Social Processes Research Articles

Reimaging of the Angami collective cultural identity: kenyü and customary law in the select Angami folktales

ABSTRACT Although various studies have focused on the formation of ethnicity in Nagaland, little is known about specific aspects of collective cultural identity derived from the folktales of the Angami tribe. There is a lack of research in understanding the cultural analysis of the forms of kenyü (an Angami expression representing a ‘proscription of behaviour’ 1 ) and its role in the wider social process, owing to the folktales as narratives in the representation of the ethnic identity of the Angami. Selecting four folktales from the Angami tribe provides a useful way of conceptualising the relationality of kenyü and the collective cultural identity. This paper undertakes a textual analysis of the selected folktales and applies Stuart Hall’s concept of ‘cultural identity’ and Anthony Smith’s idea of ‘ethno-symbolism’ to foreground the identification of the concept of kenyü in understanding the folktales to reimagine collective cultural identity as a key aspect of ethnic identity.

Parental reactions to child negative emotions and child behavioral adjustment: The moderating role of child inhibitory control

According to the heuristic model of emotion socialization by Eisenberg et al., parental reactions to children’s negative emotions (RCNE) have an important role in this socialization process; however, its effects on children’s social-emotional outcomes may be moderated by the children’s temperament. This longitudinal study verified this proposition by testing maternal and paternal RCNE as predictors of preschoolers’ behavioral adjustment and child inhibitory control as a moderator of these associations. Mothers and fathers of 113 Chinese children ( Mage = 57.41 months, SD = 7.16 months) reported on their RCNE and child inhibitory control at Time 1 (T1) and reported on child behavioral adjustment (i.e., externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and prosocial behaviors) both at T1 and 6 months later (Time 2, T2). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that after controlling for child behavioral adjustment at T1, child age, and paternal education level, (a) paternal supportive reactions negatively predicted child externalizing problems and positively predicted child prosocial behaviors, and (b) the associations between parental RCNE and child behavioral adjustment were moderated by child inhibitory control. Specifically, only for children low on inhibitory control, paternal supportive reactions negatively predicted child externalizing problems, and maternal supportive reactions positively predicted child prosocial behaviors.

Sociocultural Change, Communication, and Learning in Central Java, Indonesia

The assessment of village progress takes more into account economic and physical aspects and pays less attention to the sociocultural aspects carried out by the community. Socioeconomic pressures on village communities can hinder people's opportunities to learn about the culture rooted in the community. The research question is how to drive sociocultural change in villages through persuasive communication and social learning. This research uses a qualitative approach with data collection methods such as in-depth interviews and participatory observation. This research was carried out in Jabung, Central Java, Indonesia, at the end of 2022. The results of the study show the importance of revitalizing sociocultural values that are rooted in village communities, such as mutual cooperation [gotong royong], mutual respect [unggah-ungguh], acceptance and gratitude [nrimo], respecting ancestors, and respecting the value of life for all living things. The results of sociocultural revitalization are supported through persuasive communication approaches, social learning processes, and collective community involvement. Theoretically, this research shows a conceptual correlation between sociocultural change, persuasive communication, and the social learning process.

New Thoughts on Research Framework for Integrating Leader Voice-Taking Behavior: A Literature Review Based Study

Objective: The purpose of this study is to conduct a relatively comprehensive literature review with leader voice-taking behavior as the core dimension in order to construct a logical quantitative research framework for studying organizational innovation in the hospitality industry. Theoretical Framework: The framework can be used to guide the optimization of management processes in Chinese hospitality industry, especially in response to corporate innovation problems caused by leaders who do not pay attention to the voices of their front-line employees (FLEs). Method: This study used a theoretical integration of a conventional review of literature textual research, drawing on persuasion theory, social information processing theory, and affective event theory to explain a model of leader voice-taking behavior. Results and Discussion: The findings of this paper more systematically integrates the logical relationships between the dimensions related to leader voice-taking behavior, including message factors (promotive voice, prohibitive voice, issue importance, voice directness), source factors (employee’s voice efficacy, value congruence, employee loyalty, employee expertise) and context factors (diversity, LMX) as predictable antecedents of leader voice-taking behavior. On the other hand, FOCC and affective factors (positive emotions, relational energy) are potentially mediating the relationship between leader discourse behavior and service innovation in FLEs. Research Implications: This study provides theoretical support for leadership-employee related behavioral theories, emphasizes the role of voice-taking behavior in corporate innovation, and is instructive for quantitative analysis of Chinese hospitality industry related to this type of research. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature review by leader voice-taking behavior. This is academically capable of guiding other related research and has a strong academic value.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Socialisation in the Knowledge Society

