Power Differentials (power + differential)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Strength-based assessment in clinical practice,

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
Tayyab Rashid
Abstract Strength-based assessment can enhance clinical clarity, improve the range of information, and provide a more complete picture of clients and their circumstances. Deficit-oriented assessment has improved the assessment and treatment of a number of disorders but, at the same time, has created a negative bias, considered strengths as clinical peripheries or by-products, tended to reduce clients to diagnostic categories, and created a power differential, which could be counterproductive to clinical efficacy. Strength-based assessment explores weaknesses as well as strengths to effectively deal with problems. We present a number of strength-based strategies for use in clinical practice. These strategies, we hope, will help clinicians to operationalize how strengths and weaknesses reverberate and contribute to a client's psychological status, which is comprehensive and guards against negative bias. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 65: 1,11, 2009. [source]


Bullying in school and adolescent sense of empowerment: an analysis of relationships with parents, friends, and teachers,

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
Maury Nation
Abstract We explore the development of bullying and victimization in school by investigating 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds' sense of interpersonal empowerment with parents, friends and teachers. A national sample of 4386 male and female students from 243 middle and secondary schools in Italy were surveyed. Boys were more likely than girls to be bullies and more likely to have been a bully/victim. Victimization and the likelihood of being both a bully and a victim declined with age. Bullying increased with age among boys whereas for girls it was slightly more prevalent at age 13 than ages 11 or 15. The sense of empowerment students experience with their teachers decreased in the older cohorts. Disempowered relationships with teachers consistently predicted bullying behaviour. Higher social competence was reported by 13- and 15-year-old bullies. Chronically bullied students had lower social competence in all age cohorts. Otherwise, predictors of victimization varied by age: 11-year-old victims felt less empowered by their teachers; 15-year-old victims reported more difficulties in negotiating cooperative relationships with parents. Bullies in all cohorts and younger bully/victims feel less empowered by their teachers. These findings suggest that students who are disempowered by teachers may either compensate by oppressing (bullying) peers or generalize the power differential with peers (become a victim). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Refugees and medical student training: results of a programme in primary care

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 7 2006
Kim Griswold
Context, Medical schools have responded to the increasing diversity of the population of the USA by incorporating cultural competency training into their curricula. This paper presents results from pre- and post-programme surveys of medical students who participated in a training programme that included evening clinical sessions for refugee patients and related educational workshops. Methods, A self-assessment survey was administered at the beginning and end of the academic year to measure the cultural awareness of participating medical students. Results, Over the 3 years of the programme, over 133 students participated and 95 (73%) completed pre- and post-programme surveys. Participants rated themselves significantly higher in all 3 domains of the cultural awareness survey after completion of the programme. Conclusions, The opportunity for medical students to work with refugees in the provision of health care presents many opportunities for students, including lessons in communication, and scope to learn about other cultures and practise basic health care skills. An important issue to consider is the power differential between those working in medicine and patients who are refugees. To avoid reinforcing stereotypes, medical programmes and medical school curricula can incorporate efforts to promote reflection on provider attitudes, beliefs and biases. [source]


Psychotherapy, political resistance and intimacy: Dilemmas, possibilities and limitations, Part II

PSYCHOTHERAPY AND POLITICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2009
Manuel Llorens
Abstract The following paper discusses the challenges faced by psychotherapists working in Venezuela during years of political and social unrest as a way of examining psychotherapy's dilemmas when dealing with political issues. It is the second part of a two-part piece. In the first part limitations of the traditional psychotherapeutic technical recommendations in a highly polarized political setting were considered. In this second part examples of the difficulties presented in Venezuela will be shown. Reflexive psychotherapeutic alternatives to traditional technical considerations such as neutrality will be considered. The possibilities opened up by the perspectives that lead us to engage simultaneously with the personal and social aspects of life, the inclusion of the power differential in the therapeutic relationship and the potential that psychotherapy has to act as a form of resistance to unjust circumstances when thought of as a space where the intimate and the political are intertwined will be considered. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Peer Led Focus Groups and Young People

CHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
Cathy Murray
Peer led focus groups, a qualitative social science research method, and their use with young people are examined. The paper outlines three developments that have contributed to their emergence, namely: traditional focus groups, peer education and participatory research. Drawing on a study in progress, the advantages and challenges associated with peer led focus groups are discussed. A key benefit is that the power differential between the adult researcher and the researched is removed, at least at the point of data collection, rendering peer led focus groups one of few research contexts in which young people can speak collectively with no adult present. [source]


