Showing papers on "Conceptualization published in 1977"

The entrepreneurial personality: a person at the crossroads

Abstract: This paper reviews the concept of entrepreneurship and empirical studies of entrepreneurial behaviour patterns. In addition, it explores the social, economic and psychodynamic forces influencing entrepreneurship. A conceptualization of the entrepreneurial personality is proposed. Finally, the organizational impact of these entrepreneurial behaviour patterns on work environment and management succession is discussed.

The Puzzle of Representation: Specifying Components of Responsiveness

Abstract: This study examines the conceptualization of representation, particularly the problems resulting from conceiving of it simply in terms of congruence between the attitudes of constituents and of representatives on policy questions. It examines critically some of the work that followed the innovative study of Miller and Stokes. Regarding representation as responsiveness, it identifies four components of this concept: policy, service, allocation, and symbolic responsiveness.

The Achievement Motive Construct and its Measurement: Where Are We Now?.

Abstract: The achievement motive (nAch) is a construct which has attracted many applied researchers. The present paper reviews the nature and conceptualization of nAch, focusing on the considerable number of different projective and questionnaire instruments which have been evolved for its measurement. The instruments are examined for their convergent validity, which is found to be very poor. Reasons for this are explained in terms of the psychometric characteristics of the instruments and whether nAch should be conceptualized as a conscious or unconscious variable. Guidelines for the future development of nAch measures are presented.

Deindividuation: Causes and Consequences.

Abstract: Previous definitions of deindividuation are reviewed and a current conceptualization is offered. The research literature is reviewed under possible antecedents to deindividuation. It is concluded that research has failed to confirm the causal role of deindividuation in releasing antisocial behavior. Research strategies are suggested which will help more quickly to verify or disconfirm the existence and causal role of the construct.

Measurement in Social Stratification

Abstract: Valid measurement involves a process of theoretical conceptualization and opera­ tional definition based on rules of correspondence between the theory and the scaling techniques selected. The requirement of prior conceptual clarity is a major obstacle in the measurement of social stratification: theories in this field are complex, contra­ dictory, diverse, and "as difficult to express operationally as they are grand" (Jack­ son & Curtis 1968: 112). It is not the purpose of this paper to review the theoretical issues; that has been well done by others in recent years (Svalastoga 1964, 1965; Bottomore 1966; Lenski 1966; Tumin 1967; Allardt 1968; Runciman 1968; Parsons 1970; Eisenstadt 1971). Rather, the major objective is to present and critically review some of the measurement devices that have been developed by US, Canadian, and British researchers. Fortunately, there are some core concepts in social stratifi­ cation that have permitted these attempts at measurement, even in the absence of an agreed-upon theoretical base, or as Bottomore suggests (1966:10), "some general features of social stratification which are not in dispute." In the first place, social stratification is virtually synonymous with social inequal­ ity.1 Strata are not simply nominal categories, but hierarchically arranged sets with distinctions by ordinal rank. These distinctions indicate a second general feature, namely that stratification is social, the ranks based on societal definitions or attribu­ tions of differential value. The arenas and grounds for these value judgments, however, are subject to some controversy. There is little disagreement concerning the existence of at least two types of characteristics generating such judgments: biological distinctions, such as age, sex, or race, and acquired distinctions, such as power, wealth, or prestige. But there is no theoretical consensus as to which of these

The American Perception of Class and Status

Abstract: Most American sociological research has conceptualized the occupational structure as a continuous prestige hierarchy. The research reported here questions the generality of that conceptualization by examining the relative importance of manual-nonmanual class differences and prestige differences for several attitudes and behaviors. First, the perception of "working class" and "middle class" more closely reflects a manual-nonmanual dichotomy than a continuous prestige scale. Voting behavior and party identification are also better predicted by the dichotomy. Second, the relevance of bounded class and continuous status models varies according to the issues involved. Thus, some interpersonal behaviors and individual satisfactions are patterned according to continuous prestige rankings while opinions on societal issues reflect dichotomous class differences. Third, individuals vary in their propensity to use class or status models according to social structural influences. For instance, a prestige orientation is fostered by small, traditional industries while the class dichotomy is more important in large, bureaucratic industries. The evidence also indicates that occupational prestige is more a middle-class concern, with little importance for manual workers.

