Sociological Construct Research Articles

“And They Shall Be Two in One Flesh”: A Scotistic Exploration of Marriage, Intersubjectivity, and Interpersonality

Marriage is an institution known for both its virtues and challenges. This study examines marriage not merely as a sociological or theological construct but as a lens to explore the profound philosophical problems of intersubjectivity and interpersonality. By examining both the relational and sacramental dimensions of marriage, we gain insights into how two distinct individuals can form a deep, enduring bond that transcends individual isolation, thus offering a model for understanding both intersubjectivity and interpersonality. The unique perspective offered by Christian theology, which regards marriage as a sacrament, entails a fundamental and irreversible transformation in the individuals involved. This provides a unique venue to address intersubjectivity and interpersonality using unconventional sources and analysis. The objective is not to advocate for Catholic doctrine or any specific religious perspective but to deploy the sacramental understanding of matrimony and its conceptual framework to address these intertwined philosophical issues.

Концептуалізація моделей адаптації сучасних мігрантів з України в Ізраїлі

The article is devoted to the conceptualization of the sociological construct of adaptation of migrants based on the theory of ethnic stratification and the concept of a two-level dimension of adaptation: the dimension of value orientations and social inclusion, within the framework of an empirical study on the adaptation strategies of modern migrants from Ukraine to Israel. Depending on the level of social inclusion and value orientations of migrants regarding the ethnic affiliation of migrants, which is characteristic of migrants from Ukraine in Israel, five possible adaptation models of migrants were identified: assimilation, value integration, inclusive integration, multiculturalism and segregation, each of which is inherent certain categories of migrants from Ukraine in Israel. The model of assimilation is widespread among religious Jewish migrants. Models of multiculturalism and value integration are widespread among secular Jewish migrants. Models of segregation and inclusive integration are inherent in the category of non-Jewish migrants.

Exploring the extent to which ‘spiritual capital’ is impactful in a cross-section of Catholic independent schools with a founding religious trusteeship

Gerald Grace (2002. Catholic Schools: Mission, Markets and Morality. London: Routledge), borrowing from the sociological constructs of Pierre Bourdieu, speaks of the significance of the spiritual and cultural capital of religious orders in providing a substantial catalyst in the development of Catholic education in England and Wales This article endeavours to explore the extent to which spiritual capital remains impactful in a cross-section of Catholic Independent schools with a founding religious trusteeship in the UK, taking into account the changing ecclesial demography within the Catholic Church in the UK alongside contemporary education challenges. Following a critical retrieval of literature relating to the concept of spiritual capital, this article will classify and interpret research evidence based interviews with headteachers of a range of Catholic Independent schools.

Stigma experiences, effects and coping among individuals affected by Buruli ulcer and yaws in Ghana.

Stigma related to skin neglected tropical diseases like Buruli ulcer (BU) and yaws has remained underexplored and existing studies are limited to individual diseases despite the WHO call for integration in disease management. Within two districts in central Ghana, we explored stigma associated with BU and yaws to understand overlaps and disease-specific nuances to help guide integrated interventions. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 current or formerly affected individuals to assess the experiences, effects and coping strategies adopted to manage disease related stigma. Data were analysed along broad themes based on the sociological construct of macro and micro interaction and Goffman's treatise on stigma. Disapproving community labels fueled by misconceptions were noted among BU participants which contributed to macro stigma experiences, including exclusion, discrimination and avoidance. In contrast, a high level of social acceptance was reported among yaws participants although some micro-level stigma (anticipated, felt and self-stigma) were noted by individuals with both diseases. While younger participants experienced name-calling and use of derogatory words to address affected body parts, older participants and caregivers discussed the pain of public staring. Stigma experiences had negative consequences on psychosocial well-being, schooling, and social relations, particularly for BU affected people. Problem-focused strategies including confrontation, selective disclosure and concealment as well as emotion-focused strategies (religious coping and self-isolation) were noted. The types and levels of stigma varied for BU and yaws. Stigma experiences also differed for adults and children in this setting and these differences should be accounted for in integrated interventions for these skin NTDs. School health programs need to prioritize educating school teachers about skin NTDs and the negative impact of stigma on the wellbeing of children.

