Perceived malleability of self versus the world and its impact on youths’ control orientation and well-being in the US, Germany, and India

Primary control is defined as changing the world to fit the self, while secondary control is defined as changing the self to fit the world. To understand why different individuals prefer different kinds of control processes, we proposed a research project looking at US, German and Indian young adults. We hypothesize that theories of self and the world (fixed vs. malleable; Dweck, 1999) affect the prevailing mode of control used. Furthermore, adolescents’ cultural background is assumed to affect their self-world theories as well as the adaptiveness of specific modes of control. For example, in the US, where the self is tended to be seen as fixed and the world as malleable, primary control prevails and is more adaptive than secondary control while the reverse is expected for India. We present the theoretical outline and methodology of the study as well as first results.

Cultural beliefs and hypertension in rural Philippines

Hypertension (HTN), the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), is emerging as a major public health problem in the Philippines. CVD has been the leading cause of mortality in the Philippines since 1990. ^ Although research has shown that certain populations have a greater propensity for HTN, and that culture may be a factor, empirical investigations of the influence of cultural beliefs on HTN are lacking. ^ The operational aims of this study were to: (a) develop and examine the reliability (test-retest, internal consistency) and validity (content) of a questionnaire which measures factors related to HTN; (b) administer the questionnaire; and (c) measure blood pressure, height, and weight of the ≥ 30 year old residents of San Antonio, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. ^ The analytic aims were to determine the: (a) cultural beliefs relating to HTN; (b) associations between cultural beliefs and HTN; and (c) extent to which cultural beliefs versus biological, behavioral, socioeconomic, and access factors are associated with HTN. ^ A cluster survey was conducted among 336 residents ≥ 30 years old in May, 1998. Sixty clusters of households were derived using probability proportionate to size sampling technique. Seven households per cluster were visited and one respondent per household was randomly chosen for interview and measurement of blood pressure, height and weight. A response rate of 84% (336/400) was achieved. ^ Results showed that the test-retest reliability of cultural belief items was 0.69–0.96. Internal consistency reliability was 0.74. ^ HTN (SBP ≥ 140; or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg; or currently taking anti-hypertensive medication) prevalence was 23/100. Univariate logistic regression showed cultural beliefs to be significantly associated (p < 0.037) with HTN. However, multivariate analysis showed that only age ≥ 50 (p = 0.000), family history of HTN (p = 0.004) and body mass index ≥ 25 (p = 0.003) were significant predictors. ^ In the absence of fully implemented programs to prevent and control HTN, the current prevalence is only expected to increase, leading to substantial increases in morbidity and mortality and health care cost. It is recommended that research which focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating culturally appropriate community-wide programs on HTN prevention and control be undertaken in this community. ^

Situational adaptiveness of control orientation mediates relation between fixed-world view and youth well-being in three cultures

When proposing primary control (changing the world to fit self)/secondary control (changing self to fit the world) theory, Weisz et al. (1984) argued for the importance of the “serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can” (p. 967), and the wisdom to choose the right control strategy that fits the context. Although the dual processes of control theory generated hundreds of empirical studies, most of them focused on the dichotomy of PC and SC, with none of these tapped into the critical concept: individuals’ ability to know when to use what. This project addressed this issue by using scenario questions to study the impact of situationally adaptive control strategies on youth well-being. To understand the antecedents of youths’ preference for PC or SC, we also connected PCSC theory with Dweck’s implicit theory about the changeability of the world. We hypothesized that youths’ belief about the world’s changeability impacts how difficult it was for them to choose situationally adaptive control orientation, which then impacts their well-being. This study included adolescents and emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 28 years (Mean = 20.87 years) from the US (n = 98), China (n = 100), and Switzerland (n = 103). Participants answered a questionnaire including a measure of implicit theories about the fixedness of the external world, a scenario-based measure of control orientation, and several measures of well-being. Preliminary analyses of the scenario-based control orientation measures showed striking cross-cultural similarity of preferred control responses: while for three of the six scenarios primary control was the predominately chosen control response in all cultures, for the other three scenarios secondary control was the predominately chosen response. This suggested that youths across cultures are aware that some situations call for primary control, while others demand secondary control. We considered the control strategy winning the majority of the votes to be the strategy that is situationally adaptive. The results of a multi-group structural equation mediation model with the extent of belief in a fixed world as independent variable, the difficulties of carrying out the respective adaptive versus non-adaptive control responses as two mediating variables and the latent well-being variable as dependent variable showed a cross-culturally similar pattern of effects: a belief in a fixed world was significantly related to higher difficulties in carrying out the normative as well as the non-normative control response, but only the difficulty of carrying out the normative control response (be it primary control in situations where primary control is normative or secondary control in situations where secondary control is normative) was significantly related to a lower reported well-being (while the difficulty of carrying out the non-normative response was unrelated to well-being). While previous research focused on cross-cultural differences on the choice of PC or SC, this study shed light on the universal necessity of applying the right kind of control to fit the situation.