Attitudes and Belief Systems Concerning Urban Services

Abstract: STRUCTURAL investigations of the interrelationships among attitudes have been an important aspect of research about political belief systems.1 Patterns of correlations among attitude items can reveal much about widespread belief system processes which underlie attitude organization in the general public. This study investigates citizen attitudes toward urban services to enhance our understanding both of mass belief systems concerning local government and the nature of mass political belief systems in general. Political belief system research has focused primarily on national political issues which are remote from the day-to-day concerns and experiences of most citizens. This research, however, concerns attitudes toward the simplest and most basic activities of local government-the provision of urban services such as polic,e, parks and recreation, and refuse collection. Since immediate matters like these may be more salient to average I The other main types of political belief system research have concerned the temporal stability of attitudes, and levels of political conceptualization revealed by open-ended questions.

Consumer satisfaction: Concept and measurement

Abstract: In marketing management, consumer satisfaction may be clustered with such key goals as profitability and social responsibility. However undisputed its importance, its conceptualization and measurement have remained largely backward, severely limiting its value in determining marketing strategy. This article has raised issues and suggested guidelines for research and management thinking.

Trust as a Complex Multi-Dimensional Construct:

Abstract: While many uses of the construct trust assume unidimensionality, there is a lack of agreement as to meaning and measurement. Some have suggested trust to be a multi-dimensional construct. This study explored further the notion that trust is multi-dimensional. A factor analysis of three paper-and-pencil measures of trust yielded four underlying factors: suspicion-trust, risk-taking, gambling, and cynicism. The implications of this finding are discussed. Recommendations for future conceptualization and study are included.

Cognitive therapy and research: A question of questions

Abstract: Although cognitive-behavioral approaches have now earned substantial recognition within clinical psychology, they face a host of challenges which merit careful attention. In the interest of their own refinement and growth, a philosophy of critical and cautious self-scrutiny has much more to offer than one of unbridled enthusiasm and defensiveness. Three of the major challenges facing contemporary workers in this area are (a)a clearer demonstration of enduring effectiveness with clinically revelant problems, (b)refinements in our conceptualization and analysis of therapeutic process, and (c)a clearer specification of the operations and procedures employed in various therapies. But perhaps the greatest problem facing cognitive therapy researchers is the tendency of confirmatory bias—i.e., selective reporting, emphasis, and publication of studies which “support” cognitive hypotheses. Unless we communicate and seriously examine “negative results” and replicational failures, we will encourage a distorted view of our knowledge and, more importantly, sacrifice the invaluable information which these “failures” might offer toward the refinement of our models and procedures.

Strategies for communication research

Abstract: Hirsch et al present a selection of the most important scholarly research on organizational analysis and field study; quantitative data collection and modelling; and conceptualization of time and temporal order -- areas of vital concern to communication researchers. 'The sixth volume of Sage Annual Reviews of Communications Research is a stimulating one. It is divided into three parts, each mirroring a special interest of one of the three editors...gives rise to more than one unexpected insight...Therefore, it is a valuable volume.' -- Sociology and Social Research, Vol 64 No 1, 1980

Occupational role acquisition: a perspective on the chronically disabled.

Abstract: Occupational therapists are aware that chronic disability restricts not only physical and mental skills, but also social skills and the resulting ability of the patient to function in society. The issue of quality of life for the chronically disabled requires assisting them in the acquisition of new, although not always remunerative, occupational roles. The occupational role defines daily activity and appropriation of time, as well as the contribution to society and societal worth. This article presents the sociological concepts of role, three critical points in conceptualization of the occupational role acquisition process, a model for evaluating and monitoring a patient's progress, and a case study.

