"The world would just fall apart if there's no respect at all": Children's understandings of resp... more "The world would just fall apart if there's no respect at all": Children's understandings of respect for diversity in a post-conflict society The term 'respect for diversity' has gained prominence in many policy and curricular developments aimed at promoting reconciliation and pluralism. To explore the understandings of 'respect for diversity' held by children in a society that has both emerged from conflict and is increasingly multicultural, 15 group interviews were conducted with 7-11 year-old children in Northern Ireland. The behavioural aspects of respect for diversity articulated by the children were identified as: attention; offering time; equality of treatment; and acts of solidarity. Affective motivations for these actions were empathy and the pursuit of friendship; cognitive motivations were: a moral norm of inclusion; curiosity; internalised human rights principles; and egalitarianism (a belief that all persons are equal in fundamental worth or value). Findings are discussed in relation to theories of children's prejudice development and moral development, and implications for the teaching and promotion of respect for diversity as part of peace education programmes are considered.
The present study investigates the relationship between the foreign policy orientation of Irish n... more The present study investigates the relationship between the foreign policy orientation of Irish neutrality and national identity using a social representations approach (Elcheroth, Doise, & Reicher, 2011; Moscovici, 1961/76). In four focus groups conducted in the Republic of Ireland, 22 participants discussed vignettes in which hypothetical conflicts were described. The findings pointed towards the dynamic relationship between neutrality and Irish national identity and more generally to the importance of macropolitical phenomena for identity construction. The process of categorization was key to participants' decision making regarding the hypothetical conflicts; the decision to support or oppose the Irish state's involvement in the conflicts frequently revolved around a reconsideration of the boundaries of the ingroup. Furthermore, social representations were laden with the possibility of social change; the construction of neutrality as morally ambivalent, motivated by pragmatism rather than principles, opened up a space for younger participants to resist dominant, pragmatic interpretations of the policy and offer alternatives. Theoretical and empirical implications of the findings are discussed. Taken together, the findings demonstrate the critical potential of extending a social representations approach to issues of political psychological significance.
The role of identities, such as national and religious identity, in shaping individual and group ... more The role of identities, such as national and religious identity, in shaping individual and group positions towards military intervention, has been relatively underexplored. Study 1 (O’Dwyer, Lyons & Cohrs) explored the relationship between national identity and support for military intervention in the Republic of Ireland by elaborating on the social representation of the foreign policy orientation of Irish neutrality. 22 people participated in four focus groups, in which participants were asked to three vignettes in which hypothetical conflict events were described. A thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2001) revealed the existence of four themes: constraint versus agency, universal versus conditional acceptance, moral ambivalence and projecting national identity. In Study 2 (Lyons & Wilson), the role of religious identity and socio-political beliefs on support for military intervention was examined. 32 students (16 Muslim and 16 Christian) in the UK participated in four focus groups. As in Study 1, the discussions centred around three vignettes and participants’ views about involvement in the hypothetical conflicts. Focus group data were analysed using Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Corbin & Strauss, 2007). The analysis revealed the anchoring role of religious identity and socio-political beliefs in individual and group positions’ towards military intervention. Implications for research on foreign policy orientations are discussed.
Following brain injury there is often a prolonged period of deteriorating psychological condition... more Following brain injury there is often a prolonged period of deteriorating psychological condition, despite neurological stability or improvement. This is presumably consequent to the remission of anosognosia and the realisation of permanently worsened status. This change is hypothesised to be directed partially by the socially mediated processes which play a role in generating self-awareness and which here direct the reconstruction of the self as a permanently injured person. However, before we can understand this process of redevelopment, we need an unbiassed technique to monitor self-awareness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 individuals with long-standing brain injuries to capture their spontaneous complaints and their level of insight into the implications of their difficulties. The focus was on what the participants said in their own words, and the extent to which self-knowledge of difficulties was spontaneously salient to the participants. Their responses wer...
... Evanthia Lyons, [email protected], Social Psychology European Research Institute, Universi... more ... Evanthia Lyons, [email protected], Social Psychology European Research Institute, University of Surrey, UK. Glynis M. Breakwell, [email protected] Vice-Chancellor's Office, University of Bath, UK. ∗ This article is adapted from part of the first author's doctoral thesis. ...
... and that, if people did not share the ethnicity of the majority, they would be in conflict, u... more ... and that, if people did not share the ethnicity of the majority, they would be in conflict, unable to show loy-alty to ... is research reporting negative correlations between minority ethnic identification and national identification (Abu-Rayya & Abu-Rayya, 2009; Verkuyten & Yildiz 2007 ...
Aim. This paper reports a comparison of nurses affected by the restructuring associated with hea... more Aim. This paper reports a comparison of nurses affected by the restructuring associated with healthcare organization mergers (1998–2000) in the United Kingdom and those of non-affected nurses in the UK.Background. Restructuring, a feature of healthcare organizations for decades, has been associated internationally with negative outcomes for nurses. Despite this, no model to evaluate management of change factors and psychological stress processes has been operationalized and tested.Method. A sample of 351 Registered Nurses was recruited from southern England. Participants either worked in organizations that were within 6 months of merging or were not affected by mergers. On two occasions, 6 months apart, all were sent a questionnaire that had been formulated for the study. Questions related to the parts of the model being tested: restructuring initiatives (i.e. stressors) information and participation, coping action, and coping effectiveness (i.e. outcomes). The data were collecte...