Evaluation of racial and ethnic disparities of glycemic control in the Health and Retirement Study. 2003 Diabetes Survey

Objective. To examine and evaluate racial and ethnic disparities in glycemic control among HRS respondents with diabetes aged 55-94 years. ^ Methods. The HRS Diabetes 2003 database provides data on blood-drawn glycemic control and self-reported demographics, socioeconomic status, clinical, health access and self-care characteristics. 1,141 non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic respondents were included in multiple logistic regression of glycemic control. ^ Results. The rate of poor control was significantly higher among Blacks (61.5%, 105/171) and Hispanics (65.3% 72/110) than among Whites (45.0% 387/860) (p < 0.01). After controlling for influential covariates and interactions, Blacks and Hispanics had a three-fold increased risk for poor control compared to Whites when duration was five years or less. ^ Conclusions. Clinical and self-perception variables, like duration, medication, and self-rated poor diabetes control affected glycemic control independent of race and ethnicity, but there remains unexplained racial and ethnic disparities for newly-diagnosed individuals. This is the first study to find an interaction between duration and race and ethnicity on glycemic control. Future research should incorporate cultural beliefs and attitudes about diabetes control that may explain the racial and ethnic disparity. ^

The effect of African Americans' ethnographic paradigms and cultural explanatory model of breast cancer in framing the male partner's attitudes and behaviors about the woman's breast cancer diagnosis

The disparate burden of breast cancer-related morbidity and mortality experienced by African American women compared with women of other races is a topic of intense debate in the medical and public health arenas. The anomaly is consistently attributed to the fact that at diagnosis, a large proportion of African American women have advanced-stage disease. Extensive research has documented the impacts of cultural factors and of socioeconomic factors in shaping African American women's breast-health practices; however, there is another factor of a more subtle influence that might have some role in establishing these women's vulnerability to this disease: the lack of or perceived lack of partner support. Themes expressed in the research literature reflect that many African American breast cancer patients and survivors consider their male partners as being apathetic and nonsupportive. ^ The purpose of this study was to learn how African American couples' ethnographic paradigms and cultural explanatory model of breast cancer frame the male partners' responses to the women's diagnosis and to assess his ability to cope and willingness to adapt to the subsequent challenges. The goal of the study was to determine whether these men's coping and adaptation skills positively or negatively affect the women's self-care attitudes and behaviors. ^ This study involved 4 African American couples in which the woman was a breast cancer survivor. Participants were recruited through a community-based cancer support group and a church-based cancer support group. Recruitment sessions were held at regular meetings of these organizations. Accrual took 2 months. In separate sessions, each male partner and each survivor completed a demographic survey and a questionnaire and were interviewed. Additionally, the couples were asked to participate in a communications activity (Adinkra). This activity was not done to fulfill any part of the study purpose and was not included in the data analysis; rather, it was done to assess its potential use as an intervention to promote dialogue between African American partners about the experience of breast cancer. ^ The questionnaire was analyzed on the basis of a coding schema and the interview responses were analyzed on the principles of hermeneutic phenomenology. In both cases, the instruments were used to determine whether the partner's coping skills reflected a compassionate attitude (positive response) versus an apathetic attitude (negative response) and whether his adaptation skills reflected supportive behaviors (the positive response) versus nonsupportive behaviors (the negative response). Overall, the women's responses showed that they perceived of their partners as being compassionate, yet nonsupportive, and the partner's perceived of themselves likewise. Only half of the women said that their partners' coping and adaptation abilities enabled them to relinquish traditional concepts of control and focus on their own well-being. ^ The themes that emerged indicate that African American men's attitudes and behaviors regarding his female partner's diagnosis of breast cancer and his ability to cope and willingness to adapt are influenced by their ritualistic mantras, folk beliefs, religious teachings/spiritual values, existential ideologies, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors and by their established perceptions of what causes breast cancer, what the treatments and outcomes are, and how the disease affects the entire family, particularly him. These findings imply that a culturally specific intervention might be useful in educating African American men about breast cancer and their roles in supporting their female partners, physically and psychologically, during diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. ^

