The symphony: Organizational discourse and the symbolic tensions between artistic and business ideologies

This study represents an ethnographic account of the organizational discourse that constituted, at least in part, the cultural world of a regional symphony. Within the Symphony, organizational members embraced a particular ideology that was grounded in the symbolic expression of either an artistic code or a business code, each code competing with one another for organizational prominence. The enactment of these codes revealed the fractured nature of Symphony life where musicians and their expressions of the artistic code were pitted against management and the board of directors who primarily advanced a corporate vision of decision making. Based on the routine speech of organizational members, it was argued that a business orientation prevailed much of the time and, consequently, served to diminish artistic concerns about how the Symphony should function.     

Gender differences in television use: An exploration of the instrumental‐expressive dichotomy

This study applied an interpersonal approach to understand gender differences in television use. Research shows that males are socialized to be instrumental in communication while females are socialized to be expressive, or focused on relationships. We expected this instrumental‐expressive dichotomy to emerge in television use. In two studies we found limited support that males had an instrumental viewing style, with goal‐directed reasons for watching and intentional, concentrated, and selective use of television. Females had a relationship‐oriented approach to television similar to the expressive orientation. These findings are linked to prior research on the uses of television.     

To Hope or to Know: Coping with Uncertainty and Ambivalence in Women's Magazine Breast Cancer Articles

Breast cancer is one of the most feared diseases in contemporary Western society. Popular women's magazines are important sources of information about and orientation to the disease. The current study applies problematic integration theory in an interpretive analysis of all breast cancer articles appearing in five top-circulating women's magazines between 1997 and 2002. In so doing, the study illuminates two major challenges (uncertainty and ambivalence) and several imperfect approaches to coping constructed in this discourse (simplification, information-seeking/provision, affect management, trusting intuition, sustaining hope, and metaphoric reframing). These results have several clear and important practical implications and highlight a major and largely untried direction for future research.     

To Hope or to Know: Coping with Uncertainty and Ambivalence in Women's Magazine Breast Cancer Articles

Breast cancer is one of the most feared diseases in contemporary Western society. Popular women's magazines are important sources of information about and orientation to the disease. The current study applies problematic integration theory in an interpretive analysis of all breast cancer articles appearing in five top-circulating women's magazines between 1997 and 2002. In so doing, the study illuminates two major challenges (uncertainty and ambivalence) and several imperfect approaches to coping constructed in this discourse (simplification, information-seeking/provision, affect management, trusting intuition, sustaining hope, and metaphoric reframing). These results have several clear and important practical implications and highlight a major and largely untried direction for future research.     

文化消费视域下的城市社区图书馆品牌建构--以深圳市罗湖区“悠·图书馆”为例

在文化消费视域下,作为文化品牌的图书馆具有鲜明的符号价值与象征意义,图书馆品牌化的过程就是对特定符号价值与象征意义的生产和消费过程。图书馆品牌承载的形象、故事、情感、价值观成为文化消费的对象,以及图书馆从工具性到文化性定位转型的关键要素。文旅融合背景下,以"悠·图书馆"为代表的城市社区图书馆通过赋予图书馆的象征价值和体验价值,并通过品牌个性、传承文化资产、开发美学价值、讲述品牌故事等品牌意义重构的实践破解城市社区图书馆发展困境。"悠·图书馆"作为重构的城市社区图书馆品牌,通过品牌象征意义、价值观、形象、故事4个层面的符号重构策略,实现城市社区图书馆品牌创新与传播。     

Cortes's notary: The symbolic power of records

This article explores the relationship between records and various expressions of political and social power. Records are often made and used for explicit, instrumental purposes, designed to put into effect the plans and desires of those with the upper hand in certain relationships. They may also be used to enhance subtler forms of symbolic, emotional, and psychological power. Drawing on a selection of historical examples, the essay argues that record making itself can sometimes be as potent as any particular records resulting from that process. The essay concludes with some speculations on how these powers inherent in records may be changing in the context of current technological developments.     

