Social Integration Theory Research Articles

Effect of the First World War on suicide rates in Ireland: an investigation of the 1864-1921 suicide trends.

SummarySince the proposition of the social integration theory by Émile Durkheim, macro-sociological changes have been speculated to affect suicide rates. This study investigates the effect of the First World War on Irish suicide rates. We applied an interrupted time series design of 1864–1921 annual Irish suicide rates. The 1864–1913 suicide rates exhibited a slow-rising trend with a sharp decline from the year 1914 onwards. The odds for death by suicide for males during the 1914–1918 period was 0.811 (95% CI 0.768–0.963). Irish rates of suicide were significantly reduced during the First World War, most notably for males.Declaration of interestNone.Copyright and usage© 2015 The Royal College of Psychiatrists. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

OCCUPATION-SPECIFIC COMPETENCE IN RUSSIAN YOUNG PEOPLE WHEN THOSE FITTING TO NEWLY SOCIAL ACTUALITY: PROCEDURAL PRIORITIES OF THE STUDY

The author suggested in the paper a procedural set of tools which in his opinion exactly enabled his revealing the features specific for shaping an occupation-specific competence in Russian youth while those fitting to a newly social actuality, and evaluating it. For this purpose, the author applied the / an asset of the activism paradigm stated in sociology, the theory of a new social actuality, the concept of inventive society and provisions of the theory of social integration of young people and a cognitive development paradigm of learning as well. The author specified the basic criteria for evaluating the occupation-specific competence in young people in the frame of interpretation of occupation-specific competence suggested and the academic ideas mentioned, those associated with understanding of a professional as an agent of social action. The paper also inferred that implementing innovation strategies based on creativity seems to be choiceless in contemporary dynamically changed environment for those who want to succeed in their occupation.

OCCUPATION-SPECIFIC COMPETENCE IN RUSSIAN YOUNG PEOPLE WHEN THOSE FITTING TO NEWLY SOCIAL ACTUALITY: PROCEDURAL PRIORITIES OF THE STUDY

The author suggested in the paper a procedural set of tools which in his opinion exactly enabled his revealing the features specific for shaping an occupation-specific competence in Russian youth while those fitting to a newly social actuality, and evaluating it. For this purpose, the author applied the / an asset of the activism paradigm stated in sociology, the theory of a new social actuality, the concept of inventive society and provisions of the theory of social integration of young people and a cognitive development paradigm of learning as well. The author specified the basic criteria for evaluating the occupation-specific competence in young people in the frame of interpretation of occupation-specific competence suggested and the academic ideas mentioned, those associated with understanding of a professional as an agent of social action. The paper also inferred that implementing innovation strategies based on creativity seems to be choiceless in contemporary dynamically changed environment for those who want to succeed in their occupation.

Social integration and the mental health of Black adolescents.

The influence of family, school, and religious social contexts on the mental health of Black adolescents has been understudied. This study used Durkheim’s social integration theory to examine these associations in a nationally representative sample of 1,170 Black adolescents, ages 13–17. Mental health was represented by positive and negative psychosocial well-being indicators. Results showed that adolescents’ integration into family and school were related to better mental health. In addition, commitment to religious involvement positively influenced mental health. Although the direct effect of religious involvement was inversely related to mental health, mediation analyses revealed a positive influence through religious commitment. Findings suggest a greater emphasis on all three social contexts when designing strategies to improve the mental health of Black adolescents.

