Sociology Commons^™

Pennsylvania's Family Caregiver Support Program: A Demonstration Project, Elizabeth K. Keech, Robert A. Harris, John M. Kelley, Lori F. Gerring, Christopher P. Peters

Sociological Practice

The physical, emotional, and economic burdens of family caregiving can present a serious threat to the stability and continuity of a caregiving situation. Public policymakers, aware of the high costs of replacing such voluntary efforts with publicly funded institutional care, are becoming more and more concerned about the needs of caregivers and possible intervention strategies to meet those needs.

This article begins with a description of Pennsylvania's new policy initiative for caregivers, the Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP). Following is a discussion of the evaluation of the program's demonstration phase by the Human Organization Science Institute of Villanova University. The …

Section: Caregivers Of The Elderly, Sociological Practice Editors, Elizabeth K. Keech, Robert A. Harris, John M. Kelley, Lori F. Gerring, Christopher P. Peters, Jeffrey Michael Clair, Ferris J. Ritchey, Richard M. Allman, Gary T. Deimling, Wendy J. Looman

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

The Rural Elderly: Providers' Perceptions Of Barriers To Service Delivery: Providers' Perceptions Of Barriers To Service Delivery, C. Neil Bull, Share Decroix Bane

Sociological Practice

A 1989 survey of the State Units on Aging (SUAs) produced five themes that seem to underlie the many barriers to the delivery of services to the rural elderly. A systematic review of these five themes led to the identification of 34 specific challenges or barriers, which were then placed under the appropriate theme. Such a schema has been outlined in order to aid social service providers, researchers, and students in making sense of the problems faced by the increasing number of rural elderly. In addition, in order to assess the relative importance of these barriers, a second survey of …

Everyday Lives Of The Elderly: A Dimensional Analysis, David Kowalewski, Steven Peterson

Sociological Practice

Considerable dissension surrounds the number and composition of the domains comprising the daily lives of the elderly. The present study employs an array of biological, economic, political, social, and psychological data obtained from a house-to-house survey of elderly citizens to derive a mapping of dimensionality. Factor analysis of the data isolated eight domains: Poor Health, Disengagement, Self-Sufficiency, Female Aging, Meaningful Employment, Political Faith, Self-Starting, and Stoicism. External validation supported the factor solution and highlighted the impact of dietary and economic deficits on the problems of the aged.

Health Policy Development: Health Promotion And Illness Prevention Among Older Adults In Illinois, Thomas R. Prohaska, Hansi K. Trites, Karen L. Scott

Sociological Practice

This paper offers recommendations for health promotion and illness prevention for older adults in Illinois and offers a structure for policy development. It is based on the premise that policy development should consider the experiences of older adults, family members, and health care providers delivering direct services. Personal experiences and expert analyses were examined in the context of strategies to promote health. This example of policy development is discussed in terms of its application to alternative methods of social and health change and identifies roles for the sociological practitioner.

Economic Diversity And Informed Old Age Social Policy, Charles F. Longino Jr.

Sociological Practice

The issue explored here is an example of the interface between social research and social policy in the United States. The aging policy debate concerning the economic status of the elderly has tended to focus upon the disadvantaged; it is informed by a relatively selective view of the financial resources of older persons. The result has been policy that is vulnerable to the market attention given to the advantaged elderly by business as the economic status of the elderly improves. Sociological practitioners whose work focuses upon older Americans are in a unique position to understand this policy problem and to …

Section: General Policy Issues, Sociological Practice Editors, Charles F. Longino Jr., Thomas R. Prohaska, Hansi K. Trites, Karen L. Scott, David Kowalewski, Steven Peterson, C. Neil Bull, Share Decroix Bane

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Aging In The Twenty-First Century, Matilda White Riley

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Social Adjustment In Old Age: A Research Planning Report, Otto Pollack, Glen Heathers

Sociological Practice

This article is a reprint of a planning report prepared by the Social Science Research Council in 1948. It represents one of the first earliest reports on the implications of the changing demographic structure of society in the United States.

