Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att få en ökad förståelse för hur Sveriges miljöpolitik, höga driftkostnader och statligt agerande upplevs ha påverkat småskaliga lantbrukare i Sverige och deras levnadsvillkor. För att undersöka problematiken valdes åtta lantbrukare ut för att delta i semi-strukturerade intervjuer, där de fick uttrycka sina egna perspektiv och uppfattningar om lantbrukaryrket i förhållande till miljöpolitiska strategier och rekordhöga driftkostnader i lantbrukarbranschen. Det utvalda teoretiska ramverket att understödja denna sociologiska studie bestod i Becks tes om risksamhället, alienationsteorin och teorin om livsformsanalys. En doktorsavhandling och fyra vetenskapliga artiklar valdes också ut till studien, vilka agerade som inspirationskälla för intervjuguiden. Det empiriska materialet resulterade i en övergripande slutsats om att den ökade riskmedvetenheten och reflexiviteten har omvandlat lantbruket som livsform. Respondenternas synpunkter indikerar att svenska lantbrukares levnadsvillkor potentiellt är hotade, då lantbrukare finner sig alienerade från staten och upplever sig stundtals vara bortglömda av samhället i stort. I relation till samhälleliga reaktioner under COVID-19 pandemin och det pågående kriget i Ukraina, var den utvalda gruppen av lantbrukare ändå optimistiska kring lantbrukaryrket ur ett framtidsperspektiv. / The aim of this qualitative study was to get a better understanding of how Sweden’s environmental politics, high operating costs and governmental action are perceived to have affected small-scale farmers in Sweden. In order to do this, eight farmers got selected to participate in semi-structured interviews to express their own views and perspectives on farming as a profession in relation to Sweden’s climate mitigation strategies and record-high operating costs. The sociological theories selected to complement the research process were Becks concept of ”risk society”, the theory of alienation and the theory of lifeform analysis. One doctoral thesis and four scientific articles were also used in the study and functioned as a source of inspiration for the interview guide. The empirical data from the interviews led to the conclusion that the increase of ecological risk-awareness and reflexivity has transformed farming as a lifeform. The views of the selected participants indicate that the business conditions of Swedish farmers potentially are threatened, and that farmers find themselves alienated from the government as well as being overlooked by the general public. In relation to societal reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic and current war in Ukraine, the selected group of farmers remained optimistic about the farming profession and what the future holds.

Bakgrund: Statistik visar på att allt fler i Sveriges befolkning upplever en ökad stress i så väl privat- som yrkesliv. Detta yttrar sig till exempel inom områden där digitaliseringen är avhängig för en fortsatt relevans på arbetsmarknaden och inom yrkesgrupper som redan tidigare haft höga krav på kunskap, effektivitet och hastighet. Tidigare forskning visar på ett samband mellan modernitetens framväxt samt de accelerationsprocesser som därigenom tagit fart. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka om svenska nyhetsreportrars bakgrund och deras upplevelser avseende stressrelaterade frågor går att påvisa i förhållande till modernitetsstudier. Metod: Undersökningen är en kvantitativstudie som utförts med hjälp av digitala enkäter med främst fasta svarsalternativ på en ordinalskalenivå. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes av 78 svenska nyhetsredaktioner varav 21 TV-, 26 radio- och 31 tidningsredaktioner där 118 respondenter deltagit i undersökningen. Urvalet var icke slumpmässigt vilket medför att studiens resultat utgörs av deskriptiv statistik. Bearbetning av resultaten gjordes i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat: I resultatet framkommer att stressrelaterade utmaningar finns i yrkesgruppen och att dessa går att relatera till modernitetsstudier. Ytterligare resultat visar att yrkesgruppen identifierar sig i mycket hög grad med sitt yrke, att de inte får tid för reflektion mellan arbetsuppdragen och att de inte är oroliga för att inte hänga med i den tekniska utvecklingen. Konklusion: Bakomliggande variabler såsom kön, ålder, medium och utbildningsnivå har inte uppvisat någon påverkan för upplevd stress. Däremot påvisar modernitetsteorier att indikationer finns på att förhållanden inom yrket skulle behöva vara bättre. Nyhetsreportrars höga krav och positiva inställning till förändring och utveckling i kombination med brist på återhämtning och reflektion kan mot bakgrund till att denna studie vilar mot deskriptiv statistik sägas vara i linje med teorier om samhället som en juggernaut och social acceleration i enlighet med både Anthony Giddens och Hartmut Rosa. / Background: Statistics show that more and more of Sweden’s population is experiencing increased stress in both private and professional life. This manifests itself, for example, in areas where continues relevance on the labor market is dependent on digitization as well as in professional groups with high demands on speed, knowledge and efficiency. Previous research shows a connection between the rise of modernity and increasing acceleration processes.  Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether Swedish news reporters’ background and their experiences regarding stress-related issues can be demonstrated in relation to modernity studies. Method: The survey is a quantitative study carried out using digital questionnaires with mainly fixed response options at an ordinal scale level. The survey was conducted at 78 Swedish newsrooms, of which 21 TV, 26 radio and 31 newspaper rooms, where 118 respondents participated in the survey. The selection was not random, which means that the results of the study consist of descriptive statistics. Processing of the results was done in the statistical program SPSS.  Results: The results show that stress-related challenges do exist in the occupational group and that these can be related to modernity studies according to modernity studies. Further results show that the occupational group identifies to a very high degree with their profession, that they do not have enough time for reflection between work assignments and that they are not worried about not keeping up with technical developments.  Conclusion: Underlying variables such as gender, age, medium and level of education have no effect on perceived stress. On the other hand, modernity theories can be emphasized that there are indications that conditions in the profession need to improve. News reporters' high demands and positive attitude to change and development in combined with a lack of recovery and reflection, in light of the fact that this study rests against descriptive statistics, can be said to be in line with theories of society as a juggernaut and social acceleration in accordance with both Anthony Giddens and Hartmut Rosa.

