Toward a Relational Understanding of Objectification,Body Image,and Preventive Sexual Health

There is a wealth of empirical support for objectification theory. Researchers have suggested an extension to the theory that includes risky sexual behaviors as a consequence of body shame. However, there are no known studies that place the association between body image and sexual behavior in the context of the interpersonal sexual relationship. The current study was grounded in objectification theory and relational cultural theory and sought to better understand how negative self-objectification, body appreciation, relationship quality, and preventive sexual health behaviors are related. An online survey was conducted with 399 emerging adult women in the Midwest, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggest that, among this sample, negative self-objectification was indirectly related to preventive sexual health behaviors through body appreciation alone and through both body appreciation and relationship quality. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.     

Using a Person-Centered Approach to Examine the Impact of Homelessness on School Absences

Brought on by increasing levels of economic vulnerability, homelessness is a pressing issue for our schools. Homeless students often miss an inordinate amount of school days and are thought to fall at the farthest end of a “continuum of poverty.” Theoretically they have worse outcomes than their peers, though the past 20 years of literature have found inconsistencies in these comparisons. Thus the literature suggests analysis to compare types of students based on outcomes rather than demographic categorizations, a person-centered approach. Using this approach, a comparison of the number of absences for homeless students and their housed peers is made through quantile analysis. Using school administrative data collected over one school year for an entire school district we found that homeless students as an aggregate do not miss significantly more days of school than their poorest peers. However, we found homelessness and poverty dramatically increase the number of absences for children who are in the higher percentiles of absences meaning homelessness has a greater impact on those who miss more days of school in general compared to regular attendees. Findings from this study indicate that homelessness may exacerbate problems rather than cause them. Implications for practice are discussed and directions for future study are proposed.     

Coming Out to Tell Our Stories: Using Queer Theory to Understand the Career Experiences of Gay Men in Public Relations

Despite the increasing focus on understanding the diversity of public relations, academics and practitioners have largely ignored gay men. Grounded in queer theory, this qualitative study examines the experiences of gay men working in public relations. We used in-depth interviews and focus groups to allow participants to discuss their careers openly. Practitioners indicated that they enjoyed working in public relations, although they pointed out areas of dissatisfaction and suggested ways to improve the working environment for gay men. These include an increased awareness of personal lives and the gay community, reduction of stereotypes, and adopting diversity-friendly policies.     

Using Intersectionality to Examine the New Complexities of Work Identities and Social Class

This article explores how the concept of intersectionality is useful for examining how class location and gender intersect in the workplace. Intersectionality foregrounds the complex ways that work identity is negotiated and achieved and how formations of identity constitute complex affiliations, solidarities and tensions in the workplace. I use data from oral histories of railway workers to illustrate the usefulness of intersectionality as an approach to analysing work. Intersectionality and the concept of structures of feeling are important tools for examining how work shapes social identity and action. These concepts have been central to an important research project conducted at the Working Lives Research Institute, part of the wider ESRC Identities programme.     

Using the Stepfamily Genetic Design to Examine Gene-Environment Processes in Child and Family Functioning

SUMMARY

Studying children in different types of families-intact, single-mother, and stepparent families-affords opportunities for testing models of gene-environment processes, based on estimates of sibling similarity among full-siblings and half-siblings. We used a stepfamily quantitative genetic design to estimate genetic and environmental sources of variance in children's behavior problems and prosocial behaviors, as well as negativity in their relationships with their mothers and mothers' partners. Participants included full- and half-sibling pairs (same- and opposite-sex) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Mothers reported on their children's behavior problems and prosocial behaviors, as well as negativity in their parent-child relationships, for a target child (4 years old) and oneolder sibling (M =6.31 years). There was additive genetic variance in child behavior problems and partner-child negativity, and shared environmental variance in mother-child and partner-child negativity. One-fifth to two-thirds of the variance was accounted for by nonshared environment and error. These findings were similar even after controlling for sibling gender and age differences, the resident status of the older sibling, and the older siblings' degree of contact with the nonresident biological parent. The links between parental negativity and child behavior problems were mediated by genetic covariance suggesting possible gene-environment correlation processes, and the links between parental negativity and child prosocial behaviors were mediated primarily by environmental covariance.     

