Social Processes Research Articles

Shaken to the core: trust trajectories in the aftermaths of adverse cyber events

PurposeAdverse cyber events, like death and taxes, have become inevitable. They are an increasingly common feature of organisational life. Their aftermaths are a critical and under-examined context and dynamic space within which to examine trust. In this paper, we address this deficit.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on pertinent theory and reports of empirical studies, we outline the basis of two alternative subsequent trajectories, drawing out the relationships between trust, vulnerability and emotion, both positive and negative, in the aftermath of an adverse cyber event.FindingsWe combine stage theory and social information processing theories to delineate the dynamics of trust processes and their multilevel trajectories during adverse cyber event aftermaths. We consider two response trajectories to chart the way vulnerability arises at different levels within these social systems to create self-reinforcing trust and distrust spirals. These ripple out to impact multiple levels of the organisation by either amplifying or relieving vulnerability.Research limitations/implicationsThe way adverse cyber events aftermaths are managed has immediate and long-term consequences for organisational stakeholders. Actions impact resilience and the ability to preserve the social fabric of the organisations. Subsequent trajectories can be “negative” or “positive”. The “negative” trajectory is characterised by efforts to identify and punish the employee whose actions facilitated the adverse events, i.e. the “who”. Public scapegoating might follow thereby amplifying perceived vulnerability and reducing trust across the board. By contrast, the “positive” trajectory relieves perceived vulnerability by focusing on, and correcting, situational causatives. Here, the focus is on the “what” and “why” of the event.Practical implicationsWe raise the importance of responding in a constructive way to adverse cyber events.Originality/valueThe aftermaths of cyber attacks in organisations are a critical, neglected context. We explore the interplay between trust and vulnerability and its implications for management “best practice”.

Racial melancholia, ambivalence, and shame: a psycho-social examination of white student resistance to anti-racism in a secondary classroom

ABSTRACT This critical ethnographic study uses the concept of racial melancholia to investigate white student resistance to anti-racism in a secondary classroom. I employ a psycho-social (the interplay between psychoanalytic and social processes) approach to examining racialisation through a theoretical and empirical exploration of racial melancholia’s role in engendering a traumatic conflict between desiring anti-racism and betraying whiteness, a conflict that I argue serves as the core of white subjectivity. I analyse three different ways in which racial melancholia caused white students to vacillate between coveting anti-racism and reproducing racism. These students waged a psycho-social battle with whiteness that was mediated by social forces including family, friends, and classmates intersecting and overlapping with psychical processes related to ambivalence and shame. I conclude with how methods for storytelling can open pathways for working through racial melancholia.

The relationship between self-serving leadership and employees’ expediency: a moderated mediation model

PurposeDrawing upon social information processing theory, this study investigates the correlation between self-serving leadership and employee expediency. It also explores the mediating effect of self-interest motivation and the moderating effect of trait mindfulness.Design/methodology/approachA total of 147 part-time MBA students were enlisted to participate in a scenario experiment (Study 1), and 291 valid employee questionnaires were collected through a multiple-time point survey (Study 2). SPSS 23.0, MPLUS 8.0 and PROCESS programs were used to analyze the data and test the hypotheses.FindingsStudy 1 illustrated a positive correlation between self-serving leadership and employee expediency. It also identified self-interest motivation as a mediating factor in the correlation between self-serving leadership and expediency. Study 2 replicated the results obtained in Study 1 and expanded upon them by demonstrating that trait mindfulness moderates the association between self-serving leadership and self-interest motivation. Additionally, trait mindfulness moderates the indirect effect of self-serving leadership on expediency.Practical implicationsThis research argues that organizations should take steps to prevent self-serving leadership in order to reduce employee expediency. Furthermore, it is advisable to provide ethics training to employees who exhibit high trait mindfulness, as they show increased sensitivity to self-serving leadership and are more likely to engage in unethical behavior.Originality/valueThis study expands the existing research on the ethical outcomes of self-serving leadership and contributes to a deeper understanding of the negative aspects of trait mindfulness.