A Conflict of Wills. The Seventeenth-Century Diarist Isaac Archer and His Father

Isaac Archer (1641-1700) was a godly man, an Anglican minister, a good father to his nine children and the son of a possessive father. The order in which his life roles are listed here is not random. For a considerable part of his life he kept a diary in which he recorded the many struggles with his sinful nature and presented himself as a man whose priority was to submit to the will of God. His humbleness was frequently and most painfully tested in the context of his parenthood, but it was the challenges that he faced in the relationship with his own father that seemed to have had the greatest impact on his spiritual as well as daily life. This article is a portrait of this very turbulent relationship between a seventeenth-century adult son and his strong-willed father. Parents and their adult children Family life, both in the present day and in the past, has been governed by certain norms regulating parent/child relationships. Recent studies clearly show that the model of formal, unaffectionate contacts between parents and their offspring in early modern England, described by Lawrence Stone in the 1970s (Stone 1977), cannot be universally applied to all English families, and that there was, in fact, much space in family life for love, affection, care and commitment (Pollock 1983; Ozment 1983; Macfarlane 1987, Houlbrooke 1990; Woods 2006; Fletcher 2010). This new interpretation of historical evidence does not, however, invalidate completely the traditional view of early modern parenting. Affectionate and caring or not, parents were seen as agents of God's will, and their roles as nurturers, disciplinarians, providers and educators had a divine mandate. The children, in return, were obliged to honour and obey their parents because obedience to them was obedience to God (O'Day 1994: 46- 49). Parents' role was to prepare their children to live in the world, while children's duty was to follow the prescriptions and demands of their parents (Ben-Amos 2000: 292). But how long was this supposed to last? How long were parents obliged to be involved in the lives of their children, and to what extent were adult sons and daughters supposed to meet their parents' expectations? What was the nature of parental/filial love in the period beyond adolescence and early youth? Theoretical traditions such as attachment theory, family solidarity theory, exchange theory, bioevolutionary approaches, social integration theory, and psychoanalytic theory, used in studies on contemporary family life, emphasize the importance of the parent/child relationship over the course of life. Children's financial independence or physical distance are seen as less important than a distinctive history, a set of experiences, carried by family members and connecting them throughout their lives (Umberson 1992: 664-665).

Social Integration and the Mental Health of Black Adolescents.

The influence of family, school, and religious social contexts on the mental health of Black adolescents has been understudied. This study used Durkheim's social integration theory to examine these associations in a nationally representative sample of 1,170 Black adolescents, ages 13-17. Mental health was represented by positive and negative psychosocial well-being indicators. Results showed that adolescents' integration into family and school were related to better mental health. In addition, commitment to religious involvement positively influenced mental health. Although the direct effect of religious involvement was inversely related to mental health, mediation analyses revealed a positive influence through religious commitment. Findings suggest a greater emphasis on all three social contexts when designing strategies to improve the mental health of Black adolescents.

God Bless Our Children? The Role of Generation, Discrimination and Religious Context for Migrants in Europe

AbstractThis article deals with individual and contextual effects on the religiosity of first and second generation migrants in Europe. Noticing that little attention has been directed towards intergenerational transmission of religion in processes of integration, we argue for an intergenerational perspective on immigrant religiosity. Social integration theory is used to derive the hypothesis that second generation immigrants are less religious than the first generation. Perceived discrimination is introduced in the immigrant‐religion research to account for the stress buffering capacities of religion. On the contextual level we expect a positive effect of native religiosity and religious diversity. Three aspects of religiosity are examined: (1) religious affiliation, (2) inner religiosity and (3) praying. We use four waves (2002–2008) of the European Social Survey (ESS) in a 3‐level random intercept multilevel model with 19,567 individuals, 235 regions and 26 countries. Among others, the most interesting results are that (1) second generation immigrants are less religious than their first generation counterparts, (2) perceived discrimination has a positive effect on immigrant religiosity and the effect is greater for the second generation, (3) native religiosity has a positive effect on immigrant religiosity with a greater effect on the second generation as well and (4) the influence on migrant religiosity is more salient at the regional than at the national level.

