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The crisis of 'identity' in high modernity.

The concept of 'identity' is central to much contemporary sociology, reflecting a crisis that manifests itself in two ways. Firstly, there is a view that identity is both vital and problematic in this period of high modernity. Secondly, while this awareness is reflected in sociology, its accounts of identity are inconsistent, under-theorized and incapable of bearing the analytical load required. As a result, there is an inherent contradiction between a valuing of identity as so fundamental as to be crucial to personal well-being, and a theorization of 'identity' that sees it as something constructed, fluid, multiple, impermanent and fragmentary. The contemporary crisis of identity thus expresses itself as both a crisis of society, and a crisis of theory. This paper explores the diverse ways in which 'identity' is deployed before turning to case-studies of its use by Anthony Giddens and Manuel Castells. This strategy demonstrates the widespread and diverse concern with identity before exploring how problematic it has become, even in the work of two of the world's leading sociologists.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Risk and panic in late modernity: implications of the converging sites of social anxiety.

Comparing moral panic with the potential catastrophes of the risk society, Sheldon Ungar contends that new sites of social anxiety emerging around nuclear, medical, environmental and chemical threats have thrown into relief many of the questions motivating moral panic research agendas. He argues that shifting sites of social anxiety necessitate a rethinking of theoretical, methodological and conceptual issues related to processes of social control, claims making and general perceptions of public safety. This paper charts an alternative trajectory, asserting that analytic priority rests not with an understanding of the implications of changing but converging sites of social anxiety. Concentrating on the converging sites of social anxiety in late modernity, the analysis forecasts a proliferation of moral panics as an exaggerated symptom of the heightened sense of uncertainty purported to accompany the ascendency of the risk society.

Anxiety↗

Signs of change in Turkey's working class: workers' age-related perceptions in the modern manufacturing sector.

This paper explores the possible effects of the increasing exposure to modernity on younger workers in some sectors of developing countries with special reference to those employed in advanced manufacturing in Turkey. In recent decades Turkey has undergone considerable urbanization, improvements in literacy and rising levels of formal education. The paper systematically examines differences in the work-related attitudes and expectations, commitment and aspirations of younger and older workers, who have been exposed to these processes to different degrees. It is broadly confirmed that younger workers have higher expectations and aspirations that make them relatively less satisfied with a number of aspects of their work and which are likely to make for a less committed more critical workforce.

Adult↗

Group supervision of groups: a modern analytic perspective.

This article is introduced by historical references to Freud's Wednesday Evening Society and to relevant sources in the literature on group supervision. The aims of group supervision are defined: helping supervisees to understand the individuals who comprise their groups, helping the supervisee become a group-oriented therapist, alerting supervisees to the critical task of monitoring and regulating the amount of emotional excitation within their groups, helping supervisees deal with the range of feelings induced in them by their groups, and helping them become familiar with the principles and become proficient in the techniques of modern analysis. Major aspects of the group-supervisory process are delineated and illustrated through the use of relevant vignettes. Resistance in supervisory groups is discussed with examples of the resolution of some resistances. The author's method and style of leading supervisory groups is presented, as are observations on the boundaries of supervisory groups.

Humans↗

Modern treatment of intracranial aneurysms.

The initial physical and neurologic examinations usually allow a presumptive diagnosis of intracranial aneurysm, but confirmation may require computed tomography (CT) and selective angiography. Medical management of the patient necessitates close observation, supportive care, and use of drugs to reduce intracranial pressure and to prevent dissolution of clot at the aneurysmal fundus to prevent rebleeding. The age of the patient may be a deciding factor in selection of surgical candidates. The surgical procedure of choice is direct obliteration of the aneurysm by clipping or ligation, unless such a procedure would compromise the patency of major intracranial vessels or not be possible because of the shape of the aneurysm. With aggressive medical management and modern surgical techniques, many more of these patients may be saved and returned to productive life.

Aminocaproates↗

Eating disorder as a modern obsessive-compulsive syndrome.

Psychiatric symptomatology is clearly influenced by social factors. Such classical symptoms of the hysterical or conversion disorder as glove and stocking paralysis were once fairly widespread but appear today only in rather backward and poorly educated social groups throughout the world. Such a finding decidedly indicates social and educational causes. The purpose of this paper is to show that social and educational factors have also influenced obsessive-compulsive symptomatology; classical obsessive-compulsive neurosis has emerged today in a form involving food and disorders of eating. Among women of Western culture, the conditions known as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are the modern obsessive-compulsive disorders. First, social factors and individual diagnostic considerations, based on intensive long-term assessment of patients with these conditions, will be discussed. Then, results of a controlled diagnostic study of eating-disorder patients, also based on long-term observation, will be presented, and overall nosological implications discussed.

Anorexia Nervosa↗

Modern therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.