Nuevos modos de socialización : El rol del cuerpo en el marco de las sociedades de control

Este trabajo reflexiona a nivel teórico sobre el cuerpo en un contexto histórico-global donde las nuevas tecnologías complejizan su lugar tradicional en los espacios de socialización. Los intercambios sociales tradicionales se caracterizaron por un soporte subjetivo en el cuerpo mientras que en la contemporaneidad la virtualidad posibilita la ausencia del mismo en las relaciones. ¿Existen otro tipo de lazos sociales que prescinden del cuerpo? O se trata de estrategias de marketing del self publicitado, por ejemplo en la web, buscando redefinir la subjetividad y los modos de lazo social. ¿La imagen es un discurso o reemplaza a lo corporal? Según Deleuze en las sociedades de control nos encontramos ante cambios culturales donde el avance de la informática genera cambios subjetivos y produce -a la vez- integración y exclusión social. Se modifica la relación entre tiempo/espacio y por lo tanto, inferimos que se reconfiguran los registros perceptivos del otro y de uno mismo en el intercambio social. ¿Cómo se redefine el lugar del cuerpo en este contexto? Este trabajo no pretende desestimar los cambios sociales acontecidos sino entender el modo en el que los mismos se integran en la vida cotidiana y establecen nuevas modos, saberes y espacios de socialización.

Nuevos modos de socialización : El rol del cuerpo en el marco de las sociedades de control

Este trabajo reflexiona a nivel teórico sobre el cuerpo en un contexto histórico-global donde las nuevas tecnologías complejizan su lugar tradicional en los espacios de socialización. Los intercambios sociales tradicionales se caracterizaron por un soporte subjetivo en el cuerpo mientras que en la contemporaneidad la virtualidad posibilita la ausencia del mismo en las relaciones. ¿Existen otro tipo de lazos sociales que prescinden del cuerpo? O se trata de estrategias de marketing del self publicitado, por ejemplo en la web, buscando redefinir la subjetividad y los modos de lazo social. ¿La imagen es un discurso o reemplaza a lo corporal? Según Deleuze en las sociedades de control nos encontramos ante cambios culturales donde el avance de la informática genera cambios subjetivos y produce -a la vez- integración y exclusión social. Se modifica la relación entre tiempo/espacio y por lo tanto, inferimos que se reconfiguran los registros perceptivos del otro y de uno mismo en el intercambio social. ¿Cómo se redefine el lugar del cuerpo en este contexto? Este trabajo no pretende desestimar los cambios sociales acontecidos sino entender el modo en el que los mismos se integran en la vida cotidiana y establecen nuevas modos, saberes y espacios de socialización.

Nuevos modos de socialización : El rol del cuerpo en el marco de las sociedades de control

Este trabajo reflexiona a nivel teórico sobre el cuerpo en un contexto histórico-global donde las nuevas tecnologías complejizan su lugar tradicional en los espacios de socialización. Los intercambios sociales tradicionales se caracterizaron por un soporte subjetivo en el cuerpo mientras que en la contemporaneidad la virtualidad posibilita la ausencia del mismo en las relaciones. ¿Existen otro tipo de lazos sociales que prescinden del cuerpo? O se trata de estrategias de marketing del self publicitado, por ejemplo en la web, buscando redefinir la subjetividad y los modos de lazo social. ¿La imagen es un discurso o reemplaza a lo corporal? Según Deleuze en las sociedades de control nos encontramos ante cambios culturales donde el avance de la informática genera cambios subjetivos y produce -a la vez- integración y exclusión social. Se modifica la relación entre tiempo/espacio y por lo tanto, inferimos que se reconfiguran los registros perceptivos del otro y de uno mismo en el intercambio social. ¿Cómo se redefine el lugar del cuerpo en este contexto? Este trabajo no pretende desestimar los cambios sociales acontecidos sino entender el modo en el que los mismos se integran en la vida cotidiana y establecen nuevas modos, saberes y espacios de socialización.

