I ett samhälle där datorspelare anses vistas i en högst amoralisk miljö, vill vi med den här studien granska hur etik och moral ter sig i den virtuella världen via ett symboliskt interaktionistiskt perspektiv. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer har elva spelare av onlinespel fått redogöra för sin egen upplevelse av den interaktion de genomgår dagligen. Med hjälp av utförliga teorier kring etik och moral, symbolisk interaktionism och spelkultur har studien ett brett teoretiskt underlag som appliceras i en hermeneutisk analys. Resultatet visar att etik och moral existerar i onlinespel, samtidigt som amoraliteten. Det verkar röra sig om två olika kulturer. Studien lägger sin fokus på den förstnämnda och beskriver både vad fenomenet består i, och hur det ter sig. Essensen handlar om den sociala aspekten, det vi kan kalla för socialitet. Vi fann essensen utifrån fem teman, som alla rör grupp, socialitet och samspel. Slutsatsen visar att det finns en moralisk spelkultur och en amoralisk, baserat på graden av socialitet och inlevelse. Den moraliska spelkulturen skapas och återskapas utifrån spelarnas meningsskapande, sociala behov och den virtuella världens flexibilitet.   Nyckelbegrepp: Etik, Moral, Onlinespel, Spelkultur, Symbolisk interaktionism. / In a society in which gamers are considered to engage in an amoral environment, we intended with this study to examine how ethics and morality appears in the virtual world through a symbolic interactionist perspective. Through qualitative interviews eleven gamers have been able to give their own views about their experiences of the interaction they undergo daily. With help from detailed theories about ethics and morality, symbolic interactionism and gaming culture, this study has a wide theoretical foundation which applies in a hermeneutical analysis. The results show that ethics and morality exists within online games, as well as an amoral gaming culture. It appears to be two cultures, in which this study puts its focus on the first and describes both what the phenomenon is made of, and how it appears. The essence is about the social aspect, what we call sociality. This essence was found through five themes, all regarding group, sociality and interaction. The conclusion shows that there is a moral gaming culture as well as an amoral one, based on the degree of sociality and immersion. The moral gaming culture is created and recreated from the creation of meaning and social needs through the gamers as well as the flexibility of the virtual world.   Keywords: Ethics, Morality, Online game, Game culture, Symbolic interactionism.

Syftet med denna undersökningen är att genom det sociologiska perspektivet symbolisk interaktionism, undersöka hur användare av det sociala nätverket Instagram upplever aktiviteten som ett meningsfullt inslag i sin vardag. För att uppnå syftet utformades följande frågeställningar: På vilket sätt upplevs aktiviteten på Instagram som meningsfull? Vilka normer och förväntningar uppstår i aktiviteten? Hur anpassas aktiviteten efter dessa normer och förväntningar? Metod: Kvalitativ metod där användare av Instagram har intervjuats angående sina subjektiva uppfattningar om aktivitetens meningsfullhet. Intervjusvaren analyserades därefter genom det sociologiska perspektivet symbolisk interaktionism, med betoning på Erving Goffmans bidrag till detta. Resultat: Intervjupersonerna upplever aktiviteten på Instagram som meningsfull då det ger dem bekräftelse och skapar en känsla av gemenskap. I aktiviteten på Instagram skapas vidare en förväntan om att uttrycken ska vara roliga, kreativa och inspirerande, vilket innebär att uttryck som inte uppfyller detta sållas bort. Intervjupersonerna anpassar således ständigt sin aktivitet i strävan efter bekräftelse. Slutsats: Instagram är ett meningsfullt inslag i vardagen då aktiviteten uppfyller flera, grundläggande mänskliga behov. Detta sker dock inte villkorslöst, då man som användare behöver leva upp till de normer och förväntningar som skapas i aktiviteten för att uppleva denna som meningsfull. / The aim of this study is that by the sociological perspective of symbolic interactionism, investigate how users of the social network Instagram is experiencing activity therein as a meaningful element in their everyday lives. The questions asked were: In what way is activity on Instagram perceived as meaningful ? Which standards and expectations develop through the activity? How does the activity adapt to these standards and expectations ? Methods: Qualitative methods in which users of Instagram has been interviewed about their subjective perceptions of the meaning of the activity. Interview responses were then analyzed through the symbolic interactionism perspective, with emphasis on Erving Goffman's contribution to this. Results: The interviewees perceive the activity on Instagram as meaningful as it gives them confirmation and creates a sense of community. Activity on Instagram is expected to be fun, creative and inspiring, which means that expressions that do not meet these requirements are screened out. The interviewees are constantly adapting their activity to that expectation in their quest for confirmation. Conclusion: Instagram is a meaningful part of daily life as the activity meets several basic human needs. However, this is not unconditional, as the users need to live up to the standards and expectations that are created in the activity in order to experience this as meaningful.