Abortion as a sociological case

AbstractFor over a century, abortion has been politically and socially contested, affecting people's lives through personal experience and/or public discourse. In the United States (US), abortion is sometimes exceptional—treated differently from other procedures, professions, and political issues—and sometimes an exemplar—an accessible example of a commonly occurring social, political, or personal phenomenon. It is, in other words, an excellent sociological case study. Yet the sociological literature on abortion is relatively thin. In this essay, we review research on abortion and opportunities for future sociological work in eight areas: gender; race; the body and embodiment; political economy; organizations, occupations, and work; medical sociology; law and society; and social movements. Sociologists have much to contribute to characterizing and understanding abortion, particularly following the 2022 US Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. The discipline also has much to learn from studying abortion as a case. With its multifaceted social and political status and intersections with key areas of sociological interest, abortion offers a generative case for advancing sociological concepts, subfields, and constructs. While not exhaustive, our review aims to spark interest and inquiry, showcasing how a topic that spurs strong opinions can also catalyze sociological insights.

The pursuit of unattainable goals

Liminality is a sociological construct that describes the process of identity transitions and group assimilations that occurs over time as a function of rites of passages. Liminal Commitment Theory (LCT) represents an extension of an analysis of the psychological factors that motivated people to search over a decade for a bronze treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains. LCT postulates that many seductive factors that motivate treasure hunting generalize to other equally “unattainable” goal pursuits. Unattainability in this theory is defined by the goal’s distal nature and markedly low public or personal estimate of achievability. The aspiration may be viewed as laudable or unsettling, and outcomes can vary from monumental achievements to utter hardship. A central tenet of the theory is that meaningful long-term commitments occur in a stepwise leveling process with transitions through serial impasses into increasingly sophisticated plateaus of competence. LCT examines the psychological needs, traits, and environmental contingencies that compel people to pursue lofty objectives. The Fenn treasure hunt was relied upon to illustrate how LCT principles might account for audacious goal pursuits.

Drawing a Portrayal of Science Teachers’ Epistemic Cognitions Around Different Concepts Characterizing Science Education

AbstractThe objective of this descriptive study is to provide a detailed examination of science teachers’ perspectives regarding scientific knowledge, science learning, science concepts, and science teaching. A total of 304 science teachers created metaphors to express their cognitions about the epistemological aspects of their work. A specifically designed metaphor construction task was used to capture the participants’ epistemic cognitions. The participants’ metaphorical reasoning was captured since the metaphors might deliver experience-based conceptions, perceptions, beliefs, or comprehensions about four concepts regarding epistemic cognition. In-depth, descriptive analysis was undertaken through open, axial, and selective coding procedures with higher validity and reliability. The participants’ epistemic cognitions were gathered around five-order themes: function (accepting science knowledge and science concepts and their teaching/learning as vital entities by adopting an instrumentalist or tool-based perspective), personal epistemological stance (seeing science knowledge and science learning as an endless and immortal accumulation of factual knowledge), motivational construct (scientific knowledge attaches importance so it should be taught in the school systems in the science lessons), sociological construct (science knowledge provides power), and pedagogical construct (not the science knowledge but the science concepts should be taught in the schools in the science lesson). This study concluded that the participant science teachers mostly held conventional orientations in externalizing their epistemic cognitions. Theory-based explanations are presented in terms of the participants’ traditional epistemic orientations in the sense of future directions of further research.

Sandwich Generation: Sociological Dynamics In The Traditions Of Madura Society From An Islamic Perspective

This research aims to photograph and explore in depth the sociological phenomenon of the sandwich generation in the traditions of the Madurese community in Jember Regency. Especially those related to the sociological construction of the sandwich generation and the motivation for their upbringing from an Islamic perspective. In the process, this research uses a qualitative with ethnographic approach. Data collection techniques were carried out using in-depth interviews and observation. The data analysis used is ethnographic thematic analysis. The research findings in this study are [1] Sandwich generation in the Madurese community tradition is a construction and socio-religious fact, namely a social phenomenon that arises from the community's religious understanding. [2] Parenting motivation in the sandwich generation is driven by moral compensation, affective and theological impulses. Based on these practices and dynamics, Islam provides guidance that devotion to parents in any community and generation must be carried out sincerely and with full respect.

