Parental involvement in competitive youth sport settings

ObjectivesBased on ecological systems theory [Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage], the purpose of this study was to examine parents’ involvement in competitive youth sport settings.DesignData were collected through two distinct phases of fieldwork. Phase 1 involved longitudinal data collection with four families. Phase 2 involved observations of youth soccer settings.MethodData were collected from four families via individual interviews and audio-diaries and were supplemented through 120 h of observation. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using grounded theory methodology.ResultsParents’ verbal reactions to their children's sport performance behaviors were placed on a continuum moving from more supportive to more controlling comments. These comments were categorized as praise/encouragement, performance contingent feedback, instruction, striking a balance, negative comments, and derogatory comments. Parents experienced empathy in that they perceived sharing the emotions their children felt in sport, and these emotions appeared to change in relation to dynamic game and contextual circumstances. Parents also thought that they possessed knowledge and expertise of sport, which they perceived enabled them to make comments to their children.ConclusionA series of reciprocal and bi-directional relationships were central to parents’ involvement in competitive youth sport.     

Marital Therapy Caught Between Person and Public: Christian Traditions on Marriage

This article addresses a crisis in marital therapy caught between concern for individual well-being and marriage as a social institution. Marital therapy would be enriched by conversation with three models of marriage: Roman Catholic subsidiarity theory, Protestant covenant view, and liberation theology and corresponding languages of social goods, covenant, and mutual responsibility. The authors urge therapists to see marriage as private and social at the same time and to help couples explore the meaning of marital commitment, the connection between personal well-being and marriage's wider social goods, and the dynamics of shared power and radical mutuality in marriage.     

Empowerment, Performance, and Operational Uncertainty: A Theoretical Integration

L'accession au pouvoir est présentée comme une recette universelle pour améliorer la performance au travail. On défend ici l'idée qu'il existe déjà des arguments forts pour penser que cette conviction est des plus discutables, et que l'impact de la participation dépendra du degré de l'incertitude opérationnelle qui prévaut. Notre point de vue s'appuie sur une analyse des idées qui émergent conjointement de cinq domaines, à savoir les théories des organisations, la structuration du travail, le management "zéro défaut", le management des facteurs humains et celui des ressources humaines. On met en évidence les conséquences théoriques et pratiques de nos investigations et certaines des pistes à suivre pour approfondir la réflexion.
Empowerment is being promoted as a general recipe for enhancing work performance. We argue that there are already strong grounds for suggesting that this universalistic assumption is flawed, and that the effectiveness of empowerment practices will be contingent on the degree of operational uncertainty that prevails. This argument is supported by an analysis of ideas in common emerging from five different areas of inquiry, namely those concerned with organisational theory, work design, total quality management, human factors, and human resource management. We identify the theoretical and practical implications of our analysis, and some of the lines of investigation required to develop the ideas further.     

The Psychometric Properties of the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale in Asian Americans

Reliability (internal consistency and test‐retest) and validity (construct and factorial) of the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale (OCIS; E. R. Oetting & F. Beauvais, 1990–1991) were evaluated in a sample of Asian American university students. Ethnic identification, measured using the OCIS, and acculturation, measured using the Suinn‐Lew Asian Self‐Identity Acculturation Scale (R. M. Suinn, K. Rickard‐Fugueroa, S. Lew, & P. Vigil, 1987), are hypothesized to measure related but separate constructs. Análisis de fiabilidad (consistencia interna y estabilidad temporal), y de validez (conceptual y factorial) de la Escala Ortagonal de Identificación Cultural (OCIS; E. R. Oetting & F. Beauvais, 1990–1991) fueron evaluados en un grupo de estudiantes universitarios Asiáticos Americanos. La identificación étnica fue medida usando la OCIS, y la aculturación fue medida usando la Escala de Identidad de Ser y Aculturación Asiática de Suinn‐Lew (R. M. Suinn, K. Rickard‐Figueroa, S. Lew, & P. Vigil, 1987). Se presenta la hipótesis que la identificación étnica y la aculturación miden conceptos separados que estan relacionados.     