Young Breast Cancer Survivors’ Experiences of Uncertainty

Evidence indicates recent increases in breast cancer diagnoses among young women. Research also suggests that younger women diagnosed with breast cancer may experience more psychological distress than older women. In-depth interviews with 25 breast cancer survivors age 40 and under were conducted to explore the uncertainties young women face throughout survivorship. Results indicate that young women experience unique sources of uncertainty and that communication may facilitate or hinder the management of uncertainty across the survivorship trajectory. Implications of these findings for theorizing on uncertainty, healthcare providers’ interactions with young women, and social networks’ communication with survivors are discussed. These data also have important implications for the practical treatment of young breast cancer survivors and applied, communicative recommendations for providers are proposed.     

新闻摄影的审美三态——兼评著名摄影作品《胜利之吻》

把作品的创作过程与作品的传播效果联系起来 ,尤其对作品问世后的命运进行研究 ,可以进一步认识到思想美感和情感升华是作品产生影响力的根本。本文试以历经 6 0年而不衰的影作《胜利之吻》为蓝本 ,说明新闻摄影审美的三种形态即现场势态、审美情态、象征意态是作品产生影响力的根本     

Monk,knight or artist? the archivist as a straddler of a paradigm

The contextual approach gives the impression that we are moving into the 21st century with three competing scientific traditions of interpretation. Another understanding is the systemic view, which indicates a paradigm with complementing traditions of interpretation, depending on ontological level. The paradigm of archival science is, like that of many other sciences, influenced by positivism, systems theory and hermeneutics. The relevance of the paradigm depends on personal beliefs. The hermeneutic understanding of archival science emphasizes the context and deconstructs central concepts. Hermeneutics emphasizes the influence of conceptual changes and technological advances on perception. Hermeneutics stresses the need for a socio-cultural and historical orientation of archival science. The positivistic tradition is coloured by the myths about an ideal science. This is reflected firstly in the analogy comparing archives with nature, and secondly in the deductive method. Positivism is instrumental in its demands for distinct definitions of concepts and its insistence on the record as the basis of archival science. The flexibility of systems theory highlights the complex relations between context and record. Systems theory can, at its best, serve as a meeting-place for researchers, archivists and users and accordingly form the basis for new knowledge and theory formation. Systems theory enables a materialistic/dialectic epistemology based in reality and inspired by other relevant sciences. The result may be the foundation of a systemic-functionalist archival science with activities, records creation and evidential values in focus.     

Orientation to Reality

Abstract

Reference librarians who are new to an organization need to participate in a systematic orientation program as soon as possible regardless of whether they are experienced or not. A well-planned orientation program helps new librarians provide better and more efficient service for their patrons; and facilitates identification with the organization that they have joined. The need for such orientation programs has no significant relevance to the degree of the librarian's previous experience. Experienced librarians need orientation more than training, though they may also need some training specific to changes in their duties and work location.     

近十年我国乳腺癌文献计量指标及研究热点分析

文章以SCIE为数据源,利用文献计量学方法,对2000-2009年我国乳腺癌研究发表文献被SCI收录情况,分别通过不同层面进行统计分析,并与其他国家相关数据进行比较。结合共词聚类分析法与文献被引频次,运用BICOMS软件统计高频主题词以及高频被引文献,并利用SPSS软件进行聚类分析。以期总结我国乳腺癌的研究热点,为相关专业人员深入开展乳腺癌研究提供参考。     

In Defense of Gaydar: Reality Television and the Politics of the Glance

The reality dating programs Boy Meets Boy and Playing It Straight purported to illustrate the elusiveness of performing sexual orientation in a culture that increasingly understands sexuality as fluid. By highlighting stereotypes typically associated with both gay and straight men, the shows exposed the difficulties of determining sexual orientation with “gaydar”. Both gay and straight participants were represented as equally incapacitated to identify sexual orientation. In doing so, the programs sought to advance liberal democratic conceptions of tolerance and equality. Employing Foucault's conception of the “glance,” I explore the problems inherent in relocating “gaydar” to the small screen.     

An experimental study of the effects of orientation behavior on small group consensus

This study investigated the relationship between orienting behavior and small group consensus. Employing a confederate to manipulate orientation behavior in three experimental conditions, thirty small group discussions were used to assess the effects of orientation on distance from consensus. Groups assigned to the High Orientation condition were significantly closer to consensus after discussion than groups in either the Low or No Orientation conditions. There was no significant difference between the Low and the No Orientation conditions. When total orientation behavior (manipulated and natural) was considered, an identical amount of perceived orientation behavior was found in the No and Low Orientation conditions. This finding paralleled the results obtained on distance from consensus.     