Investment, Chinese Language Learning and Imagined Identities: A Case Study of African International Students in China

ABSTRACT This article challenges the current framing of English as a dominant global language and focuses specifically on African international students’ investment in Chinese language learning and the enactment of imagined identity in China. Drawing upon Darvin and Norton’s theorisation of “Identity and a model of investment,” we present an analysis of 59 African youths’ Chinese language practices across different contexts. The interview data revealed that they invested heavily into Chinese language learning and use, while displaying linguistic entrepreneurship beyond the classroom setting and mobilising their agency towards preferred linguistic outcomes. The African students’ linguistic investment turned them into proficient speakers who were able to express multiple desires that were constantly changing across time and space. The sociological construct of investment enabled us to unpack the socially and historically constructed relationship of African international students to the Chinese language and community, while compelling us to reflect on the changing world order and global language system.

Consent for Medical Treatment: What is ‘Reasonable’?

The General Medical Council (GMC) instructs doctors to act ‘reasonably’ in obtaining consent from patients. However, the GMC does not explain what it means to be reasonable: it is left to doctors to figure out the substance of this instruction. The GMC relies on the Supreme Court’s judgment in Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board; and it can be assumed that the judges’ idea of reasonability is adopted. The aim of this paper is to flesh out this idea of reasonability. This idea is commonly personified as the audience that has to be satisfied by the doctor’s justification for offering, or withholding, certain treatments and related information. In case law, this audience shifted from a reasonable doctor to a ‘reasonable person in the patient’s position’; and Montgomery expands the audience to include ‘particular’ patients, too. Senior judges have clarified that the reasonable person is a normative ideal, and not a sociological construct; but they do not set out the characteristics of this ideal. John Rawls has conceived the reasonable person-ideal as one that pursues fair terms of co-operation with other members of society. An alternative ideal can be inferred from the feminist ethic of care. However, the reasonable patient from Montgomery does not align with either theoretical ideal; but, instead, is an entirely rational being. Such a conception conflicts with both real-life constraints on rationality and the doctor’s duty to care for the patient, and it challenges the practice of medicine.

The Buddy intervention: designing an additional support system for the last year of life. Qualitative insights from triangulated interviews and focus group discussions

AimHealth and social care structures available for the last year of life care are still not always adequately used. Palliative care, for instance, is still provided late in the disease course, contradicting early integration. We therefore aim to define elements of a possible complementary support concept based on specific experience to help facilitate death at home.Subject/methodsQualitative triangulation of data was conducted from countrywide individual interviews (patients and relatives, n = 45) and focus group discussions (health and social care professionals, n = 22), in Germany. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed within a framework analysis. Using Bradshaw’s sociological construct of needs, qualitative data sequences were converted into needs and sorted by the theory of social support.ResultsInformants described having needs in emotional, informational, appraisal, and instrumental dimensions. Unmet needs for information were frequently reported, affecting all other need dimensions. To address these concerns, informants expressed a need for someone proactively providing emotional, appraisal, and instrumental support, such as organizing respite support, giving feedback on care provision, and validating caring relatives.ConclusionWe assume an impact of insufficient information about care options on instrumental, emotional, and appraisal needs and help-seeking actions, increasing the risk of inpatient death. Proactive support is required to address patients’ and families’ needs, connecting the existing care structures. A “buddy” for the last phase of life serving as a low-threshold contact person with real-time knowledge to support patients and families could be one model to support and guide patients and their families and enable dying at home, if possible.

Factors that Influence the Sociological Construct of Adulthood in Adults with Moderate Intellectual Disabilities (ID): An ID Case Study

The most common criteria used to evaluate successful transition into adulthood for young adults have included obtaining employment and establishing autonomous non-relative social support networks (correlate to community involvement). Hence, employment and community involvement are critical in the transition to adulthood for all young adults, including those with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, with respect to those with ID, the construct of Adulthood is multi-faceted and murky. Hence, this exploratory study seeks to determine factors (measured by the Transition Planning Inventory-2) that impact the sociological construct of Adulthood in young adults with ID and to model pictorially the relationship between them. Results indicate for adults with ID, vocational purpose, community involvement, and wellness explain 47% of the variance in the sociological construct of Adulthood. Factor analysis reveals that vocational purpose is characterized by employment and self determination; community involvement by leisure activity, community participation, and interpersonal relationships; and wellness by health and daily living.