Testing of an orthogonal measure of cultural identification with adult mission Indians

The Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale (OCIS; Oetting & Beauvais, 1990-91) has been validated among Native American youth, but not adults. The present study sought to test the reliability (internal consistency) and validity (construct and factorial) of the OCIS among an adult Native American sample consisting of 389 Mission Indians (61% female). Participants were recruited from reservations using a venue sampling strategy. The OCIS was completed as part of a self-assessment packet of questionnaires. Internal consistency for OCIS subscale scores ranged from 0.76 to 0.91. Both concurrent and discriminant validity were demonstrated. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed 2 factors: (1) Anglo American Identification and (2) Native American Identification. These results indicate the OCIS is a reliable and valid instrument for use with adult Native Americans.     

Genetic associations of alcohol dehydrogenase with alcohol use disorders and endophenotypes in white college students

Associations of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene polymorphisms (ADH1B*2 and ADH1C*1) with a lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD) were examined in White college students. Alcohol-related endophenotypes likely to be influenced by elevations in acetaldehyde were also assessed. Individuals with an ADH1B*2 allele had lower rates of AUDs, consumed a lower maximum number of drinks in a 24-hr period, reported a greater level of response to alcohol, were more likely to have experienced alcohol-induced headaches following 1 or 2 drinks, and reported more severe hangovers than those lacking this allele. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that enhanced sensitivity to alcohol and lower levels of alcohol use reflect the mechanism by which ADH1B*2 protects against developing an AUD.     

Specialized Counseling—A New Trend?

The study, apparently the first of its kind, investigates the activities of the specialized school counselor in the elementary and secondary schools of Ohio. The specialized counselor was defined as a certified counselor who spent at least one-half of his professional time performing the activities related to a single area of guidance, such as educational or college guidance. Questionnaires were sent to three groups of educators—guidance directors, specialized school counselors, and counselor educators. Participants in the study were asked to provide information relative to the nature and needs of specialized counseling. The data seem to show indications of an increase of specialization in counseling. The functions of such specialists are reported.     

Fantasy play in 5- and 6-year-old children

We studied the verbal pretend play of 5- and 6-year-old boys and girls to delineate age and sex differences during the later preoperational period. Sixteen children with average language ability were paired by age and sex and were videotaped for three 15-min intervals. Verbal interactions were transcribed, and the pretend play was classified as object fantasy, imaginative action plans/themes, or fantasy roles. Language used for pretend play increased in proportion to all utterances with age. Older children referred to more invented objects than younger ones but primarily in the service of realistic action formats. Girls' conversations were scored as having significantly more verbal pretending than boys' and a higher proportion of it referred to play roles. There were both age and sex differences in the types of themes, toys used, and roles enacted, including more sex-typed behavior in older children. The continued increase in the proportion of pretend play to all verbal interaction with age and the characteristics of play behavior is consistent with developmental theory.     

Living with a pituitary tumour: A narrative analysis

This study aimed to synthesise the illness narratives of individuals living with a pituitary tumour. Eight adults with a pituitary tumour were recruited from an endocrinology service in the north-west of England. A narrative methodology was adopted which investigated elements of the individual narratives such as metaphor and structure but which also aimed to produce a joint account of experience in this particular illness context by extracting themes across the stories; these are presented as part of a chronological narrative. However, the resulting group story was also analysed in terms of different types of narrative plots. The group narrative started from the recognition of symptoms and then diagnosis though treatment to post-treatment and future plans. In terms of narrative plots, one notable element of the joint narrative was the flow between the culturally dominant restitution narrative, where participants focused on treatment and recovery and the chaos narrative when recovery did not seem possible. The findings contain many elements consistent with previous research; however, the use of a celebrity figure to communicate about the illness experience and a perception that objects or individuals should not be taken at face value emerged as more novel findings.