The (In)compatibility of Diversity and Sense of Community

Community psychologists are interested in creating contexts that promote both respect for diversity and sense of community. However, recent theoretical and empirical work has uncovered a community-diversity dialectic wherein the contextual conditions that foster respect for diversity often run in opposition to those that foster sense of community. More specifically, within neighborhoods, residential integration provides opportunities for intergroup contact that are necessary to promote respect for diversity but may prevent the formation of dense interpersonal networks that are necessary to promote sense of community. Using agent-based modeling to simulate neighborhoods and neighborhood social network formation, we explore whether the community-diversity dialectic emerges from two principles of relationship formation: homophily and proximity. The model suggests that when people form relationships with similar and nearby others, the contexts that offer opportunities to develop a respect for diversity are different from the contexts that foster a sense of community. Based on these results, we conclude with a discussion of whether it is possible to create neighborhoods that simultaneously foster respect for diversity and sense of community.     

Practice‐based research networks: Origins,overview, obstacles,and opportunities

Aims: This article focuses on the historical origins of Practice‐based Research Networks (PbRNs), particularly in the UK, and provides an overview of exemplar networks, together with a consideration of the obstacles and opportunities of such networks. Method: A selective narrative review was carried out relating to the origins of PbRNs together with a selective systematic review using the SCOPUS database to consider landmark articles in this field. Results: A historical account is provided with the origins of PbRNs deriving from pioneer GPs working alone, with their ideals then becoming embedded in family practice. Key articles are presented and also consideration given to the threats to their survival. Conceptual and developmental models of PbRNs are presented that reflect the variety of networks but also common hallmarks. Finally, the opportunities are summarised that PbRNs offer for providing a vehicle for research that is linked more closely to communities of practitioners, people, and patients. Conclusions: PbRNs provide the opportunities for including practitioners in the research effort by being part of a community. Results will have direct relevance to their practice and advances in data analysis provide more valid means of analysing data. But there are also continuing threats due to lack of infrastructure funding and a gap between PbRN activity and trials methodology that needs to be addressed.     

Characteristics of Personal Networks Associated with Physical and Psychological Quality of Life Among Demobilized Individuals from the Colombian Armed Conflict

The study identifies relationships between the characteristics of personal networks of demobilized individuals and their quality of life, through the evaluation of a sample of 102 ex‐combatants from a demilitarized zone in Colombia's Caribbean coast. The data was processed using centrality values calculation and statistical analysis through the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results showed moderate levels of nodality, proximity and intermediation degrees regarding small, closed networks with an unsatisfied high demand for support resources. Quality of life showed medium performance levels, with inverse relationships between mental health (p = .009 < .05) and vitality (p = .011 < .05) and intermediation. Positive feedback related significantly to general health (p = .041 < .05), while negative interactions showed inverse relationships to physical functioning (p = .012 < .05), physical role (p = .005), mental health (p = .001 < .05), and emotional role (p = .009 < .05). In conclusion, among the highly cohesive personal networks, there were less observations of social support that fosters increased energy and psychological health, given that access to this support is limited to a small number of members of the personal network. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experiences of Support Staff with Expanding and Strengthening Social Networks of People with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

A supportive social network is crucial for facilitating social inclusion. The social networks of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are often small and typically include very little contact with friends and acquaintances who do not have ID. Professionals can play an important role in strengthening and expanding the social networks of clients. In this study, experiences with interventions aimed at doing this were examined. Six group interviews were held with a total of 27 professionals. The results showed interventions to strengthen social networks (e.g. attention to the maintenance of contact with network members) and interventions to expand social networks (e.g. participation in leisure time activities and working with volunteers). However, a large number of impeding factors was mentioned, such as the limited size of the social networks, characteristics of the client, different perceptions and clients falling between the cracks when it comes to leisure time. The large number of impeding factors shows the strengthening and expansion of social networks to be complicated in actual practice. Recommendations are thus made to strengthen and expand the social networks of clients in an innovative manner which also takes these impeding factors into account. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Luther and the Reformation as Perceived in Rome: Methods of Spiritual Reform and Sustaining Catholic Orthodoxy

ABSTRACT

Rome’s handling of the Reformation in northern Europe was determined by specific circumstances in which the Italian situation differed from that north of the Alps. This article argues chiefly that the Roman theologians’ perception of the Protestant Reformation – especially on ecclesiological questions – depended decisively on their experience of the Fifth Lateran Council (1512–1517). When they encountered Luther’s writings or Luther in person, the friar from Wittenberg is often described in a disrespectful manner derived from common national stereotypes. Notwithstanding, in one form or other Luther’s writings were circulated, published and translated in Italy where they appear to have found a sympathetic audience in some quarters. Italian Luther synpathizers did not constitute a nationwide network, but rather met clandestinely in small circles, making their detection a challenge. The prosecution of heresy was ultimately the task of the all-powerful Roman Inquisition, founded in 1542 after the Regensburg reunion colloquy had failed.     

Relational dynamics of charismatic organization: The complementarity of love and power

Abstract: This paper outlines a new theory of structural transformation in charismatic systems by postulating a complementary relationship between love and power. Radical reorganization of social organization, the function of charismatic systems, requires mobilizing and realigning enormous amounts of social energy. The source of this social energy is love. When patterned as communion, love fuses the group into an undifferentiated whole and releases the social energy previously locked up as institutionalized structure.

Released from structure or form, however, social energy is highly volatile and produces immense pressures towards instability. Counterbalancing the pressure from communion, a strong, collective order of power functions to harness and align the energy, thereby promoting group stability and enhancing the prospects for structural transformation. Data from a national study of sixty urban communal organizations are used to ground key aspects of the theory.     

Upbeat and happy: Arousal as an important factor in studying attention

The present study examined the effects of music-induced mood changes on different components of visual attention. Affective valence (positive vs. negative) and arousal (high vs. low) were manipulated by having participants listen to one of four versions of a Mozart Sonata that varied in mode (major or minor) and tempo (fast or slow). Attention was measured in three domains—alerting, orienting, and executive control. Affective valence and arousal had an effect on executive control, but not on alerting or orienting. Individuals who experienced positive valence had less efficient control over their responses than those who experienced negative valence, but only when arousal levels were high. Positive and negative valence did not influence executive control measures when arousal levels were low. These findings demonstrate that affective valence and arousal interact with one another to influence the processing of items in visual attention.     

Personal and impersonal stimuli differentially engage brain networks during moral reasoning

Moral decision making has recently attracted considerable attention as a core feature of all human endeavors. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies about moral judgment have identified brain areas associated with cognitive or emotional engagement. Here, we applied graph theory-based network analysis of event-related potentials during moral decision making to reveal the personal/impersonal distinction in the organization of functional connectivity. Our results indicated that the personal task had more larger long-range connections involved in frontal regions and the right hemisphere, and higher network efficiency of some frontal electrodes such as F2 than the impersonal. These might be related to brain resource reorganization contributing to efficient conflict resolution. These findings provide new insights into neural mechanisms of moral dilemmas.