Fungal biodeterioration of colour cinematographic films of the cultural heritage of Cuba

Until recently, cinematographic film was largely cellulose-triacetate-based. However, this material is highly susceptible to biodeterioration, thus placing historic film collections, an important part of the cultural heritage of many countries, at risk. In the present study, samples taken from several biodeteriorated color cinematographic films belonging to the collection of the Cuban Institute for Cinematographic Industry and Arts (ICAIC) were investigated. Infrared spectroscopy showed that all films were of the same composition, i.e., a gelatin emulsion coating one side of a cellulose-triacetate-based film support. The films were analyzed by environmental scanning electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to determine the degree of biodeterioration and the type of colonizing microorganisms. Significant fungal colonization was found on both sides of the films in all samples, with a higher concentration of fungi on the gelatin emulsion side. Epifluorescence microscopy of fluorochrome-dyed films demonstrated that some of the fungi were still active, indicating that the films under study, and probably others at the ICAIC, are at risk of further deterioration. Fungi were identified by molecular biology techniques. The fungi mainly responsible for the observed biodeterioration were those belonging to the genera Aspergillus and Cladosporium, although other genera, such as Microascus and Penicillium, were identified as well. In accordance with the findings described herein, the existing guidelines for the prevention and control of film biodeterioration are discussed.

CARNAVAL EM JUIZ DE FORA: IDENTIDADE COMUNITÁRIA OU PRODUTO DA INDÚSTRIA CULTURAL?

Pesquisa a respeito das influências da indústria cultural sobre a formação da identidade nas Escolas de Samba em Juiz de Fora, as transformações introduzidas nestas agremiações através dos meios de comunicação de massa ao longo dos anos e o modo pelo qual os sambistas de Juiz de Fora reinterpretam e assimilam as informações da indústria cultural. O papel dos meios de comunicação locais frente ao carnaval. O trabalho dividiu-se em três etapas: pesquisa bibliográfica; realização de um diagnóstico a partir de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com as pessoas envolvidas com as Escolas de Samba ou historicamente relevantes para os desfiles oficiais de carnaval em Juiz de Fora; e a análise qualitativa dos dados coletados. Levantou-se a trajetória histórica das Escolas de Samba de Juiz de Fora e seus pontos de contato com as Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro, além de se buscar compreender qual é a percepção que os juizforanos têm sobre o desfile local. As informações foram trabalhadas sob o ponto de vista da Teoria Crítica, das propostas filosóficas de Michel Foucault, das considerações sobre a sociedade do espetáculo. O trabalho demonstra que a preocupação principal das Escolas de Samba de Juiz de Fora é com a realização de um desfile que se enquadre nos padrões exigidos pela indústria cultural, conseqüentemente o espetáculo em torno da festa transformou-se em uma forma de controle social, eliminando a espontaneidade e a transgressão que tradicionalmente estão associadas ao carnaval.(AU)

CARNAVAL EM JUIZ DE FORA: IDENTIDADE COMUNITÁRIA OU PRODUTO DA INDÚSTRIA CULTURAL?

Pesquisa a respeito das influências da indústria cultural sobre a formação da identidade nas Escolas de Samba em Juiz de Fora, as transformações introduzidas nestas agremiações através dos meios de comunicação de massa ao longo dos anos e o modo pelo qual os sambistas de Juiz de Fora reinterpretam e assimilam as informações da indústria cultural. O papel dos meios de comunicação locais frente ao carnaval. O trabalho dividiu-se em três etapas: pesquisa bibliográfica; realização de um diagnóstico a partir de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com as pessoas envolvidas com as Escolas de Samba ou historicamente relevantes para os desfiles oficiais de carnaval em Juiz de Fora; e a análise qualitativa dos dados coletados. Levantou-se a trajetória histórica das Escolas de Samba de Juiz de Fora e seus pontos de contato com as Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro, além de se buscar compreender qual é a percepção que os juizforanos têm sobre o desfile local. As informações foram trabalhadas sob o ponto de vista da Teoria Crítica, das propostas filosóficas de Michel Foucault, das considerações sobre a sociedade do espetáculo. O trabalho demonstra que a preocupação principal das Escolas de Samba de Juiz de Fora é com a realização de um desfile que se enquadre nos padrões exigidos pela indústria cultural, conseqüentemente o espetáculo em torno da festa transformou-se em uma forma de controle social, eliminando a espontaneidade e a transgressão que tradicionalmente estão associadas ao carnaval.(AU)

Comparison of PRC and Vietnam's Responses to the Elimination of U.S. Textile and Apparel Quotas: Economic and Cultural Perspectives. ACES Working Paper No. 1, 2007

