<p>Obesity and overweight is the worst public health related disease today, and it is a constantly increasing problem in societies all over the world. In Sweden the number of overweight persons has been doubled in the last 20 years. Today about 500 000 persons suffer from obesity and overweight.The aim of this study was to investigate obese and overweight people´s thoughts and wishes regarding what support they would like, in order to be able to successfully manage a weightreduction. The study is qualitative and conducted through six interviews, the material was analysed with content analysis. The result of the analysed interviews led to four categories:offered support, wished support, are you strong enough to find support by your own and mental wellbeing.The conclusion of this study is that overweight person’s biggest wish is to get continuous and personal support from the health care system. Sometimes the support needs to be life long. This is what all the interviewed persons think is most important in order to be able to handle a weight reduction. A common understanding among the participants was also that the society needs to take more responsibility in order to prevent more people from getting overweight,and to help people who already are overweight. A feeling of stigmatization is something that all the interviewed feels on a daily basis.</p>

This dissertation examines the phenomenon of stigma by association between firms in the context of corporate accounting scandals. I draw from the social psychology literature to develop a theoretical framework that supports the notion of director interlocks as a channel in which associated firms may experience stigma. I argue that allegations of corporate accounting scandal generate attributional search by investors to determine the cause(s) of the alleged scandal. Attribution theory suggests that investors are likely to attribute responsibility to corporate boards for failing to detect and prevent these scandals. Investors’ perceptions of incompetent and/or unwilling directors in firms accused of accounting scandals may then spill over to directorship positions in associated firms, resulting in the stigmatization of these associated firms. The results strongly support the above arguments. I further adopted an information-based approach to argue that firms associated with stigmatized firms will experience different amounts of stigma, and some firms may experience no stigma at all. I applied social inference theories and agency theory to develop four categories of variables that may influence the amount of stigma experienced by associated firms. The results of the dissertation present strong evidence in support of most of the hypotheses. The characteristics of the interlocking director, the characteristics of the board, the strength of the director interlock, and the quality of corporate governance in an associated firm appear to influence the amount of stigma experienced by the associated firm. This dissertation highlights the possible (1) negative consequences of director interlocks, (2) understatement of the social costs of corporate accounting scandals, and (3) need for response strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of stigma by association.

This research aimed for an extended knowledge and understanding of young people in stigmatized areas and their construction of group identity. With a focus on Roma youths in Konik, Montenegro, and their involvement in hip-hop we wanted to explore what this culture meant to them in relation to their context. An ethnographic approach was used in collecting the empirical data through observations, interpreting music lyrics and conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews. Five young Roma boys from Konik, all involved in hip-hop, were interviewed. Theoretical perspectives on identity, youth culture and stigmatization were central. In addition, Bourdieu’s theory regarding cultural capital was emphasized and connected to youths and hip-hop. The empirical material showed that involvement in hip-hop provided the Roma youths with a group identity that they referred to in positive terms. Contextual factors of stigmatization excluded the Roma group from the majority population and the engagement in hip-hop created a possibility for the youths to be someone. The cultural capital gained through hip-hop was not used to verify and legitimate an authentic Roma identity. It was rather a way for them to create boundaries towards the negative elements in their community.

Obesity and overweight is the worst public health related disease today, and it is a constantly increasing problem in societies all over the world. In Sweden the number of overweight persons has been doubled in the last 20 years. Today about 500 000 persons suffer from obesity and overweight.The aim of this study was to investigate obese and overweight people´s thoughts and wishes regarding what support they would like, in order to be able to successfully manage a weightreduction. The study is qualitative and conducted through six interviews, the material was analysed with content analysis. The result of the analysed interviews led to four categories:offered support, wished support, are you strong enough to find support by your own and mental wellbeing.The conclusion of this study is that overweight person’s biggest wish is to get continuous and personal support from the health care system. Sometimes the support needs to be life long. This is what all the interviewed persons think is most important in order to be able to handle a weight reduction. A common understanding among the participants was also that the society needs to take more responsibility in order to prevent more people from getting overweight,and to help people who already are overweight. A feeling of stigmatization is something that all the interviewed feels on a daily basis.

This essay will focus on drug addicts and the world as they see it. The essay is based on intervjues with three men and one woman and participant observation of the three men´s social life in the surroundings of Stockholm. The informants’ opinions and experiences are central as well as the observations made of them during an intensive fieldwork. The study which was of an exploring character has revealed a complex relationship between the informants and society. The concepts of subculture and stigmatization seem equally central in the social life and perception of life of these drug addicts. The intricate relationship between the two needs further study before a model of the interrelationship can be presented. In a final discussion of the results of the study with the informants they confirm that they see themselves both as part of a subculture and stigmatized by society. The study also includes some ethical reflections on the role of the investigator in relation to informants who are drug addicts.

