This qualitative research investigates the lived experiences of Psychology students who grew up without paternal presence, with emphasis on emotional development, attachment patterns, and identity formation. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), an advanced qualitative approach, was carefully employed to capture the depth and complexity of participants’ meaning-making. Seven students aged 18–21 were selected through homogeneous purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews revealed five (5) emergent themes: (1) Strength, reflecting resilience, self-reliance, and responsibility; (2) Relational Dynamics, highlighting interactions with family and peers; (3) Inner Disconnection, capturing emotional detachment and difficulty expressing vulnerability; (4) Adaptive Coping, describing strategies for navigating challenges of father absence; and (5) Emotional Complexities, encompassing conflicting emotions arising from paternal loss. Grounded in Bowlby’s Attachment Theory, the study demonstrates how paternal absence influences emotional regulation, relational dynamics, and self-concept. Participants reported premature independence, emotional suppression, and relational distance, yet also demonstrated resilience and personal growth. Many used their experiences as motivation to pursue psychology, aiming to support others with similar backgrounds. This study contributes to qualitative psychology by deepening the understanding of attachment disruptions and identity development in emerging adulthood. It extends phenomenological research on father absence by highlighting how psychology students’ reflective capacities shape distinct interpretations of paternal loss. While paternal absence presents risks such as emotional instability and identity confusion, it can also foster adaptive coping, heightened self-awareness, and a drive for transformation. These insights offer implications for counseling support, psychology education, and future qualitative inquiry, particularly in contexts where paternal absence is a widespread social and cultural reality

Abstract This essay examines how Law and Society approaches have transformed historical analysis by reconceptualizing law as constitutive of social reality rather than as an isolated formal system. Tracing this methodological revolution from 1960s American legal history through scholars like J. Willard Hurst and Lawrence Friedman to 1990s legal consciousness studies by Patricia Ewick, Susan Silbey and Sally Engle Merry, the essay demonstrates how these frameworks reveal law as lived experience operating through documentary practices and administrative procedures rather than overt coercion. Through examples from British colonial Singapore and Hong Kong, the analysis shows how legal mechanisms normalized authority, how marginalized subjects strategically navigated plural legal systems and how legal transformations eventually became invisible within naturalized landscapes. Law and Society approaches provide historians with three crucial innovations: revealing agency through strategic legal engagement, reconceptualizing power as operating through capillary networks of documentation, and reframing historical transformation as gradual reconfiguration of legal categories that denaturalizes what appears inevitable.

ABSTRACT As social virtual reality (social VR) platforms increasingly captivate users worldwide, questions arise about how digitally mediated self-representation affects psychological health. This study investigates how avatar characteristics—specifically perceived avatar appearance similarity and perceived attractiveness—shape users’ well-being in social VR, with a focus on the mediating role of avatar identification. Drawing on two-wave longitudinal data collected over a three-month period from 486 VRChat users, the findings reveal that perceived avatar attractiveness was positively associated with users’ satisfaction with virtual life through enhanced avatar identification. However, perceived similarity did not exert a significant positive influence. Notably, while identification with attractive avatars supported virtual well-being, avatar attractiveness was also negatively associated with self-acceptance, suggesting a complex relationship between virtual self-presentation and mental health outcomes. These results highlight the critical psychological processes through which virtual identity communication is associated with users’ well-being and self-perception. This study calls for greater attention within health communication research to the ways avatar-mediated interactions in emerging digital environments can both support and challenge mental health.

