Questo lavoro intende analizzare il processo di evoluzione giuridica e sociale che ha operato nel mondo musulmano, con particolare riguardo alla condizione femminile e al diritto di famiglia nell’Islam. Date le connotazioni di specificità della giuridicità in ambito islamico, l’analisi delle modalità e degli strumenti con cui sono state portate avanti di volta in volta riforme e istituzionalizzazione di determinati ambiti giuridici consente di leggere l’Oggi con interessanti prospettive. Dopo una parte generale dedicata allo studio del diritto islamico e, in particolare, del diritto di famiglia, si è inteso analizzare il caso della Repubblica Islamica del Pakistan. Un caso oltremodo significativo nell’alternare Tradizione e Modernità e nelle peculiari evoluzioni istituzionali, sociali e politiche. È nella sua storia che si rintraccia sempre questa oscillazione, ma è soprattutto nella produzione normativa e nelle dinamiche sociali che si scopre quanto operino al suo interno meccanismi e movimenti di riforma che non esulano dai riferimenti islamici. Attraverso il periodo di fieldwork in loco, emerge l’immagine di un Paese non solo oggetto di un recente e contemporaneo processo di riforme legislative in materia penale e di diritto di famiglia, ma anche luogo di interessanti evoluzioni interpretative della giurisprudenza e di una società civile attiva e determinata verso l’affermazione di una “via musulmana alla modernità”. / This research aims to highlight the perspectives of reform within Islamic Family Law and in the field of women’s rights, focusing especially on the case of Pakistan. The study is structured in two main parts in the attempt to underline the dialectic between Tradition and Modernity. The first part is an analysis of the sources of Islamic Law, aimed to delineate, on one hand, the instruments of classical and reformist interpretation and the legal procedures which make possible an evolution of the Islamic law and, on the other hand, the influences of the customary practices, with special reference to Islamic Family Law. The second part focuses on the case of Pakistan. The purposes of this section are to analyze the reforms in the field of family law and women’s rights and to examine the significant trends and the debate addressing family law and the related eventual challenges and opportunities. As emerged during my fieldwork I spent in Pakistan, Islam per se cannot be considered the obstacle to modernization since many factors are affecting this process as patriarchal customary practices, poverty, lack of education and awareness, bureaucratic and judiciary inefficiencies. In this view, an effective reformation process could be started from social reforms, especially in the field of education, even the religious one, in order to produce an “attitudinal modernization” and a change in people’s mindset towards a culture of gender equity and respect.

La tesi esamina in che modo i complessi fenomeni della globalizzazione e della digitalizzazione contribuiscano a riscrivere la nozione di «sistema mediatico» in una chiave di superamento dei tradizionali confini nazionali. Se, infatti, per lungo tempo vi è stata una coincidenza tra i confini dei sistemi mediatici e quelli degli stati nazionali, è altresì evidente che la nascita di organismi sovranazionali e attori non statali e le relazioni transnazionali rese possibili dallo sviluppo dei media digitali hanno comportato un mutamento di paradigma. La ricerca si sofferma sui casi di Spagna e Italia, due Paesi appartenenti al cosiddetto “modello pluralista-polarizzato” (Hallin e Mancini, 2004) e che condividono diverse caratteristiche del sistema della comunicazione, nella convinzione che un’analisi comparativa incentrata su due sistemi simili (Przeworski e Teune, 1970) possa aiutare a evidenziare maggiormente le differenze tra i singoli casi. Entrambi i sistemi mediatici sono stati messi in relazione con i livelli di globalizzazione e digitalizzazione espressi dai principali indici di misurazione e sono stati indagati, secondo una prospettiva macro, sulla base di quattro dimensioni cruciali: l’internazionalizzazione della proprietà mediatica, la diffusione delle nuove tecnologie, la legislazione e i riferimenti sovranazionali in essa contenuti, i legami linguistici e la presenza di media ispanici e italici in altri Paesi del mondo. / The dissertation examines how globalization and digitalization concur to rewrite the notion of «media system» in overcoming national boundaries. For many years, in fact, there has been a coincidence between boundaries of media systems and those of national states; nowadays, the growth of supranational organizations, non-state actors and transnational relations made possible by the development of digital media led to a change of paradigm. The research dwells on cases of Spain and Italy, two countries that belong to the “pluralist-polarized model” (Hallin and Mancini, 2004) and that share some characteristics of communication system, in the belief that a comparative analysis focused on “most similar systems” (Przeworski and Teune, 1970) can help to highlight the difference between them. Both media systems have been related to globalization and digitalization degrees and analysed in a macro perspective according to four crucial dimensions: internationalization of media ownership, development of new technologies, supranational references in media laws, language legacies and diffusion of Hispanic and Italic media worldwide.