A New Approach to Religious Commitment

Abstract: The authors propose a new framework for studying religious commitment. Commitment is viewed as a general social process which occurs in various aspects of life (e.g., marriage, work, politics, and religion). It consists of subjective and behavioral components. Religious commitment is defined as the interaction between people's religious consciousness and religious participation. Other religious beliefs, feelings, and intellectual inclinations are considered to be parts of people's religious orientations, not aspects of commitment as other approaches have suggested. Data from members of six Christian denominations are used to explore this conceptualization and the relationships among these variables. Some determinants and consequences of commitment also are considered. The evidence yields several propositions regarding factors that affect commitment and the effects of religion on people's attitudes and behaviors. The paper's implications for future research on religious commitment in particular an...

Toward a Theory of Learning How to Learn.

Abstract: Analysis of the literature suggests that adult educators and adult learners have much to gain from a clearer conceptualization of a theory of the nature and implications of learning how to learn—a ...

Social Reciprocity: A Review of Research and Educational Implications

Abstract: This paper analyzes the potential contributions of research on social reciprocity to the assessment and remediation of social withdrawal among educationally handicapped preschool children. The studies reviewed clearly suggest that social reciprocity is a phenomenon that occurs during interaction among adults and normal and exceptional preschool children. It is suggested here that educational strategies designed to increase positive social interaction be based on a reciprocal conceptualization of social behavior. Such a theoretical framework is reflected in the following procedures: (a) the use of observational strategies that are sensitive to who gives what to whom, when, and with what effect; and (b) the development of intervention efforts that rely on the eliciting effect of social stimuli to accelerate the social responses of withdrawn children.

Characteristics Of Decisional Participation By Nurses

Abstract: The article discusses a 1977 study on the decision-making involvement of nurses in the health care industry. The conceptualization of decisional participation was done by means of a construct contr...

The Design of Problem-Solving Systems

Abstract: Problem solving, from a systems point of view, is to be considered as a complex, cognitive-affective process of formation and reorganization of conceptual systems. Conceptualization of problem-solving systems includes the development of a problem solver's possible points of view, their naming by explicitly introduced terms, and finally elaboration of ideal-typical formal design models. This paper suggests a taxonomic framework that elaborates and interconnects six design viewpoints, in order to give the problem solver comprehended as a systems designer better conceptual support than the “general” systems concept which is still mechanistically employed. These viewpoints furnish corresponding formal design ideals for the design and improvement of problem-solving processes. They must be completed by both normative premises and behavioral science concepts.

Conceptualization: knowledge and logic guiding empirical research.

Abstract: This article analyzes functions and processes of research conceptualization. The most prevailing limitation of nursing research, as represented in its published literature, concerns the relevant use of knowledge and logic for the formulation of that which is to be studied. To that end, the components of the conceptual phase of research, as they develop progressively from the initiating question through the stipulation of the specific purpose of a study, are discussed. For each component emphasis is given to the function served by past knowledge toward the generation of new knowledge.

The Early Development of Intentional Memory Behavior

Abstract: A conceptualization of intentional behavior is presented stressing the problem of diagnosis. The conceptual considerations are translated into methodological requirements for the study of intentional

Political alienation as a social indicator: Attitudes and action

Abstract: This paper presents a conceptualization of political alienation as an evaluative orientation toward the political system at the regime level. It then reviews the conceptual status of the most widely used measures of alienation, and concludes that the distinctions among them reflect differences in the attitude object and in the format of the survey questions which make them up. Next the paper reviews trends in attitudes toward American political institutions between 1964 and 1974, demonstrating that the decline in confidence in national leaders was only rarely accompanied by a repudiation of systemic values and processes. These findings are based upon national opinion surveys. The main body of the paper reports on evidence about the relationship between political alienation and political action, drawn from surveys in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted by Berkeley's Survey Research Center in 1972 and 1973. A new Political Alienation Index is used as the attitude measure, and a model is developed to account for alienation's causal influence on participation in unconventional political protest. By the use of multiple regression analysis involving multiplicative terms, it is shown that political alienation interacts with the individual's cognitive and political skills, age, attitudes toward the protest act, and structural opportunities for action to promote protest behavior. Thus the political relevance of rising disaffection from the ongoing order can only be assessed when other characteristics of the alienated and their political context have been established. The Inter University Consortium for Political Research provided access to the University of Michigan's national election surveys. I am grateful to Rober Kahn for permission to reproduce findings from the Bureaucratic Encounter Survey.