Modern therapy for inflammatory bowel disease implies that therapy should be disease modifying rather than merely symptomatic. To achieve this goal, induction and maintenance of bowel healing are mandatory. Long-term bowel healing results in fewer hospitalizations and less surgery. Only immunosuppression therapy and biological approaches, or a combination of both, result in long-term healing of the bowel mucosa. Unsolved issues are when these drugs should be initiated and whether we should aim at eradicating the bowel inflammation from the onset of therapeutic intervention immediately following diagnosis. Identification of genetic and serologic parameters which allow prediction of the course of the disease would be useful for identifying patients who need aggressive treatment early in the disease. Once total control of the disease is achieved, long-term maintenance of a healed bowel is important. We hypothesize that changing the gut flora, e.g. using probiotics, may allow maintenance of bowel healing after induction with biologicals and immunosuppression.

Algorithms↗

Clinical assessment of modern hearing aids.

The increasing complexity of the non-linear signal processing of modern hearing aids makes the use of clinical assessment of hearing aid benefit more and more important. The paper discusses the general structure of such studies with regard to choice of test subjects, reference hearing aids and the advantage of double-blind and cross-over design. Assessment should contain at least the three dimensions: perceived hearing aid benefit (preferably including perceived sound quality and preference between test and reference aids), speech recognition in noise, and electroacoustic verification by means of real-ear measurements.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

Knowledge, attitude and practice of modern contraception among single women in a rural and urban community in southeast Nigeria.

The contraceptive information and services offered to single women in most developing countries is compromised by stigma attached to premarital sex. This study was to ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception among single women in a rural and urban community in southeast Nigeria, using a cross-sectional survey of 279 and 295 single women in Ngwo (rural) and Enugu (urban) community. The mean age of the population was 21.3 years. Contraceptive awareness was more among the urban than rural respondents (90.2% vs 34.1%). The major sources of contraceptive knowledge were mass media (68%) and peer groups (86.3%) for the urban and rural respondents, respectively. Most respondents in both groups had positive attitude towards contraception. More urban than rural respondents (68.3% vs 12.5%) began sexual activity during adolescence and the level of contraceptive use during first coitus were 48.4% and 13.7%, respectively. Of the currently sexually active respondents, 32.5% (rural) and 59.7% (urban) were using a form of modern contraception. Condoms, followed by oral pills were the most popular contraceptive method because they can easily procure them over the counter. Poor contraceptive information, highly critical behavior of family planning providers towards unmarried women seeking contraception and attitude of male partners militate against contraceptive practice. There is need to promote information and education on contraception among single women, their male partners and family planning providers.

Adolescent↗

Fecundity in the modern city: a comparison of couples attending antenatal clinics in Manchester (UK) and Melbourne (Australia).

To determine the characteristics of couples with resolved subfecundity and to compare these findings in two geographically distant centres, a self-reporting questionnaire was completed by a sample of women attending six antenatal clinics in Greater Manchester, UK and five antenatal clinics in Melbourne, Australia. A total of 2158 pregnant women, 1106 from Manchester and 1052 from Melbourne participated in the study. The prevalence of subfecundity (proportion of women who failed to conceive current pregnancy within 12 months of unprotected intercourse) and demographic and medical factors potentially related to subfecundity were measured. The samples from the two cities had similar medical characteristics, but several socioeconomic and cultural differences were detected. Characteristics which independently correlated with decreased fecundity were increasing parental age, previous pregnancy, previous miscarriage, maternal smoking before conception and low socioeconomic status. Increased body mass index was also a significant, independent predictor of decreased fecundity, but in the Melbourne sample only. Subfecundity was found to be influenced by a combination of parental and socioeconomic factors as well as previous pregnancy. The factors identified were similar in two modern industrial societies in very different geographical locations, only their relative importance differing between Australia and the UK.

Journal Article↗

Midwifery across the generations: a modernizing midwife in Guatemala.

This article examines change and continuity in midwifery knowledge and practice by comparing a mother and daughter, both of whom are local midwives, or comadronas, on a Guatemalan plantation. The daughter apprenticed with the mother, who died in 1997. Like her mother, she received a government midwifery license after attending an official training course. I discuss the applicability of the concept of "postmodern midwifery" as I trace how both mother and daughter adapted to the pressures of medicalization and modernization. The daughter negotiates with biomedical personnel and copes with increasing government regulations, and she tends to accept biomedical authority more readily than did her mother. Unlike her mother, she sometimes uses this authority to enhance her own status. Nevertheless, her acceptance of the biomedical model is not complete, for she recognizes the practical constraints of poverty, under which both she and her clients live, and she also insists upon the superiority of such practices as massage. Furthermore, biomedicalization is countered by a process of sacralization, which, I suggest, enables midwives both to contest biomedical authority and to deliver meaningful care.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Sexuality, AIDS, and the lures of modernity: reflexivity and morality among young people in rural Tanzania.

An understanding of young people's perceptions of AIDS and their sexuality is an essential precondition for the effective planning of AIDS campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa. In examining how young Luo men and women in Tanzania describe their sexual behavior, I show that cultural conceptions of sexuality gender, and trust have an important impact on their actions. I also show that these conceptions have been rendered ambiguous by globalization, modernity, and by AIDS campaigns themselves. The values that are imparted to young people from family or peers often conflict with the preventive advice provided by both governmental and non-governmental organizations. However, by critically reflecting upon the ambiguities and inconsistencies in their lives, the young Luo have proven to be self-conscious actors and moral subjects who are actively involved in the process of social change. In the concluding section I suggest how elements of self-critique and self-reflection, as well as the often differing perspectives and dilemmas experienced by young men and women, can be taken into account in order to make future educational campaigns more effective.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

A modern-day shamanistic healer in the Peruvian Amazon: pharmacopoeia and trance.