International trade in textiles and apparel has, as of January 1, 2005, been set free from the very intricate Multi-Fiber textile and apparel quota Arrangement (MFA). This event has raised many uncertainties about the new international trade climate and has placed enormous pressure on China as the expected clear cut beneficiary of this liberalization.' Other countries considered to be major contenders include Vietnam which also has a large population employed in the textile and apparel (T&A) sector. Since the old quota system had provided a certain degree of market certainty to competing T&A producers, will the new free trade environment lead to a shake out where mass producers with large economies of scale dominate the new reality? The removal of T&A quotas will create opportunities for Vietnam and China along with other developing countries, but it will also expose them to additional competition from each other. The outcome of this competition will depend on the demand in the US, the ability of the exporting countries to differentiate their exports and on their ability to transfer additional resources to expand domestic output in the direction of the new 'free market signals' and away from rent seeking objectives. Obviously, exporting countries that adjust to this new environment quickly will improve their competitiveness, and will be the new beneficiaries of a quota free international trade in textiles and apparel. This paper attempts to shed some light on the differences and similarities in the responses of Chinese and Vietnamese T&A sectors to this new environment. It first focuses on the demand side attempting to determine whether or not Chinese and Vietnamese T&A items, formally under quota control, are substitutes or compliments. On the supply side, the paper focuses on institutional differences between each country's T&A sectors, the different domestic government policies that have contributed to their growth and the unique cultural differences which will determine the future progress in each country's T&A sectors.

Family Models of In(ter)dependence: Cultural Change and the Question of Universal Needs

I will start by discussing some aspects of Kagitcibasi’s Theory of Family Change: its current empirical status and, more importantly, its focus on universal human needs and the consequences of this focus. Family Change Theory’s focus on the universality of the basic human needs of autonomy and relatedness and its culture-level emphasis on cultural norms and family values as reflecting a culture’s capacity for fulfilling its members’ respective needs shows that the theory advocates balanced cultural norms of independence and interdependence. As a normative theory it therefore postulates the necessity of a synthetic family model of emotional interdependence as an alternative to extreme models of total independence and total interdependence. Generalizing from this I will sketch a theoretical model where a dynamic and dialectical process of the fit between individual and culture and between culture and universal human needs and related social practices is central. I will discuss this model using a recent cross-cultural project on implicit theories of self/world and primary/secondary control orientations as an example. Implications for migrating families and acculturating individuals are also discussed.

Co-opting conservation: Migrant resource control and access to national park management in the Philippine uplands

The history of political and economic inequality in forest villages can shape how and why resource use conflicts arise during the evolution of national parks management. In the Philippine uplands, indigenous peoples and migrant settlers co-exist, compete over land and forest resources, and shape how managers preserve forests through national parks. This article examines how migrants have claimed lands and changed production and exchange relations among the indigenous Tagbanua to build on and benefit from otherwise coercive park management on Palawan Island, the Philippines. Migrant control over productive resources has influenced who, within each group, could sustain agriculture in the face of the state's dominant conservation narrative - valorizing migrant paddy rice and criminalizing Tagbanua swiddens. Upon settling, migrant farmers used new political and economic strengths to tap into provincial political networks in order to be hired at a national park. As a result, they were able to steer management to support paddy rice at the expense of swidden cultivation. While state conservation policy shapes how national parks impact upon local resource access and use, older political economic inequalities in forest villages build on such policies to influence how management affects the livelihoods of poor households.

CARNAVAL EM JUIZ DE FORA: IDENTIDADE COMUNITÁRIA OU PRODUTO DA INDÚSTRIA CULTURAL?

Pesquisa a respeito das influências da indústria cultural sobre a formação da identidade nas Escolas de Samba em Juiz de Fora, as transformações introduzidas nestas agremiações através dos meios de comunicação de massa ao longo dos anos e o modo pelo qual os sambistas de Juiz de Fora reinterpretam e assimilam as informações da indústria cultural. O papel dos meios de comunicação locais frente ao carnaval. O trabalho dividiu-se em três etapas: pesquisa bibliográfica; realização de um diagnóstico a partir de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com as pessoas envolvidas com as Escolas de Samba ou historicamente relevantes para os desfiles oficiais de carnaval em Juiz de Fora; e a análise qualitativa dos dados coletados. Levantou-se a trajetória histórica das Escolas de Samba de Juiz de Fora e seus pontos de contato com as Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro, além de se buscar compreender qual é a percepção que os juizforanos têm sobre o desfile local. As informações foram trabalhadas sob o ponto de vista da Teoria Crítica, das propostas filosóficas de Michel Foucault, das considerações sobre a sociedade do espetáculo. O trabalho demonstra que a preocupação principal das Escolas de Samba de Juiz de Fora é com a realização de um desfile que se enquadre nos padrões exigidos pela indústria cultural, conseqüentemente o espetáculo em torno da festa transformou-se em uma forma de controle social, eliminando a espontaneidade e a transgressão que tradicionalmente estão associadas ao carnaval.(AU)