Determination of Politics in the Construction of Sociology in Turkey: An Evaluation on the Establishment Period

Bu çalışmada, Türkiye’de sosyolojinin bir bilim olarak kuruluşunun ilk dönemine odaklanılmıştır. Batı Avrupa’da modern bir bilimsel disiplin olarak on dokuzuncu yüzyılda ortaya çıkan sosyolojinin Osmanlı Devleti’ne intikal ettirilmesi sürecindeki sosyal arka plan üzerinde durulmuştur. Özellikle devletin/toplumun içerisinde bulunduğu iç ve dış siyasal ortamın sosyolojinin biçimlenişi, gelişimi ve kurumsallaşması üzerindeki belirleyiciliği tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Aynı bağlamda, siyasetin etkisinden bağımsız olarak değerlendirilemeyecek olan Batılılaşma ve pozitivizmin etkisi de tartışmaya açılmıştır. Dönemin hem iktidarının hem de aydınlarının benimsediği Batılılaşma reformların yönünü ve amacını belirlemiştir. Pozitivizm ise programın bilimsel zemini ve yöntemini belirlemiştir. Toplumsal alanın hemen her boyutunda hâkim olan bu iki paradigma sosyolojinin inşasında da temel karakteristik olmuştur. Bu çalışmada, Osmanlı’nın son döneminden başlayarak 1940 yılına kadar devam eden süreç değerlendirilmiştir. Siyasetin, sosyolojinin kuruluşundaki belirleyiciliği dönem içerisinde gerçekleştirilen sosyolojik çalışmalar üzerinden analiz edilmiştir. Özellikle iki kurucu isim olan Prens Sabahattin ve Ziya Gökalp’in çalışmaları üzerine odaklanılmıştır. Yukarıda odağa alınan konuların neticesinde, Türkiye’de sosyoloji yeni bir bilim olarak inşa edilirken siyasete koşullu bir şekilde varlık kazandığı tespit edilmiştir.

Seeing like an epidemiologist? Mobilising people against COVID-19.

Diaries and other materials in the Mass Observation Archive have been characterised as intersubjective and dialogic. They have been used to study top-down and bottom-up processes, including how ordinary people respond to sociological constructs and, more broadly, the footprint of social science in the 20th century. In this article, we use the Archive's COVID-19 collections to study how attempts to govern the pandemic by mobilising ordinary people to see like an epidemiologist played out in the United Kingdom during 2020. People were asked to think in terms of populations and groups; rates, trends, and distributions; the capacity of public services; and complex systems of causation. How did they respond? How did they use the statistics, charts, maps, concepts, identities, and roles they were given? We find evidence of engagement with science plural; confident and comfortable engagement with epidemiological terms and concepts; sceptical and reluctant engagement with epidemiological subject positions; use of both scientific and moral literacy to negotiate regulations and guidance; and use of scientific literacy to compare and judge government performance. Governing the pandemic through scientific literacy was partially successful, but in some unexpected ways.

A sociological (Re)construction of the reflexive self: A convergence between Foucault and classical Confucian ethics

The emergence of a body of work on ethics since the 1990s with a special interest in the self in the Western academia, inspired by Michel Foucault's earlier work, resonates with a concomitant renewed scholarly interest in classical Confucian ethics both in China and internationally. An emphasis on culture and the rejection of a Euro‐centric universalist self in these bodies of work accompanies the disavowal of the very possibility of a generic reflexive self. This article seeks to critically examine the ontological positions on the self of these bodies of work, of Foucault's later thoughts, and of classical Confucian ethics. It is argued that there is a theoretical affinity between Foucault's later thoughts and classical Confucian ethics, with both philosophers acknowledging reflexivity as a universally inherited nature of self and making a special consideration of cultural equality and commonality. The examination includes advocacy for a more nuanced approach to notions of cultural equality that relies on targeted research and intercultural dialogue to avoid any predetermining of cultural differences, to allow better‐informed appreciation of differences, and to develop a more dynamic conceptualization of culture. This article concludes by initiating a discussion about the design of an integrated approach to cultivate reflexivity through training practices that bring together Foucauldian and Confucian ideas.

Foreigners in the South African Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis

ABSTRACT This article used a critical discourse approach to understand how linguistic practices in the South African media construct international immigrants of African origin. We created an 88 000-word corpus of online South African news articles on immigrants from 2008 to 2020, which we then uploaded onto a corpus analysis software, Sketch Engine. Through the software, we were able to generate patterns of language use in the construction of immigrant identity and subject position in the media. While most literature on South Africa has focused on the violence associated with xenophobia, this paper zeroes in on ‘the language of xenophobia’ to provide a good reflection of the sociological construction of ‘self’ and ‘other’ in the country. By examining the discursive practices of the media on foreign nationals, the paper maps out not only the circulation but also the reproduction of power, social relations and other sociologies behind the prejudices that inform xenophobia in all its various forms.

