Family communication is a topic of central interest in a large number of fields across the social and behavioural sciences - for instance, in the domains of language acquisition, cognitive development and socialization. This concise, readable book is the first to offer an interdisciplinary integration of current research on parent-child interaction in the `traditional' family structure. Examining the important variables of self-control, self-concept and communication competencies in childhood, this volume functions as a research heuristic and a vehicle for conversation between theorists, researchers and practitioners.
Montgomery offers a theory of caring, grounded in both clinical practice and theory, that advances caring as an intrinsic part of nursing. Demonstrating the depth and complexity of caring communication, she describes the qualities and behavioural manifestations needed to communicate caring to the patient, while admitting the emotional risks facing caregivers. A model is presented which describes the support necessary within the health care system to sustain this level of communication and to help caregivers cope with these emotional demands.
`Another gem from Judy Dunn! This very readable and interesting book asks some searching questions about how relationships change with age, how one sort of relationship influences others and how thought processes shape or control our interactions with other people.... The result is a challenging (and sometimes provocative) account of what we know today, together with a look forward to likely developments in the years to come. The book is a must for anyone interested in either the social development of children or the meaning of interpersonal relationships' - Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London How and why do children of the same family have strikingly different relationships with their mother and father, with each other and with their friends? Dunn provides a careful examination of current research in the area; she examines how these differences in close relationships originate, whether they are linked to one another and whether troubled parent-child relationships can result in children having difficulties making friends in later life. The author also considers whether it is possible to specify at what stage of development particular relationships are likely to have effects on other relationships; the influence of cultural concepts on the perception and conduct of close relationships; children's social understanding and its impact on relationships; and differences in children's temperament and attachment behaviour.
Following his immensely successful Images of Organization, in which he develops metaphors to explain the dynamics of organization, Imaginization goes one step further by developing metaphors that speak directly to people about how to get things done on the job. Gareth Morgan shows managers, in business and nonprofit settings, how to form common metaphors to help them interpret and change organizational behaviour.
How do we derive concepts from stories and then use these concepts to understand people? What would have to be added to transform story material from the journalistic or literary to the academic and theoretically enriching? Addressing these and other issues such as the interface between life as lived and the social times, distinguished contributors explore this emerging new field in this unique volume. Beginning with the philosophical framework that underlies the study of narrative, the book covers such questions as: what makes people want to preserve the stories of their past? What methods can be used to deconstruct a narrative text? Can what we learn from people's narratives of their past be used to account for their current psychological functioning? What happens if people lose their ability to narrate their story? Can people's narrative accounts tell us something about identity and its development?
This book discusses the role of American police chiefs in contemporary urban settings, using institutional theory as a framework for analysis. From this perspective, the authors review long-term tendencies toward the rationalist modernization of American police agencies. Ongoing `professionalization', unionization and bureaucratization of police work are major themes in the transformations occurring in the modern role of a police chief. The internal and external conflicts and power struggles of police organization are highlighted and the authors argue that the fundamental definition of police work is the root of this conflict. It is necessary for policing paradigms to move away from rule-based, law-enforcement models towards service alternatives that emphasize the situational imperatives and discretionary essence of police work.
The findings of a large qualitative research project which studied the experiences of the chronically ill within the health care system are presented here. Thorne demonstrates the vast difference between chronic and acute illness in terms of their social and health care consequences. The book is divided into three sections: the first examines how patients handle the onset of diseases and acute episodes; the second explores the relationship with health care providers; and the final part focuses on the 'system' with its sociocultural and organizational agenda. The concluding chapter proposes future directions for health care organization, biomedical technology and social policy.
Why do we have evaluation? Is evaluation a discipline? How much impact does evaluation have on government, education or politics? Can social problems, such as poverty, be solved by the application of resources and intelligence? By exploring how evaluation has evolved as a discipline, science and profession, Ernest R House assesses the impact of evaluation on modern societies and the issues that this impact raises for evaluators. Issues addressed include: pluralism versus managerialism; quantitative versus qualitative methodologies; the purpose of education for knowledge production versus education for professions; and clientism and multicultural concerns.