Parent alienation is an important phenomenon of which family care workers and legal professionals need to take cognisance of and understand. Parent alienation occurs when one parent undermines or prejudices the contact and relationship between the child and the other parent without well-founded reasons. The phenomenon parent alienation mainly occurs in the high-conflict divorce and is often accompanied by care- and contact disputes. The aim of this research is to investigate the father’s experience and perceptions of parent alienation due to high-conflict divorce so that it can lead to social workers providing the targeted father with more appropriate assistance. In this qualitative study the exploratory and interpretative research design was used. Six fathers were selected by means of purposive sampling. Data was collected by means of an in-depth interview with each participant individually as well as field notes made by the researcher. The qualitative data obtained was transcribed and processed by hand in themes. Eight themes were identified from the fathers’ experience and perceptions of parent alienation due to high-conflict divorce. The themes are: Theme 1: Perception of intense pain Theme 2: Unparalleled rage Theme 3: Loss of self-esteem Theme 4: Distrust in women Theme 5: Parental responsibilities and rights Theme 6: Consistent concern about their children’s physical and social well-being Theme 7: Distrust in the court system Theme 8: Supervision and contact It is clear from the research that fathers experience parent alienation in several levels of functioning as traumatic or negative. It appeared from the findings that parent alienation is a reality and the necessity for further research on this phenomenon clearly came to the fore. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Parent alienation is an important phenomenon of which family care workers and legal professionals need to take cognisance of and understand. Parent alienation occurs when one parent undermines or prejudices the contact and relationship between the child and the other parent without well-founded reasons. The phenomenon parent alienation mainly occurs in the high-conflict divorce and is often accompanied by care- and contact disputes. The aim of this research is to investigate the father’s experience and perceptions of parent alienation due to high-conflict divorce so that it can lead to social workers providing the targeted father with more appropriate assistance. In this qualitative study the exploratory and interpretative research design was used. Six fathers were selected by means of purposive sampling. Data was collected by means of an in-depth interview with each participant individually as well as field notes made by the researcher. The qualitative data obtained was transcribed and processed by hand in themes. Eight themes were identified from the fathers’ experience and perceptions of parent alienation due to high-conflict divorce. The themes are: Theme 1: Perception of intense pain Theme 2: Unparalleled rage Theme 3: Loss of self-esteem Theme 4: Distrust in women Theme 5: Parental responsibilities and rights Theme 6: Consistent concern about their children’s physical and social well-being Theme 7: Distrust in the court system Theme 8: Supervision and contact It is clear from the research that fathers experience parent alienation in several levels of functioning as traumatic or negative. It appeared from the findings that parent alienation is a reality and the necessity for further research on this phenomenon clearly came to the fore. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis focused on the situation of family members of persons with psychotic illness, particular on their experience of the approach of the healthcare professionals and of their feelings of alienation regarding the professional care of their family member. A further aim was to explore how siblings who have participated in a support group for siblings experienced their situation. A questionnaire was developed that enabled the aims of this thesis to be investigated (I). Seventy family members from various parts of Sweden participated, and data were collected via the questionnaire developed in study I (II-III). Thirteen siblings who previously had participated in a support group participated in follow-up focus groups interviews (IV). The questionnaire developed was shown to be reliable and valid in these studies (I). In many cases, the participants had experienced an approach from professionals that indicated that they did not experience openness, confirmation and cooperation, and that they felt powerless and socially isolated in relation to the care. There was also found to be a certain degree of association between how the participants experienced the approach and whether they felt alienation (II). The majority of the participants considered openness, confirmation, and cooperation to be important aspects of professional’s approach. The result also identified a low level of agreement between the participants’ experience and what they considered to be significant in the professional’s approach (III). The findings revealed the complexity of being a sibling of an individual with psychotic illness. Participating in a support group for siblings can be of importance in gaining knowledge and minimizing feelings of being alone (IV). Although the psychiatric care services in Sweden have been aware of the importance of cooperating with family members, the results indicated that there is a need for further research in this area.

