As the divorce rate in the United States remains steady at 50%, the last few decades have shown an increase in child custody disputes. Within these litigations, interparental conflict can reach high levels and incite behaviors that wreak havoc on the children who are caught in the middle. When considering custody arrangements, judges and other evaluators use the Best Interest of the Child Standard (BICS), a jurisdictionally-specific framework that examines several factors that contribute to a child’s health and well-being. Parents who allow their resentments to get the better of them sometimes engage in behavior that encourages their child to become alienated from the other parent, known as Parental Alienation (PA) —a form of psychological abuse that can result in emotional and behavioral consequences for the child. While some states investigate components relevant to PA during a BICS evaluation, none include criteria that directly addresses this construct. Therefore, to achieve the intended outcome of BICS, which is to create a custody arrangement that will best meet a child’s needs, recognizing and addressing the presence of PA within a family system is required.

No description available.

The use of public space by young people raises issues in Australia and elsewhere in the world. Contests occur between the disparate players seeking a stake in the use and definition of public space. State and local government, young people, the security industry, shop owners, community groups and property developers are some of the major players. In a context of monitoring and control procedures, young people's use of public space is often viewed as a threat to social order (Loader 1996, Crane and Dee 2001, White 1998). This study considers critical intersections between young people and the control of public space. It employs an analysis of relevant youth, citizenship and public space theories. Particular attention focuses on the concepts of political, civil and social citizenship formulated by the British sociologist T.H. Marshall, whose key text Citizenship and Social Class (1950), is still relevant (see Yeatman 1994, France 1997, Mann 1995, Manning and Ryan 2004). Grounded Theory methodology as discussed by Glaser and Strauss (1967) is utilised in the surveying of high school students in Brisbane and Logan to discover their perceptions of a range of public space and citizenship issues. The overall aim of this study is to consider if a connection exists between young people, public space and citizenship and if the use of public space by young people may be understood from a broad rights perspective and the concept of social citizenship, as discussed by Marshall (1950). The self completion survey employed in this study asked 1122 high school students a number of questions about their local community, safety at school, the meaning to them of the word citizenship and their thoughts about CCTV. The key findings were: * Some communities are less concerned about young people, than others; * Most schools are safe, but a number are not. Teachers contribute to student's feelings of safety at school; * The word citizenship carries important meanings for most young people around belonging, community and taking part in community life; * CCTV surveillance does not necessarily make young people feel safe in using public space; * Most young people feel negatively stereotyped by their community; * Most local areas do not have enough youth facilities The survey data is discussed further throughout the study along with citizenship and public space issues.

This thesis explores the dynamics of narrative production and contestation within individuals’ stories and the collective stories of the communities in which they live. The research is focused on trying to understand the relationship between public stories constructed about place and community, and the stories told by the inhabitants of those places. A case study in the city of Bradford provides a focus for inquiry. A qualitative research design is utilised, combining theory with primary data collection and analysis. A narrative analysis of national, academic and local stories about Bradford is used to disaggregate collective narratives of the city and explore the relationship between popular, political and academic discourses. It provides a context for the analysis of in-depth interviews with a range of inhabitants from a selected geographic area within Bradford, centred on how their individual stories relate to the identified collective stories of Bradford. Analysis of the fieldwork data shows that individuals are often engaged in complex negotiations of public discourse in ways that may reinforce and contest existing stories, but also complement them with parallel stories that neither reinforce nor contest but construct a different narrative. It reveals and reflects on apparent contradictions within everyday storytelling, for example, how nostalgia can be displayed about harsh times of socio-economic decline, or how attitudes to change over time can be variably positive and negative depending both on the speakers’ positioning of themselves and of the interviewer, and the speakers’ purpose in the interaction.