Association of suicide rates, gun ownership, conservatism and individual suicide risk

The purpose of the study was to examine the association of suicide rates, firearm ownership, political conservatism, religious integration at the state level, and individual suicide risk. Social structural and social learning and social integration theories were theoretical frameworks employed. It was hypothesized that higher suicide rates, higher state firearm availability, and state conservatism elevate individual suicide risk. Data were pooled from the Multiple Cause of Death Files. Multilevel logistic regression models were fitted to all deaths occurring in 2000 through 2004 by suicide. The state suicide rate significantly elevated individual suicide risk (AOR=1.042, CI=1.037, 1.046). Firearm availability at the state level was associated with significantly higher odds of individual suicide (AOR=1.004, CI=1.003, 1.006). State political conservatism elevated the odds of individual suicides (AOR=1.005, CI=1.003, 1.007), while church membership at the state level reduced individual odds of suicide (AOR=0.995, CI=0.993, 0.996). The results held even after controlling for socioeconomic and demographic variables at the individual level. It was concluded that the observed association between individual suicide odds and national suicide rates, and firearm ownership cannot be discounted. Future research ought to focus on integrating individual level data and contextual variables when testing for the impact of firearm ownership. Support was found for social learning and social integration theories.

Kinderen van God?: de rol van generatie, discriminatie en religieuze context voor de religie van migranten in Europa

This article argues for an intergenerational perspective on migrant religiosity. Social integration theory is used to derive the hypothesis that second generation immigrants are less religious than the first generation. Perceived discrimination is introduced in the migrant-religion research to account for the stress buffering capacities of religion. On the contextual level we suppose a positive effect of na¬ tive religiosity and religious diversity. Three aspects of religiosity are examined, religious affiliation, subjective religiosity, and praying. We use four waves of the European Social Survey in a 3-level random intercept multilevel model. Among others, the most interesting results are that (1) second generation immigrants are less religious than their first generation counterparts, (2) perceived discrimina¬ tion has a positive effect on immigrant religiosity and the effect is greater for the second generation and (3) native religiosity has a positive effect on immigrant religiosity with a larger effect on the second generation too.

A ‘Transnormative’ View of Society Building: Simmel’s Sociological Epistemology and Philosophical Anthropology of Complex Societies

In an epoch of ‘liquid modernity’, normativity assumes unforeseeable forms. Neither the theories of normative integration nor post-normative approaches can explain its contradiction: binding normativity still prevails, but its validity is limited in space and time. Only a ‘transnormative approach’ can therefore address the issue. An ideal-typical reconstruction of sociological theories as a contrast between normative and transnormative approaches allows us to appreciate the decisive contribution Simmel makes to the understanding of complex societies. A precondition is, however, to explain the epistemological efforts he made to overcome axiomatic assumptions about human sociability that unconsciously guide sociological thought. To this end, Simmel develops two different nuclei of sociological and philosophical theory: sociological epistemology and philosophical anthropology of complex societies. These are analysed as a process of relationship-building in a transnormative sense. To interact, individuals are required to comply with expectations of the other. Therefore living in society always presupposes a dialectic between the public and the private person. Enquiring into this issue allows Simmel to ground a non-normative theory of social integration. As long as individuals realize their potential through social interaction, this process permits society building even though there are no shared value orientations.

La concepción de hecho social en Durkheim. De la realidad material al mundo de las representaciones colectivas.

Which is the understanding of the social fact underlying in The Elementary forms of religious life? Which is the relation of such understanding and the prevailing interpretations that have been generated in The rules of sociological method? These questions are interesting for two reasons: 1) the paradigmatic role that these two books have played in certain key moments in the emergence of sociology (RSM) and of anthropology (EF). 2) The opposition that seems to occur in both books, which would lead to a supposedly antithesis between Durkheim, seen as a positivist sociologist in his first stage (as it is shown in RSM), and Durkheim as a sociologist interlocutor of anthropology, who starts the study of the profound sense of social facts that is shown in EF. In order to avoid this dichotomy, it is possible to analyze Durkheim’s work as a process in which moments of continuity and rupture are put together in the path to the construction of a new general theory of social integration, in which religion takes a strategic role.