This study explores the contradiction of the heart of ICT: the technology presents to us all manner of possibilities yet it habitually fails to deliver on those promises. This failure is often seen as arising from either a problem with the technology or end-user proficiency. Thus better technology and/or more effective end-user education are seen as the solutions. This study is based on the premise that such approaches are inherently faulty and explores how applicable notions of alienation can be in researching the contradictory nature of ICT. By using a critical realist methodology allied to tools available through PAR, this investigation engaged with participants in three distinct settings: ICT professionals; scholars concerned with researching the ethical/societal implications of ICT; and a group of pensioners living in South East London, UK. The research interrogated the literature concerned with themes of alienation and ICT to show there is a consensus that something called alienation does exist but that the term is used as a poorly defined descriptor of dissatisfaction with ICT. It also revealed that minimal research in the subject area has been undertaken using theories of alienation and none which involve multiple settings. The thesis makes an original and distinct contribution to the field by utilising one approach to alienation, that presented by Marx, in three seemingly disconnected settings to draw out the underlying commonalities shared by participants of these settings. In doing so, the findings challenge widespread assumptions about end-user experience of ICT and offer new insights into the much mentioned but little understood alienated way we experience ICT. Moreover, the thesis, in moving beyond description of alienation, to reveal the genesis of the condition, indicates the inadequacy of simply using the term alienation as an ill-defined label to describe people’s experiences of ICT. It argues for embracing a more rigorous approach to the issue to realise the significant potential offered through investigating and applying theories of alienation in research. Additionally it advances knowledge in the area by emphasising shared experiences of user groups which has considerable implications for future research. Finally the thesis is unique in highlighting the prospective benefits to be realised by researchers in adopting a CR methodology working in tandem with PAR methods in ICT research.