This paper addresses socialisation in the knowledge society, focusing on the usefulness of socialisation for the knowledge society. In the educational knowledge society, the processes of socialisation are increasingly understood as the accumulation of social and cultural capital, related to the functions of educational development. The aim of the research is to critically perform a comprehensive analysis of socialisation in the knowledge society by carefully examining socialisation, knowledge, knowledge society, knowledge economy, education and social studies. The features, types and stages of socialisation, the concept of knowledge and its types, the consequences of knowledge society, knowledge society as academic concept and stage of development as well as the analysis of socialisation for the knowledge society were thoroughly discussed in this study. The conceptualization of the knowledge society, which emerged between 1940 and 1960, is examined in this paper along with its significance. The knowledge of society's cognitive role structure and the spiritual qualities that influence creativity are discussed as essential components of socialisation. Under the broad technological field, and circumstances of modern knowledge culture, the potential of early socialisation is described by the dynamics of the professional maturation period. In order to understand the substance of modern education in accordance with its cultural mission, the study develops the theoretical groundwork and offers practical justification for socialisation as a concept, which is vital to the growth of the knowledge society. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the governments, political and economic elites, as well as businesses, civil society, news media, and academic communities should embrace the usefulness of socialisation in the knowledge society.

The effect of social anxiety on threat acquisition and extinction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Although exposure-based therapy has been found to be effective at alleviating symptoms of social anxiety disorder, it often does not lead to full remission, and relapse after treatment is common. Exposure therapy is based on theoretical principles of extinction of conditioned fear responses. However, there are inconsistencies in findings across experiments that have investigated the effect of social anxiety on threat conditioning and extinction processes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine whether elevated levels of social anxiety are associated with abnormalities in threat conditioning and extinction processes. A second aim was to examine the sensitivity of various study designs and characteristics to detect social anxiety-related differences in threat conditioning and extinction. A systematic search was conducted, which identified twenty-three experiments for inclusion in the review. The findings did not demonstrate compelling evidence that high levels of social anxiety are associated with atypical threat conditioning or extinction. Further, when systematically examining the data, there was no convincing support that the use of a particular psychophysiological measure, subjective rating, or experimental parameter yields more consistent associations between social anxiety and conditioning processes during threat acquisition or extinction. Meta-analyses demonstrated that during threat extinction, the use of anxiety ratings as a dependent variable, socially relevant unconditioned stimuli, and a higher reinforcement schedule produced more detectable effects of social anxiety on compromised extinction processes compared to any other dependent variable (subjective or physiological) or experimental parameter. Overall, the results of this study suggest that social anxiety is not reliably related to deficits in conditioning and extinction processes in the context of laboratory-based Pavlovian conditioning paradigms.