Le modalità attuali di produzione, distribuzione e consumo dei servizi elettrico, idrico e d’igiene urbana sono largamente insostenibili. Alla luce del crescente impatto ambientale di tali attività, aziende di servizio, istituzioni e cittadini-consumatori si dichiarano preoccupati e disponibili a riorientare strategie, politiche e pratiche sulla base di principi di sostenibilità ambientale. Il presente lavoro si propone di analizzare i processi di trasformazione in senso ecologico di alcune filiere della produzione e del consumo di servizi pubblici locali secondo una prospettiva disciplinare di sociologia dell’ambiente, attraverso uno studio di caso avente per oggetto le politiche ambientali della maggiore local utility italiana e una indagine qualitativa delle pratiche sociali di consumo di servizi di un campione di stakeholders/clienti della medesima Società. La ricerca assegna ampio spazio all’analisi dell’attuale scenario socio-ambientale nel quale trovano posto discorsi e strategie ambientali di multiutilities orientate a un incremento della complessità organizzativa e delle performance sociali, economiche, ambientali, e cambiamenti nelle modalità di consumo/fruizione finale dei servizi che ridefiniscono, sul piano simbolico e pratico, gli importanti nessi tra produzione e consumo e tra fattori come tecnologia e stile di vita. In particolare dalla ricerca sembrano emergere con insistenza due percorsi che si propongono come obiettivo la sostenibilità ambientale. Uno di tipo istituzionale che prospetta cambiamenti secondo uno schema di intervento dall’alto verso il basso (top-down), e un altro, animato da priorità molto diverse, che è portatore di un rinnovamento partecipativo dal basso. A fronte di queste contrastanti vie della sostenibilità, il modello teorico più noto e diffuso nell’ambito della sociologia dell’ambiente per la lettura del mutamento in senso ecologico nel campo dei servizi pubblici locali mostra la propria inadeguatezza e l’esigenza di una riformulazione. Sul piano delle risultanze empiriche la separazione e il difficile riconoscimento tra i soggetti portatori di strategie top-down e quelli che elaborano percorsi bottom up mostra la problematica presenza di logiche di azione molto diverse in campo ambientale che sembrano difficili da conciliare. A un’ultima analisi emerge come nel conseguimento di principi di sostenibilità ambientale sia la via dall’alto che quella dal basso, accanto e indubbie potenzialità, possiedono rilevanti elementi di incertezza e ambiguità che per il momento sembrano rendere indefinibile da parte dei produttori e consumatori dei servizi elettrico, idrico e ambientale un percorso efficace e condiviso per la transizione verso un futuro sostenibile. / The sustainable management of common-pool resources will be among the main challenges that people will have to solve in the next years. In spite of all that, unsustainability of the current energy, water and waste production–consumption models are evident. In the last years socio-technical utility systems such as electricity, water and waste, have been subjected to many transformation in managerial (liberalization), organizational (multiutility model) and socio-cultural (new orientation for consumption) dimensions. Since the utility systems are closely intertwined with society and nature their transformation to play a leading role in the making of environmental sustainable future for society. In the first section this paper introduces an analysis of theoretic position on utility system’s transformation, and highlight weak point and perspective of this dynamic change’s riding. In the second section the paper proposes a sociological integrated framework for interpretation of the ecological transformation of the energy and water consumption and waste management. The sociological analysis shows that in socio-environmental field there are two sustainable paths (top down strategy versus bottom up way) but they seem weak and uncertain and don’t enough for building a sustainable future.