SammanfattningTitel: Om individer får förberedande information om att arbeta i grupp, kan detta då ses kunna förändra deras upplevelse av att arbeta i grupp?Författare: Hayat Ashkar och Görgen Jansson Handledare: Ilkka Henrik Mäkinen Examinator: Hedvig EkerwaldLärosäte: Uppsala Universitet Datum: 5/1 2015Bakgrunden till den här studien bygger på tidigare forskning som visat att om en vårdsökande i väntan på sin läkartid får hjälp till självhjälp får denna patient ut mer av behandlingen, jämfört med en patient som endast fått vänta på sitt läkarbesök. Det kan då tolkas som att någon form av självhjälp, förberedelse, innan behandlingen är gynnsamt.Detta ledde till en tanke om samma princip kan gälla för grupparbeten. Om individer som ska genomföra ett grupparbete får information om att arbeta i grupp, en förberedelse, kan det då förbättra deras upplevelse av att arbeta i grupp? Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om kunskap om socialpsykologiska begrepp kan ge någon inverkan på elevers upplevelser till att arbeta i grupp. För att undersöka om så var fallet genomfördes ett experiment med tre olika gymnasieklasser. Deltagarna fick genomföra ett grupparbete och därefter svara på en enkät som mätte deras upplevelse av arbetet. I nästa steg fick en grupp, experimentgruppen, lyssna på en föreläsning om socialpsykologiska begrepp för att därefter återigen genomföra ett grupparbete och besvara samma enkät igen. En annan grupp, kontrollgruppen, fick inte lyssna på föreläsningen men göra allt övrigt experimentgruppen gjorde, ett grupparbete med enkät samt ett grupparbete till med enkät.De teoretiska begrepp som använts för att analysera resultatet är bland annat, definition av situationen, priming och Hawthorneeffekten. Resultatet tyder på att en förändring i upplevelsen av grupparbete skett hos både experimentgruppen och kontrollgruppen, dock var den större hos experimentgruppen. / AbstractTitle: If individuals get an information about how to work in a group, could that change their experience about cooperation?Authors: Hayat Ashkar and Görgen JanssonMentor: Ilkka Henrik MäkinenSeat of learning: Uppsala UniversityDate: 5/1 2014The background to this study is based on studies that have shown that if a patient while waiting for a doctor's appointment gets help to self-help, the patient will assimilate more of the treatment than a patient who only has to wait for their doctor’s appointment. That can then be interpreted as any kind of stimuli (self-help) before treatment is favourable.That led to a wonder if the same principle might apply to work in groups. If individuals who are going to do cooperation receive information about working in groups, in terms of social psychology concepts, could that improve their ability to work in a group? The purpose of this paper is to examine whether knowledge in social psychological concepts can be seen to give any impact on students' experiences and attitudes towards working in groups. To examine this, an experiment with different high school classes was conducted. In the experimental group the students implemented a group project and then answered a questionnaire that measured the students' experience of the work. In the next step they had to listen to a lecture about social psychological concepts. After that they did another group project and answered the same questionnaire again. In the control group the students did just the same except listening to the lecture about social psychological concepts.The theoretical concepts used include social negotiation, definition of the situation and priming. The results of this study show that the experimental group showed a consistently higher average current experience of group work. That indicates that a process of change begins in the participants. It can be explained by priming.