The functions and successes of shamanistic healers are addressed in the context of psychoneuroimmunology, which allows a description of how therapeutic success is achieved via the symbolic manipulation of biological processes. These perspectives reinforce the continued importance of traditional shamanistic healers in the contemporary world. This is illustrated by the activities of a Peruvian healer who utilizes both psychoactive plant substances and a syncretic combination of modern and traditional symbolic therapies. The reliance on a wide range of psychoactive plants, including both psychoactive substances and nonhallucinogenic plants, is shown to be empirically effective in the treatment of disease. This demonstrates the pragmatic and adaptive approaches of these traditional healers and their positive functions in treating a variety of illnesses in today's world.

Hallucinogens↗

The evolution of modern agriculture and its future with biotechnology.

Since the dawn of agriculture, humans have been manipulating crops to enhance their quality and yield. Via conventional breeding, seed producers have developed the modern corn hybrids and wheat commonly grown today. Newer techniques, such as radiation breeding, enhanced the seed producers' ability to develop new traits in crops. Then in the 1980's-1990's, scientists began applying genetic engineering techniques to improve crop quality and yield. In contrast to earlier breeding methods, these techniques raised questions about their safety to consumers and the environment. This paper provides an overview of the kinds of genetically modified crops developed and marketed to date and the value they provide farmers and consumers. The safety assessment process required for these crops is contrasted with the lack of a formal process required for traditionally bred crops. While European consumers have expressed concern about foods and animal feeds containing ingredients from genetically modified crops, Americans have largely been unconcerned or unaware of the presence of genetically modified foods on the market. This difference in attitude is reflected in Europe's decision to label foods containing genetically modified ingredients while no such labeling is required in the U.S. In the future, genetic modification will produce a variety of new products with enhanced nutritional or quality attributes.

Agriculture↗

Medicare modernization: the new prescription drug benefit and redesigned Part B and Part C.

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 was enacted in November 2003 and became effective on January 1, 2006. Two major changes occurred. A prescription drug benefit is now available for seniors and younger persons with disabilities who are covered by Medicare. The managed care program, formerly known as Medicare + Choice, has been redesigned and renamed Medicare Advantage.

Journal Article↗

Modern modified 'ultra' Goeckerman therapy: a PASI assessment of a very effective therapy for psoriasis resistant to both prebiologic and biologic therapies.

BACKGROUND: Compared with the original Goeckerman therapy devised by Dr Goeckerman in the 1930s, modern modified Goeckerman therapy in the second millennium shows significantly enhanced efficacy by improvements in technology (e.g. narrowband UVB) and the possibility of adding other relatively safe therapeutic options for more resistant cases to enhance efficacy without compromising the basic safety profile. METHODS: For approximately 6 months, psoriasis patients undergoing Goeckerman therapy at the UCSF Psoriasis Center were followed from admission to discharge. A total of 25 consecutive psoriasis patients were treated with the Goeckerman regimen until (near-) clearance or for a maximum period of 3 months, and their weekly improvements in terms of PASI (psoriasis area and severity index) were recorded. RESULTS: In all, 100% reached PASI 75 by 12 weeks of treatment. In fact, by 8 weeks, 95% reached PASI 75 and most of the patients were discharged within 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: The onset of treatment effect was rapid. Goeckerman therapy is still a valuable and important part of the psoriatic armamentarium.

Acitretin↗

Food chain transfer of zinc within the ecosystems of old and modern metalliferous mine wastes.

Concentrations of zinc in mine waste, vegetation, invertebrate and small mammals from abandoned mines and a modern mine site have been determined in order to assess and compare environmental risk. Very high concentrations of zinc in mine waste from all sites were reflected in vegetation zinc levels but not in invertebrates and mammals. Physiological regulatory control mechanisms operate to optimise zinc retention, and maintain homeostasis in animals by enhancing absorption of zinc from diets low in the trace element, and by buffering the potential accumulative effects of high dietary levels of the metal. Zinc is not considered to be an acute toxicity factor precluding colonisation of these mine sites by invertebrates and mammals though it maybe a selective force influencing the species composition and relative abundance in animal communities.

Animals↗

People with disabilities before the days of modern rehabilitation medicine: did they pave the way?

Prior to the historical appearance of modern comprehensive rehabilitation medicine, people with disabilities were treated at their families' residence or by religious establishments. It is interesting to note some famous severely disabled who succeeded not only to survive against all odds but rather to contribute to their societies and to enter the pages of encyclopedias. The following case studies are randomly selected to reflect the historical position on disability and rehabilitation. The stories of Claudius, Herman von Reichenau, Gottfried von- Berlichingen, Georges Couthon, Aleijadinho, are given along with information on some other famous rulers, Kings and Popes who suffered from various disabilities and deformities.

Brazil↗