Extent and Nature of Sexual Harassment in the Fashion Retail Workplace: 10 Years Later

FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES RESEARCH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005
Catherine Amoroso Leslie
Sexual harassment continues to be a pervasive and costly problem for businesses, government, and educational institutions. In the past 15 years, workplace sexual harassment has become prominent in the public consciousness. In fashion retailing, an industry with a large number of young, unmarried female employees and relatively large power differentials between organizational levels, sexual harassment is an important issue. The purpose of this study was to replicate Workman's 1993 article "Extent and Nature of Sexual Harassment in the Fashion Retail Workplace." The same instrument was administered to 144 female clothing and textile students at a large state university. One hundred six participants (73.6%) had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassing behavior. This was consistent with Workman's finding of 73.5%. In the majority of the variables tested, very little had changed between 1993 and 2003. [source]


Dealing with Timing and Synchronization in Opportunities for Joint Activity Participation

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 3 2010
Tijs Neutens
The ability of people to access opportunities offered by the built environment is circumscribed by various sets of space,time constraints, including the requirements to meet other persons at particular times and places to undertake activities together. While models of space,time accessibility recognize that joint activities may constrain the performance of activities in space and time, their specifications do not explicitly acknowledge the opportunities that individuals of a group have for joint activity participation. Therefore, this article focuses on joint activity participation and argues that collective activity decisions are the outcome of a complex process involving various aspects of timing, synchronization, and social hierarchy. The utility-theoretic model proposed here quantifies the extent to which opportunities can be jointly accessed by a particular group of people within a specific time period. Central to the approach are three key variables: the attractiveness of an opportunity, the time available for activity participation, and the travel time to an activity location. Because of the multiperson character of joint activities, the determination of these variables is subject to individual preferences, privileges, and power differentials within a group. Specific attention is given to how time-of-day and synchronization effects influence the opportunities accessible to a group of individuals. The impact of these factors on joint accessibility is illustrated by a real-world example of an everyday rendezvous scenario. The outcomes of a simulation exercise suggest that time-of-day and synchronization effects significantly affect the benefits that can be gained from opportunities for joint activities. La capacidad de acceso a las oportunidades que los entornos construidos (como las ciudades) ofrecen a las personas, está limitada por un conjunto diverso de restricciones espacio-temporales. Entre ellas se incluyen los requisitos para coincidir y encontrarse con otras personas en determinados momentos y lugares con el fin de realizar actividades conjuntas. Los modelos de accesibilidad comunes reconocen que las actividades conjuntas pueden limitar el ejercicio de actividades en el espacio y el tiempo. Sin embargo, sus especificaciones no reconocen explícitamente las oportunidades disponibles a todos los individuos de un grupo para participar de una actividad conjunta. Es en este contexto y dadas las limitaciones descritas que este artículo se centra en la participación de individuos en actividades conjuntas y propone el argumento que la toma de decisiones relacionadas con dichas actividades son el resultado de un proceso complejo que involucra varios aspectos de temporización (programación temporal), sincronización, y jerarquía social. El modelo teórico de utilidad que se propone aquí cuantifica el grado en que las oportunidades pueden ser evaluadas en forma conjunta por un grupo de personas particular dentro de un período de tiempo específico. El marco general propuesto por los autores se basa en tres variables fundamentales: el atractivo de una oportunidad, el tiempo disponible para la participación de la actividad, y el tiempo de desplazamiento al lugar donde se lleva a cabo actividad. Debido al carácter particular de estas actividades (que involucran múltiples participantes), la determinación de estas variables está sujeta a preferencias individuales, a privilegios y a diferencias de poder dentro de un grupo. El presente estudio además presta atención especial a la forma en la que la hora del día y los efectos de sincronización pueden influenciar la disponibilidad de oportunidades para un grupo determinado de individuos. El impacto de estos factores sobre la accesibilidad agregada de actividades conjuntas es ejemplificado por los autores mediante un caso del mundo real que utiliza escenarios de encuentros diarios entre personas. Los resultados de este ejercicio de simulación sugieren que los efectos de la hora del día y la sincronización afectan significativamente los beneficios que se pueden obtener a partir las oportunidades disponibles para acceder a y realizar actividades conjuntas. [source]