Оподаткування і фіскальна соціологія: фінансова думка Заходу та уроки для України

Introduction. In the process of fair interaction between authorities and taxpayers, a relationship of trust is created. This trust ensures support for government fiscal initiatives from the business sector. Conversely, if the relationship is not transparent and equitable, it can lead to a passive or even negative attitude towards taxes, thereby reducing the efficiency of the tax system. Problem Statement. There is a gap in Ukrainian fiscal theory, which is still underdeveloped in terms of fiscal sociology. Compared to Western countries, where fiscal sociology has already become an integral part of economic analysis, in Ukraine this issue has been studied only by a narrow circle of scholars. This limitation necessitates a deeper study and integration of sociological approaches into financial science, because without it, Ukrainian researchers and policy makers lose the opportunity to gain a more complete understanding of the interaction between economic and social processes. The purpose is to substantiate the directions of integration of fiscal sociology into Ukrainian financial theory and to develop recommendations for its inclusion into Ukrainian financial practice. Methods. The methods used are systematic, structural-functional, comparative analysis, analogy, grouping, description, comparison and generalization. Results. It is proved that by integrating fiscal sociology, Ukrainian fiscal theory can benefit from a more nuanced understanding of the socio-economic factors influencing fiscal policy. Such integration could lead to more effective policy making and a deeper understanding of the economic challenges facing Ukraine. Conclusions. Ukrainian academics and policymakers should prioritize the interdisciplinary study of fiscal policy, taking into consideration the rich tradition of fiscal sociology in the West. Joint efforts should be made to develop tax policies that strengthen state legitimacy by addressing issues of fairness, transparency, and trust. Strategies for managing public debt and improving tax morale should be a central element of fiscal policy to ensure that Ukraine's financial system can withstand socioeconomic pressures and contribute to long-term stability and development.

Cerebellar non-invasive stimulation of social and emotional mentalizing: A meta-analysis

Abstract The present meta-analysis investigated the impact of non-invasive stimulation, using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting the posterior cerebellum, on social and emotional mentalizing about others. Prior research has convincingly shown that the posterior cerebellum supports social and emotional cognition. We identified 14 studies targeting the cerebellum with appropriate control conditions (i.e., sham, control site), which exclude general learning effects of the task or placebo effects. The studies included 29 task conditions where stimulation before or during a social or emotional task was applied on healthy samples. The results showed significant evidence that sustained anodal tDCS and TMS generally improved social and emotional performance after stimulation, in comparison with sham or control conditions, with a small effect size. In contrast, cathodal stimulation showed mixed facilitatory and inhibitory results. In addition, short TMS pulses, administered with the aim of interfering with ongoing social or emotional processes, induced a small but consistent inhibitory effect. Control tasks without social or emotional components also showed significant improvement after sustained anodal tDCS and TMS, suggesting that transcranial stimulation of the cerebellum may also improve other functions. This was not the case for short TMS pulses, which did not modulate non-social and non-emotional control tasks. Taken together, this meta-analysis shows that cerebellar neurostimulation confirms a causal role of the cerebellum in socio-emotional cognition, has a small but significant effect on improving socio-emotional skills, and may therefore have important clinical applications in pathologies where social and emotional cognition is impaired.

Activism as education in and through the youth climate justice movement

AbstractYoung people worldwide are increasingly participating in a global movement for climate justice, yet to date, little research has examined how youth climate justice activists conceive of and experience activism as education. The present study used in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 16 US climate justice activists (aged 15–17) to address the research question: How do youth climate justice activists explain and experience the educative power of their activism? The results of reflective thematic analysis bring to light youths' dual roles as ‘learners of the movement’ and ‘climate justice educators’. As learners, youth described gaining awareness of climate justice directly from the movement, as well as learning a variety of skills (e.g., organising, communication, conflict resolution) through their activist engagement. Simultaneously, youth described their role as educators through a range of activities intended to raise awareness among adult and youth audiences, including educational workshops and trainings, school visits, teach‐ins, curriculum development, talk shows and interviews, creating digital resources, social media outreach and public protest (e.g., strikes, marches and demonstrations). Beyond spreading knowledge of climate in/justice, youth activists were also educators of action and social change processes—noting that learning about governmental institutions and political processes enabled them to exercise their democratic citizenship and equip and embolden other young people to do the same (e.g., via political advocacy trainings). The findings of the present study have implications for creating climate justice curricula that not only attend to the scientific and technological dimensions of the climate crisis, but also enable learners' justice‐driven action and democratic participation.