La tesi individua come fine ultimo quello di comprendere quale ruolo può svolgere il turismo nel favorire lo sviluppo socio-economico in aree che presentano elementi di marginalità. Si intende quindi verificare se e a quali condizioni la promozione di programmi/progetti di sviluppo incentrati sull’aumento dei flussi turistici possa migliorare il grado di integrazione orizzontale e verticale dei sistemi locali e favorire l’innesco di processi di auto-scoperta e auto-organizzazione. In seconda battuta la tesi individua alcuni obiettivi di carattere metodologico: (i) si intende in primo luogo migliorare l’impianto metodologico per l’analisi delle capacità auto-organizzative dei territori, messo a punto nell’ambito delle ricerche sui sistemi locali territoriali (modello SLoT); (ii) in secondo luogo si vuole verificare se e in che modo attraverso la ricerca-azione sia possibile ottenere risultati sia sul piano dell’avanzamento teorico e metodologico che sul piano della promozione dello sviluppo. L’impianto della tesi è articolato in sette capitoli: il capitolo 1, 2 e 3 compongono il quadro concettuale che struttura l’impianto della ricerca; il capitolo 4 descrive e analizza l’impianto metodologico che sottende al lavoro di ricerca empirico; capitoli 5, 6 e 7 sono dedicati all’analisi empirica; le conclusioni riprendono i diversi focus tematici, rispondendo alle domande di ricerca. / The final aim of the thesis is to understand which role can tourism play in furthering the socio-economic development in areas presenting elements of marginality. The aim is also to verify whether and under which conditions the promotion of development programs/projects focused on increasing tourism flows can improve the degree of horizontal and vertical integration of local systems and facilitate the development of self-discovery and self-organization processes. Subsequently, the thesis identifies some methodological objectives: (i) to improve the methodological framework for the analysis of self-organizing capacity of places, developed within the researches conducted on Local Territorial Systems (Slot model), (ii) to verify if and how is it possible through action-research to obtain results both in terms of theoretical and methodological progress and in terms of development promotion. The layout of the thesis is divided into seven chapters: chapter 1, 2 and 3 make up the conceptual framework that structures the research; chapter 4 describes and analyzes the methodological framework underlying the work, chapters 5, 6 and 7 are devoted to the empirical analysis; conclusions summarize the main arguments of the thesis, answering the research questions.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder affecting cognitive function. 1 in 4 individuals exposed to a life-threatening event may develop PTSD, which is characterised by symptoms of hyperarousal, avoidance and intrusions. Although treatment is effective in most cases, the response is far from satisfactory. It is now clear that novel drug treatment and a better understanding of the neurobiology of PTSD are necessary if we are to realise a better response and treatment outcome in these patients. Glutamatergic pathways play an important role in cognition, while recent studies have emphasized a causal role for glutamate in PTSD, and of the potential value of glutamate receptor modulators in treating the disorder. Stress-related elevation in glutamate exerts detrimental effects on cognition, especially via activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and has been implicated in PTSD associated cognitive deficits. Recently, the cr-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptor has been found to exert a modulatory action on NMDA receptor function. Ampakines are positive allosteric modulators of the AMPA receptor, and have demonstrated beneficial effects in animal models of learning as well as antidepressant action, and to improve short-term memory in humans. The aims of this study were firstly to study the effects of the ampakine, Org 26576, on spatial memory performance in healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats. Secondly, since PTSD is associated with pronounced deficits in cognition, we studied the ability of Org 26576 to modify stress-evoked spatial memory deficits in rats subjected to single prolonged stress (SPS), a putative animal model of PTSD. In both cases, neuroreceptor studies were performed to determine any relationship between hippocampal and cortical NMDA receptor binding characteristics and effects on spatial memory performance. After exposure of the animals to either normal handling or SPS conditions, spatial memory performance was assessed using a 5 day memory acquisition and consolidation protocol in a modified version of the Morris water maze (MWM). Experimental and control groups both received either saline (1 ml/kg i.p.) or Org 26576 at incremental doses of 1, 3 or 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally twice daily for 12 days. Separate groups of animals were used for the neuroreceptor studies, except that behavioural testing was not performed. 