From Villain to Hero: The Role of Disengaged Terrorists in Social Reintegration Initiatives

Convicted terrorists released from prison often experience social stigma, exclusion, and difficulties reintegrating into society. Authorities have identified the utility of using formerly convicted and released terrorists or disengaged terrorists as an intermediary to help and support terrorist inmates as they go through social reintegration processes. This article explores their role as an intermediary who advocates for fair treatment and rights for their fellow ex-inmates, assisting families and helping them undergo the reintegration process. This research involved interviews with members of three foundations: Yayasan Persadani, Hubbul Wathon Indonesia 19, and DeBintal. By analysing the narrative of the participants, this study found that social reintegration efforts led by disengaged terrorists fostered a sense of social belonging and connectedness among ex-inmates. In addition, these foundations offer valuable assistance to terrorist inmates while ensuring community safety. They serve as a reliable support system during times of need and act as a communication bridge between them and the government. This framework positions these foundations as integral components in addressing concerns about the effectiveness of government-led integration initiatives. The approach adopted by these foundations has positive effects on preventing the re-engagement of released inmates with extremist networks. Despite the need to measure the effectiveness of these initiatives comprehensively, efforts made by these foundations provide potential for societal resilience against terrorism.

ANALISIS PEMASARAN OTAK-OTAK JUMBO IKAN TENGGIRI PADA UMKM PERMAI SARI KABUPATEN BANDUNG

Permai Sari’s MSME, which is located in the Kopo complex, is a micro, small and medium enterprise that sells products in the field of fish processing, namely grilled fish cake made from mackerel fish. Carrying out marketing analysis aims to find out how management and social processes occur in Permai Sari’s MSME. This research method uses a survey method. Sampling used purposive sampling. The data collected is primary data from interviews and secondary data taken from journals, books or other libraries. The results of this research show that the business of grilled fish cake made from mackerel fish obtained an added value of IDR 47,000/kg of raw material. With a profit of IDR 41,390/kg. Permai Sari's MSME competitors in terms of selling otak-otak products are street vendors who don't sell every day. Determining product prices uses cost-plus pricing which aims to make a profit. The promotional methods used are word of mouth and through applications on the internet. Distribution of otak-otak products by leaving them in stores and selling directly to consumers. Analysis of product production using forecasting methods.

Multidimensional neural representations of social features during movie viewing.

The social world is dynamic and contextually embedded. Yet, most studies utilize simple stimuli that do not capture the complexity of everyday social episodes. To address this, we implemented a movie viewing paradigm and investigated how the everyday social episodes are processed in the brain. Participants watched one of two movies during an MRI scan. Neural patterns from brain regions involved in social perception, mentalization, action observation, and sensory processing were extracted. Representational similarity analysis results revealed that several labeled social features (including social interaction, mentalization, the actions of others, characters talking about themselves, talking about others, and talking about objects) were represented in superior temporal gyrus (STG) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG). The mentalization feature was also represented throughout the theory of mind network, and characters talking about others engaged the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), suggesting that listeners may spontaneously infer the mental state of those being talked about. In contrast, we did not observe the action representations in frontoparietal regions of the action observation network. The current findings indicate that STG and MTG serve as key regions for social processing, and that listening to characters talk about others elicits spontaneous mental state inference in TPJ during natural movie viewing.

Intergenerational Ambivalence, Self-differentiation and Ethnic Identity: A Mixed-methods Study on Family Ethnic Socialization

AbstractEthnic identity, profoundly influenced by familial factors, embodies multifaceted layers; yet, the intricate process of family ethnic socialization warrants deeper exploration. This study focuses on exploring the complexities of ethnic identity formation, specifically within the context of Yi adolescents. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it delves into family ethnic socialization dynamics among Yi adolescents. The research engaged 606 surveyed participants and conducted interviews with 188 individuals in focused group settings in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Quantitative analysis revealed correlations between caregiver-adolescent relationships (CAR) and ethnic identity. Adolescents experiencing ambivalent, positive, or neutral CAR exhibited higher ethnic identity levels than those with negative CAR. Qualitative analysis highlighted two key themes. Firstly, families tended to acculturate love through traditional cultural expectations and socialization, demonstrated through unconscious integration of Yi culture and a focus on individual modernity within family values. Secondly, ethnic identity attainment was observed through self-differentiation, including reflexive awareness of Yi ethnicity, enrichment of Yi identity through peer interactions, and the connection of self-actualization with Yi prosperity. The findings emphasize the need for culturally sensitive support, particularly for social workers, to facilitate reflexive self-differentiation among ethnic minority adolescents during family ethnic socialization.