Platforms as audio discovery ecosystems: What Spotify’s podcast rankings tell us about the way platforms appropriate the format

Contemporary mediation gravitates around platforms, central structures where users and content converge. As the pivotal format for mediation through sound, intersecting culture, economy, technology and social processes, podcasting has drawn the attention of platforms which have been investing heavily on attracting/retaining producers and listeners alike, by facilitating production, securing the rights to exclusive content, and providing unique ways to interact with content. In this article we analyze Spotify’s Top Podcast rankings in Portugal, using descriptive analysis to identify and characterize content, to determine how discovery is promoted and how diverse is the content being presented to users, determining their perception of the format. We argue that content diversity is central to a format that has become mainstream within contemporary digital and audio culture, through the convergence of independent and mainstream producers in the unique content sphere of podcasting. Platforms may be regarded as enabling agents for this process, having become both audio discovery ecosystems and gatekeepers for the format.

Acceptance of Rubella-Containing Vaccine and Factors Associated with Acceptance among Women of Reproductive Age in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: To investigate the acceptance and factors influencing acceptance of rubella-containing vaccine (RCV) among women of reproductive age in Guangdong, Henan, Hubei, Liaoning, Shanxi, Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces of China. Methods: Using a stratified sampling method, we selected one urban and one rural community health services center in each of two cities in seven provinces. From these centers, we recruited women 15–49 years of age to complete a questionnaire on their willingness to receive RCV and factors influencing willingness. The survey instrument was adapted from the behavioral and social drivers (BeSD) of vaccination survey tool developed by the World Health Organization. Results: Among 1286 participants, 981 (76.3%) were willing to receive RCV. Awareness of rubella ranged from 12.4% to 70.6%. Willingness to receive RCV differed significantly by region, occupation, vaccination history, and awareness. All latent variables of the structural equation model (SEM) were positively correlated with willingness, and all standardized paths were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Thinking and Feeling had direct positive effects on Social Processes (β = 0.789) and Practical Issues (β = 0.542), thereby indirectly affecting motivation. Conclusions: Women of reproductive age had high willingness to receive the rubella vaccination, but their general awareness of rubella was relatively low. It is necessary to strengthen the health education of women of reproductive age regarding rubella to improve RCV coverage.

Læreplananalyse av temaet landformer i norsk grunnskole (1974-2020) sett i lys av sentrale teorier om barns læring

How the theme landforms is treated in Norwegian curricula has changed over years. The aim of this study was to identify and understand such changes, and to analyze how the facilitation of the content harmonizes with central theories of children’s learning. This was a qualitative content analysis. All curricula facilitate landform learning in the pupil's local environment, and work methods that facilitate social interactive processes are strongly emphasized. This harmonizes well with a sociocultural constructivist view of learning. Over time, however, content about landforms has been reduced and become more scientific and academic. An example of this is the introduction of The Geological Cycle in the last curriculum. The reduction of content allows for more in-depth understanding, but academization may also cause alienation. The cultural aspects in this curriculum were also weakened, which does not harmonize with a theory of children's animistic thinking.

Intergenerational poverty persistence in Europe – Is there a ‘Great Gatsby Curve’ for poverty?

While the influence of poverty in childhood on adulthood outcomes has been extensively studied, little is known about how the strength of intergenerational persistence in poverty itself varies across countries. Here we examine the intergenerational persistence of poverty in a comparative analysis of 30 European countries using data from the 2019 ad hoc module of the EU-SILC dataset. We construct proxy measures of poverty in the parental household employing information on the inability to meet basic needs and financial hardship when growing up, together with parental education and occupational social class. The strength of the association between current poverty based on the indicators at the core of the EU’s social inclusion process and these measures of parental poverty is assessed and compared across countries. The cross-country variation in poverty persistence is probed concerning its relationship with the current and past extent of poverty: persistence tends to be stronger where current or parental poverty is higher, analogous to the Great Gatsby Curve relating intergenerational income mobility to income inequality at the country level. Mediation analysis highlights the role of own education as well as occupation in underpinning the observed relationship between current and parental poverty.