"Alienating-Individualism" and "Reciprocal-Individualism": A Cross-Cultural Conceptualization.

Abstract: Hebrew University, his MSW from New York University, and his PhD and subsequent postdoctoral training from the University of California at Berkeley. Although he devotes a great part of his time to experimental social psychology in which he wastrained, his heart is set on exploring the impacts of religious ethics on contemporary psychology and interpersonal relations Thus, in an effort to understand the pessimistic paradigm of human nature which he believes underlies Western theories of and attitudes toward devi-

Pan-africanism, rational and irrational

Abstract: PAN-AFRICANISM's history is polymorphous and elusive, difficult to relate coherently, more so to analyse and define. Usually, general studies have superficially chronicled the conferences and congresses, leaders and disputes, and platform and manifesto rhetoric of the period since the First Pan-African Conference in I900, with a very brief reference to antecedents.1 The creation of the O.A.U. in I963 has been more or less accepted as the consummation of the movement's previous history. Only in specialist monographs, biographies and articles has there been much attention to depth and analysis.2 The only widely accepted conceptual framework, till Geiss, was that provided in the early I96os by G. A. Shepperson-that Pan-Africanism developed along the old Atlantic Slave Trade triangle, that the diaspora was of the highest importance in the formative era, and that typologically Pan-Africanism could be divided twofold into informal movements, broadly related ('pan-Africanism'), and the formal congresses and organizations of I900 onwards ('Pan-Africanism').3 This achievement contrasted with the intellectual timidity of much that followed it, on the level of generalization. Much has been written on Pan-Africanism since then, and modified or new conceptualization ought to have emerged from all this: a field of intellectual enquiry surely shows maturity by rational debate between rival hypotheses. Imanuel Geiss finds the Sheppersonian approach still valid, but, refreshingly, also offers some lively new ideas. His book, researched in the mid-Ig6os, published in German in I968, and now available in English, outclasses and supersedes all other general works on Pan-Africanism, for this reason as well as for numerous original contributions to knowledge, such as on the importance of Britain as a locus of Pan-African activity. Furthermore, it is the only general study as yet that gives serious attention to pre-Igoo origins. Others have followed

Rediscovering asylums: the unhistorical history of the mental hospital.

Abstract: D uring the past two decades there has been unending controversy in the United States over how to deal with the mentally ill. Some argue that confinement in hospitals is the worst possible policy; others urge greater public expenditures to upgrade institutional care and treatment; still others deny that there is any such thing as mental disease; and finally, there are those who insist that only a totally new approach involving the entire community can resolve painful dilemmas. Most individuals attempt to "prove" the validity of their own position by drawing on the experiences of the past. As a historian I am pleased that those involved in policy decisions do turn to the past. What troubles me, however, is the quality of the historical data used in legitimating or opposing particular policies. Let me be more specific. Anyone concerned with the development of mental hospitals (or, for that matter, of schools, prisons, almshouses, houses of refuge, to cite only a few examples) immediately confronts a scholarly controversy. On one side stand those who celebrate these institutions as evidence of human progress, humanitarianism, and liberal sentiment. Although these scholars concede that there are serious flaws and imperfections in these institutions, they operate on the assumption that with additional effort and funding most societal defects could have been eliminated. On the other, there are scholars who denigrate these same institutions, viewing them as the agencies by which dominant elites restrained deviant groups or largely lower-class elements, thereby ensuring their own hegemony. Although I have deliberately set forth these two general approaches in dichotomous terms, I do not believe such a conceptualization of the debate is far from the truth, even though many individual studies do not fit within such a framework.1