Ma thèse doctorale vise à analyser la fibromyalgie en tant qu’entité prise en charge et traitée par des savoirs et des pratiques biomédicales contemporaines et localisées. Tout en prenant en considération une vision biomédicale transnationale du syndrome, mon terrain de recherche est situé dans le contexte italien. La première partie de la thèse est consacrée à l’analyse de la vision médicale de la douleur chronique sans lésion, également entendue comme la « douleur-maladie » ; elle propose aussi une analyse de la manière dont les formes douloureuses chroniques complexes sont encadrées au niveau législatif et politique dans le contexte national italien. La deuxième partie se concentre sur la fibromyalgie en tant que catégorie médicale. Un premier chapitre analyse comment en biomédecine le syndrome est encadré par un savoir scientifique transnational ; un deuxième chapitre se focalise sur les données collectées pendant la recherche ethnographique. La troisième partie de la thèse examine la construction médicale de la fibromyalgie en tant que syndrome féminin. Elle propose également, dans un deuxième chapitre, le témoignage de Marzia, une femme atteinte de fibromyalgie qui à travers son historie, en s’opposant à une interprétation purement biomédicale de la maladie, définit le syndrome en mode contrastif, changeant et imprévisible. / My PhD thesis aims to analyse the fibromyalgia syndrome understood as an entity defined by contemporary and located biomedical knowledge and practices. While a transnational biomedical vision of the syndrome is analysed, the ethnographic research field is located within the Italian context. The first chapter is focussed on biomedical theories which analyse chronic pain without organic lesions, also framed here by the concept of pain as a disease; it ends by analysing how complex chronic painful states are considered at one legislative and political level in the Italian national context. The second chapter analyses fibromyalgia syndrome seen as a biomedical category. A first section examines how the syndrome is framed by transnational biomedical scientific knowledge; the second section focuses on data collected during the ethnographic research. The third chapter is dedicated to an investigation of the medical reasons that outline fibromyalgia as a female syndrome. It also proposes, in its second section, the testimony of Marzia, a woman affected by fibromyalgia; beyond a purely biomedical interpretation of the disease, through Marzia’s story the syndrome emerges in contrastive, opposite and unpredictable ways. / La mia tesi di dottorato analizza la sindrome fibromialgica intesa come entità presa in carico e trattata da saperi e pratiche biomediche contemporanee e localizzate. Pur focalizzandomi sulla visione biomedica transnazionale della sindrome, il mio terreno di ricerca è situato all’interno del contesto nazionale italiano. La prima parte della tesi è centrata sull’analisi della visione biomedica del dolore cronico senza lesione, inquadrato qui anche nei termini di “dolore-malattia”. Essa propone anche una osservazione di come sono inquadrate nella contemporaneità forme dolorose croniche complesse a un livello più propriamente legislativo e politico all’interno del contesto italiano. La seconda parte della tesi si concentra sulla fibromialgia intesa nei termini di categoria medica. Un primo capitolo analizza come attualmente la sindrome è inquadrata attraverso un sapere scientifico transazionale; un secondo capitolo è focalizzato sui dati raccolti durante la ricerca etnografica. La terza parte della tesi esamina la costruzione medica della fibromialgia nei termini di una sindrome femminile. Propone infine la testimonianza di Marzia, una donna colpita da fibromialgia che, attraverso la sua storia e opponendosi a un’interpretazione puramente biomedica della malattia, definisce la sindrome in modo contrastante, mutevole e imprevedibile.