ABSTRACT This article develops composition theory as a pragmatist specification of the mesosocial. Existing theories describe situated social life without adequately explaining the mechanisms that produce it. Recent pragmatist scholarship has established important foundations: Gross on mechanisms, Lizardo on habit, and Hallett on inhabited institutionalism. Yet the mechanisms themselves remain underspecified. Composition theory fills this gap through four sets of mechanisms: composition, engagement, sedimentation, and circulation. Together, these explain how problem responsive actors assemble formations, how formations become consequential as affordances meet capacities, how residues accumulate over time and how patterns extend across settings through movement and echoing. The article reinterprets Dewey's concept of situation as the flow of actors' transactions with and within their present place (relational, symbolic and material environment) while remaining cognizant of their direct and indirect experiences with other places. Place is the somewhere somewhen locatable environment that necessarily grounds each situation and social reality as such. The framework reconceptualizes microsocial, mesosocial, and macrosocial as a continuum of compositional complexity anchored in the mesosocial. It expands the range of theory‐driven research questions by directing attention to processes within and across places of action rather than to the forces of abstract structural properties.

This study aimed to identify what young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) do to make diabetes care fit in their lives and the impact of diabetes and diabetes care on living. Dutch young adults with T1D (18-30 years old) submitted photographed real-life situations of efforts to make care fit and of the impact of care on their lives. Participants organised their photos in themes, which guided the focus group discussions. We added a reflective questionnaire, semi-structured interview and iterative validation to identify participant-defined themes and summarise the data. Participants (N = 18) submitted 240 photographs in total, showing a broad range of situations and emotions. Participants identified 16 themes, grouped into four overarching categories describing their experiences with diabetes: (1) My diabetes: glucose levels, workload, 24/7 present; (2) My life: flow of (daily) life, special and irregular circumstances, life changes, body and health; (3) Support: devices and technology, social network, clinical (diabetes) care; (4) Mental aspects: emotional processes, perspective, being a patient. In the overlap of My diabetes and My life, they identified eating and counting carbohydrates, activity and exercise, recreational substances. Young adults with T1D face the complex challenge of fitting their care into their ever-changing lives. While support systems, such as devices, healthcare professionals and social networks can help, they can also create burdens. Participants emphasised the importance of mental health in their lives with T1D. This study highlights the need for diabetes care that acknowledges the emotional, social and practical realities of young adults' lives.

ABSTRACT In a seminal article first published in 1941, Leo Strauss argued that, responding to the political atmosphere hostile to philosophy, philosophers in the medieval Islamicate world, both Muslims and Jews, developed the art of esoteric writing. Paradoxically, Strauss’s approach, which advocated sensitive, nuanced readings of the medieval philosophical texts, largely ignored the different nuances and shades of social and historical settings in which these texts were composed. This article explores the context and background of the Arabic medieval philosophers’ esoteric writing, the diverse kinds of persecution with which they had to contend, the difference between Jews, Christians and Muslim philosophers in this regard, and the lasting effect that these differences had on the history of philosophy.

The prevalence of stunting in several regions of Indonesia, including Tulung District, Klaten, remains above the national target. One of the main obstacles in addressing this issue is the phenomenon of parental rejection of the stunting diagnosis given to their children. This study aimed to analyze in depth the factors underlying this rejection and to examine them through Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann’s social construction theory and the Maqāṣid al-Syari’ah framework. Using a qualitative method with in-depth interviews and participant observation, the study involved 4 inclusion informants (parents of children aged 6–59 months who rejected or ever rejected the stunting diagnosis) and 8 triangulation informants, including village midwives, nutrition officers, posyandu cadres, village officials, and religious leaders. The findings reveal that parents’ rejection of the stunting diagnosis is constructed through a social process and reinterpreted according to everyday experience, cultural norms, and emotional meanings of parental success. In Berger’s framework, this rejection represents a cycle of externalization of personal experience, objectivation through shared community beliefs, and internalization as social reality that resists medical authority. From the Maqāṣid al-Syari’ah perspective, this behavior reflects a contradicsm from the principles of hifz al-nafs (protection of life), hifz al-‘aql (protection of reason), and hifz al-nasl (protection of offspring).