History Of Social Gerontology, Harold Cox, Richard Newtson

Sociological Practice

This article addresses the historical development of the field of social gerontology and examines the unique contributions of sociology, as well as the other social sciences. Cowgill and Holmes' "Modernization Hypothesis" is outlined and critiqued. Critical variables determining the status of the aged in different societies and historical periods are delineated, including family form, religion, knowledge base, harshness of the environment, and speed of social change.

Section: Setting The Stage: Past And Future, Sociological Practice Editors, Harold Cox, Richard Newtson, Otto Pollack, Glen Heathers, Matilda White Riley

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Joyce M. Iutcovich

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Conflict Processing Resources, Sociological Practice Editors

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Move/Philadelphia Bombing: A Conflict Resolution History, Paul Wahrhaftig, Hizkias Assefa

Sociological Practice

In 1985 police bombed the Philadelphia headquarters occupied by members of the black counterculture group MOVE. What began 15 years earlier as a neighborhood squabble provoked by conflicting lifestyles ended in the destruction of sixty-one homes and the death of eleven residents—five of them children. Some 250 people were left homeless. The authors examine the dynamics of the conflict, analyzing attempts at third-party mediation and the possibility of resolution without violence. Interventions raised ethical issues, and there were failures to define and involve appropriate parties, break down mutual misperceptions, oversee implementation of an agreement, and understand the decision-making structure of …

Mediating Political And Social Conflicts: The Skokie-Nazi Dispute, Richard A. Salem

Sociological Practice

In 1978, a mediation team from the Community Relations Service [CRS] of the United States Department of Justice attempted to mediate the dispute between residents of Skokie, the predominantly Jewish suburb of Chicago and the Nazi party members of the National Socialists Party of America. This dispute involved a number of issues of legal and legislative significance. After a series of complicated negotiations, the Nazis canceled the Skokie demonstration.

Research And Policy Implications, Louis Kriesberg

Sociological Practice

This article focuses on intractable conflicts and how they are transformed. Specific attention is given to the kinds of questions raised by research on such conflicts as well as the policy implications of selected research efforts.

Getting To The Table: Creating The Forum For Negotiations In Deep-Rooted Conflicts, James H. Laue

Sociological Practice

The first step in the conflict resolution process is establishing a forum in which cooperative negotiation can occur among the parties. Three aspects of this "getting to the table" process are analyzed: functional requirements for the table or setting, methods of getting the parties there, and value choices about the nature of the table and the process there.

Section: Handling Deep-Rooted And Protracted Conflict, Sociological Practice Editors, Louis Kriesberg, James H. Laue, Richard A. Salem, Paul Wahrhaftig, Hizkias Assefa

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Consumer Complaints And Public Policy: Validating The "Tip-Of-The-Iceberg" Theory, Drew Hyman, John Shingler, Mitchell Miller

Sociological Practice

This article examines data from a statewide study to test whether organizational aberration theory or systemic pattern theory is supported by data on complaining. The article concludes that citizen and consumer complaints can serve both as early-warning and fail-safe functions leading to increased accountability and safer, more effective, high quality processes, products, and services.

Power Imbalance Within The Setting Of Special Education Mediation: A View Toward Structural And Organizational Factors Influencing Outcome, Jennifer Adams Mastrofski

Sociological Practice

Research on mediation as a means of dispute resolution has alluded to potential injustices that may emerge from the process when conflict occurs between persons of unequal status. An example of such inequity would be when one parly in the dispute is an individual who is somehow dependent on the second party (who may represent an organization or institution).