Naming and Claiming Cancer among African American Women: An Application of Problematic Integration Theory

This study examines how a sample of African American women understands the uncertainties fundamental to cancer risk communication. Utilizing data from four focus groups, Problematic Integration (PI) theory is applied as an interpretive lens for illustrating their felt difficulties of talking openly about cancer and breast cancer in everyday life. The women describe worry about cancer and its prevalence among African American women; ambivalence and uncertainty; belief that what is not uncertain is certain and awful; fear and avoidance; contradictions in “claiming” and “rebuking” cancer; and hopefulness.     

Professional ideology and physicians’ perceived disclosure patterns toward cancer patients

This study examined differences in physicians’ perceptions of their disclosure patterns toward cancer patients based on their professional ideological orientation. Adapting Strauss et al.’s (1964) sociotherapeutic (SCT) and somatotherapeutic (SMT) ideologies, it was hypothesized that physicians who strongly identified with the SCT ideology would perceive themselves as more willing to disclose the diagnosis to cancer patients and that there would be differences in the way and types of information presented depending on physicians’ ideological orientation. The findings suggest that physicians perceive choosing particular disclosure patterns based, in part, on their professional ideological orientations. Those who identify with a strong SCT orientation perceive themselves as more willing to disclose the diagnosis and provide some additional information to cancer patients and their families. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Influence of Medical Orientation on Perceived Physician Credibility

This study assessed whether two medical orientations of physicians—biomedical vs biopsychosocial—influenced individuals’ perceptions of physician credibility. Participants read a vignette describing a physician communicating either a predominantly biomedical or a predominantly biopsychosocial orientation and then completed the Measure of Source Credibility in reference to the physician. Results indicate that physicians who display a biopsychosocial orientation were rated higher in perceived competence, character, and caring. Future researchers should address various effects of the medical context on physician credibility and how patients’ preferences regarding physicians’ medical orientation influence choice of and communication with physicians, patient satisfaction, and compliance.     

Testing a mediational model of the effect of family communication patterns on student perceptions of the impact of the college transition through social communication apprehension

An undergraduate college student’s ability to transition successfully to college has been identified as one of the most pressing concerns for institutions of higher education. To understand the challenges associated with transitioning to college and suggest interventions from a communication perspective, we test a mediational model based on family communication patterns theory (FCP) and the communication apprehension perspective (CA). The model examines the influence of FCP and CA on students’ perceptions of the impact of the college transition on their lives. A survey of 2252 students about to transition to college indicated that conversation orientation was associated with lower CA. Both conversation orientation and conformity orientation were associated with more positive perceptions of the impact of the transition to college. An indirect effect was found from conversation orientation to the perceived impact through CA. Practical implications for college retention specialists and educators, families, and students including a pre-transition visualization intervention are discussed.     

Journalism and Critical Engagement: Naiveté, Embarrassment,and Intelligibility

This article explores the possibility of journalists acting as custodians of critical engagement, drawing on Rancière's conception of dissensus as organized disagreement over the conditions of understanding. It begins by assessing the status that worthiness and naiveté have as negative symbolic capital in the journalistic field, before asking whether journalists' ambivalent detachment from the objects of their inquiry hinders their ability to engage critically with experts in other fields. It argues that journalism's role in marshaling dissensus amounts to making clear the limits and absences of intelligibility in journalism and other fields, in distinction to disseminating knowledge as such.     

The dream of statehood and the reality of conflict: local and international coverage of the Palestinian United Nations bid for statehood

This paper examines whether or not media coverage is biased by the political orientation of the journalists’ country, specifically illustrated by the 2011 bid for statehood by the Palestinian Authority in the United Nations. This bid represents a symbolic step toward international recognition of a Palestinian state, an important event in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A quantitative analysis was conducted on 1577 news reports from American, European, and Middle Eastern outlets to determine the differences in media coverage of the Palestinian bid for statehood among the channels. The findings suggest that Israeli channels broadcasted a relatively low number of items in which the Palestinian declaration itself was the main theme. The BBC broadcasted a relatively high rate of such items, and offered balanced coverage of both Israeli and Palestinian positions, while coverage by American FOX News channel reflected a pro-Israel bias. The findings also suggest that media outlets may be biased toward specific leaders. This work builds on a growing body of research on media framing of political conflicts and the effect of the political context of a country on its media outlets’ coverage.