Creating Low‐Carbon Economies: Probing Transition Dynamics through the Lens of Field Theory

AbstractWe employ field theory as an approach to analysing sustainable regional development by reconciling funding needs and funding procurement. Initial expectations that private capital would bridge the financial gap to decarbonize our economies and societies have not materialized. Instead, state‐led coalitions increasingly introduce spatialized decarbonization strategies in which public development banks are pivotal, yet underappreciated, actors. Field theory provides a fresh perspective for mapping the particular context in which regional industrial policies intersect with broader national and supra‐national investment programmes and funding needs for these long‐term initiatives. Transitions are typically directed but open‐ended social processes, necessitating agency to both alter context and institutions and stabilize the emerging new structures. Field theory can surpass limitations in approaches like transition studies and integrate change mechanisms across scales.

‘Intersectional collaboration’: a new form of leadership from the WomenEd movement

ABSTRACT This paper takes an interest in tackling inequalities in school communities and considers how networks of change agents can work together to enact change. To do so, an ethnographic study is conducted examining WomenEd, a charity and grassroots movement of aspiring and existing women leaders in education. Building upon the perspective of collective leadership as a social process, the ‘social-symbolic work’ perspective is applied to analyse the activities of the movement. By drawing upon observations and interviews conducted over a three-year period, this paper offers detailed depictions of the motivations, practices, and effects of the social-symbolic work of WomenEd. The study observes a form of collective leadership underpinned by valuing difference, which enables participants to respond to oppressive school conditions and achieve shifts in autonomy and agential institutional influence. The study thus advances understanding of collective power, or ‘power with’, and the practical activities which can affect change, ‘power work’. Building upon Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality, we term the WomenEd practices ‘intersectional collaboration’, a novel form of collective leadership for social change. The study highlights the significance of inclusion and intersectionality in theorising ‘collectivity’, which has implications for understanding collective leadership and social change.

Locating Australian school students in sites of curriculum making: a literature review

AbstractYoung people and children are central to conceptualisations of curriculum as a social process, especially in school-based settings. However, students have tended to be on the periphery of education policy development more broadly and curriculum reform more specifically. As a more inclusive approach to engaging students in curriculum consultation processes is beginning to be taken in Australia, it is timely to gauge the extent to which students are being actively engaged as curriculum actors and research participants across the Australian curricular landscape. This article draws on Priestley et al.’s (2021) sites of curriculum making model to frame a systematised literature review of a decade of Australian academic and grey literature for the purpose of identifying the sites and activities in which students are active and/or the focus of research. The review suggests there is a small body of research on curriculum negotiation within school-based nano and micro sites of curriculum making. However, an absence of academic research related to meso and macro curriculum making means we have a limited understanding of the dynamics of the activities, interactions, contestations and power relations that constitute curriculum making in these spaces in relation to students. This article considers some of the reasons for and implications of these trends, including how existing curriculum and student voice scholarship might inform future research. It argues that a better understanding of the possibilities and challenges of student-centred curriculum making activities could assist in moving beyond superficial “consultation” methods, especially during periods of significant curriculum renewal.

Ignorance and Environmental History: The Opening of an Arctic Offshore Oil Frontier, 1968–1976

Ignorance holds untapped explanatory power for environmental history, in the Arctic and beyond. I define ignorance as a state of limited knowledge, held by groups, and produced through social processes. The case study is the opening of an oil frontier in the Canadian Beaufort Sea between 1968 and 1976. Drawing from a growing body of scholarship on ignorance, as well as newly available governmental and oil industry records, I review three concepts environmental historians can use to analyse the production of ignorance. These concepts are: proprietary knowledge, selective transmission and undone research. Taken together, these concepts make visible a set of political, economic and environmental conditions that allowed ignorance to shape the approval of the first offshore drilling programme in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Ultimately, this case study demonstrates that ignorance – like its cousins doubt or uncertainty – has been a resource that extractive industries and governmental regulators have manipulated to navigate evolving requirements of environmental planning.