Theories of alienation : critical perspectives in philosophy and the social sciences

Abstract: Evolution of the theory and concept.- Alienation as a concept in the social sciences.- Extensions and reformulations in Marxist analysis.- Alienation and reification.- Using Marx's theory of alienation empirically.- Psychiatric approaches.- Some problems of reification in existential psychiatry: conceptual and practical considerations.- The Tantalus Ratio. A scaffolding for an ontological personality theory.- New conceptual and theoretical approaches.- Alienation, the 'is-ought' gap and two sorts of discord.- Mediation and psychic distance.- On 'alienation': an essay in the psycholinguistics of science.- Individual alienation and information processing: a systems theoretical conceptualization.- Work and politics.- Work or life.- Political powerlessness as reality.- Current research findings.- Empirical alienation studies: an overview.

Art attitude: conceptualization and implication

Abstract: (1977). Art Attitude: Conceptualization and Implication. Studies in Art Education: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 21-28.

Attitudes and Experiences of Death Workshop Attendees.

Abstract: Attendees at workshops and lectures given by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross were asked to complete a questionnaire which assessed the following: 1) First death experience, 2) Present conceptualization o...

Playfulness in Studies of Play, Imagination, and Creativity

Abstract: This chapter discusses various investigations that use play as a setting in which physical, social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of behavior are tested. It also presents those studies that are concerned with play itself as a legitimate area of analysis. It also presents the research that deals with the salient aspects of play even in a nonplay setting. The majority of studies, especially those with an experimental framework, focus on the reaction of the consumer of humor. One advantage of viewing sense of humor within the playfulness conceptualization is that it allows to examining the individual not only as a consumer of humor but also as its producer. By stipulating that there is a behavior syndrome that encompasses humor, joy, and spontaneity, the natural linkings of these three dimensions are underlined. Psychological distancing in humor, the focus on the producer of humor in natural settings, the relationship of humor to cognitive mastery, and the existence of friendly wit are the specific findings supporting the conceptualization of playfulness.

Sacrifice and Social Structure among the Kuranko

Abstract: In anthropological studies of African societies a recurring problem of analysis centres on the relationship between descent groupings and territorial units. A categorical distinction, such as Maine advanced (1861), between kinds of societies or groups based on either descent or locality is empirically spurious (Gluckman 1971: 85). Fortes has emphasised that the problem is one ‘of assigning an order of relative weight to the various factors involved in culture and in social organization, or alternatively of devising methods for describing and analyzing a configuration of factors so as to show precisely how they interact with one another’ (1953:25). Other writers have favoured this same move from reductionist either-or typologies to relativistic functional propositions, notably in analysing the modalities of descent (Lewis 1968; Goody 1969), of descent and affinity (Schneider 1968; Leach 1971), of kinship – and neighbourship (Gulliver 1971). But despite these developments, comparative analysis is still often based on crude correlations derived from an arbitrary and piecemeal codification of data (Hallpike 1971). My approach in this essay is guided by three structuralist propositions: descent and locality are (1) complementary principles, the significance of one being relative to the significance of the other, (2) mental —representations and tactical signs, rather than institutions sui generis , (3) variables within a transformational system, the system being susceptible to analysis at the level. of both organization and conceptualization.

Levels of Use of the Innovation: The Conceptualization and Measurement of a Variable Useful for Assessing Innovation Implementation by Individuals.

Abstract: AUTHOR Loucks, Susan F. TITLE Levels of Use of the Innovation: The Conceptualization and Measurement of a Variable Useful for Assessing Innovation Implementation by Individuals. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (DHEW) , Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 8 Apr 77 NOTE 18p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New York, N.Y., April 4-8, 1977); Some charts may not reproduce clearly due to small print size