Genetics and Politics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Lockyer ◽  
Peter K. Hatemi
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Developmental Pathways ◽  
Theoretical Studies ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
And Behaviors

Social scientists most often seek to empirically validate something already observed. Genetics identifies the unobserved. It provides a starting point to identify developmental pathways to preferences and behaviors. Understanding differences in the genome can help identify why people who experience the same social environment physically perceive it differently and react to it differently. The introduction of evolutionary theory, combined with methods and approaches from genetics, genomics, epigenetics, and molecular biology, has substantially changed the way in which social scientists explore and understand the development and maintenance of political values and behaviors. This chapter reviews findings from recent empirical and theoretical studies that have explored how genetic factors account for some part of why people differ politically.

Why We Disagree About Human Nature

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Animal Cognition ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Biological Anthropology ◽  
Human Sciences ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Nature Play

Is human nature something that the natural and social sciences aim to describe, or is it a pernicious fiction? What role, if any, does ‘human nature’ play in directing and informing scientific work? Can we talk about human nature without invoking—either implicitly or explicitly—a contrast with human culture? It might be tempting to think that the respectability of ‘human nature’ is an issue that divides natural and social scientists along disciplinary boundaries, but the truth is more complex. The contributors to this collection take very different stances with regard to the idea of human nature. They come from the fields of psychology, the philosophy of science, social and biological anthropology, evolutionary theory, and the study of animal cognition. Some of them are ‘human nature’ enthusiasts, some are sceptics, and some say that human nature is a concept with many faces, each of which plays a role in its own investigative niche. Some want to eliminate the notion altogether, some think it unproblematic, others want to retain it with reforming modifications. Some say that human nature is a target for investigation that the human sciences cannot do without, others argue that the term does far more harm than good. The diverse perspectives articulated in this book help to explain why we disagree about human nature, and what, if anything, might resolve that disagreement.

scholarly journals Revisit Euphemisms from the Perspective of Intentionality

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijun Huang
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Collective Intentionality ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Starting Point

This paper studies the role of intentionality in the process of generating euphemisms. Intentionality, as the key to human consciousness activities, is not only the starting point of the language user’s consciousness activity related to euphemism generation, but also functions through the whole generating process. Its functions can be specified as triggering, orientation, and selection. Collective intentionality restricts individual intentionality and has the function of identifying and integrating individual intentionality. Under the effect of collective intentionality and social environment, the euphemisms are renewed with the time and bear features unique to a particular group.

scholarly journals Samfundsforskning og tekst - det skotske tilfælde som metodisk problem

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Henrik Halkier
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Relationship

The present paper explores some possible links between linguistics and social science, departing from an example of textual analysis originating in research in progress. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of historical textual analysis and to the relationship between social phenomena and the concepts employed by social scientists. It is argued that the presence of common theoretical problems and shared methodologies provides an interesting starting point for future interdisciplinary research and for up-to-date teaching of post-graduate students.

scholarly journals The role of family experiences for adolescents’ readiness to use and participate in illegal political activity

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terese Glatz ◽  
Viktor Dahl
Keyword(s):  
Family Environment ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Family Experiences ◽  
Political Behaviour ◽  
Reactance Theory ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Older Adolescents

This study used reactance theory as a starting point to explain what role a perceived undemocratic and controlling family has for adolescents’ readiness to use illegal political activity. Additionally, we examined whether adolescents’ readiness to use illegal political means was related to actual political behaviour, which has been lacking in research. Data came from a longitudinal sample of 424 younger ( Mage = 13.44) and 296 older ( Mage = 16.62) adolescents collected in a mid-sized city in Sweden. Results showed that adolescents who perceived their families as undemocratic and controlling increased in readiness to use illegal political means over time. In addition, but only for older adolescents, readiness was associated with an increase in actual political behaviour. The findings highlight the role a perceived family environment has on adolescents’ development of political values and behaviours in today’s democratic societies.

Hypertension: Genes, Environment, or Both ?

Physiology ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-177
Author(s):  
R Di Nicolantonio ◽  
T Imai ◽  
K Murakami ◽  
Y Yamori
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Drug Treatment ◽  
High Blood Pressure ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Targeted Drug

Nearly one in five adults in acculturated societies has abnormally high blood pressure. Newly emerging techniques in molecular biology offer the possibility of not only determining the role of genetic factors in its etiology but also identifying early predisposed individuals. A more targeted drug treatment may also follow.

