I explore the historical antecedents of contextual constructionism--the theoretical structure employed in this essay--which is rooted in the development of symbolic interactionism and labelling theory. I also devote attention to an overview of selected interactionist, labelling, conflict, and contextual constructionist accounts of the 'illicit drug' issue. I illustrate how early interactionist and more recent contextual constructionist studies have demonstrated that claims-making against 'illicit drugs' are typically based on soft or non-existent evidence, and that such claims-makers have engaged in moral crusades against 'illicit drugs', not to address 'objective' harmful conditions, but rather for bureaucratic interests and to promote certain moral positions. I examine the methodological approach used by Goldhagen (1996) in his provocative account of the causes underlying the nature and magnitude of the Holocaust. This quasi-constructionist analysis clearly exemplifies the power of symbolic communication in the social construction of definitions of problematic conditions and the development of intervention strategies. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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<p> A comparison study examined the effects on coping styles that occur when an evidence-based treatment, Seeking Safety (SS), is added to an established social model of recovery. Moreover, an exploratory analysis of participant variables in the control group (136 males, 162 females) was conducted within the social model in order to establish the foundational needs of the population as well as ensure that the experimental group was comparable (22 males, 30 females). Participants volunteered to engage in an eight-session closed-group format of SS to determine if participation contributed to an increase in Adaptive coping styles as well as a decrease in Maladaptive coping styles. Overall, findings support the hypothesized enhancements. A closer look at components of coping demonstrated that individuals improved on nine out of ten substyles of Adaptive coping but displayed no change in using humor to handle stressors. For Maladaptive coping, participants decreased using four of the five substyles. However, females worsened in venting of emotions. As a whole, significant improvement was noted in 15 of the 17 coping styles assessed. Support for these findings was also demonstrated in subjective feedback from participants who expressed receiving benefits beyond enhancement of coping skills in regards to emotional healing. It is believed that the study provides foundational support for the benefits of incorporating evidence-based treatment with the social model of recovery.</p>

The purpose of the study was to identify variables for use in a future instrument assessing the quality of life of adults with learning disabilities. The study focused on the social validation of select variables addressed by the research. Consumer input was solicited to determine which variables would be most important to include on a future instrument. Of particular interest in the study were perceptions of adults with learning disabilities from four-year institutions. / Demographic information and opinions about the participants' perception of important variable items to be included on a future instrument for assessing quality of life were gathered via the Quality of Life Variable Verification Survey (QOL-VVS). Two hundred fifty-two individuals agreed to participate in the study. There were three sample groups comprised of adults with learning disabilities (32) who had graduated from three state universities in Florida, as well as current students with learning disabilities (112) and postsecondary service providers (108) from the same universities. The majority of the participants were White (55%) females (52%) between the ages of 18-30 (53%). / Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) procedures were used to compare and analyze sample group ratings. Descriptive analyses were used to identify additional variables participants considered important to be included on an instrument assessing quality of life. Discriminant analysis procedures were employed to identify variables that would be good predictors of quality of life for adults with learning disabilities. These procedures were also used to identify effective classification models of quality of life for adults with learning disabilities. / Results indicated that participants in all three sample groups rated 83% of the variable items from important to extremely important. Few significant differences were identified between group ratings. Variables related to education of others, self-esteem, and available services were reported five times or more, by at least two of the sample groups, to be included on an instrument assessing quality of life. Only four variable items were found to have significant differences in discriminating adults with learning disabilities into a high or low quality of life group. No effective classification model was identified. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-11, Section: A, page: 4294. / Major Professor: Bruce Menchetti. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

Weber's theory of authority is an important tool when studying power and its relationship to human collectives, especially religious groups. Weber focused on the rise of Protestants' power in the West and how this group created and maintained economic power which helped them gain political control in various countries, including the U.S. In this paper, I incorporate Weber's insights about the Protestant ethic, bureaucracies, and types of authority to examine Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. I compare Saudi Wahhabism with Protestantism, analyzing the rise of the Saud family as controllers of the economy and politics. The role of bureaucracies in these processes will also be discussed. The similarities and differences between Protestantism and Wahhabism are used to investigate power inside their respective societies. These comparisons will highlight the types of authority which allowed each sect to enhance power and how those processes of creating, consolidating, and maintaining power relate to the larger social climates in both Saudi Arabia and the Western world. Finally, I investigate images of the Saudi State in the The London Times between 1927 and 1937 to explain how power in the hands of a Wahhabi king was presented to Western readers.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, San Francisco, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-04, Section: A, page: 1434. Adviser: Carroll Estes.

<p> The purpose of this study is to identify sources of psychopathology outside of the fundamental ideology of mainstream clinical psychology. Contemporary western clinical psychology has aligned itself with a fundamental ideology which maintains that pathogenesis is found in the individual and not in the social or political world. This paper will argue that psychology has become oppressive. The clinical application of this exposition will include a psychological interpretation of the collective Jewish narrative, thereby demonstrating the importance of identifying the source of psychopathology as originating in cultural and historical contexts, not simply within the person. The dissertation therefore encompasses individual and social psychology. The design used will be narrative. At this stage in the research, the collective Jewish narratives will be defined as the combined narratives of Jewish persons and Jewish history. </p>

<p>This qualitative study explores narratives of youth affected by the BP oil spill in Bayou la Batre, Alabama, focusing on adolescents whose parents worked in commercial seafood and/or shipbuilding industries. The research draws on 40 face-to-face, in-depth interviews with youth; 40 informal interviews with adult informants (educators, and community leaders, mental health professionals); and more than 100 hours of participant observation. Findings contribute to our understanding of ways in which youth experience, make sense of, and cope with disasters, particularly in the case of technological disasters. Although many studies have focused on the ecological, economic, and social effects of technological disasters such as the BP oil spill on adults, few have specifically investigated the impacts of these events on children. </p><p> Using an ecological-symbolic theoretical perspective, and drawing heavily on the sociological studies of children and disasters, I present an in-depth look at youth&rsquo;s post-disaster experiences. Specifically, findings explore youth&rsquo;s early perceptions concerning how the spill might affect themselves, their families, and their community in the more immediate aftermath of the spill, as well as their observations regarding how the actual impacts unfolded in the year following the disaster. Study results suggest that the concept of lifestyle change is a useful framework for examining disruptions of everyday routines and patterns that occurred in the aftermath of the disaster. This research focuses on two core lifestyle changes: ways in which changes in interviewees&rsquo; parents&rsquo; jobs affected the amount of time families spent together and how the closure of the Gulf of Mexico shifted family-centered recreational time. Lastly, findings highlight coping strategies (blame, distraction, and emotional processing) that youth employed in dealing with the disaster and its implications. </p>

<p> This phenomenological study explored the concept of wisdom as perceived and experienced by adolescents. The research questions were: How do adolescents conceptualize wisdom?; Which aspects of 'being wise,' if any, do adolescents believe they possess?; Do adolescents believe wisdom is attainable or desirable?; and Do adolescents believe that their formal education (school) is guiding them toward the development of wisdom? From these research questions, interview questions were created and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 adolescents between the ages of 10-14 across two school locations. Through a process of coding the interview data for emergent themes, the findings of this study revealed that adolescent beliefs about and definitions of wisdom are in line with the existing literature and that adolescents find wisdom both desirable and attainable. Moreover, since formal education experiences are expected to play a role in wisdom development in adolescents, implications for educator practice are discussed. In particular, critical pedagogy and experiential education may be key elements for educator practice in facilitating learning experiences which cultivate wisdom, particularly in the context of the transformation economy.</p>