Law, Colonial-Capitalist Floods, and the Production of Injustices in Eastern India: Insights for Climate Adaptation

Abstract Floods are not merely ‘natural’ disasters; rather, they emerge as socio-natural phenomena shaped by political, social, and economic processes. Law plays a pivotal role in producing and sustaining these processes and contributes to the creation of unjust environments. Drawing on political ecology and environmental history, this article analyzes the role of law and its interactions with colonialism and capitalism in the Damodar river valley in Eastern India. The Damodar river valley is an intensely engineered and hazardous region, a site of multiple interventions and developmental and ecological experiments for over a century. Colonial and post-colonial legacies have left a lasting imprint on legal, policy, and institutional frameworks, establishing a path-dependent trajectory for addressing future climate change adaptation challenges. While focusing on a specific case study, the article's approach and findings have broader significance, especially in the context of climate adaptation. The central argument underscores the need to understand the political and legal dimensions of flooding, and reinforces the need for a shift beyond incremental adjustments that do not tackle the underlying structures that produce the injustices associated with floods. It highlights the importance of ‘transformative adaptation’ approaches that address the root causes of climate-related disasters, such as restructuring power relations between actors, reconfiguring governance structures, and scrutinizing ideologies that mediate how water is used and distributed.

Innova4Health: an integrated approach for prevention of recurrence and personalized treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

BackgroundMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent mental health condition characterized by persistent low mood, cognitive and physical symptoms, anhedonia (loss of interest in activities), and suicidal ideation. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts depression will become the leading cause of disability by 2030. While biological markers remain essential for understanding MDD's pathophysiology, recent advancements in social signal processing and environmental monitoring hold promise. Wearable technologies, including smartwatches and air purifiers with environmental sensors, can generate valuable digital biomarkers for depression assessment in real-world settings. Integrating these with existing physical, psychopathological, and other indices (autoimmune, inflammatory, neuroradiological) has the potential to improve MDD recurrence prevention strategies.MethodsThis prospective, randomized, interventional, and non-pharmacological integrated study aims to evaluate digital and environmental biomarkers in adolescents and young adults diagnosed with MDD who are currently taking medication. The study implements a sensor-integrated platform built around an open-source “Pothos” air purifier system. This platform is designed for scalability and integration with third-party devices. It accomplishes this through software interfaces, a dedicated app, sensor signal pre-processing, and an embedded deep learning AI system. The study will enroll two experimental groups (10 adolescents and 30 young adults each). Within each group, participants will be randomly allocated to Group A or Group B. Only Group B will receive the technological equipment (Pothos system and smartwatch) for collecting digital biomarkers. Blood and saliva samples will be collected at baseline (T0) and endpoint (T1) to assess inflammatory markers and cortisol levels.ResultsFollowing initial age-based stratification, the sample will undergo detailed classification at the 6-month follow-up based on remission status. Digital and environmental biomarker data will be analyzed to explore intricate relationships between these markers, depression symptoms, disease progression, and early signs of illness.ConclusionThis study seeks to validate an AI tool for enhancing early MDD clinical management, implement an AI solution for continuous data processing, and establish an AI infrastructure for managing healthcare Big Data. Integrating innovative psychophysical assessment tools into clinical practice holds significant promise for improving diagnostic accuracy and developing more specific digital devices for comprehensive mental health evaluation.