Russian Philosophers on Personal Origins Social Concepts

The article examines the personal-psychological approach of Russian philosophers to understanding the content of social concepts. In particular, attention is drawn to the attempt of M. A. Bakunin and S. N. Bulgakov to show the conditionality of K. Marx’s teachings about the dictatorship of the proletariat with the characteristic features of his personality. The idea is expressed that the views of Bakunin himself are largely due to the features of his personality. The article also discusses a more general provision on the importance of the approach from the point of view of human nature in understanding the vitality of general sociological ideas. As an example of the application of this approach, Bakunin’s criticism of the idea of the dictatorship of the proletariat, based on his idea of the natural motivation of human behavior in specific life circumstances, is considered. The author concludes that psychological interpretation can complement the sociological construction in terms of its conformity with human nature, characteristic of it system of behavioral motivation. In addition, personal-psychological justification allows us to look at political or sociological concepts as cultural phenomena that explicitly or implicitly contain certain value attitudes.

Mismatched Reality: Russian Decision-making on the War in Ukraine

This article examines why and how Putin’s decision could have been made to go to war with Ukraine in February 2022. It starts with an analysis of whether the decision to invade Ukraine can be seen as rational, and then examines other sociological constructs for explaining the decision. These sociological constructs are based in Max Weber’s concepts of bureaucracy, Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice and Sociological Neo-Institutionalism’s theorising on the externally influenced nature of contemporary bureaucracy. Drawing on these constructs, the article argues that a better lens to understand Putin’s decision is through models that explain the effect of the Kremlin’s bureaucracy on the formation of strategic logic. These arguments and conclusions are consistent with the concerns of New Area Studies scholarship in trying to understand why a particular narrative might form and determine national security decision-making.

How Human-like Behavior of Service Robot Affects Social Distance: A Mediation Model and Cross-Cultural Comparison.

Previous studies on the human likeness of service robots have focused mainly on their human-like appearance and used psychological constructs to measure the outcomes of human likeness. Unlike previous studies, this study focused on the human-like behavior of the service robot and used a sociological construct, social distance, to measure the outcome of human likeness. We constructed a conceptual model, with perceived competence and warmth as mediators, based on social-identity theory. The hypotheses were tested through online experiments with 219 participants from China and 180 participants from the US. Similar results emerged for Chinese and American participants in that the high (vs. low) human-like behavior of the service robot caused the participants to have stronger perceptions of competence and warmth, both of which contributed to a smaller social distance between humans and service robots. Perceptions of competence and warmth completely mediated the positive effect of the human-like behavior of the service robot on social distance. Furthermore, Chinese participants showed higher anthropomorphism (perceived human-like behavior) and a stronger perception of warmth and smaller social distance. The perception of competence did not differ across cultures. This study provides suggestions for the human-likeness design of service robots to promote natural interaction between humans and service robots and increase human acceptance of service robots.

What are the different ways in which we can understand gendered diasporic identities?

Gender studies has facilitated the exploration of Aids and Migration among other social problems, and has enabled a more sensible understanding of the discrimination practices that exist around them. This paper will discuss the aspects in which gender studies have contributed to assess issues regarding migration from the gendered diaspora perspective. This sociological construction of diaspora encompasses the many different reasons why migrants decide to leave their country, bounded by national, racial or ethnic background, which enroll in a strong political motivation. Although in this essay, the theoretical discussion will embrace male gendered diasporas as well, critics of the term have questioned how gendered diasporas have been traditionally understood of men. The first part of the discussion will be guided by the question: what is a gendered diaspora identity? The essay will emphasise the gendered category of analysis. I will argue how gendered identities are constructed under the circumstances of dominance and oppression that result from displacement. First, the deconstruction of the social category of gendered diaspora will be assessed, through an examination of Ella Shohat ́s agreement of identity. The essay will then examine the term diaspora and its ambivalences and criticisms. The second part of the discussion will consider three separate cases of how gendered diasporic identities are being understood, including: the cultural representations of Cuban Americans, the Sikh diaspora and Armenian women in Los Angeles.