The invasion of Iraq was premised upon accounts of the situation that have proved unsustainable, but that has not generated a change in the strategy of the coalition forces. Conventional contingency accounts of leadership suggest that accurate accounts of the context are a critical element of the decision-making apparatus but such accounts appear incapable of explaining the decisions of those engaged. An alternative model is developed that adapts the Tame and Wicked problem analysis of Rittell and Webber, in association with Etzioni’s typology of compliance, to propose an alternative analysis that is rooted in social constructivist approaches. This is then applied to three asymmetric case studies which suggest that decision-makers are much more active in the constitution of the context than conventional contingency theories allow, and that a persuasive rendition of the context then legitimizes a particular form of action that often relates to the decision-maker’s preferred mode of engagement, rather than ...

Problems, problems, problems: The social construction of ‘leadership’

I argue that the magnitude and nature of sex differences in aggression, their development, causation, and variability, can be better explained by sexual selection than by the alternative biosocial version of social role theory. Thus, sex differences in physical aggression increase with the degree of risk, occur early in life, peak in young adulthood, and are likely to be mediated by greater male impulsiveness, and greater female fear of physical danger. Male variability in physical aggression is consistent with an alternative life history perspective, and context-dependent variability with responses to reproductive competition, although some variability follows the internal and external influences of social roles. Other sex differences, in variance in reproductive output, threat displays, size and strength, maturation rates, and mortality and conception rates, all indicate that male aggression is part of a sexually selected adaptive complex. Physical aggression between partners can be explained using different evolutionary principles, arising from the conflicts of interest between males and females entering a reproductive alliance, combined with variability following differences in societal gender roles. In this case, social roles are particularly important since they enable both the relatively equality in physical aggression between partners from Western nations, and the considerable cross-national variability, to be explained.

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Does sexual selection explain human sex differences in aggression

Historians have generally agreed that the United States has always been an extremely violent nation; however, since the 1950s they have been myopic in their treatment of violence in America and have not provided the American people with essential information about their society and culture. Those historians who focused on violence in America, until the 1990s, have focused on only one form of violence—collective social violence. Largely overlooked, and equally significant, are interpersonal violence (including criminal and domestic violence) and the effect of war. This deficiency helps explain why Americans seem genuinely at a loss to understand the nature, character, and frequency of violence in America’s past and present, especially when a high-profile violent incident occurs. This article surveys the historiography of violence in America through the 1990s and examines the contributions of historians and legal scholars who have focused on interpersonal and criminal violence.

The Historiography of American Violence

CHILD AND FAMILY PREDICTORS OF BULLYING IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS by RENE M NOTA August 2013 Advisor: Dr Stephen B Hillman Major: Educational Psychology Degree Doctor of Philosophy The purpose of this study was to examine the shared variables that contribute to direct and indirect bullying and to explore the role of family context, and adolescent personality characteristics on predicting bullying behavior The theoretical framework of this study was based on evidence that no specific element can describe why some individuals are at risk for behaving aggressively and others are more resilient The study included 259 middle schools students in grades six through eight The students were enrolled at a single middle school located in a suburban area The largest group of students was African American, lived with both parents or mother only, and qualified for free or reduced lunch programs The students’ self-reported academic achievement appeared to reflect typical grades in a middle school Five instruments, Peer Experiences Questionnaire, Parental Monitoring Scale, The Big Five Inventory, Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire – Revised, and Parental Support for Fighting, were used to obtain information regarding bullying, role of family context, and adolescent personality characteristics Four research questions and associated hypotheses were developed for the study The findings of the study

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James W. Clarke

Papers

Violent Land: Single Men and Social Disorder from the Frontier to the Inner City David T. Courtwright