This study is motivated by the continuing debate over the hudud in the modern era and its practical implications. It examines how the Taliban have applied hudud punishments in Afghanistan and assesses the relevance of Muhammad Syahrur’s contemporary legal thought on hudud punishments. Using a qualitative library-research approach, data were collected from books, scholarly literature, and relevant reports and then analyzed using content analysis and inductive reasoning. The findings indicate that during the Taliban's rule, the implementation of hudud tends to be harsher, more rigid, and more repressive, often raising concerns regarding due process and human rights. Both the Taliban's approach and Syahrur's discussion derive from the Qur'an and Hadith; however, Syahrur's theory of limits (nazariyyat al-hudud) frames divine law as having minimum and maximum boundaries, allowing space for contextual ijtihad that weighs public benefit (maslahah) in line with changing social realities while remaining within God's limits (sunnatullah).

Health workforce resilience in the age of polycrisis: A framework to support health workforce policy and planning.

Entering medicine "on the wrong side"? Caregiving as a legitimate pathway to medicine.

This study aims to analyze the gap between civil law norms and social practices in the implementation of agricultural sharecropping agreements between landowners and cultivators in Tranjang Village, Siman District, Ponorogo Regency. The study employs a juridical- empirical approach by combining normative legal analysis of statutory provisions with empirical field research through observation and in- depth interviews with 15 informants consisting of landowners, cultivators, and village authorities. The findings reveal that most sharecropping agreements in Tranjang Village are conducted verbally based on mutual trust between landowners and cultivators, without written contracts or official authorization by village authorities. Such practices are rooted in agrarian social values emphasizing kinship and mutual cooperation, but do not fully comply with formal legal standards stipulated in Law No. 2 of 1960. This gap is caused by low legal awareness, complex and costly administrative procedures, social and cultural values that prioritize trust over formal rules, and the passive role of village government in facilitating contract registration. The study recommends revitalizing the role of village authorities in facilitating agricultural contracts through the provision of simple contract formats that can be legalized quickly and affordably, legal socialization with participatory local cultural approaches, and revision of Law No. 2 of 1960 to be more adaptive to the social realities of agrarian communities while ensuring legal protection for cultivators.

Academic on-site conferences are vital for scholarly exchange and knowledge advancement, yet they contribute significantly to environmental burdens. Considering global sustainability challenges and the limitations of videoconferencing, Social VR offers an immersive alternative that replicates physical conference settings and enables avatar-based interaction. While existing pilot studies have explored perceived benefits and limitations of Social VR, empirical research comparing conference formats with respect to ecological, social, and economic sustainability remains scarce. To address this gap, a mixed-methods study was conducted with participants (N = 32) of an academic conference held in a Social VR environment. Data was collected via questionnaires combining validated scales and open-ended items. Results show that 43.8% of participants preferred on-site conferences, 40.6% preferred Social VR, and only 15.6% favored videoconferencing. Reported advantages of Social VR included ecological and economic benefits with socially favorable interaction conditions. These included a stronger sense of presence, more inclusive participation, and greater comfort in communication than conventional videoconferencing. Overall, the findings indicate that Social VR is a promising intermediate option, combining ecological and economic advantages with socially acceptable interaction quality, while leaving specific gaps in informal networking and nonverbal richness to be addressed by future technological and organizational design.

Globalization and the advancement of science and technology have brought significant changes to Muslim family life, affecting both social behavior and the practice of Islamic family law. These transformations have generated tensions between established legal norms and evolving social realities. This study aims to analyze the dual impact of globalization and technological development on the transformation of Muslim family behavior and the dynamics of Islamic family law in responding to such changes. Employing a qualitative socio-legal approach with a case study design, the research was conducted in several metropolitan cities with predominantly Muslim populations. Data were collected through a literature review and analyzed using an interactive analysis model to examine the gap between social realities (das Sein) and normative legal frameworks (das Sollen). The findings reveal a shift in family values toward individualism, a redefinition of gender roles within households, and an increase in digitally mediated family conflicts. From a legal perspective, adaptive responses have emerged through judicial ijtihad, particularly in addressing contemporary issues such as the use of digital evidence in family law cases. However, strong resistance within formal legislation persists, resulting in a significant legal vacuum. These findings highlight the need for a more responsive reform of Islamic family law that engages with social and technological change while maintaining its normative foundations