Uppsatsen syftar kartlägga den känsla av social tillhörighet som individer med utomsvensk bakgrund upplever i dagens Sverige. Hur Sverige och svenskhet erfars och utefter vilka villkor vardagen struktureras. Kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och den subjektiva verklighetsupplevelsen analyserades med hjälp av en abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet tolkades mot bakgrund av ett socialkonstruktionistiskt ramverk kombinerat med stigmabegreppet och behovet av tillhörighet för skapandet av identitet.   Resultaten visar att det i Sverige existerar en strukturell diskriminering baserad på etnicitet och ett andregörande av individer med utomsvenskt påbrå, ett andregörande vilket har sin grund i ett förgivettaget vitt tolkningsföreträde. Maktobalansen tvingar individen in i en avvikande roll som paradoxalt nog krävs för att integreras. Att vara svensk är därför ingenting lätt att bli då kategoriseringarna är starkt etablerade och svårförenliga med en blandad nationell bakgrund, något bristen på adekvat terminologi i det svenska språket belyser. Språkkunskaper, socialt engagemang och meningsfulla relationer visar sig ha en signifikant effekt på skapandet av sammanhang och tillhörighet. / This paper aims to identify the feeling of social belonging which individuals of non-swedish descent are experiencing in Sweden today. The relationship to Sweden and it’s citizens and which structural terms the individual is living after. To answer this qualitative semistructured interviews were performed and the subjective interpretation of reality was analyzed with an abductive method. The empirical material was viewed against a background made of social constructionism, stigmatization and the need of belonging for the creation of identity.   The results show that in Sweden there exists a structural discrimination based on ethnicity and an othering of individuals of non-swedish descent, an othering which has a ground in a preconception of a white definition of reality. This power imbalance forces the individual into a position as a deviant, which paradoxically is required for integration. To be swedish is therefore nothing which comes easy as the categories are tightly constructed and hard to integrate with a mixed national background, something the lack of adequate terminology in the swedish language portraits. Knowledge of language, commitment in various settings and meaningful relationships are shown to have a significant effect on the creation of context and belonging.