24hrs after drug treatment discontinuation, the animals were sacrificed and frontal cortex and hippocampus removed for NMDA receptor binding analysis. In normal rats, Org 26576 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg exerted a short-lasting reduction in escape latency on day 1, but which lost prominence over the subsequent training days. Org 26576 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg, however, significantly improved spatial memory retrieval on day 5. No changes in frontal cortical or hippocampal NMDA receptors were observed. Contrary to expected, rats subjected to SPS failed to express noteworthy deficits in spatial memory as previously described. Treatment of SPS-exposed animals with Org 26576 did not significantly alter spatial learning evident in SPS animals on day 1 of acquisition training, as well as on subsequent training days. Org 26576 1 mg/kg increased spatial memory retrieval compared to the unstressed saline control, but not compared to the SPS group. Org 26576 only at a dose of 1 mg/kg decreased cortical, but not hippocampal NMDA receptor density (Bmax) in SPS animals versus unstressed but not saline treated SPS animals. No changes in receptor affinity (Kd) were noted. Org 26576 therefore improves early initial spatial learning in healthy rats, but exerts a lesser effect on memory consolidation over the remainder of the training period. However, Org 26576 significantly improves retrieval of spatial memory without simultaneous changes in frontal cortical and hippocampal NMDA receptor binding. Org 26576 thus may benefit both short-term and long-term memory processes in normal animals without effects on limbic NMDA receptor binding, and provides a rationale for testing in conditions that present with cognitive disturbances. However, the SPS model failed to engender marked deficits in spatial memory performance; this result ultimately complicated the interpretation of the combined stress-drug treatment studies. Studies in healthy animals therefore conclude that Org 26576 is an effective agent to enhance long-term memory processes and should be investigated further for its possible application in disorders of cognition. Although the value of Org 26576 in an animal model of PTSD were inconclusive, further studies in SPS and other PTSD models, as well as models of relevance for schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and depression, are encouraged. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharmacology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder affecting cognitive function. 1 in 4 individuals exposed to a life-threatening event may develop PTSD, which is characterised by symptoms of hyperarousal, avoidance and intrusions. Although treatment is effective in most cases, the response is far from satisfactory. It is now clear that novel drug treatment and a better understanding of the neurobiology of PTSD are necessary if we are to realise a better response and treatment outcome in these patients. Glutamatergic pathways play an important role in cognition, while recent studies have emphasized a causal role for glutamate in PTSD, and of the potential value of glutamate receptor modulators in treating the disorder. Stress-related elevation in glutamate exerts detrimental effects on cognition, especially via activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and has been implicated in PTSD associated cognitive deficits. Recently, the cr-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptor has been found to exert a modulatory action on NMDA receptor function. Ampakines are positive allosteric modulators of the AMPA receptor, and have demonstrated beneficial effects in animal models of learning as well as antidepressant action, and to improve short-term memory in humans. The aims of this study were firstly to study the effects of the ampakine, Org 26576, on spatial memory performance in healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats. Secondly, since PTSD is associated with pronounced deficits in cognition, we studied the ability of Org 26576 to modify stress-evoked spatial memory deficits in rats subjected to single prolonged