The purpose of the study was to find out whether the interaction between mentally disabled individuals and pet positively affects the individual and gives a feeling of well-being to the extent that this might be implicated in the psychologically disabled people’s everyday life in some form of rehabilitation measure. The study is qualitative and builds on an ethnographic design. Data collection was performed through six observations, six interviews and reflections. Interviews were also conducted with relatives and assistants for greater opportunity for follow-up questions, and descriptions of the situation. Theoretical perspective guiding this study is symbolic interactionism. Theoretical focus is on Asplund's theory of social responsivity and Asplund's explanations of the concrete person and abstract social being. This focus is complemented through Mead's theory on self-consciousness, Cooley’s theory of the looking-glass-self and Berg's description of  different expressions and forms of play. Previous research is linked to interaction with pets and the elderly, individuals with autism and other disabilities. The conclusion of the study show that positive feelings of well-being arise in the meeting through interaction with companion animals. Relatives and assistants experience the activity to be of importance in the mentally disabled’s everyday life. The study also shows incomprehension in bringing this to decision-makers and others to possibly enhance the mentally disabled people everyday life with animal-assisted rehabilitation measures. / Syftet med undersökningen har varit att ta reda på om interaktion mellan psykiskt funktionshindrad individ och sällskapsdjur påverkar individen positivt och ger en känsla av välbefinnande i den omfattningen att detta eventuellt kan appliceras i den psykiskt funktionshindrades vardag i någon form av habiliteringsåtgärd. Undersökningen är kvalitativ och har utgått ifrån etnografisk design. Respondenterna är tre psykiskt funktionshindrade individer som har följts genom intervjuer och dubbla observationer. Intervjuer gjordes även med anhörig och assistenter för större möjlighet till följdfrågor och beskrivningar av situationen. Studien bygger på symbolisk interaktionism och teoretiskt fokus är Asplunds teori om social responsivitet. Även Asplunds förklaringar om skillnaden mellan konkret person och abstrakt samhällsvarelse används för att förstå ämnet. Denna utgångspunkt stärks genom Meads teorier om jagmedvetande och lekens betydelse samt Cooleys speglingsteori och Bergs beskrivning av lekens olika uttryck och form. Tidigare forskning har kopplingar till interaktion med sällskapsdjur och äldre, individer med autism och andra svårigheter. Slutsatsen i studien visar att positiva känslor av välbefinnande skapas i mötet mellan psykiskt funktionshindrad och sällskapsdjur genom interaktionen och samvaron. Anhörig och assistenter upplever aktiviteten vara viktig i psykiskt funktionshindrads vardag. Studien illustrerar även oförståelsen i att föra detta vidare till beslutsfattare och liknande för att eventuellt kunna förstärka den psykiskt funktionshindrades vardag med djurassisterade habiliteringsåtgärder.

Because of the long and entrenched history of Chinese medicine in Taiwan, people have traditionally incorporated this knowledge into their health care. With the appearance and growing acceptance of Western medical practices, multiple medical approaches have become more and more popular. Yet, despite the strong foundations of Western medicine in the treatment of cancer in Taiwan, the use of Chinese medicine continues to be popular (Lin, 1992, p. 114). The focus of this research is the contextual construction of meanings about non Western medicine (NWM). The context for the study is Taiwan, the researcher's home country. The purpose of the research is to explore the motivations for, and the processes by which, Taiwanese people with cancer incorporate NWM into their cancer treatment journey. Utilising a grounded theory approach, this research sought to explore the social processes by which Taiwanese people with cancer come to use non Western medicine. Twenty four in depth interviews were undertaken in the study. The findings of the study demonstrate that the interactions between people with cancer and their use of NWM are complex. Taken-for-grantedness emerges as the core category in the study. The core category situates the use of non Western medicine outside the institutionalised and regulated domains of health care. More specifically, the meanings attributed to NWM are embedded in the philosophical beliefs and social relationships that constitute the lives of the participants. These findings suggest implications for our understanding of the co-existence of NWM and Western medicine by Taiwanese people with cancer and the social processes with which they engage.