"The world would just fall apart if there's no respect at all": Children's understandings of resp... more "The world would just fall apart if there's no respect at all": Children's understandings of respect for diversity in a post-conflict society The term 'respect for diversity' has gained prominence in many policy and curricular developments aimed at promoting reconciliation and pluralism. To explore the understandings of 'respect for diversity' held by children in a society that has both emerged from conflict and is increasingly multicultural, 15 group interviews were conducted with 7-11 year-old children in Northern Ireland. The behavioural aspects of respect for diversity articulated by the children were identified as: attention; offering time; equality of treatment; and acts of solidarity. Affective motivations for these actions were empathy and the pursuit of friendship; cognitive motivations were: a moral norm of inclusion; curiosity; internalised human rights principles; and egalitarianism (a belief that all persons are equal in fundamental worth or value). Findings are discussed in relation to theories of children's prejudice development and moral development, and implications for the teaching and promotion of respect for diversity as part of peace education programmes are considered.
The present study investigates the relationship between the foreign policy orientation of Irish n... more The present study investigates the relationship between the foreign policy orientation of Irish neutrality and national identity using a social representations approach (Elcheroth, Doise, & Reicher, 2011; Moscovici, 1961/76). In four focus groups conducted in the Republic of Ireland, 22 participants discussed vignettes in which hypothetical conflicts were described. The findings pointed towards the dynamic relationship between neutrality and Irish national identity and more generally to the importance of macropolitical phenomena for identity construction. The process of categorization was key to participants' decision making regarding the hypothetical conflicts; the decision to support or oppose the Irish state's involvement in the conflicts frequently revolved around a reconsideration of the boundaries of the ingroup. Furthermore, social representations were laden with the possibility of social change; the construction of neutrality as morally ambivalent, motivated by pragmatism rather than principles, opened up a space for younger participants to resist dominant, pragmatic interpretations of the policy and offer alternatives. Theoretical and empirical implications of the findings are discussed. Taken together, the findings demonstrate the critical potential of extending a social representations approach to issues of political psychological significance.
The role of identities, such as national and religious identity, in shaping individual and group ... more The role of identities, such as national and religious identity, in shaping individual and group positions towards military intervention, has been relatively underexplored. Study 1 (O’Dwyer, Lyons & Cohrs) explored the relationship between national identity and support for military intervention in the Republic of Ireland by elaborating on the social representation of the foreign policy orientation of Irish neutrality. 22 people participated in four focus groups, in which participants were asked to three vignettes in which hypothetical conflict events were described. A thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2001) revealed the existence of four themes: constraint versus agency, universal versus conditional acceptance, moral ambivalence and projecting national identity. In Study 2 (Lyons & Wilson), the role of religious identity and socio-political beliefs on support for military intervention was examined. 32 students (16 Muslim and 16 Christian) in the UK participated in four focus groups. As in Study 1, the discussions centred around three vignettes and participants’ views about involvement in the hypothetical conflicts. Focus group data were analysed using Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Corbin & Strauss, 2007). The analysis revealed the anchoring role of religious identity and socio-political beliefs in individual and group positions’ towards military intervention. Implications for research on foreign policy orientations are discussed.
Following brain injury there is often a prolonged period of deteriorating psychological condition... more Following brain injury there is often a prolonged period of deteriorating psychological condition, despite neurological stability or improvement. This is presumably consequent to the remission of anosognosia and the realisation of permanently worsened status. This change is hypothesised to be directed partially by the socially mediated processes which play a role in generating self-awareness and which here direct the reconstruction of the self as a permanently injured person. However, before we can understand this process of redevelopment, we need an unbiassed technique to monitor self-awareness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 individuals with long-standing brain injuries to capture their spontaneous complaints and their level of insight into the implications of their difficulties. The focus was on what the participants said in their own words, and the extent to which self-knowledge of difficulties was spontaneously salient to the participants. Their responses wer...
... Evanthia Lyons, [email protected], Social Psychology European Research Institute, Universi... more ... Evanthia Lyons, [email protected], Social Psychology European Research Institute, University of Surrey, UK. Glynis M. Breakwell, [email protected] Vice-Chancellor's Office, University of Bath, UK. ∗ This article is adapted from part of the first author's doctoral thesis. ...
... and that, if people did not share the ethnicity of the majority, they would be in conflict, u... more ... and that, if people did not share the ethnicity of the majority, they would be in conflict, unable to show loy-alty to ... is research reporting negative correlations between minority ethnic identification and national identification (Abu-Rayya & Abu-Rayya, 2009; Verkuyten & Yildiz 2007 ...
Aim. This paper reports a comparison of nurses affected by the restructuring associated with hea... more Aim. This paper reports a comparison of nurses affected by the restructuring associated with healthcare organization mergers (1998–2000) in the United Kingdom and those of non-affected nurses in the UK.Background. Restructuring, a feature of healthcare organizations for decades, has been associated internationally with negative outcomes for nurses. Despite this, no model to evaluate management of change factors and psychological stress processes has been operationalized and tested.Method. A sample of 351 Registered Nurses was recruited from southern England. Participants either worked in organizations that were within 6 months of merging or were not affected by mergers. On two occasions, 6 months apart, all were sent a questionnaire that had been formulated for the study. Questions related to the parts of the model being tested: restructuring initiatives (i.e. stressors) information and participation, coping action, and coping effectiveness (i.e. outcomes). The data were collecte...
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