Village (re)commoning: rethinking Hong Kong's rural built heritage as commons

In recent years, a growing number of village revitalisation schemes have been initiated in Hong Kong by nonprofit organisations (NPOs) with expertise in ecological and heritage conservation. Although many projects have been commended for their success, villagers feel excluded and remain largely disengaged from the revitalisation process. This article proposes redefining the current understanding of Hong Kong’s rural heritage by introducing the concepts of commons and commoning as a relatively new theoretical framework for analysing village revitalisation. Although it has been mobilised in Hong Kong’s urban context, the concept of commoning is rarely used as a theoretical framework for discussing rural heritage. What new knowledge can be derived from a commoning approach to Hong Kong’s village heritage? How does this approach elucidate past assumptions regarding the value and significance of built heritage? How can the concept of commoning be used to reinterpret the relative success or failure of recent revitalisation initiatives? First, commoning can provide a better understanding of how village heritage was created and managed over time. Second, the literature on commoning provides better tools for understanding the historical processes that led to the disappearance of Hong Kong built heritage commons in the second half of the 20th century. Third, the concept of recommoning is helpful for better understanding the current situation of Hong Kong and the shortcomings experienced by some villagers. This paper also shows that many of the specificities of global contemporary recommoning are relevant to the case of Hong Kong and can partially explain the success or failure of some village revitalisation initiatives. Overall, this article reflects on how various categories of commons and the complex social process of commoning offer multiple advantages to improve our understanding of built heritage when analysing village revitalisation schemes in Hong Kong.

“Too Much Trouble”: Transgender and Nonbinary People's Experiences of Stigmatization and Stigma Avoidance in the Workplace

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people in the U.S. navigate significant employment and economic inequities. Gaps in knowledge about their workplace experiences limit our broader understanding of how social inequality is interactionally constructed through employment contexts. We conducted and analyzed interviews with 26 TNB young adults. Routine hiring processes and structural constraints made participants vulnerable to interactional stigmatization and subsequent discrimination, with deleterious consequences for employment as well as mental health. Participants deployed a variety of strategies to avoid or resist anticipated stigma, including exiting the workforce or changing careers. One's ability to avoid stigmatization at work was partially shaped by structural and managerial support, organizational form, and one's gender and gender conformity. Beyond contributing to economic inequality by limiting job and career options, our findings suggest that these social processes comprise minority stressors that diminish the well-being of TNB participants and exacerbate their economic marginalization. In contributing empirical insight into the experiences of TNB people, we demonstrate the salience of stigmatization and stigma avoidance strategies for social closure within organizations and thereby advance sociological understanding of the relational generation of inequality at work.

The intermix of affect, perception and familism in African American financial well-being

PurposeGiven that African Americans are at the bottom of household income, understanding how individuals can improve their financial well-being is critical. Cultural background influences family financial socialization processes, with cultural values shaping family roles and communication patterns. This study explores African Americans’ financial well-being by examining how the intermix of affect, perception and familism influences financial intentions.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes the value–attitude–behavior hierarchy, the impact of subjective financial knowledge on financial behaviors and perceived behavioral control among African Americans. The research sample comprised 346 African Americans of a broad range of ages. A partial least squares structural equation model (SmartPLS 3) was used for the analysis.FindingsThe study found a positive and significant influence of the cultural value of familism on financial attitudes, consistent with previous studies. The influence of the cultural value of familism on financial well-being through financial attitudes without further mediation was found to be positive but insignificant. The influence of the cultural value of familism on perceived control was shown to have an insignificant impact on financial well-being, which is inconsistent with previous literature on the value–attitude–behavior hierarchy; this is particularly relevant among African Americans.Originality/valueThe findings illustrate the importance of the positive impact of interpersonal family relationships on actual financial behaviors (intentions), allowing individuals to improve their financial situations. However, subjective financial knowledge lacks significance when mediated through the influence of financial intentions on financial well-being.