Mobilizing for Change

Theories on the establishment and propagation of political movements through mobilization have emerged and evolved over the last half century. Among the major theoretical frameworks that have been advanced are resource mobilization theory, political process theory, and culture theory. However, despite these developments, relatively few methodological approaches have applied bottom-up computational modeling and simulation in explaining movement development in conflicts. With developments made in computational methods, the integration of social theory with modeling and simulation is a natural progression in creating tools that allow analysts, policy makers, and researchers the means to assess the successes or failures of political movements during armed struggles. This article presents an agent-based model and simulation that applies several frequently used theoretical approaches to political mobilization and explores the extent to which group resources and identity shaped conflicts in Central Asia. Given their historical, cultural, political, economic, and geographical circumstances, the authors seek to determine why different movements experienced contrasting political mobilization outcomes. Results show that receiving outside resources could help a relatively weak group, with limited mobilization, overcome opposition that is initially better mobilized, while shared identity and sufficient risk taking are shown to be potentially strong factors in producing successful mobilization. More broadly, the approach advanced enables analysts and researchers to better anticipate future mobilization events and projected paths of conflict by developing and understanding cause and effect relationships within relevant theoretical frameworks.

Morale in Relation to Caring and Social Exclusion in Society

Morale, as a future-oriented indicator of well-being, is susceptible to caring and social exclusion in society, with respect to social integration theory. The influences of caring and social exclusion perceived in society merit the concern of the present study. In addition, the study explores personal background characteristics as conditions for moderating the influences. A telephone survey of 1,526 adults in Hong Kong in China provided data for the study. Results demonstrated the main effects of caring and social exclusion perceived in society on morale and conditions that moderated the effects. The strongest condition is age, such that social exclusion was particularly demoralizing to the older person. In contrast, the person’s wealth did not have a main effect on morale. Results therefore favor the idealist explanation rather than materialist explanation for morale.

Sociale integratie en het kijken naar nieuwsprogramma’s als determinanten voor het wisselen van politieke partijkeuze in de periode 1994-2006

This study examines determinants of vote switching behaviour in the Netherlands in the period 1994-2006. Hypotheses about the influence of social integration and television watching behaviour are tested. By using the Dutch Parliamentary Electoral Studies, we examine whether these factors have an influence on the chance to switch party between two consecutive national parliamentary elections. We find support for some of the hypotheses derived from social integration theory. People living in more urbanized areas and people who have another religious affiliation than their parents switch more often, while it does not matter whether a person differs from his/her parents with respect to occupational class. Our hypothesis about the influence of television watching behaviour is supported: people who watch newscasts more often have a higher chance of switching.

Trajectories of Social Engagement and Mortality in Late Life

There is a dearth of empirical research examining how patterns of stability and change in social engagement affect mortality. This study uses social integration theory within a life course framework to examine trajectories of social engagement over time and how those patterns relate to mortality. Data are drawn from the Americans' Changing Lives survey, a nationally representative panel study, with mortality information spanning from 1986 to 2005. Even after controlling for known predictors of mortality, membership in a trajectory of high and slightly increasing social engagement was related to lower risk of mortality. Sociodemographic, health condition, and health behavior variables mediated the impact of the other social engagement trajectories on mortality. Findings suggest the importance of maintaining high levels of social engagement over time for the health of older adults.

Social Order in Sociology: Its Reality and Elusiveness

In the past, as well as in the present, depending on certain circumstances, sociologists tend to espouse one or the other of the contradictory answers proposed by political philosophers: social order is the result of some people being able to coerce others into obedience; or it rests on the general agreement among the members of the society; or it stems from their striking bargains with each other which are to every one’s individual advantage as well as the collective advantage. I argue that it is unhelpful to consider these viewpoints as mutually exclusive categories. For the sociologist, social order must be a matter for empirical investigation. It is obvious that each of the above stated old philosophical views has its own grain of truth inherent in it, for each comes near to describing what is observed in some societies, or part of societies, of different types, at different periods of history, in particular situations or circumstances. But to consider each, as a ‘theory’ of social order of universal validity, is to put it mildly unrealistic or absurd. To escape from this unrealistic approach which pervades some sociological discussions of social order it is pertinent to remember that social harmony is very often not achieved, and that social order and disorder are very much relative terms. I therefore posit that the actual state of relative order to disorder in a particular society or part of society is the outcome of complex forces of dependence and interdependence, of cooperation and conflict, of strength and weakness, of alliance and cleavage between people and groups. Thus, in this paper, a treatise is put forward, for the emergence of social order within the context of the theories of social integration and conflict in sociology. The essence is to describe how social order emanates under different circumstances with a view to analyzing its reality and elusiveness in daily social interactions in society. It appears that reality is in some sense Janus-faced (integration and conflict being the two unpropitious faces) and, despairing of ever encompassing both aspects in one theoretical framework. The big question is that: should the choice of reality be left to the whim of each sociologist?