In a recent evaluation of special education mediation services, structural and organizational factors were identified that could influence the impact of power imbalance between disputants (parents and school personnel) independent of the mediation session itself. This paper examines these factors and …

Workplace Dispute Resolution And Gender Inequality, Patricia A. Gwartney-Gibbs, Denise H. Lach

Sociological Practice

Despite substantial bodies of research on employment differentials between women and men and on conflict in the workplace, little prior research links the two. This article summarizes preliminary results of a study which attempts to fill this knowledge gap. We conceive of workplace disputes as having origins, processes, and outcomes. We theorize that these three components are patterned by sex roles, sex segregation of jobs, and work structures (unions, firms, industries). Our findings indicate that workplace jurisprudence operates differentially for women and men employees, as hypothesized. The results suggest linkages to other aspects of employment inequality and provide a theoretical …

In The Shadow Of Best Interest: Negotiating The Facts, Interests, And Interventions In Child Abuse Cases, Gene Kassebaum, David B. Chandler

Sociological Practice

Most cases of child abuse and neglect are not as extreme or clear-cut as those reported in the media. In routine cases the perpetrator is usually a family member, the evidence of injury is ambiguous and the identity of the perpetrator is uncertain. Prosecution, removal of the child, and therapy for the family are sometimes contradictory mandates which courts and social service agencies must balance.

Norm centered negotiation is the decision making process found in this study of child protective work. Child protection workers sometimes negotiate with families in their decisions to confirm abuse, representatives of different agencies negotiate with …

Spousal Violence And Outcome In Custody And Visitation Mediation, Richard D. Mathis, Flo Whinery

Sociological Practice

To examine whether custody and visitation mediation is appropriate in cases with a history of spousal violence, the outcomes of 49 self-reported violent couples were compared to those of 29 never-violent couples in court-ordered mediation. Outcomes were not adversely affected significantly except in chronic cases where incidents had occurred both during the marriage and after separation (p - .011). This report calls for standardized screening to identify chronically violent spouses as well as for modified approaches to treatment of such cases.

Resistance To Mediation: Understanding And Handling It, Maria R. Volpe, Charles Bahn

Sociological Practice

One of the major challenges confronting mediators is the resistance to their intervention efforts by disputants. This article examines some of the explanations for resistance to the mediation process as well as suggested ways of coping with resistant disuptants.

Section: Dispute Resolution Processes: Practice And Research Efforts, Sociological Practice Editors, Maria R. Volpe, Charles Bahn, Richard D. Mathis, Flo Whinery, Gene Kassebaum, David B. Chandler, Jennifer Adams Mastrofski, Patricia A. Gwartney-Gibbs, Denise H. Lach, Drew Hyman, John Shingler, Mitchell Miller

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Sociologists And The Processing Of Conflicts, Maria R. Volpe, Peter R. Maida

Sociological Practice

Sociologists bring a unique perspective to the study of the processing of conflicts. They may be experts in substantive areas in which alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques are used as well as experts in process such as getting the parties to the table and keeping them there to discuss the issues. Sociologists are also trained to observe social interactions and remain neutral in their analyses of what they observe. The authors discuss the contributions that sociologists can make in the study of ADR, including theoretical, research, and critical works on conflict resolution process.

Editors' Preface, Sociological Practice Editors

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Poverty, A Factor In Tax Debate, The Daily Eastern News

Coles County Poverty Data Project

The Daily Eastern News has published an article looking closely at the upcoming general election, the views of candidates on tax policy, and local initiatives to implement a facilities tax for the public schools. These are VERY important issues, and worth understanding completely before voting on March 18.

What The Phub?, Kendall T. Wolf

SURGE

“Nobody talks to each other anymore.” When my grandfather said this as we sped down the highway, I wondered what to make of it. Is he simply being a negative elderly man, or is there some truth to the statement? Considering that I had been trying to tune out his questions with my headphones the whole drive, I guess I deserved some type of scolding. As his questions were repeated, my mother pointed out to my grandfather that I could not hear him, to which he shook his head and said, “Nobody talks to each other anymore.” Finally, I put …

Traffic Lights Turn Me Red, Mark Routhier

UCF Forum

OK, I admit it: I have road rage, just not the kind that makes me drive four feet behind someone who has made me angry, or leads me to any other kind of exacting vengeance on other drivers.