My dissertation explores postcolonial implications of performances in Brian Friel's plays. While showing Friel's theatre is performative with its alienation effect and artistic activities of music, songs, dances, and recitations, I demonstrate that Irish self, culture, and history in Friel's plays are performative as well, because they are shown to be socially constructed rather than inherently possessed, constantly contested rather than comfortably settled, in dynamic process of remaking rather than fixed as finished products. Examining performances in Friel's theatre, characters' daily lives, historical narratives, and cultural ceremonies, I argue that those performances also shed light on the (post)colonial situation in Ireland¡ªa split island with mongrel arts, interstitial characters, disparate histories, and mythologized or relegated cultures. Showing that Irish self, history, and culture are not homogenous, linear, or monolithic entities but hybrid, contested constructs, Friel's plays subvert the binaries embedded in British colonialism, Irish nationalism, and developmental historicism. However, as Friel's characters fail to negotiate the symbiotic yet opposing forces such as the north and the south, English and Irish, official history and personal story, national myth and folk culture, tradition and modernity, my dissertation concludes that in Friel's plays to be Irish is to suffer a hybrid yet split and liminal existence, to be framed by official discourses and cultural myths, and to contend for alternative expressions of history and culture. Friel's concern with performance thus culminates in his performative conception of Irish identity¡ªas a heterogeneous composite with ongoing contestation between different selves, historical narratives, and cultural practices, it cannot but remain open to different expressions and constant (re)definitions.

Uppsatsens övergripande syfte är att undersöka om, och i så fall hur, unga vuxnas erfarenheter av separation och vårdnadstvist mellan föräldrarna under barndomen inverkat när det gäller inställning till samlevnadsfrågor. Mer konkret är avsikten att söka svar på frågor som beaktar principen om barnets bästa, attityder gentemot relationer, separationer och giftermål liksom dagens relation till föräldrarna. Tolkningsramen som användes för att tolka och förstå uppsatsens empiriska material baseras på de inledande bestämmelserna enligt 6 kap. föräldrabalken, några risker med socialarbetarens förhållningssätt, barnets känsla av ansvar, lojalitet och hemlighållande, barnets överlevnadsstrategier och kognitiv dissonansteori. Dessa tolkningsredskap var effektiva för att belysa unga vuxnas erfarenheter från barndomen och deras attityder till samlevnadsfrågor. En kvalitativ metodansats tillämpades för att inhämta det empiriska materialet och fem kvinnliga respondenter intervjuades med hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Uppsatsens slutsatser indikerar att principen om barnets bästa inte alltid beaktades för de unga vuxna under barndomen. Deras attityder gentemot relationer, separationer och giftermål präglas av en öppen inställning till olika familjekonstellationer med goda kvalitéer, positiva respektive negativa följder av föräldrarnas separation och uppfattningen om att vilja gifta sig i framtiden. Dagens relation till den ena föräldern har visat sig vara fortsatt god medan relationen till den andra föräldern varierar. / The purpose of the essay is to examine whether, and if so how, young adults' experiences of separation and contested custody between parents during childhood influenced their attitudes to coexistence issues. Further, the intention is to seek answers to questions regarding: the best interests of the child, attitudes towards relationships, separation and marriage, as well as the current relationship to the parents. The interpretative framework adopted to interpret and understand the empirical material is based on the initial provisions under chapter 6, some risks with the social workers' approach, the children's sense of responsibility, loyalty and concealment, the child’s survival strategies as well as cognitive dissonance theory.  These are considered effective to highlight young adults' experiences in childhood and their attitudes to coexistence issues. A qualitative method was applied to obtain the empirical material. Five female respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The essay’s findings indicate that the principle of the child’s best interests is not always applicable for the young adults during childhood. Their attitude towards relationships, separation and marriage is characterized by an open attitude to different family constellations with good qualities, positive and negative consequences of their parents' separation and a desire to get married in the future. The relationship today remains good with one parent, while the relationship with the other parent differs.