A Preliminary Study of Body Image and HIV Sexual Risk Behavior in Black Gay and Bisexual Men: Implications for HIV Prevention

Nearly three decades since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, Black gay and bisexual men (BGBM) experience increasingly disproportionate rates of HIV and AIDS in the United States. The aim of this exploratory research investigation was to examine the relationship between body image and HIV sexual risk behavior in a community-based sample of 481 BGBM in the New York metropolitan area. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that men with a negative body image were less likely to use condoms during anal intercourse with a male sexual partner as compared to those respondents with a positive body image. These findings pose considerable implications for the influence of body image on HIV sexual risk behavior in BGBM.     

Using Social Media to Change the Narrative Around Chronic Illness

Chronic illness is a prevalent issue for many individuals. Various theoretical approaches have been employed in the psychotherapeutic treatment of chronic illness and the effects it has on the individual with the illness. These approaches frequently overlook the strengths of the person living with the illness as well as fail to address aspects of modern life such as social media use of the client and the influence it holds for those living with a chronic illness. This paper proposes the application of narrative therapy and social media use as a narrative therapeutic technique when treating those who suffer from chronic illness. A clinical vignette is used to illustrate possible applications of therapeutic techniques in conjunction with therapist-directed social media use. Implications for clinical practice and limitations are discussed.     

Class and the Construction of the 19th Century German Male Body

Between 1848 and 1871, the German male identity created by the popular German gymnastics movement became a civilized bourgeois identity, distinguished from an aristocratic identity and one associated with manual labor. Bourgeois gymnasts initiated this process but the rest of the mainly petty bourgeois gymnasts eventually adopted the civilized identity embodied through gymnastics. Complementing studies that show that the bourgeoisie's increasing social dominance was reflected in the class-based restriction of access to voluntary associations, this article shows that it also involved the adoption of practices that expressed a restrictive bourgeois identity. The article challenges previous explanations of changing gymnastics practices and Pierre Bourdieu's emphasis on the role of class distinction in explaining changes in sports practices.     

大众传媒视野下的青年女性形象

本文通过对《中国妇女报》的抽样调查,分析了文章中的女性形象,笔者认为报道中的女性形象多为拥有自身事业的现代女性,且涉及的报道多为正面报导,内容中所含的女性歧视成分较少,但仍然存在一定的性别歧视和成见,其主要原因是商业性、办刊宗旨及政策导向性影响了女性形象。     

Issues of Isolation and Intimacy for the HIV Infected,Sexually Addicted Gay Male in Group Psychotherapy

The pertinent issues of isolation and intimacy with sexually addicted, HIV infected gay males was researched from the perspective of group psychotherapy as a treatment modality. The purpose of the article was to highlight shame based feelings associated with being sexually addicted and HIV diagnosed with the subsequent behaviors of isolation and difficulties with intimacy. The group model is examined as a means towards alleviating isolation and helping the client form new ways towards bonding and forming intimacy. Group interventions are seen to be helpful in lessening sexual compulsivity, creating new forms of relating and providing a safe environment for an individual dealing with HIV disease.     

美国媒体对伊斯兰世界的形象建构--以《时代》周刊个案为例

从海湾战争至今,美国和伊斯兰世界冲突不断.美国社会对伊斯兰世界的误解不断加深,媒体也塑造了一个负面的伊斯兰世界形象.本文以美著名新闻杂志<时代>周刊的140篇报道为个案,分析美媒体对伊斯兰世界报道的主题内容及其建构的伊斯兰文明形象,对<时代>所持的价值观和理念以及导致报道的原因进行分析和解答.     

美国媒体对伊斯兰世界的形象建构——以《时代》周刊个案为例

从海湾战争至今，美国和伊斯兰世界冲突不断。美国社会对伊斯兰世界的误解不断加深，媒体也塑造了一个负面的伊斯兰世界形象。本文以美著名新闻杂志《时代》周刊的140篇报道为个案，分析美媒体对伊斯兰世界报道的主题内容及其建构的伊斯兰文明形象，对《时代》所持的价值观和理念以及导致报道的原因进行分析和解答。     

Acting Gay: Male Actors Shift the Frequency Components of Their Voices Towards Female Values When Playing Homosexual Characters