Sammanfattning Bakgrund: Diabetes typ-1 är en autoimmun sjukdom och en av de vanligaste kroniska sjukdomarna i Sverige. Diabetes typ-1 kan utvecklas i alla åldrar men bryter vanligen ut under barn- och ungdomsåren. Att leva med sjukdomen innebär även att individen ansvarar för sin egenvård. Syftet: Syftet med studien var att beskriva unga vuxnas upplevelser av att leva med diabetes typ-1 utifrån Orem’s egenvårdsteori. Metod: Denna studie är en kvalitativ studie med en deduktiv ansats. Studien är baserad på tre bloggar. I denna studie användes Orem’s egenvårdsteori. Resultat: Gemenskapen med familj och andra diabetiker upplevs vara ett stort stöd och kan fungera som en hjälp i egenvården. Egenvården kan vara svår att lyckas med och ibland upplevs planering och struktur vara förgäves. Det upplevs som viktigt att inte låta sjukdomen begränsa det sociala livet. Det finns en stor okunskap i samhället om diabetes typ-1 vilket leder till otrygghet och brist på förtroende. Individerna med diabetes typ-1 upplever ensamhet trots en omgivning av stöttande personer. Slutsats: En förståelse för upplevelsen av att leva med diabetes typ-1 är viktig för sjuksköterskan. Förståelsen kan minska konflikter mellan sjuksköterskan och patienten samt förbättra förutsättningarna för en god egenvård. / Summary Background: Diabetes type-1 is an autoimmune disease and one of the most common chronic diseases in Sweden. Diabetes type-1 can be developed at any age, but usually appears during childhood and adolescence. Living with the disease implicates being responsible for their self-care. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the young adult’s experiences of living with diabetes type-1, based on Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory. Method: This study is a qualitative study with deductive approach. The study is based on three blogs. Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory was used in this study. Results: The relationship with family and other diabetics are perceived to be a great support and can serve as an aid in self-care. Self-care can be difficult to achieve and sometimes they can experience that planning and structure be in vain. According to the individuals, it is important not to let the disease limit the social life. There is a major ignorance of diabetes type-1 in the society which leads to insecurity and lack of trust. Despite an environment of supportive people, individuals with diabetes type-1 can experience loneliness. Conclusion: An insight of young adult’s experiences of living with diabetes type-1 is important for the nurse because of the ability to reduce conflicts between nurse and patient and thereby improve conditions for a successful self-care.

This essay focuses on the alienation experienced by Rusty-James in S.E. Hinton’s Rumble Fish (1975). It more specifically centers on the causes of his alienation and how the alienation is illustrated in the novel. The analysis shows that the alienation Rusty-James experiences is caused partly by socioeconomic factors; for example his lack of hope for the future is closely connected to the fact that he belongs to a low socioeconomic class. In addition, there are also psychological factors, for example a childhood trauma. The alienation and its causes are mainly illustrated through the symbolism of the featured Siamese fighting fish and how Rusty-James’ relationships are depicted.

No description available.

Critically examining the Lacanian and Althusserian theories of the subject, this thesis explored the theoretical problems and methodological premises of a converged version of both theories. The central argument the present thesis seeks to demonstrate is that the Lacanian-Althusserian dialectic provides a more comprehensive and effective account of the process of the subject formation than a purely psychoanalytical or structuralist Marxist analysis of the term. After a critical study of the way the subject is positioned between language and ideology in contemporary critical theory the thesis proceeds to investigate the subject-object relation in the Cartesian and Hegelian subjects. Conceived of as the convergence of lack and material, the Lacanian-Althusserian dialectic focuses on the close affinity between the Lacanian notion of linguistic alienation and the Althusserian concept of ideological interpellation. The subject’s alienation with what is called in the thesis ‘ideological signifier’ is considered as the result of direct and dramatic modes of interpellation in both language acquisition process and the mature phase. The major theoretical premises of this model include the following: first, identity functions through, and because of, the ‘inter-subjective dialectic’ and an ‘intra-subjective lack.’ Identity is never fully constituted because of this antagonism, and thus remains ‘incomplete.’ Secondly, the subject is ideologically constituted through language. The mechanism through which both language and ideology construct a subject never permits the subject enjoying a state of full identity with ideological signifiers. Thirdly, the subject’s identity is represented in the language exposed to and, later, reproduced by him/her. In order to demonstrate a practical reading of subjectivity formation in terms of this critical approach the present research applies it to James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916). The process of the subject formation has been analysed through the subject’s alienation/interpellation by the ISAs. Also, the inter-subjective dialectic between different subjectivities of the subject’s identity has been investigated. The thesis demonstrates that identity reconstruction represented in the novel is a complicated and ongoing process, which begins with disillusionment, goes through materialization of epiphany, and ends with inventiveness in language. This process has been represented as a move from ideological to non-ideological subjectivity through artistic creativity. The exploration of the aesthetics of language is crucial to the analysis of the reconstruction of Stephen Dedalus’ identity in that it happens in and through language.