Trajectories of Social Engagement and Limitations in Late Life

Although studies have established important links between social relations and health, much of this research does not take into account the dynamic nature of both social relations and health over time. The present study combines person-centered and variable-centered approaches and uses social integration theory within the life course framework to examine patterns of change in social engagement and how those patterns relate to trajectories of physical and cognitive limitations among older adults, using data from the Americans' Changing Lives survey, a nationally representative panel study (N = 1,667). Individuals who had trajectories of high and increasing social engagement experienced lower levels of physical and cognitive limitations over time. The findings suggest the importance of maintaining high levels of social engagement for the physical and cognitive health of older adults.

Exploring the influence of personal schema on trust transfer and switching costs in brick-and-click bookstores

Due to competition, most firms try to retain and lock in customers; this is likely to ensure a greater market profit than that gained by acquiring new customers. While many studies have investigated customer satisfaction and retention in online and offline firms, scant research exists on customer satisfaction and customer retention in the context of brick-and-click firms: i.e., those that conduct business both online and in stores. Such firms encourage trust transfer among their customers. However, most studies have failed to consider the role of personal schema in trust transfer. Based on social exchange, investment, and information integration theories, we analyzed the impact of trust transfer, switching costs, and personal schema on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions in the context of an offline bookstore that has now launched an online business. Our results indicated that trust transfer and switching costs had a small effect on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions. Personal schema, however, affected both customer satisfaction and repurchase intention.

Linking places to problems: geospatial theories of neighborhoods, alcohol and crime

This paper provides a critical review of two broad categories of social ecological theories of crime, social integration and place-based theories, and their relationships to spatial assessments of crime patterns. Social integration theories emphasize the role of neighborhood disorganization on crime, while place theories stress the social interactions within and between places as a source of crime. We provide an analysis of the extent to which these two types of theorizing describe processes and mechanisms that are truly ecologic (identify specific interactions between individuals and their environments) and truly spatial (identify specific movement and interaction patterns of individuals and groups) as they endeavor to explain crime outcomes. We suggest that social integration theories do not provide spatial signatures of sufficient specificity to justify the application of spatial statistical techniques as quantitative arbiters of the theory. On the other hand, place based theories go some way toward addressing these issues because the emphasis is placed on understanding the exact physical and social characteristics of place and the activities that occur around locations as sources of crime. Routine activities and crime potential theories attempt to explain clustering or "hot spots" of crime in ways that give clear spatial dimension by looking at micro-spatial interactions between offenders and targets of crime. These theories have strong ecological implications as well, since they contain specific statements about how people use the space around them and how these patterns of use are related to patterns of criminal activity. We conclude by identifying a set of requirements for successful empirical tests of geospatial theories, including the development of valid measures of key theoretical constructs and the formulation of critical empirical assessments of geospatial hypotheses derived from motivating theory.

The impact of online social networking on learning: a social integration perspective

Relying on social integration theory, this paper develops a conceptual model to explain how college students' online social networking (i.e., using Facebook) influences their social and academic social integration, and learning outcomes. Several rounds of focus group discussions were conducted to explore college students' current online social networking experience and their attitude toward using Facebook for education. Our findings indicate that students' online social networking is straightforwardly influential to their social learning, while its influence on the academic learning might be realised through a gradual and longitudinal process.