stress (SPS), a putative animal model of PTSD. In both cases, neuroreceptor studies were performed to determine any relationship between hippocampal and cortical NMDA receptor binding characteristics and effects on spatial memory performance. After exposure of the animals to either normal handling or SPS conditions, spatial memory performance was assessed using a 5 day memory acquisition and consolidation protocol in a modified version of the Morris water maze (MWM). Experimental and control groups both received either saline (1 ml/kg i.p.) or Org 26576 at incremental doses of 1, 3 or 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally twice daily for 12 days. Separate groups of animals were used for the neuroreceptor studies, except that behavioural testing was not performed. 24hrs after drug treatment discontinuation, the animals were sacrificed and frontal cortex and hippocampus removed for NMDA receptor binding analysis. In normal rats, Org 26576 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg exerted a short-lasting reduction in escape latency on day 1, but which lost prominence over the subsequent training days. Org 26576 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg, however, significantly improved spatial memory retrieval on day 5. No changes in frontal cortical or hippocampal NMDA receptors were observed. Contrary to expected, rats subjected to SPS failed to express noteworthy deficits in spatial memory as previously described. Treatment of SPS-exposed animals with Org 26576 did not significantly alter spatial learning evident in SPS animals on day 1 of acquisition training, as well as on subsequent training days. Org 26576 1 mg/kg increased spatial memory retrieval compared to the unstressed saline control, but not compared to the SPS group. Org 26576 only at a dose of 1 mg/kg decreased cortical, but not hippocampal NMDA receptor density (Bmax) in SPS animals versus unstressed but not saline treated SPS animals. No changes in receptor affinity (Kd) were noted. Org 26576 therefore improves early initial spatial learning in healthy rats, but exerts a lesser effect on memory consolidation over the remainder of the training period. However, Org 26576 significantly improves retrieval of spatial memory without simultaneous changes in frontal cortical and hippocampal NMDA receptor binding. Org 26576 thus may benefit both short-term and long-term memory processes in normal animals without effects on limbic NMDA receptor binding, and provides a rationale for testing in conditions that present with cognitive disturbances. However, the SPS model failed to engender marked deficits in spatial memory performance; this result ultimately complicated the interpretation of the combined stress-drug treatment studies. Studies in healthy animals therefore conclude that Org 26576 is an effective agent to enhance long-term memory processes and should be investigated further for its possible application in disorders of cognition. Although the value of Org 26576 in an animal model of PTSD were inconclusive, further studies in SPS and other PTSD models, as well as models of relevance for schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and depression, are encouraged. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharmacology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Tyrimo tikslas – Ištirti skubios pagalbos skyriaus slaugytojų patiriamo smurto paplitimą ir valdymą. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1) nustatyti skubios pagalbos skyriaus slaugytojų darbe patiriamo smurto rūšis ir dažnį, jo pasiskirstymą pagal darbą pamainomis; 2) ištirti, pagrindinius smurto šaltinius su kuriais susiduria slaugytojai dirbantys skubios pagalbos skyriuose; 3) įvertinti smurto poveikį skubios pagalbos skyrių slaugytojų emocinei sveikatai; 4) nustatyti smurto valdymo būdus skubios pagalbos skyriuose slaugytojų požiūriu. Tyrimo metodas – 2013 metų sausio 14 – vasario 28 dienomis buvo vykdoma anoniminė anketinė apklausa. Apklausoje dalyvavo Vilniaus, Kauno, Panevėžio bei Šiaulių miestų didžiūjų ligoninių, skubios pagalbos skyriuose dirbantys slaugytojai ( n=213, atsako dažnis – 88 proc.). Respondentų tarpe buvo trys vyrai, likusios moterys. Tyrimui buvo naudojamas klausimynas smurto darbo vietoje tyrimams, įvairių šalių sveikatos priežiūros sektoriuje, atlikti. Gautas sutikimas atlikti tyrimą iš Bioetikos komiteto ( 2013-01-09 Nr. BEC-KS(M)-181 ). Tyrimo rezultatai. