Brothers,friends, and enemies: averting intimacy on Facebook in western India

Anthropological studies of the internet have traced the emergence of new forms of intimacy in various arenas of life, including friendship. Drawing upon an ethnography of Facebook and its use among young lower-middle-class men in Pune, Maharashtra, western India, the article investigates the discourse of friendship young men deploy on the platform. Although moulded in the image of their intimate friendships, their interactions with one another on-screen function to perform the ties of kinship. The distinctions young men draw between Facebook and their friendships off-screen reveal the particular forms male friendships take, the egalitarian ideal they contain, the privacy they require, and the care taken to foster them. Through examining the tensions between local articulations of intimacy and the publicity Facebook affords, I show how possibilities for online friendship, rather than being propelled by their freedom from external social conditions, are limited by the constraints of kinship.     

Research Ethics and Intellectual Disability: Broadening the Debates

This article examines the ethical issues surrounding the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities as research subjects. It explores subject selection, competence, risk and benefits, and authority through three tensions that emerge when considering these concepts in the context of the Disability Rights Movement and critical disability scholarship. These tensions are defined as the double dangers of inclusion and exclusion; the challenges of defining competence and risk in terms of individuals vs. groups; and the conflicts that arise when pursuing the dual goals of amelioration and elimination of disabilities. Though these tensions are not resolved, they underscore the importance of researchers engaging with critical disability perspectives in order to navigate these complex ethical questions.     

Tensions in Communication between Children on Antiretroviral Therapy and Their Caregivers: A Qualitative Study in Jinja District,Uganda

Introduction

HIV treatment and disclosure guidelines emphasize the importance of communicating diagnosis and treatment to infected children in ways that are appropriate to children’s developmental stage and age. Minimal attention, however, has been given to communication challenges confronted by HIV-infected children and their caregivers. This study examined the tensions between children and their caregivers arising from differing perspectives regarding when and what to communicate about antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods

This qualitative study was conducted between November 2011 and December 2012 and involved 29 HIV-infected children aged 8–17 years on ART and their caregivers. Data were collected through observations and in-depth interviews, which took place in homes, treatment centres and post-test clubs. Children and caregivers were sampled from among the 394 HIV-infected children and (their) 393 caregivers who participated in the cross-sectional survey that preceded the qualitative study. ATLAS.ti. Version 7 was used in the management of the qualitative data and in the coding of the emerging themes. The data were then analyzed using content thematic analysis.

Results

While the children felt that they were mature enough to know what they were suffering and what the medications were for, the caregivers wanted to delay discussions relating to the children’s HIV diagnosis and medication until they felt that the children were mature enough to deal with the information and keep it a secret and this caused a lot of tension. The children employed different tactics including refusing to take the medicines, to find out what they were suffering from and what the medications were for. Children also had their own ideas about when, where and with whom to discuss their HIV condition, ideas that did not necessarily coincide with those of their caregivers, resulting in tensions.

Conclusions

Guidelines should take into consideration differing perceptions of maturity when recommending ages at which caregivers should communicate with their children about diagnosis and ART. Health care providers should also encourage caregivers to recognize and respect children’s efforts to learn about and manage their condition. Children’s questions and expressions of feelings should be treated as openings for communication on these issues.     

It's the recipient that counts: spending money on strong social ties leads to greater happiness than spending on weak social ties

Previous research has shown that spending money on others (prosocial spending) increases happiness. But, do the happiness gains depend on who the money is spent on? Sociologists have distinguished between strong ties with close friends and family and weak ties—relationships characterized by less frequent contact, lower emotional intensity, and limited intimacy. We randomly assigned participants to reflect on a time when they spent money on either a strong social tie or a weak social tie. Participants reported higher levels of positive affect after recalling a time they spent on a strong tie versus a weak tie. The level of intimacy in the relationship was more important than the type of relationship; there was no significant difference in positive affect after recalling spending money on a family member instead of a friend. These results add to the growing literature examining the factors that moderate the link between prosocial behaviour and happiness.     

Case report: a case of intractable Meniere's disease treated with autogenic training

Aims  

The purpose of this study was to examine HRQOL depending on whether the participants have family members with disabilities or not. In addition, we examined the relationship between HRQOL and social networks among family caregivers in Japan.     