Following study is about the anorexic behavior and the pro-ana movement, which is a web-based subculture where the followers of this, stands for anorexia as an identity position and lifestyle, rather than a disease. The purpose of this study was that, from a sociological perspective give possible interpretations of the anorexic behavior, and interpret why some anorexics choose to be a part of and identify oneself with the pro-ana movement. The reason has been to conduce more knowledge and understanding of the topics, but also to contribute with a deeper perspective and sociological approach to the former research that is already available. To conduct the study, qualitative research has been used, and the chosen methodology was document analysis/text analysis. The collected empirical data consisted material from two pro-ana forums, four blogs and six twitter accounts, where all the users of those claimed to be supporters of the pro-ana. The empirical data has been interpreted by Howard S. Becker's theory of deviance, Erving Goffman's theory of stigma and his dramaturgical theory. In addition, previous research has also been used as a support. The study has shown that anorexics by being stigmatized for their deviant behavior may take different consequences for their actions. These are in the form of social isolation, concealment of behavior and resistance from the rest of society etcetera. Furthermore, the study also revealed that the major reason that anorectics choose to be a part of the pro-ana is because they are in need of interaction with likeminded people. Through membership the anorectics may get the status and attention they need, and at the same time take part of a community where they are not questioned, but rather perceived as fully normal.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vårdpersonals (N=108) attityder gentemot personer med psykisk ohälsa samt se om skillnader i attityder fanns beroende på respondenternas utbildningsnivå och tidigare erfarenhet av psykisk ohälsa. Studien är en delstudie ur projekt Psykisk Ohälsa som har en prospektiv longitudinell design. För att beskriva attityder gentemot personer med psykisk ohälsa användes frågeformuläret Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness (CAMI-s). Rekrytering av vårdpersonal skedde via enhetscheferna på ett 70-tal psykiatriska avdelningar och vårdpersonal som dagligen arbetar med människor med psykisk ohälsa tillfrågades om att delta. Resultatet visar inga signifikanta skillnader i attityder mellan olika (yrkesgrupper) utbildningsnivåer och statistisk signifikans återfanns endast vid ett påstående, där respondenterna tog ställning till om det bästa sättet att omhänderta människor med psykisk sjukdom var att låsa in dem. Inga skillnader i attityd upptäcktes beroende på erfarenhet av psykisk ohälsa. Slutsatsen av denna studie visar en övervägande positiv attityd bland vårdpersonal gentemot personer med psykisk ohälsa. Studien visar även, om än i mindre utsträckning än i de artiklar vi jämfört med, att det fortfarande finns tendenser till stigmatiserande och diskriminerande attityder till personer med psykisk ohälsa kvar bland vårdpersonal. / The aim of this study was to examine health professionals’ (N=108) attitudes towards people with mental illness as well as differences in attitudes depending on the respondents level of education and previously experiences of mental illness. The study is a part of the project “Psykisk Ohälsa” that has a prospective longitudinal design. To measure attitudes towards people with mental illness the questionnaire Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness (CAMI-s) was used. Recruitment of health professionals was made with help from the unit directors on 70 different psychiatric wards and health professionals that worked with people with mental illness on a daily basis was asked to participate. The result shows only minor differences in attitudes towards people with mental illness between different education levels.  Statistical significance differences between education level groups, was only found in one claim, where the respondents took a standpoint if the best way to manage people with mental illness was to keep them locked in. Results showed no differences in attitudes depending on experiences of mental illness. The conclusion of this study shows a predominantly positive attitude among health professionals towards people with mental illness. The study also shows, though to a lesser extent, that there are still tendencies to stigmatization and discriminating attitudes towards people with mental illness among health professionals.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur Västerås, Surahammar och Fagersta arbetade utifrån sina handlingsplaner mot hedersrelaterat förtryck. Frågeställningarna som styrde studien var, vilka utgångspunkter används som förklaringsmodell till hedersrelaterat våld, hur fortgår arbetet med tillämpningen av handlingsplanerna samt vad anser intervjupersonerna själva om effekterna av arbetet med handlingsplanerna och eventuella svårigheter? Detta undersöktes med hjälp utav en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Två personer i respektive kommun intervjuades. Samtliga intervjupersoner arbetade strategiskt med frågan. Den tidigare forskningen som redovisas diskuterar debatten kring hedersrelaterat förtryck som dominerats av det kulturbetingade perspektivet. Detta problematiserades i den tidigare forskningen utifrån att det riskerar leda till att förstärka ett utanförskap genom att redan marginaliserade grupper stigmatiseras. De teoretiska referensramarna var det kulturbetingade perspektivet, byråkratins gränser för handlingsutrymmet och stämplingsteori. Resultatet visade att det kulturbetingade perspektivet problematiserades hos hälften av intervjupersonerna samt att två intervjupersoner upplever att det finns en risk att stereotypiseringen av hedersförövare leder till att unga utsatta riskerar att inte våga söka hjälp. Intervjuerna visade vidare att det inte är självklart vilket perspektiv man ska ersätta det kulturbetingade med. Vidare visade också resultatet att de största problemen som intervjupersonerna upplevde med arbetet idag är brist på resurser och långsiktighet. Ingen utav kommunerna har utvärderat sina handlingsplaner vilket innebär att det är svårt att mäta effekterna av arbetet. / The purpose of the following study was to examine how the authorities of the municipalities of Västerås, Surahammar and Fagersta are acting against honor related oppression. The questions at issue were; which perspective of honor related violence is used by the authorities, how is the action against honor related oppression proceeding, and what do the authorities themselves think about the outcome of the work. A qualitative approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two representatives from each municipality in charge of the task. The previous research used in the study presents a traditional view of honor related oppression dominated by a cultural perspective. This view was put into question based on the assumption that it could increase the sense of exclusion in already marginalized groups. The theoretical references used to interpret the results were the culture determined perspective, the bureaucracy’s impact on discretion and stigmatization. The results showed that three of the respondents found the culturally dominated perspective problematic. Two of the respondents assumed that stigmatization of honour offenders might prevent victims from seeking help. Furthermore the interviews showed that the authorities could not produce any alternative explanation of the honor related oppression. Lack of resources and few possibilities for long term follow ups were viewed as main obstacles in the work against honor related oppression. Neither one of the municipalities have evaluated their plans of action, why it’s hard to assess the outcome of the work.

This essay is about persons who have had social assistance and the individual’s experiences of social assistance. The focus is on how the individual develops in a new life situation and if and how they are motivated to get out of it. The essay has an individual perspective where the relation between society and the individual is important. The result is based on four qualitative interviews with a hermeneutic perspective. The result is also based on the individual’s subjective apprehensions and experiences of the social assistance. Those circumstances withdraws that there can not be any general conclusions made of the result that could be representative for a larger number of people. Important theoretical conceptions are social problems and divergent behaviour, stigmatization, labour and faithful moments. What I have wished to express in this essay is the people behind the social assistance conception and the numbers in studies about social assistance. It is about people with individual life destiny’s that in the Swedish sociality today have not been able to provide themselves and had to use society’s last safety net, social assistance. The society looks on people with social assistance have a historical negative background. Social assistance was developed from welfare and help to the poor. The historical stigma still exists in the Swedish society and it is still considered shameful not to be able to provide yourself. As an unemployed person with social assistance one can need more support and help than just to be paid money because these often have a weak connection to the labour market. The social studies in Sweden describes that the social services assignment is to liberate and develop the individuals and groups own recourses. This means that the social worker should not only make payments. They should also have an interest in the client in some other way. In this essay it is clear that this is not always the case. The most evident result about the individual’s motivation not to have social assistance is the will to support oneself and labour is an important part of the self image and identity.