Perceived cultural spaces and cultural in‐betweens: Consumption among Korean Australians

• This study explores the influence of both generation and acculturation on food and media consumption patterns of Korean migrant families in Australia. Given the lack of studies specifically examining acculturative and generational influences on changes occurring in a culturally adaptive context, this study's objectives are to explore not only the experience of consumption for the families but also the differences between first‐ and second‐generation migrants and the differences within the family between parent and child. The findings of the study demonstrate the conflicted and negotiated construction of consumption around the dual cultural identities. The complexity and creolised effect of consumption appears when traditional food meets with the multi‐cuisine foodscape of Australia. The nostalgic consumption of certain kinds of ‘ethnic media’ meets up with the second generation's consumption of the same kinds of media for easy and quick‐fix ‘socialisation’. Elements of ‘reverse socialisation’ are also observed in the data. The study contributes to a better understanding of the cumulative and often intertwined effects of acculturation and/or generation in consumption changes.

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Privileged, Typical, or not even that? – Our Place in the World According to the Copernican and the Cosmological Principles

Summary  If we are to constrain our place in the world, two principles are often appealed to in science. According to the Copernican Principle, we do not occupy a privileged position within the Universe. The Cosmological Principle, on the other hand, says that our observations would roughly be the same, if we were located at any other place in the Universe. In our paper we analyze these principles from a logical and philosophical point of view. We show how they are related, how they can be supported and what use is made of them. Our main results are: 1. There is a logical gap between both principles insofar as the Cosmological Principle is significantly stronger than the Copernican Principle. 2. A step that is often taken for establishing the Cosmological Principle on the base of the Copernican Principle and observations is not incontestable as it stands, but can be supplemented with a different argument. 3. The Cosmological Principle might be crucial for cosmology to the extent it is not supported by empirical evidence.     

Examining the Relationship between Social Support,Parenting Stress,and Depression in South Korean Single Mothers

Journal of Child and Family Studies - The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among social support, parenting stress, and depression in single mothers with young children in South...     

Idolatry: A Reading Key for the Market Economy?

This article proposes that theology can and must have a significant role in understanding current economic‐social reality. Using examples that portray the frequent use of religious terms among executives, economists, and political and social analysts, it shows that the discourse of the market system assumes a dogmatic faith in the market and that the theological concept of idolatry can be very useful in unveiling the system's fascination and sacrificial character.     

Attitude Toward Own Aging: Age Invariance and Construct Validity Across Middle-Aged,Young-Old,and Old-Old Adults

The Attitude Toward Own Aging (ATOA) Scale assesses an individual’s evaluation of their own aging, and has been widely used in the field of subjective aging literature. The present study examined whether the ATOA scale measures the same construct across middle-aged (40–60), young-old (61–74), and old-old adults (ages 75 or older) and also evaluated the construct validity of the ATOA construct in relation to measures of subjective well-being. Data drawn from the 2008 wave of the German Aging Survey (DEAS; n?=?6091) were used. ATOA was assessed by the ATOA subscale of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS), and subjective well-being was assessed with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the model fit of the one-factor model consisting of four items fits the data well. Multi-group invariance analyses provide evidence for configural and metric invariance of the ATOA scale across the age groups, but not for scalar invariance. Additional analysis assessing construct validity indicated that the ATOA items exhibited convergent validity. The findings support the utility of the 4-item scale when examining age group differences of ATOA across a wide age range and that ATOA is distinct from measures of subjective well-being.     

The Impact of Specific Psychotherapist Beliefs Regarding Managed Care on Prospective Psychotherapy Clients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the separate impact of each of thirteen therapist beliefs that, presented collectively, were previously found to have a significantly negative impact on prospective clients' attitudes toward managed care psychotherapy (Pomerantz, 2000). Participants in this study initially completed a brief questionnaire measuring their willingness to enter psychotherapy and their expectations regarding psychotherapy under managed care. Participants subsequently completed the same brief questionnaire again after being instructed to imagine seeing a hypothetical psychologist and being presented with the psychologist's supposed beliefs regarding managed care (which were actually derived from survey data by Murphy et al., 1998). Results suggest that almost every discrete therapist belief had a significantly negative impact on participants' attitudes toward managed care psychotherapy. Several specific therapist beliefs produced particularly salient negative effects. Implications regarding ethics and informed consent are discussed.