This study analyzes the concepts of ka (家, family) and ho (戶, household) in Silla society using population data from the Silla Village Register (Silla chonrak munseo, 新羅村落文書). In Silla, the family (ka, 家) functioned as a natural social unit formed through kinship and marriage, whereas the household (ho, 戶) was an administrative unit constructed by the state for taxation and fiscal management. Household registers and genealogies both record information on individuals and families, but they differ fundamentally in authorship and purpose. Genealogies, compiled by descendants, reflect a family-centered understanding of social relations, while household registers were state-produced fiscal documents designed to record and control demographic changes within specific localities, including births, deaths, and migration. The Silla Village Register(新羅村落文書), the only extant ledger-type document from the Silla period, contains detailed population data such as total population figures, age-based population categories, demographic change, and population mobility. The document demonstrates that the Silla state organized households as units of taxation, identified taxable populations, compiled household registers, and administered them through systematic documentary practices. In this process, natural families were incorporated as fiscal units, and their social stratification was institutionalized through the household ranking system (hodeungje, 戶等制). This study argues that the Silla household registration system was not an abstract administrative construct detached from social reality, but rather a system grounded in the structure of natural family units.

This study analyzes the concepts of ka (家, family) and ho (戶, household) in Silla society using population data from the Silla Village Register (Silla chonrak munseo, 新羅村落文書). In Silla, the family (ka, 家) functioned as a natural social unit formed through kinship and marriage, whereas the household (ho, 戶) was an administrative unit constructed by the state for taxation and fiscal management. Household registers and genealogies both record information on individuals and families, but they differ fundamentally in authorship and purpose. Genealogies, compiled by descendants, reflect a family-centered understanding of social relations, while household registers were state-produced fiscal documents designed to record and control demographic changes within specific localities, including births, deaths, and migration. The Silla Village Register(新羅村落文書), the only extant ledger-type document from the Silla period, contains detailed population data such as total population figures, age-based population categories, demographic change, and population mobility. The document demonstrates that the Silla state organized households as units of taxation, identified taxable populations, compiled household registers, and administered them through systematic documentary practices. In this process, natural families were incorporated as fiscal units, and their social stratification was institutionalized through the household ranking system (hodeungje, 戶等制). This study argues that the Silla household registration system was not an abstract administrative construct detached from social reality, but rather a system grounded in the structure of natural family units.

ABSTRACT Young people play a central role in shaping public spaces, yet in contexts marked by control and surveillance their presence often generates tension. This study examines how young Iranians in Gorgan, aged 18–30, navigate and reshape restrictive urban environments, with a particular focus on the interplay between affect, atmosphere, and infrastructures. Drawing on photovoice, ethnographic observation, online and in-person interviews, we show that Iranian youth reproduce both on and offline counter-atmospheres as short-term tactics for asserting their agency and identity within the socio-spatial constraints imposed by the state, the morality police and conservative cultural forces. Young people also enact resistance through normalising these counter-atmospheres and building solidarity as long-term tactics to engage with and challenge restrictive institutional and social forces. Together, these tactics highlight how young people in Gorgan navigate their spatial and social realities to assert autonomy while simultaneously working to reshape the broader structural conditions of public life. The findings contribute new knowledge to children’s and youth geographies in the Global South by theorising counter-atmospheres as spatial, temporal and affective tactics that generate alternative infrastructures of solidarity and care through which youth reconfigure everyday urban life.