Assessment of objectively measured physical activity levels in individuals with intellectual disabilities with and without Down's syndrome

Objective

To investigate, using accelerometers, the levels of physical activity being undertaken by individuals with intellectual disabilities with and without Down''s syndrome.

Methods

One hundred and fifty two individuals with intellectual disabilities aged 12–70 years from East and South-East England. Physical activity levels in counts per minute (counts/min), steps per day (steps/day), and minutes of sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) measured with a uni-axial accelerometer (Actigraph GT1M) for seven days.

Results

No individuals with intellectual disabilities met current physical activity recommendations. Males were more active than females. There was a trend for physical activity to decline and sedentary behaviour to increase with age, and for those with more severe levels of intellectual disability to be more sedentary and less physically active, however any relationship was not significant when adjusted for confounding variables. Participants with Down''s syndrome engaged in significantly less physical activity than those with intellectual disabilities without Down''s syndrome and levels of activity declined significantly with age.

Conclusions

Individuals with intellectual disabilities, especially those with Down''s syndrome may be at risk of developing diseases associated with physical inactivity. There is a need for well-designed, accessible, preventive health promotion strategies and interventions designed to raise the levels of physical activity for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We propose that there are physiological reasons why individuals with Down''s syndrome have particularly low levels of physical activity that also decline markedly with age.     

WHAT SHOULD RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS UNDERSTAND TO UNDERSTAND THEY ARE PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH?

To give valid informed consent to participate in clinical research, potential participants should understand the risks, potential benefits, procedures, and alternatives. Potential participants also should understand that they are being invited to participate in research. Yet it is unclear what potential participants need to understand to satisfy this particular requirement. As a result, it is unclear what additional information investigators should disclose about the research; and it is also unclear when failures of understanding in this respect undermine the validity of potential participants' informed consent. An analysis of individuals' interests suggests that potential participants need to understand three additional facts to understand that they are being invited to participate in research: 1) research contribution : those who enroll in the study will be contributing to a project designed to gather generalizable knowledge to benefit others in the future; 2) research relationship : the investigators will rely on participants' efforts to gather the generalizable knowledge to benefit others; and 3) research impact : the extent to which participating in the study will alter what participants do and what happens to them.     

Microethics in action

The future development of bioethics has been discussed in a number of articles in recent years, principally with regard to the trend towards empirical studies. However, what is meant by empirical studies in this context and how it is to be used concretely have been subject to varying interpretations. The purpose of this article is to develop what we term the microethical approach as a concrete method for an empirically driven bioethics. By adopting a microethical perspective, we will illustrate an analytical concept for describing and demonstrating how, as a result of contextual circumstances and forms of understanding, different individuals in their everyday life adopt different coping strategies and behavior patterns in relation to ethical values. From a deepened perspective, the complexity of human behavior becomes apparent, and knowledge is gained about how moral problems are perceived and construed by those whom they in fact affect. We intend first and foremost to develop the microethical methodology by elucidating the methods and approaches that can help in clarifying moral dilemmas on a microethical level, and how the relationship between the empirical material and the ethical analysis evolves over the course of the analysis. This is exemplified by a study of caregivers' entrance into patients' private lives through the provision of care and assistance in the home.     

Emotional intimacy with nature and life & intellectual interest in life of pre-service biology teachers for environmental education

We investigated emotional intimacy with nature and life, and intellectual interest in life among South Korean pre-service teachers (N = 114) training in biology education, analysing the differences between these two constructs as well as their relationship to environmental behaviour and sensitivity. In addition, differences in the respondents’ experiences of nature, concerns about environmental problems and willingness to perform environmental education were explored. Four groups of pre-service biology teachers, categorised by the two investigated personal variables, showed different responses for the environment-related characteristics and other variables. Our results suggest that biology teachers should have higher emotional and intellectual interest in nature and life, and a balance between emotional intimacy with nature and life, and intellectual interest in life is needed to prepare them.     