Challenging corporate commitment to CSR

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1410-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Fehre ◽  
Florian Weber
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Commitment ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Level Of Analysis

Purpose In times of crisis, the fundamental principles of companies erode, leading to strategy shifts. This paper aims to examine whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) is on management’s agenda in times of crisis, indicating CSR embeddedness into corporate strategy. The focus is on the four pillars of CSR: social, environment, economy and governance. Design/methodology/approach Starting points are competing hypotheses based on shareholder and stakeholder theory. Chief executive officer (CEO) letters to shareholders of German HDAX firms from 2003 to 2012 are analyzed by means of computer-aided text analysis. Findings The authors find that CEOs talk less about CSR in times of crisis, especially about social and governance issues, indicating that CSR is not fully embedded into corporate strategy, and that, in times of crisis, other aspects gain more importance on management’s agenda. Research limitations/implications CEO communication is an indicator for management’s attention. Less talk about CSR in times of crisis does not automatically indicate less real CSR activity. This study is a starting point for analyses of the discrepancy between both, if any exists. Practical implications Managers should regard CSR as a strategic and trust enhancing element and stick to CSR even when under pressure from market distortions. Social implications Environment issues – exposed to companies’ attention for a long time – are embedded into corporate strategy. More research and management attention is essential to get the other CSR aspects woven into company DNA as well. Originality/value The paper is the first to research CSR in times of crisis in depth: CSR as umbrella covers social, environment, economy and governance issues. The institutional level of analysis ensures that implications for the business-society link are central.

scholarly journals Developmental pathways from child maltreatment to adolescent suicide-related behaviors: The internalizing and externalizing comorbidity hypothesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 945-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erinn Bernstein Duprey ◽  
Assaf Oshri ◽  
Sihong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Developmental Pathways ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Adolescent Risk ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing

AbstractChild maltreatment is a robust risk factor for suicidal ideation and behaviors during adolescence. Elevations in internalizing and externalizing symptomology have been identified as two distinct developmental pathways linking child maltreatment and adolescent risk for suicide. However, recent research suggests that the co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing symptomology may form a distinct etiological pathway for adolescent risk behaviors. Using the Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) sample (N = 1,314), the present study employed a person-centered approach to identify patterns of concurrent change in internalizing and externalizing psychopathology over five time points from early childhood to adolescence in relation to previous experiences of child maltreatment and subsequent suicidal ideation and behaviors. Results indicated four distinct bivariate externalizing and internalizing growth trajectories. Group membership in a heightened comorbid internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectory mediated the association between childhood abuse and adolescent suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors. These findings suggest that the concurrent development of externalizing and internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence may constitute a unique developmental trajectory that confers risk for suicide-related outcomes.

Exploring Intersections of Technology, Play, Informality, and Innovation

2017 ◽  
pp. 248-254
Author(s):  
Gillian Howell
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Technological Capabilities ◽  
Specific Time ◽  
Creative People ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Starting Point

The idea that “humans are the ones making the music” (Pignato, this volume) is the starting point for reflection upon the factors beyond new technologies that encourage musical innovation. In their core perspectives, Pignato, Peppler, and Kigozi offer illustrations of practices that demonstrate the inseparability of context, informality, and innovation. Context is critical, as different settings afford access to different technologies and produce diverse sociocultural structures. Informality—as a learning style, an approach to engagement, and settings beyond the formal music education institutions—is important for its accommodation of playfulness, open-ended exploration, and improvisation around imposed constraints. I argue that these factors, and the innovative responses that emerge when technologies and creative people converge, are interrelated and multidirectional. Regardless of how advanced our technological capabilities become, innovation and new musical expressions remain products of humans interacting and exploring technological possibilities within a specific time, space, and social environment.

scholarly journals A Population Where Men Live As Long As Women: Villagrande Strisaili, Sardinia

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Poulain ◽  
Gianni Pes ◽  
Luisa Salaris
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Age Validation ◽  
Community Characteristics ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Demographic Behavior ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Validation Procedure

Usually women live longer than men and female centenarians largely outnumber male centenarians. The findings of previous studies identifying a population with a femininity ratio close to 1.0 among centenarians in the mountainous region of Sardinia was the starting point of an in-depth investigation in order to compare mortality trajectories between men and women in that population. The exceptional survival of men compared to women emerges from the comparison with similar Italian data. Age exaggeration for men has been strictly excluded as a result of the age validation procedure. The discussion suggests that besides biological/genetic factors, the behavioral factors including life style, demographic behavior, family support, and community characteristics may play an important role. No single explanation is likely to account for such an exceptional situation and a fully integrated multidisciplinary approach is urgently needed.

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