The global trend towards an ageing population presents challenges for health-care professionals, including registered nurses (RNs). In Taiwan, health care policies relating to the aged and to gerontological nursing are still in the early stages of development. Integral to this development is the evolving definition of the clinical role of RNs who make a major contribution to aged care. Using data from in-depth interviews of 29 RNs working across eight nursing homes, this grounded theory study examines the factors that shape the care work of RNs in long-term aged care in Taiwan. The objectives of this study were to: * examine the work-experience perceptions of RNs employed in nursing homes in Taiwan * explore the factors that influence the delivery of nursing care to the aged by RNs * explain the events that constitute nursing practices in aged care provision that have an effect on the roles of RNs, and * develop a theoretical proposition that can guide future nursing practice in aged care. Grounded theory and symbolic interactionism are the complementary methodologies selected to underpin this study. The perspective of grounded theory allows for a critical investigation of the social processes that are integral in shaping the perspectives of RNs who work in Taiwanese nursing homes. The application of the theory of symbolic interactionism facilitates an exploration of the roles of RNs in this context and of the different meanings for individuals in the various situations they confront. Organizational factors and interactions that shape the role of RNs in the working environment of aged care are highlighted in the interaction between the data and the theory. The core category that emerged from the study was searching for an identity. This core process reflects ambivalence in the perceptions of RNs in describing and explaining the nursing role in Taiwanese nursing homes. Five categories that bring some greater understanding of this ambivalence are: coming to know, doing anything and everything, negotiating the work role, dealing with the system, and learning by being there. The specific intention of this study was to extend our understanding of nursing work and the delivery of care to older people in nursing homes in Taiwan. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of an educational framework that may be applied to improve nursing practices in nursing homes. These findings also have the potential to make a positive contribution to aged health care policy-making in Taiwan.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / ABSTRACT Background: Since British arrival, Aboriginal people have experienced marginalisation and extreme disadvantage within Australian society. Urban-based Aboriginal people, even more than those living in remote communities, have been subject to the impact of racism and discrimination on self-identity. Nonetheless, many urban-based Aboriginal people proudly identify with their Aboriginality. Having long been the subject of others’ research, it is only in recent times that the question of identity has attracted attention in Aboriginal research. Furthermore, few studies have addressed urban Aboriginality from an insider’s perspective. Aim and significance: The main aim of this research was to understand better the process of the construction of Aboriginal identity. Knowing how Aboriginal people see themselves and their future as Aboriginal within the broader Australian community is significant in providing a foundation for both the protection and the preservation of urban-based Aboriginal identity, while helping to create positive practical benefits and minimising the damage to Aboriginal culture that result from collective memory loss. A secondary aim was to test whether tools of narrative analysis could be used within an Indigenous Australian context, utilising Aboriginal Australian English language, and in the context of a specific urban setting. Method: The study used purposeful sampling to recruit 11 individuals from three age cohorts of mixed-descent Aboriginal people living in urban communities on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews which were tape-recorded and then transcribed in full. Both thematic and narrative methods were employed to analyse the data. Interpretations benefitted from an insider perspective, as the researcher is a member of the community under study. Results: Findings from both methods of analysis show that participants experience their Aboriginality as problematic. Nonetheless, they make strong claims to Aboriginal identity. In making such claims, they link the personal to the social in a variety of ways, drawing on both negative and positive aspects of being part of a marginalised culture to explain the construction of the problem of Aboriginal identity and, as importantly, its on-going resolution through processes of identity construction and re-construction. The Shoalhaven Aboriginal worldview is revealed thorough a thematic analysis of 11 interviews and shows that participants are able to construct positive versions of self when they perceive themselves as living in accordance with the prescribed worldview. Results from case study analyses reveal how four participants distinctly craft the Shoalhaven worldview. The adoption of multi-method qualitative analysis documents the construction of both