ABSTRACT What began as a series of investigations into the role that family communication structures play in political socialization has evolved over the last 60 years into family communication patterns theory (FCPT). The theory assumes that individuals develop family relationship schemas containing certain beliefs about communication that facilitate coorientation processes among family members as they construct their social reality. In this essay, I review key contributions to the development of FCPT, as well as current applications of the theory. The theory has yielded practical insights into how FCPs foster family member health and resilience, and guide family members’ interactions with individuals outside of the family. I conclude by offering three future directions for FCPT: (a) testing developmental changes to FCPs as children age into adulthood and form families of their own, (b) examining variations in FCPs among different cultures, and (c) exploring different sources of variability in perceptions of FCPs.

ABSTRACT This article argues that an analysis of Theodor Adorno’s “inverse theology” helps account for his totalizing critique of capitalist society and his persistent belief in the objective possibility of its end. I argue that this theological impulse must be rooted in his distinctive understanding of Karl Marx’s critique of political economy. Ultimately, I hope to elucidate how and why Adorno’s distinct theological account of capitalist society as irredeemably wrong and hellish might nonetheless work in service of its revolutionary end, and the resurrection of a transfigured social reality that remembers its wounds. I also hope to encourage further engagement between readers interested in critical theory, Marx, and theology.

Pyarichand Mitra (1816–1883), a pioneering figure of the Bengal Renaissance and an early architect of Bengali prose fiction, played a significant role in shaping the cultural and educational landscape of nineteenth-century Bengal. This study critically examines the impact of Pyarichand Mitra’s writings on the curriculum and pedagogical practices of Bengali schools, tracing how his literary contributions helped transform the medium and content of formal education during and after his lifetime. By foregrounding secular themes, social realism, and colloquial Bengali in works such as Alaler Gharer Dulal, Pyarichand Mitra challenged the dominance of classical and Sanskritized learning, promoting instead a vernacular-based curriculum that reflected everyday social experience and middle-class aspirations. Through a historical-analytical methodology, the research evaluates curricular archives, early Bengali textbooks, and educational reports to assess the integration of Pyarichand Mitra’s works into school syllabi and language instruction. The findings indicate that his influence extended beyond literary selection; it fostered modern pedagogical shifts—encouraging comprehension-based learning, moral education through relatable narratives, and enhanced student engagement with prose literature. Even in contemporary curricula, Pyarichand Mitra’s presence signifies the continuity of a pedagogical legacy rooted in cultural identity and literary modernity. Ultimately, the study argues that Pyarichand Mitra was not merely a literary innovator but a transformative educational reformer whose writings substantially contributed to the democratization of knowledge and the evolution of Bengali school education.

The article analyses how, in line with two recent literary trends—the turn to sincerity and realism in post-postmodern fiction as well as the emergence of literary works reconsidering the viability of the myth of the American Dream in the increasingly unequal US—Cameroonian-American writer Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers (2016) provides a realist view of the country which counters the master or grand narrative of the American Dream and the meritocratic ideals that sustain it. Although previous scholarly work on the novel has focused on its exposure of the limits that the promises behind the Dream present for racialised immigrants like the protagonist Cameroonian family in Mbue’s novel, this article seeks to contribute to the discussion by exploring an overlooked dimension of this immigrant narrative set around the Great Recession of 2008. Specifically, it examines how, through a deployment of social realism with touches of naturalism, Mbue portrays the clash between her characters’ former expectations of the United States as the Promised Land of equal opportunities through hard work and the harsh reality they encounter there. This reality is nothing but a country shaped by a hyper-individualistic and competitive neoliberal economic system that became particularly predatory in the aftermath of the 2008 crash. Hence, the article contends that, behind this formal choice, lies Mbue’s aim to expose and by extension dismount the dominant albeit fallacious narrative of the US meritocratic Dream. Ultimately, the article explores the protagonist family’s deep and cruel attachment to this widespread myth until their eventual awakening in an ambiguous ending of return to the homeland which, through its detailed reflection of the harmfulness underlying these characters’ blind faith in a constructed and thus elusive dream, counters the cultural narratives promoting it.