Non-compliance with visitor regulations in national parks can have an impact on park conservation and the experience of other park visitors. Park management in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve located on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada is challenged by visitors’ non-compliant behaviour concerning regulations to keep dogs on the leash in the park. Dogs that run free (off-leash) on the beaches of the park disturb migratory shorebirds, and have the potential to habituate wolves to regard dogs as objects of prey. This study investigates why many visitors opt for non-compliance with regulations aimed at conservation. The goal of the study is to contribute new insights that may help park management find workable solutions to deliver the ‘dual mandate’ of managing protected areas both, for conservation and for nature-based tourism. The study is grounded within the context of Lefebvre’s (1991) notions of the production of space, and recent work in animal geography that addresses the changing role of our canine companions in modern society. The methodology combines qualitative and quantitative research applying Fishbein & Ajzen’s (2010) theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The research is presented using a journal format, which unavoidably implies some repetition of information but allows for the different sections to be read as stand-alone documents. The thesis starts with an introductory chapter. This is followed by a book chapter published in Domesticated Animals & Leisure (Carr, 2015 in press) that reports highlights from qualitative research exploring why park visitors appear reluctant to comply with on-leash rules. Results reveal the beach as a contested space, driven by a strong off-leash social norm. Chapter Three is a journal article format paper that reports on a quantitative survey based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to identify beliefs that underlie visitor behaviour. Results indicate that habit, with respect to dog leashing when at home and on previous visits to the park, appear to impact the ability of the model to predict future behaviour. Chapter Four is a second journal article format paper where it is suggested that ambivalence, the presence of conflicting behavioural beliefs, influences the relation between behavioural beliefs and attitudes in the TPB, resulting in non-compliance behaviour. A concluding chapter summarizes how results presented in the three main chapters contribute to the body of knowledge on animal geography, compliance and research using the TPB, as well as suggesting techniques that park staff should consider for managing visitor behaviour under situations of apparent non-compliance. / Graduate

CFS/ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is a distressing and potentially debilitating condition. It can also be understood as a contested condition, surrounded by controversy about its nature, causes and treatment. Previous research indicates that those affected experience this climate of contestation as a troubling and discrediting assault, not only on the nature of their condition, but also on their identities. However, little attention has been paid to the voices of young people living with CFS/ME. This thesis extends a relatively small literature in new directions, focusing a constructionist, discursive narrative lens on the accounts of ten young people (aged 13-18) living with a diagnosis of CFS/ME. Narratives constructed during repeated interviews over a year, and drawing on multimodal materials collected by participants over that period, were analysed for their content, structure and performance, with reference to the local and broader contexts of their production. This analysis demonstrates that teenagers construct rich, multi-layered narratives with the potential to enhance understanding of their situation and broader features of the social world. As they speak of the onset of illness, attempts to live with enduring, unpredictable symptoms and their psychosocial consequences, and (for some) the possibility of 'moving on' from the worst of illness, this analysis throws new light on how young people's narratives can be understood as simultaneously constructing the condition ('M.E.') and the identities of those involved ('me' and others), in ways that engage with, reflect and resist prevailing discourses. It is argued that the discursive contexts of CFS/ME and adolescence raise particular challenges for young people as they try to construct credible narratives that convey the full extent of their difficulties, while resisting stigmatising identities (eg, as 'complaining', 'lazy' or otherwise 'not normal'). This analysis highlights implications for them, their families and those who work professionally with them; and for the ongoing social construction of CFS/ME in young people.

A monument known as the Valley of the Fallen is located about fifty kilometers from Madrid. The complex was built by General Franco as a memorial to the victims of the Civil War. After his death, Franco himself was buried here in the basilica caved into the rock. The remains of the dictator situated at such a monumental site together with thousands of victims of the Civil War are, according to many, an unresolved issue for democratic Spain. As many meanings are assigned to the site, the debate about the Valley of the Fallen includes other topics as well. The thesis presents and analyzes the politics of memory and debate on the contested site of memory Valley of the Fallen from the beginning of the Zapatero government in 2004 until the end of the Rajoy government in May 2018. Based on the typology of mnemonic actors of M. Bernhard and J. Kubik, the thesis identifies and classifies national institutional actors participating in this debate. Transnational actors, as well as attitudes of the Spanish civil society, are also mentioned. Therefore, the thesis connects three areas of the collective memory studies: sites of memory, politics of memory and mnemonic actors.