Recent social and cultural changes - such as transformation in the workplace, shifting marriage and divorce patterns, the growth of the women's movement and development of the men's movement - have all served to change the traditional family role of fathers and to force a re-examination of the interaction between fathers and children. This collection of empirical and theoretical articles presents new theoretical models and the results of current research on the role of fathers in families. The articles cover differences in culture, class, nationality and custodial status and focus on legal, economic and policy questions.
Interviews were once thought to be the pipeline through which information was transmitted from a passive subject to an omniscient researcher. However the new `active interview' considers interviewers and interviewees as equal partners in constructing meaning around an interview. This interpretation changes a range of elements in the interview process - from the way of conceiving a sample to the ways in which the interview may be conducted and the results analyzed. In this guide, the authors outline the differences between active interviews and traditional interviews and give novice researchers clear guidelines on conducting a successful interview.
The issue of welfare reform has been predominant on the United States public agenda for almost three decades. Major initiatives undertaken in welfare reform since 1992 are examined in this book, with specific case studies on California, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Wisconsin. Each study focuses on: factors that motivated reform; the political process that led to its adoption; the objectives sought by the reform; and an assessment of the probability that each would achieve its objective. Introductory and concluding chapters analyze national trends in welfare reform.
The prevalence of conduct disorder in children constitutes a severe and persistent social problem. Conduct disorder - which encompasses antisocial behaviours such as aggressive acts, theft, vandalism, arson, running away, truancy and defying authority - is a common reason for referring children and adolescents for psychological and psychiatric treatment. The newly revised edition of this volume describes the nature of conduct disorder, incorporating the most important findings since the publication of the original. The author draws on current research and clinical work from a variety of fields to explore such topics as: psychiatric diagnosis; child-rearing practices; parent psychopathology; sex differences in development; interactions of heredity and environment; risk and protective factors; and treatment and prevention.
The focus of this book is on the role of narrative analysis in the social sciences and in increasing our understanding of human lives and experiences. Contributors address such questions as: Should in-depth interviews become occasions in which to ask for life stories so as to enhance a study of social phenomena? Can a richer approach to psychological understanding be reached by studying how experience, conscious and unconscious, is organized, interpreted and reshaped throughout the life cycle? How can biographical work be used to shed light on the social construction of individual lives? In addition, the book covers the use of narrative analysis in career biography, in examining turning points in people's lives, in the effects of language on women at work, and in discovering common themes between people in similar careers and with shared experiences.
In light of the growing importance of and reliance on task groups in the social services, this comprehensive text examines the uses, methods and dynamics of such groups. Following a description of the nature, history and variety of task groups, the authors discuss the role of the social worker in these groups, focusing on: the recruitment and composition of groups; participating as a team member; shepherding a group and dealing with problem behaviours within it. Task Groups in the Social Services will prove a vital resource to both students and practitioners in social work.
The debate over the validity of memories related to childhood sexual abuse continues. However, whatever one's beliefs about the formation and recall of memories, there are some points upon which most people can agree: that there are children and adolescents who have been abused; that these children ought to receive treatment; and that such treatment should be provided in an effective and efficient manner. The contributors to this volume are dedicated to providing such treatment. The book describes treatment innovations for working with both child and adolescent survivors and perpetrators of sexual abuse. Among the topics explored are inpatient treatment of adolescent survivors and societal responses to sexually aggressive children. The accessibly written chapters offer concrete directions for intervention and will be invaluable for clinical work.
Emphasizing an holistic philosophy, this important book encourages practitioners to surpass treatment based strictly on a one-dimensional, biomedical assessment of their patients. Among the topics covered are: conceptualizations of ill-health; consideration of the patient as an individual; the establishment of goals and cooperative strategy between physician and patient; and the realistic allocation of time, energy, and other resources of the health care provider.
How are the perceptions of the majority culture, the `preferred readings', reflected in television news? How do they reinforce stereotyped attitudes on race? This interpretive analysis presents evidence of racism, including under-representation, within news texts. The author examines the values, traditions and practices of news production that, often unconsciously, serve to maintain the alienation of racial groups in society. While the focus is on local television news in the United States, Race, Myth and the News has a broad relevance to studies of culture and race.