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, jog 20,2 proc. visų apklaustų respondentų, teigė patyrę fizinį smurtą. Apklaustieji slaugytojai (46,5 proc.) teigė, buvę fizinio smurto SPS liudininkais. Respondentai patyrė ir psichologinio smurto apraiškas, tokias kaip užgauliojimus (81,2 proc.), grasinimus (67,1 proc.), patyčias (45,1 proc.), seksualinį priekabiavimą (6,6 proc.), rasinį priekabiavimą (1,4 proc.). Tyrimo išvados... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim: to investigate prevalence and management of violence experienced by nurses in emergency department. Tasks: 1) to identify types and frequency of violence experienced by nurses in emergency department, and categorize it according to work shifts; 2) to define main sources of violence experienced by nurses in emergency department; 3) to evaluate impact of violence to emotional health emergency department nurses; 4) to identify methods management of violence according to emergency department nurses. Methods. Anonymous questionnairing was performed during Jan 14 – Feb 28, 2013. Nurses of emergency department from eight biggest hospitals of Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys and Šiauliai, participated the survey (n=213, response rate was 88 %). Answers of three male and rest female respondents were included into study. The questionnaire “Workplace violence in the health sector. Country case studies research instruments” was used. The Committee on Bioethics at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences approved the study. Results: Results of the study indicate that 20.2 percent of respondents affirmed their experience of physical violence. 46.5 percent of nurses questioned witnessed physical violence in ED. Respondents experienced appearances of psychological violence like abuse (81.2 percent), threats (67.1 percent), bullying (45.1 percent), sexual harassment (6.6 percent) and racial harassment (1.4 percent). Conclusions: Nurses of ED do experience physical and psychological... [to full text]

La ricerca si pone l’obiettivo di indagare una nuova e sperimentale forma di intervento di accoglienza per richiedenti asilo e titolari di protezione internazionale e umanitaria rappresentata dall’accoglienza in famiglia di persone adulte straniere. Lo strumento dell’accoglienza in famiglia per richiedenti asilo e rifugiati rientra in un campo multidisciplinare non ancora approfondito a livello teorico sia rispetto ai riferimenti scientifici che ne hanno alimentato l’ideazione e la riflessione progettuale sia a livello di pratiche professionali di lavoro sociale. In questa ricerca, costruita attraverso un intreccio di strumenti qualitativi, si vuole contribuire a ricostruire questi aspetti non ancora formalizzati che lo contraddistinguono e esplorare le dimensioni dell’integrazione sulle quali l’accoglienza in famiglia va ad agire. La peculiarità di tale esperienza risiede nella partecipazione di quattro soggetti differenti (pubblica amministrazione, terzo settore, famiglie e beneficiari) che hanno interagito tra loro, attivando dinamiche di collaborazione integrate con il territorio, sottolineando la valenza bidirezionale dei processi di integrazione nella vita quotidiana. Per fare ciò lo studio di caso si è concentrato sul progetto “Rifugiato in famiglia” del Comune di Milano, implementato successivamente alla nascita di altre esperienze simili all’estero e sul territorio italiano, che verranno approfondite al fine di meglio comprendere questo particolare intervento. / The research focuses on a new and experimental form of reception for asylum seekers and holders of international and humanitarian protection: hosting foreign adults in family. The intervention of hosting refugees in family is part of a multidisciplinary field that has not yet been investigated at a theoretical level, either in relation to the scientific references that nurtured design conception and reflection both at the level of professional social work practices. In this research, built through the aid of different qualitative methods, the aim is to contribute to reconstructing these not yet formalized aspects and to explore the dimensions of integration on which the reception in family works. The peculiarity of this experience lies in the participation of four different subjects (public administration, third sector, families and beneficiaries) interacting each other, activating integrated collaboration dynamics with the territory, underlining the bidirectional value of the integration processes in everyday life. In order to achieve this, the case study focused on the "Rifugiato in Famiglia” (Refugee in Family) project of the Municipality of Milan, implemented after the birth of other similar experiences abroad and in Italy, which will be analyzed in order to better understand this particular intervention.