collective and personal Aboriginal identities and shows how these become core elements of the various strategies for solving the broader problems of Aboriginal identity in contemporary urban Australian society. Conclusion: Understanding the construction of Aboriginal identity from a micro-sociological perspective, with the added benefit of an insider’s analysis, can point the way to the development of more meaningful and appropriate strategies to both address and alleviate the broader problems of Aboriginal marginalisation in Australia. The findings from this research have documented the narrative construction of urban Aboriginal identity revealing the positive and negative aspects of the urban Aboriginal identity concept. A starting point to address the broader problem of Aboriginal marginalisation in Australia is to focus on the positive elements of the urban Aboriginal identity concept, with a view to devise, develop and implement culturally appropriate strategies and policies. The researcher’s life experience, informed by the ontology (collective values and perspectives) of the community, influenced and informed the analysis and results of the study. This shared ontology and community acceptance was integral in the process of developing and maintaining rapport and trust with participants which ultimately shaped the interaction process influencing personal accounts told in the interview.

In recent years research has recognised that notions of body image, body image ideals and body dissatisfaction develop much earlier than was once thought. However, the growing body of evidence in this area of research is predominantly quantitative. This study was designed to engage children in the five to six year age group using qualitative methods and present their notions of body image through the looking glass of the children's own eyes. Children's voices have not often found their way into research. Concerns about their powers of communication, cognitive abilities and the ethical difficulties inherent when working with children have restricted their participation. Objective, empirical evidence suggests that if one engages children in research appropriately they are able to make a significant contribution. Forty-seven children (25=m; 22=f) aged between five and six years were interviewed on three occasions over 12 months regarding their perceptions of body image. Seven schools from the Independent school system were involved. Interviews were conducted on school sites in public, easily observable locations. The study focused on three aspects. That is, how these children perceived their own body, the bodies of other people and their notions of health in respect to body image. These interviews revealed that the girls in this age group had developed an understanding of body image that valued thinness. However, their preference for a thinner body did not negatively impact on their sense of identity or self-worth. Boys preferred larger bodies and correlated increased body size with competence and physical aptitude. The concept of 'large' was linked to height for some or to a mesomorphic body for other boys. By the final interview all the children revealed strong negative perceptions of fatness. These perceptions were more apparent at each successive interview. An obese or extremely thin body was not always correlated with being unhealthy. Depending on the perspective of the child, even the largest of images was nominated the 'healthiest body' by some children. Health was overwhelmingly linked to food intake with few children associating health with exercise. The playground and the home, where most notably mothers, were important in the development of body image conceptions. Children were acutely aware of the dietary practices of their parents and associated diets with losing weight. / PhD Doctorate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-217).

<p>The levels of unemployment are unusually high compared to recent years, and the consequences are diligently debated in media. Swedish safety systems regarding people’s welfare have gone through changes lately which affected the situation negatively for many concerned citizens. This study aimed to illustrate individual’s situation of unemployment within their social context. We chose to focus on the respondent’s experiences, influences and managing skills pertaining to the situation of unemployment. Seven interviews with unemployed men and women, aged 21-64, where executed based on a qualitative approach. These interviews resulted in the empirical material which were compiled and analyzed. The theoretical standing point in this study was symbolic interactionism. The empirical material was also analyzed through the concepts of alienation, psychological illness, economical exposure and coping. The result of this study showed that all respondents experienced economical exposure according to their unemployment. This exposure lead to other quandary’s which contributed to development of coping strategies. Earlier research shows that unemployment is related to psychological illness which also was shown in this study. Alienation was nothing the respondents declared experience from according to that unemployment was common in their social contexts. On the contrary indirect alienation appeared in the empirical material based on individual situations.</p>