools

While we know that many youths do not hold an optimistic anticipation of a working life and occupational environments, we do not know a great deal about the early career experiences of young workers, particularly those regarded as high risk such as the early school exits, and young males in particular. Evidence regarding the implications of early school exit suggests ongoing barriers that would work against youth making an easy transition or experiencing an extended period of job satisfaction. Moreover, the negative myths concerning contemporary youth suggest that the work ethic and the notion of job satisfaction are not widespread among this generation. Findings of a high level of job satisfaction among a group of Western Australian early school exit youths primarily in building and construction trade-oriented jobs are reported here. It is suggested that the very high levels of satisfaction among this particular cohort at this stage of their post-school employment and training may be related to the industry-specific vocational education and training programme that each youth undertook during Year 11.

Treatment with lesbian alcoholics: healing shame and internalized homophobia for ongoing sobriety.

Traditionally, within the field of mental health, all forms of homosexuality have been viewed as pathological. This belief system reflects the larger societal attitude of heterosexism. According to Herek (1986), is a world-view, a value system that prizes heterosexuality, assumes it is the only appropriate manifestation of love and sexuality, and devalues homosexuality and all that is not (p. 925). is enforced by intimidation, harassment, and exclusion of those who are different (Rivers & D'Augelli, 2001). Until 1973 homosexuality was labeled a disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1973). It was removed from the disease classification after research by Hooker (1968) documented that as a group, homosexuals showed no greater pathology than did the general population. More recent literature has stated that homosexuality itself does not cause or indicate pathology; but that heterosexist society's response to homosexuality, homophobia, causes severe problems for gay people. impact of on gays/lesbians/bisexuals in today's society is hampering individual growth and development by instilling shame.., shame due to heterosexism (Neisen, 1993, p. 51). The phenomenon of homophobia is prevalent in our society. Homophobia can be defined as fear, disgust, anger, discomfort and aversion that individuals experience in dealing with gay people (Hudson & Ricketts, 1980, p. 358). This fear becomes generalized to a societal endorsement of negative myths and stereotypes about gay men and lesbians (Berkman & Zinberg, 1997). Understanding lesbians, then, rests on the recognition of homophobia as an ongoing oppressive force. It is also dependent on the awareness of the specific problems faced by all women. Lesbians are oppressed not only because they are homosexual, but also because they are women. As women, lesbians face problems not faced by gay men. Lesbians in treatment therefore require a different perspective from the therapist. According to Miller (1976), all women experience a degree of shame for being women in our patriarchal culture. Spaulding (1993) redefined as being necessarily inclusive of sexism: Heterosexism can be viewed as a form of social in which values, expectations, roles and institutions normalize heterosexuality which, in turn, is promoted and enforced formally and informally by structures in which men are dominant, i.e. the (p. 232). The sanctioned norm in U.S. society is that men are entitled to more control, privilege, and status than women are and that heterosexuals are entitled to more acceptance, privilege, and rights than homosexuals are. Not only are lesbians devalued because they are women, they are again devalued, more severely, because their existence is not dependent on a relationship with a man. The poses a provocation to the status quo of the patriarchy and therefore is continually devalued by the patriarchal culture as a whole to maintain the status quo. This essential provocation to the patriarchy puts the at risk of continual denigration and stigmatization by the larger society. Any woman can be threatened with the label 'lesbian' if she rejects male domination and control (Ellis & Murphy, 1994, p. 52). The ever-present possibility of harassment creates continual pressure on lesbians to remain as invisible as possible. The exits the heterosexual assumption, putting herself outside the norm to recognize her same sex desire and identify as lesbian (Schneider, 2001 p. 84). The degradation in status created by this position outside the expectations of society creates a need for secrecy and hiding. The need to hide has damaging psychological consequences. sense of 'otherness' results from isolation from those with similar feelings and from messages that homoerotic feelings are shameworthy (Rivers & D'Augelli, 2001, p. …

Aging and Peaking

Among the many negative myths and stereotypes about aging is that potential and performance peak early in life; by later life, individuals are commonly perceived as having “peaked” and passed their prime. The effect of such views is to limit expectations about what is possible in later life and to inhibit motivation for seeking novel experiences or new approaches for problem-solving. Diminished motivation for problem-solving can interfere with coping with a wide range of difficulties, including mental disorders.

Fighting the Legacy: British Bikers in the 1990s

This working paper focuses on police actions involving meetings of motorcyclists at a public house in Warwickshire, where police mobilisation resulted in a national outcry among motorcyclists against what was perceived as unnecessary police harassment. Through the detailing of the confrontation it shall be shown how the reactions by motorcyclists were centred not only around actual events but also around perceptions of negative myths about `bikers' prevalent in society. In order to examine the basis of riders' claims, an exploration will be made of the available socio-economic statistics for the industry to highlight the disjuncture between popular images of `bikers' and the actuality of the motorcycling profile. It is argued that the complex social identities portrayed by the motorcyclists are based on a social composition at odds with popular perception. Further, it is indicated how events may function on both political and cultural levels, carrying implications for future sociological analyses of social movement.