Playing to Collaborate: Using Cooperative Board Games to Experience and Reflect on Collaboration in Upper Secondary Education

There is a growing interest among researchers in using board games for supporting learning in school contexts. Co-op board games is a relatively new and promising type of games, which seems well-suited for improving students’ collaboration skills. In this paper, we explore how two groups of Danish high school students interact when playing two different co-op games, The Mind and Forbidden Island, and how they reflect upon their shared game experiences. The data collection is based on video observations of group interaction and student interviews, which use stimulated video recall. In this way, we are able not only to describe the students’ perceived outcomes of the gaming activities, but also their in-game practices. Our data analysis is informed by microsociological perspectives (Goffman and Collins), which are used to map the group interaction rituals and social norms of the students’ gaming encounters. Based on the data analysis, we identify two analytical themes, which concern the students’ use of verbal and non-verbal communication practices as well as their socialisation processes. The findings suggest that co-op games may be used as a valuable educational tool for qualifying high school students’ collaboration skills as well as strengthening their group relations. The students especially valued playing The Mind, which they tried playing for multiple game rounds. Based on these findings, we discuss recommendations for the further use and study of co-op board games in educational settings.

Mapping secondary data gaps for social simulation modelling: A case study of the journeys of Syrian asylum seekers to Europe

Simulation models of social processes may require data that are not readily available, have low accuracy, are incomplete or biased. The paper presents a formal process for collating, assessing, selecting, and using secondary data as part of creating, validating, and documenting an agent-based simulation model of a complex social process, in this case, asylum seekers’ journeys to Europe. The process starts by creating an inventory of data sources, and the associated metadata, followed by assessing different aspects of data quality according to pre-defined criteria. As a result, based on the typology of available data, we are able to produce a thematic map of the area under study, and assess the uncertainty of key data sources, at least qualitatively. We illustrate the process by looking at the data on Syrian migration to Europe in 2011–21. In parallel, successive stages of the development of a simulation model allow for identifying key types of information which are needed as input into empirically grounded modelling analysis. Juxtaposing the available evidence and model requirements allows for identifying knowledge gaps that need filling, preferably by collecting additional primary data, or, failing that, by carrying out a sensitivity analysis for the assumptions made. By doing so, we offer a way of formalising the data collection process in the context of model-building endeavours, while allowing the modelling to be predominantly question-driven rather than purely data-driven. The paper concludes with recommendations with respect to data and evidence, both for modellers, as well as model users in practice-oriented applications.

Gender differences in the observation of gesture direction: a physiological study

Intransitive gestures are expressive and symbolic, whereas pantomimes are object-related actions. These gestures convey different meanings depending on whether they are directed toward (TB) or away from the body (AB). TB gestures express mental states (intransitive) or hygiene/nutritional activities (pantomime), while AB gestures modify the behaviour of the observer (intransitive) or demonstrate tool use with an object (pantomime). A substantial body of literature suggests that females exhibit stronger social cue processing compared to males. Considering the social significance of gestures, this study aimed to explore the physiological gender differences in the observation of AB and TB gestures. Pupil dilation and High Frequency Heart Rate Variability (HF-HRV) were measured in 54 participants (27 female) while observing TB and AB gestures. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Vicarious Distress Questionnaire (VDQ) were used to assess social-emotional processes. Results showed greater pupil dilation in females for TB gestures, but no significant gender differences for HF-HRV. Males showed a significant correlation between increased pupil dilation to both TB and AB gestures and empathy levels (IRI). The support scale of the VDQ correlated significantly with TB gestures in males. These findings provide insight into the neurobiological basis of gender differences in perceiving social gestures.

How to Build a Culture of Human Rights in the Era of Populism: Reflections From the Human Rights City of York (UK)

This article analyses how to build a culture of human rights in the era of populism. The UK, and the York Human Rights City initiative, provide a case study. The article draws on a human rights practice methodology, activist practices and broader social processes and practices, both in York, to analyse the potential of the ‘local’, and in particular cities, to develop a human rights culture. It argues that such a culture needs to go beyond current responses to populism, notably a focus on values and framing (a variant of ‘if only people knew’), to draw on thicker components of culture (history and place, rather than law and institutions). Interviews with artists in York as a proxy for wider public engagement suggest an enduring disconnect with human rights but also that meaning-making, co-creation, not just better communication, is needed to build a culture of human rights.