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether actors playing homosexual male characters in North-American television shows speak with a feminized voice, thus following longstanding stereotypes that attribute feminine characteristics to male homosexuals. We predicted that when playing homosexual characters, actors would raise the frequency components of their voice towards more stereotypically feminine values. This study compares fundamental frequency (F0) and formant frequencies (F _i ) parameters in the speech of fifteen actors playing homosexual and heterosexual characters in North-American television shows. Our results reveal that the voices of actors playing homosexual male characters are characterized by a raised F0 (corresponding to a higher pitch), and raised formant frequencies (corresponding to a less baritone timbre), approaching values typical of female voices. Besides providing further evidence of the existence of an “effeminacy” stereotype in portraying male homosexuals in the media, these results show that actors perform pitch and vocal tract length adjustments in order to alter their perceived sexual orientation, emphasizing the role of these frequency components in the behavioral expression of gender attributes in the human voice.     

Between the Social and the Personal: Israeli Male Gay Parents,Surrogacy and Socio-Political Concepts of Parenthood and Gender

This work focuses on the effects of dominant concepts of parenthood and gender on gay men who became parents through surrogacy. Based on the analysis of 39 in-depth, semistructured interviews with gay fathers, we show that gay fathers' parenting experiences are shaped by the heteronormative discourse on parenthood, yet they resist its gendered attributes. Gay parenthood is revealed as confronting the social concepts on parenthood, in particular on motherhood, and their socio-political meanings. The tension between the social concepts and the participants' perceptionsy leads them to confront their social environment and to construct alternative discourse to the social discourse of parenthood and gender, suggesting that gay parenthood subverts under existing concepts of parenthood, gender and their meanings within the state.     

Influences on the Career Development of Gay Men

This article relates selected concepts from the general literature of gay and lesbian psychology to the career development of gay men. Specific concerns related to sexual identity development, the management of stigma, and psychological adjustment are reviewed, and suggestions are offered both to practitioners and to researchers.     

“富二代”媒体形象的呈现与思考

主流大众媒体对于"富二代"的报道呈现以下特征:报道体裁方面,注重新闻报道;报道基调上,负面新闻超过半数,且存在"标题党"现象;报道内容方面,炫富、绯闻、违法事件居多;报道主体特征方面,多为高学历低年龄的男性。作为大众媒体,其所构建的拟态环境对公众对于"富二代"群体形象负面认知的形成具有重要影响。媒体由于受到消费浪潮的影响,而乐于通过塑造"富二代"纨绔子弟的形象来迎合受众、吸引眼球,制造了大量有明显倾向性的报道,但也有许多新闻工作者对这种片面化的报道方式进行了反思。一方面,媒体报道应当实事求是,并平衡正负面报道,做到事实客观与整体客观并存,不做"标题党";另一方面,"富二代"也应当严以自律,增强社会责任感以提升自己的公众形象。     

Using the Image Exchange to Enhance Interdisciplinary Team Building in Child Welfare

A team building activity, the image exchange, was helpful to interdisciplinary teams in clarifying perceptions and opinions of participants about the roles of each discipline (child welfare, domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse workers) at a five-day interdisciplinary training workshop. Discussion of team members’ perceptions and views provided opportunities to develop insights about misperceptions. Training in team development and role clarification provided a foundation for the development of effective interdisciplinary collaboration, which may improve interdisciplinary practice.Dr. Packard is an Associate Professor and Dr. Jones is a Professor in the School of Social Work at SDSU. At the time of writing, Ms. Nahrstedt was a Research Assistant in the School of Social Work at SDSU. This project was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families.     

Using Activity Theory to Understand How People Learn to Negotiate the Conditions of Work

In a typical workplace in the United States, two knowledge-producing activity systems are in motion. Each produces knowledge about how to do the work of that workplace, but they are differently motivated: one toward productivity, and the other toward earning a living. The conflict between these two systems is addressed through the process of negotiation. A.N. Leont'ev's insight on the power of motive to shape an activity system through which consciousness is constructed provides direction for exploring how people learn to negotiate their conditions of work. Observations and interviews conducted in the course of my work as a union-based and then a university-based labor educator suggest that negotiating knowledge (NK) is similar to work process knowledge in that it is useful for the work that is being done, has a theoretical dimension, and is generated by problem solving. However, because it is generated through the second activity system, it differs from work process knowledge in its perspective. Characterizing NK makes it easier to recognize and enables research into its creation, which in turn can inform the practice of labor education. Examples considered in this article include a grocery warehouse, steel mill, cleaning company, federal office, an apartment building, public school, and musical instrument factory.