Discussion of care,contribution, and perceived (in)gratitude in the family caregiver and sibling relationship

This qualitative analysis focuses on the discussion of care, division of labor, and perceptions of gratitude and ingratitude between an adult primary caregiver of an elderly parent and his or her sibling(s). Interviews with 20 caregivers addressed the following questions: When do caregivers feel appreciated or unappreciated by siblings? How do siblings communicate that appreciation? How does gratitude influence the experience of caregiving and family relationships during caregiving? Findings revealed that gratitude was manifested through verbal and behavioral expressions, with antithetical communication that left the caregiver feeling unappreciated. Verbal expressions of gratitude included a simple “thank you,” thanks for what the caregiver does, and for who the caregiver is. The inverse of these expressions included neglecting to say “thank you,” failing to identify the extent of the caregiver's work, and communicating criticism. Behavioral expressions took the form of following through on promises, and failing to do so presented as ingratitude.     

Race, Kinds and Ontological Commitments: Issues for Social Policy Clarification

abstract   This article attempts to illustrate the continuing need to pay attention to ontological issues connected with the conduct of empirical research and subsequent policy making. Failure to do so leads to the conflation of social constructions with ideas about the thesis of an independent reality. Such category mistakes often lead to dilemmas in which culturally sensitive constructs may, on the one hand, be worthy of study because they do tell us how socially constructed categories do predict social phenomena; but, on the other hand, such constructs may illustrate an unwillingness on the part of the research community to recognize the objective nature of such constructs. Some recommendations are suggested for addressing the social policy consequences of these dilemmas.     

“TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY”: A YULETIDE 1980 ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

The past two decades have witnessed marked improvment in the work produced by communication researchers. Today's research is marked by increasing reliance on theory, a greater emphasis on programmatic research, and attempts to fit methods to particular research objectives. These advances, along with a dramatic increase in the number of capable communication researchers, have combined to heighten the credibility of communication research among colleagues in related disciplines. Although many issues remain unsolved, progress is the key word in assessing events of the last 20 years.     

SOCIAL INFORMATION AND EMPLOYEE ANXIETY ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Studies of job attitudes have traditionally been conducted on the correspondence between individual needs and objective job characteristics. A recently developed theory, however, suggests that job attitudes may be a function of social information received (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). This investigation used social information processing theory as the basis for a study of antecedents to employee anxiety about a move to an open office environment. The structural equation model developed from social information processing theory proved to be a good fit to the data, and a revised version of the model provided an even belter accounting for the variance in the data. Anxiety about organizational change was determined by social information, individual needs, and job characteristics, with need for privacy having the largest impact on anxiety. The model is discussed in terms of its support for information processing theory, its individual significant linkages, and the implications for need satisfaction models of job attitudes and other research on outcomes in organizations.