La famiglia nell'attualità è attraversata da cambiamenti che stanno trasformando le fondamenta della identità personale, gli assiomi della vita quotidiana. Il caso della famiglia che ha attraversato una rottura ed è contrassegnata da separazione e divorzio, solleva un gran numero di questioni umane e sociali e origina diverse transizioni, che sono state al centro dell'approfondimento oggetto di questa tesi dottorale, condotto su un campione di giovani adulti italiani. Essa mostra, nella fattispecie attraverso le peculiari caratteristiche della ricerca qualitativa, i tratti salienti di specifici metodi visuali, denominati "Family map" e "Life line". Essi hanno contribuito a definire la struttura, il posizionamento relazionale dei membri della famiglia, le stesse relazioni tra essi, nonchè di concettualizzare chi "appartiene" a una famiglia che ha attraversato un cambiamento, una transizione, che porta dunque con sè un corredo di eventi correlati. L'intervistato ha partecipato di volta in volta secondo una modalità (inter)attiva e ha descritto graficamente all'interno delle quattro specifiche sezioni ed i cerchi concentrici della mappa e poi lungo la linea, quali relazioni e fatti sono più o meno importanti. L'intervistatore ha potuto rivolgere domande volte ad acquisire informazioni su alcuni processi di cambiamento e la prospettiva peculiare di tale cambiamento, così come percepita da ciascun attore, ad esempio in riferimento ad eventi passati o presenti. Attraverso lo specifico snodarsi grafico dei supporti - allo sesso tempo fornendo un inquadramento consistente di dati- questo lavoro ha gettato luce su cosa le relazioni familiari, gli eventi e le rappresentazioni configurano nella percezione della persona coinvolta. La scommessa posta attraverso l'uso di questi metodi visuali è quella di continuare a concepire gli individui in termini di approccio relazionale, attraverso l'interdipendenza con il sè, l'altro da sè e il mondo, lungo tutto il corso della propria esistenza. Un grande contributo di questo strumento sui generis è che ha aperto le porte a numerose altre domande che stimolano la ricerca di risposte e la stessa futura ricerca riguardante i figli di separati. / Many changes are affecting the family today, transforming the foundations of self-identity, which are the core models for everyday personal life. The situation of family disruption, such as separation and divorce, raises either a number of human and social issues, and transitions which deserved to be better understood in this PhD thesis, being carried out on a sample of young Italian adults. It shows in the form of qualitative research the main features of specific visual methods, the Family map and Life line. They contributed to define the structure, the positions of family members, the relationships between them and conceptualize who belongs to a family that has changed, with crucial events related. The interviewee has been actively identifying and describing graphically (within the four sections and the concentric circles of the map and along the line) which relations and facts are more or less relevant. The interviewer could ask questions in order to get some processes of change and the actors’ own perception of such change, e.g. with reference to current state or past events. Along a specific visual development of the graphs -while providing a helpful framework- this research throwed some light on what family relationships, events and representations are on the perception of the person involved. The challenge posed for this visual methods is to continue to conceive of individuals in terms of relational approach, through the interdependence with self, others, and the world during the course of life. A great contribution of this tool sui generis is that it opened the door to numerous additional questions concerning children of divorce, that need answers and further research.

La misurazione del crimine in Europa è difficile a causa delle diverse definizioni giuridiche dei reati e dalle differenti metodologie utilizzate per la raccolta di dati nei paesi Europei. L’Unione Europea produce indicatori strutturali in grado di misurare e confrontare le caratteristiche dei paesi: gli indicatori sociali possono aiutare a monitorare e analizzare le condizioni di vita e la qualità della vita e a contestualizzare il crimine descrivendo l’Europa d oggi. Sulla base di tre macro teorie criminologiche (modernizzazione, civilizzazione e opportunità) alcuni indicatori sociali sono selezionati e incrociati con i livelli di crimine così da poter identificare dei fattori di rischio per le diverse tipologie di reati e per valutare la validità di queste teorie in Europa. Infine l’uso di tecniche statistiche avanzate (cluster analysis) permetterà di identificare degli insiemi omogenei di paesi, per poter analizzare e confrontare l’andamento temporale tra i fattori di rischio identificati e il crimine in Europa. / Measuring crime in Europe is problematic because many different legal concept definitions and statistic collecting practices have been embraced in each country. In recent years, numerous efforts have been made to further this overarching goal and today, there are sources that present more comparable information on crime in Europe. At the same time, the European Union has produced broadly agreed upon structural indicators, called ‘social indicators’, to systematically report, monitor, and analyze living conditions and quality of life. These indicators help to contextualize crime by describing and relating to today’s European realities. On the basis of three macro theoretical paradigm indicators (the civilization theory, modernization theory, and opportunity theory), a set of social indicators will be selected and cross-examined with crime rates recorded in Europe. This endeavour will first test the relationship between the social indicators and different types of crimes in order to assess the validity of the theoretical frameworks across Europe as a whole. Second, it will identify a set of risk factors for the selected types of crimes. After that, using advanced statistical techniques (cluster analyses) to identify homogeneous sets of countries across Europe, the comparison will take into account the evolution of crime levels in two selected, averaged periods between 1990 and 2007. Crime trends will be compared and cross-checked with social indicator tendencies to explain crime variations over time.