Kirchenreform und Sektenstiftung. Deutschkatholiken, Reformkatholiken und Ultramontane am Oberrhein (1844-1866) by Andreas Holzem

116BOOK reviews Kirchenreform und Sektenstiftung. Deutschkatholiken, Reformkatholiken und Ultramontane am Oberrhein (1844-1866). By Andreas Hölzern. [VeröffentUchungen der Kommission für Zeitgeschichte, Reihe B: Forschungen , Band 65.] (Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh. 1994. Pp. xlviU, 460.) The Deutschkatholiken have received Ui German history as weU as in German historiography an attention which is quite out ofproportion with their importance as a reUgious movement. HaUed by liberals and Protestants as an enUghtened form of CathoUcism, in particular as an alternative to bigoted ultramontanism , it got an enormous support in pamphlets and newspapers of the time. This may explain why there exists in modern German historiography an overemphasis on the shortlived movement, which arose in 1844 as a protest movement against the exposure of the Holy Tunic in the cathedral of Trier. Among others Annette Kuhn (1971) and F. W. Graf (1978) have tried to link the DeutschkathoUzismus with their own theoretical problems,which have Uttle to do with its historical reaUty. CathoUc historiography, as can be presumed, has dealt with the movement in the manner of a summary executioner. Andreas Holzem has avoided the pitfaUs of his predecessors by taking a fresh look at pubUshed and above aU unpubUshed sources. His study concentrates on the movement such as it appears in southwest Germany: Hessen-Darmstadt, Württemberg, Baden, Nassau, and Kurhessen. His findings show that DeutschkathoUzismus is less a protest movement of Catholics who want to reform the Church, than of those men and women who have already gone a long distance from the Church. They have assumed the ideas of their Protestant or secularized surroundings on mixed marriages,the Bible, church authority, and popular piety. In the CathoUc language ofthe time it was therefore easy to label them as crypto-Protestants or bad Catholics. It is interesting to learn that only a smaU proportion belonged to the upper middle class; its sympathizers were recruited mostly from the lower classes. Holzem characterizes theU original reUgious impetus as a type of popular reUgious enUghtenment. As such it failed and contributed mainly as a negative myth to the growth and stabUization of ultramontanism. The losers were the Church reformers who in the southwest had considerable support Ui the movement against ceUbacy and other reform desiderata. The wise anti-Romanist Wessenberg foresaw right from the beginning the inevitable degeneration of DeutschkathoUzismus to a sect and refused even to see its propagator, Ronge. The careful investigation of Holzem shows how enUghtening concepts of social history can be for the clarification of the interrelations between poUtical, reUgious, and social history. At times the sociological vocabulary rises to triumphant heights, not always for the benefit of the reader. A general remark: Modernization becomes an aU-embracing positive catchword, but loses its expUcatory force the more it is used in a pseudomessianic way. One would wish that the social history of Old CathoUcism Ui the southwest, up to now nearly BOOK REVIEWS117 completely neglected, would find a treatment as adequate as Andreas Holzem's study of a movement with which it is sometimes confused. Victor Conzemius Lucerne, Switzerland Katholische Vereine in Baden undWürttemberg, 1848-1914:Ein Beitrag zur Organisationsgeschichte des südwestdeutschen Katholizismus im Rahmen der Entstehung der modernen Industriegesellschaft. By Winfrid Halder. [Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Zeitgeschichte, Reihe B: Forschungen, Band 64.] (Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh. 1995. Pp. xxix, 409.) Although the title suggests a rather narrowly defined monograph, this book makes a substantial contribution to the field. Winfrid Haider defines the function and meaning of the Verein (association or club), the Verband (association, federation, or union) and the Gewerkschaft (trade union) for modern German CathoUcism. He delineates the various forms of association, traces their development , and examines the relationship between clergy and laity in them. As a product of the Commission for Contemporary History, it is soUdly grounded Ui archival research. This work is the first comprehensive and systematic treatment of German Catholic voluntary associations to appear in a long time. Haider describes the Vereine as the infrastructure of nineteenth-century German CathoUcism, relying heavUy on the interpretations of Heinz Hurten, Klaus Schatz, and others. Beginning in the 1840's, a network of clubs, organizations, newspapers, and journals arose under the nominal...

Girls' understanding and social constructions of menarche

The aim of this study was to assess Australian girls' beliefs and feelings about menarche and menstruation using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Eighty-seven Grade 6 girls were interviewed and completed questionnaires, including both self-report and projective measures, relating to pubertal status, attitudes to and knowledge about menstruation. Results showed knowledge to be limited, with evidence of incorrect and negative myths about menstruation. Attitudes to menstruation were characterized by embarrassment, discomfort, and ambivalence about growing up. Themes in story completion tasks further reflected these attitudes, along with shame and anxiety, linked periods with incapacity or illness, and expressed the norm of periods as events which require the use of deception and denial as coping strategies. Mature problem-solving approaches to the hypothetical situations in the stories were rare. Factor analysis of the attitudinal and knowledge data revealed four factors — Comfort through Knowledge; Negative Feelings: Discomfort through Knowledge; and Independence — which were discussed in terms of the ambivalent social construction placed on menstruation.