Insiders and outsiders: Levels of collaboration in research partnerships across resource divides

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006
MARK TOMLINSON
With increasing recognition of the health and psychosocial challenges in developing countries, more research in these countries is essential. Research collaborations between wealthier and less wealthy countries are, however, complex. A partnership model has been proposed which emphasizes the importance of mutually respectful and beneficial relationships in international research. Using an example of a mother-infant intervention project in South Africa we describe the elements of an equitable partnership model of research. An issue which has been overlooked, however, is the reality of power differentials within the poorer countries themselves. We show that there are many intersecting levels of relationships within intercountry research, and suggest that power dynamics within countries deserves equal attention as international issues. Based on our experiences, we present some tentative guidelines for international research which builds long-term capacity and recognizes the importance of multiple levels of analysis and interaction. [source]


Ongoing Struggles: Mayas and Immigrants in Tourist Era Tulum

JOURNAL OF LATIN AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
Ana M. Juárez
In Quintana Roo, Mexico, an area once controlled by Maya descendants of the mid,19th -century Caste Wars of the Yucatan, the global tourist economy has led to radical changes. This study analyzes relations between local Mayas and Yucatec and Mexican immigrants in Tulum Pueblo, located south of Cancun and just outside a popular archeological site. Struggles between Mayas and immigrants have centered on cultural, marital and religious practices and physical control of the town's central church and plaza, eventually resulting in the establishment of dual, competing town centers. Questions of cultural politics and the control of space continue to be central to contemporary political movements around the world. This research shows that the fashioning, of cultural places and practices is inherently tied to materially based differences in power and inequality differences are minimized when few disparities in power exist, but conflicts over places and identities are maximized when power differentials increase. [source]


THE POWER EQUITY GUIDE: ATTENDING TO GENDER IN FAMILY THERAPY

JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 2 2000
Shelley A. Haddock
In the past two decades, feminist scholars have challenged the field of family therapy to incorporate the organizing principle of gender in its theory, practice, and training. In this paper, we introduce a training, research, and therapeutic tool that provides guidance for addressing or observing gender and power differentials in the practic of family therapy. As a training tool, the Power Equity Guide helps trainees to translate their theoretical understanding of feminist principles into specific behaviors in therapy. Researchers and supervisors can use the Power Equity Guide to evaluate the practice of gender-informed family therapy. We also provide specific suggestions for its use by trainers, supervisors, therapists, and researchers. [source]


The Rich Tradition of Australian Realism

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND HISTORY, Issue 3 2009
Michael Wesley
Australian International Relations (IR) developed as a discipline at the same time as its emergence in the rest of the Anglophone world. A deep reading of Australian writing on international relations since the 1920s reveals a distinctive tradition of IR scholarship, shaped very much by this country's international circumstances and the pragmatic culture of political inquiry that pervaded its universities and diplomatic institutions. Three characteristics frame the Australian Realist outlook. The first is experiential, a preoccupation with the particularities of Australia's international position , size, isolation, wealth, population, culture , and how these factors can help understand the ways in which Australia relates to the world beyond its shores. The second is systemic pessimism, a tendency to be apprehensive about broader global stability. The third is pragmatism, a predilection for understanding the essential attributes of the situation itself, rather than using the situation to inquire into the general nature of the international system. These characteristics have fostered sustained attention to three sets of issues: geography, demographics and race, and power differentials in Australian Realist scholarship. [source]


Assessing Qualitative Television Audience Research: Incorporating Feminist and Anthropological Theoretical Innovation

COMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 4 2000
Amanda D. Lotz
During the past 20 years qualitative audience researchers have produced respected theory and applied work in their studies of media audiences. Derived from roots in traditional anthropology, audience studies use methodologies that reproduce power differentials between researchers and participants. This article considers the application of feminist ethnography to the methodologies used in audience studies by exploring developments in recent anthropological approaches to ethnography. Shifting to a theoretical base incorporating feminist ethnography aids in identifying the power hierarchies between researcher and research participant and theorizes strategies to minimize these power differentials. In sum, this article queries the epistemological premises of current audience research practices and advocates a rethinking of this research based on the contributions of feminist ethnographic theory and other emergent anthropological developments. [source]