Crouching the tiger, or hiding the dragon? scale in China’s heritage production

In the built heritage studies, the intricate web of social and selective processes that define heritage is evident. These processes are, in many cases, intertwined with the notion of scale, examplified through the production of heritage sites at the local, national, and transnational scales. While heritage and geography scholars have articulated the role played by scale in heritage-making and argue against a rigid, fixed, and hierarchical understanding of scale, they highlight the constant reproduction of scale. There is, so far, limited explanation of how the perception of scale gets reproduced and how crucial actors manipulate scalar power and resources for heritage making and the reproduction of scale. To fill this gap, this paper delves into mainland China’s heritage-making, using the southern Anhui historical villages as an example. Based on intensive 5-month field research, this paper has three findings: 1) The nomination process for a World Heritage Site is notably influenced by politics and selectivity; 2) Diverse stakeholders are pivotal in shaping heritage narratives; 3) Individual contributions to heritage creation directly interact with, and subsequently reshape, ‘scale’, an entity that is simultaneously discursive and tangible. By integrating the notion of ‘scale’ into heritage discussions, we illuminate two concurrent processes: creating hierarchies through rule assimilation by interpreting the UNESCO standard internally and evolving socio-spatial dynamics via the manifestation of individual agency with resource manipulation, scale jumping, and reproduction of scale. This approach aligns with the material orientation in human geography and repositions ‘scale’. Here, it’s not just an epistemological framework but also a tangible force that steers individual perceptions and actions and yields measurable material impacts.

The double‐edged sword of ethical leadership: Investigating when and why ethical leadership promotes versus inhibits team performance

AbstractAlthough previous studies pointed towards a positive association of ethical leadership and team performance, we suggest that ethical leadership may have unintended, paradoxical effects on interpersonal dynamics within the team, and, ultimately, team performance. Drawing on social information processing theory, we propose that ethical leadership can be a mixed blessing, with paradoxical impacts on team performance via two distinct pathways—task and relationship conflicts, contingent upon the team's informal power disparity. Specifically, we propose that ethical leadership has a positive indirect effect on team performance via reducing relationship conflict but a negative indirect effect on team performance via suppressing task conflict. Those indirect effects are more pronounced when the team has a more egalitarian power structure among their members. Results from a three‐wave field study, in which we surveyed 90 work teams in China, provided support for our conceptual model. Our findings reveal the benefits and costs of ethical leadership and the importance of examining informal power disparity in this leadership process.

The impact of knowledge sharing on employee engagement through the mediating role of competency development and moderating role of social climate

Purpose This study aims to test the relationship between knowledge sharing and employee engagement. In particular, the mediating and moderating roles of competency development and social climate, respectively, are also the focus of this research. Design/methodology/approach Of self-completed questionnaires collected from luxury hotels in India, 507 are usable for data analysis. The structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the proposed hypotheses. Findings The structural equation modeling–based results illustrate a positive significant association between knowledge sharing and employee engagement. Also, there is a significant support to establish the mediating effect of competency development and the moderating effect of social climate on this relationship. The expansion of competencies of employees achieved through knowledge sharing leads to higher engagement. Research limitations/implications This work is carried out in Indian hospitality sector and may not be generalizable to other cultural settings. Practical implications This study’s results add to the knowledge sharing scholarship by envisaging a possible association with an employee attitudinal outcome, i.e. employee engagement. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to unravel the social processes through which knowledge sharing enhances competency development, and subsequently employee engagement, mainly through the influence of social climate.

Between lookism and bodily capital: Understanding female personal trainers’ appearance in occupational socialization

Witnessing that the appearance of female trainers has been regarded as a potential cause of appearance-based discrimination and a source of bodily capital, this study examined the influence of female trainers’ appearance on the process of occupational socialization. We invited eight research participants for in-depth interviews, including female trainers, Pilates instructors, and male fitness center owners with training experience. We followed the grounded theory analysis method to derive meaningful insights from the collected data. The results indicate that the physical appearance of female trainers had various effects on their perceived value as bodily capital during the preparatory and adaptation periods. However, it became a constraining factor during the conflict period as they experienced bodily changes in their late 20s. Eventually, their physical appearance hindered female trainers from maintaining their careers and decreased the percentage of female trainers who reached maturity period. Ultimately, the culture of lookism had a mixed impact on women's occupational socialization, revealing its discriminatory undertones. Although some women profited from the culture, lookism disadvantaged others. Finally, we suggested that a possible solution would be the enactment of the anti-discrimination law for better protection.