Perancangan Multimedia Informasi Iklan Layanan Masyarakat “Domestic Abuse” Di Dinas Pemberdayaan Perempuan Perlindungan Anak Dan Keluarga Berencana Jawa Barat

Domestic abuse is a social problem in Indonesia that always be inherent and not easy to deal with, the rate of domestic abuse exploded when pandemic happen in Indonesia. in West Java alone there already 2000 case about domestic abuse that already registered. This number can be pressed if society have the courage and awareness about domestic abuse among them, as a victim or as a witness of the abuse. This multimedia application was designed for facilitate the socialization process of domestic abuse in order to cultivate courage in society to report if they see someone they know is a victim of domestic abuse. So, an information multimedia application of domestic abuse public service advertisements with a case study at the West Java Women's Empowerment, Child Protection and Family Planning Office was created. The methodology used is Multimedia Development Life Cycle (MDLC) that have 6 stages (concept, design, material collecting, assembly, testing, and distribution). The , multimedia application of domestic abuse public service advertisements was designed according to users need obtained from observation and implemented using Adobe Animate CC 2019 with Action Script 3.0 programming language.the testing of this application is using black box testing method show that this application running smoothly and fit to what the user wants. The result of this testing show that the average of the testing result from 3 category (design, feature, and user satisfaction) with 12 test parameters is 4,39 (87,8%).

Community, Socialisation, and Empowerment in Cultural Game Jams with Youth Citizens

This paper examines social and collaborative elements of Cultural Game Jams developed and implemented in the large-scale Europe Horizon research and innovation project, EPIC-WE: Empowered Participation through Ideating Cultural Worlds and Environments (2023-2026). The project explores and develops transdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation across cultural heritage institutions, creative industries, higher education institutions, and youth citizens (ages 16-25) towards Cultural Game Jam interventions across three European sites: Óbidos (Portugal), Hilversum (Netherlands), and Aarhus (Denmark). The Cultural Game Jams are held at cultural heritage sites and are aimed towards value-sensitive game design and youth empowerment. This paper explores Cultural Game Jams as a potential format for enabling and developing youths’ empowered participation, communality, and cultural socialisation by analysing the first Cultural Game Jam (2024). Framed by a Design-Based Research methodology and guided by experimental and short-term ethnography and design experiments, the analyses draw from qualitative empirical material, e.g., interviews, participatory observations, field notes, and the Cultural Game Jam participants' reflective process and design documentation. The analyses illustrate how co-creating games within cultural heritage contexts can develop youth perceptions of community, cultural socialisation processes, and individual/collective empowerment. Furthermore, the paper offers insights into the co-creation of games as new expressions of cultural heritage through epistemic collaboration and cultural participation in game jams while discussing possibilities for enabling new experiences of empowered participation, social learning, and community among youth citizens.

Disenchanted comradery: The social process of persistent mistrust among North Korean refugees in the United Kingdom

AbstractPrevious research on refugees demonstrates that low interpersonal trust impedes their social adaptation in host countries. However, a pervasive sense of low trust among refugees, particularly within their own communities, remains less understood. Using survey and interview data from North Korean refugees in London, United Kingdom, this study probes the social processes that foster mistrust towards their in‐group peers. The quantitative findings show that refugees have created a close‐knit, in‐group community bounded by strong emotional bonds that, counterintuitively, do not necessarily develop into mutual trust. The interviews show that the asylum‐seeking experiences and the cultural norms they bring from North Korea continue to shape how they perceive in‐group contacts as potential threats. Additionally, interactions with locals, especially South Korean immigrants, amplify perceptions of inferiority and mistrust towards in‐group members. These findings illuminate the complex social process through which mutual mistrust continues to persist among refugees, offering insights into the multifaceted challenges refugees face in resettlement.