Sex differences in friendship preferences

Friendships can help us solve a number of challenges, increasing our welfare and fitness. Across evolutionary time, some of the many challenges that friendships helped to solve may have differed between men and women. By considering the specific and potentially distinct recurrent problems men's and women's friendships helped them solve, we can derive predictions about the qualities that would have made men's and women's same-sex friends ideal partners. This logic leads to several predictions about the specific friend preferences that may be differentially prized by men and women. Across three studies (N = 745) with U.S. participants—assessing ideal hypothetical friends, actual friends, and using a paradigm adapted from behavioral economics—we find that men, compared to women, more highly value same-sex friends who are physically formidable, possess high status, possess wealth, and afford access to potential mates. In contrast, women, compared to men, more highly value friends who provide emotional support, intimacy, and useful social information. Findings suggest that the specific friendship qualities men and women preferred differed by sex in ways consistent with a functional account of friendship.     

Focus: Zoonotic Disease: The Practice of Science as the Pursuit of Knowledge

Choosing what scientific project to pursue is the most important decision that scientists at all levels continually face. Time devoted to a project can further desirable knowledge and advance a career or cost years in lost opportunity. Knowing what to consider before embarking on a specific scientific journey, as well as when to drop a project and change course, offers a way of practicing science that keeps us mindful of what is relevant at a given time and place while preserving our freedom to explore the most exciting findings. This article explores both the pressures that restrict this delicate decision-making process and the processes that scientists can apply to overcome those pressures. Above all else, as it turns out, we must still love the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake – and this love directly impacts our results.     

Comparison of the Expectation of Caregivers and Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Doe Independence in Diabetes Care-Related Tasks

ObjectiveChildren who are given unsupervised responsibility for their diabetes care prior to developmental and/or emotional readiness may have poorer glycemic control. The purpose of this study was to assess the age-related expectations of children and caregivers for independence in diabetes care-related tasks.MethodsA total of 150 participants with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) receiving multiple daily injections (MDI) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) were enrolled in this study. All caregivers and participants older than 10 years of age completed questionnaires evaluating the expected age of independence for different diabetes care-related tasks.ResultsThe participants expected independence with no direct supervision in most diabetes care-related tasks at a younger age than their caregivers (P < .05). The difference was more prominent for those on CSII compared to MDI (P < .01). There was a positive correlation between the age when caregivers expect independence for most of the diabetes-related tasks and the age at diagnosis, regardless of the use of MDI or CSII (P < .01).ConclusionChildren with T1DM expect to assume independence at a younger age than their caregivers do. The younger the children are at diagnosis, the younger they are expected by their caregivers to be independent, especially those on CSII. (Endocr Pract. 2014;20:629-637)     

Aid and affect in the friendships of young Chinese men

Two of the most enduring concepts in the study of friendship are those of pure affect and instrumentalism. These have long been set in contrast to one another, and a number of typologies of different varieties of friendship have been built around the affect-instrumentalism distinction. In this article, however, a careful look at the close friendships of young Chinese men demonstrates that not only do these two aspects sometimes coexist in the same relationship, but that they may actually be deeply interdependent on one another. Such relationships urge us to re-examine our understandings of affect and instrumentalism, what constitutes them, and what they truly mean for the study of close, intimate relationships.  

Résumé

Dans l'étude de l'amitié, deux des concepts les plus durables sont ceux d'affectivité pure et d'instrumentalisme. Longtemps opposés l'un à l'autre, ils ont donné lieu à de nombreuses typologies des variétés d'amitié, élaborées autour de la distinction entre affect et instrumentalisme. Le présent article accorde cependant son attention aux amitiés proches entre jeunes Chinois, pour démontrer que ces deux aspects peuvent parfois coexister dans une même relation et peuvent même être profondément interdépendants. Ce type de relations nous incite à réexaminer notre compréhension de l'affect et de l'instrumentalisme, de ce qui les constitue et de leur signification véritable dans l'étude des relations proches et intimes.     

Implicit Attitudes towards People with Intellectual Disabilities: Their Relationship with Explicit Attitudes,Social Distance,Emotions and Contact

Implicit attitude research has expanded rapidly over the last decade and is seen as very promising as it counters biases present in much attitude research such as social desirability. However, most research in the area of intellectual disabilities has focused on explicit attitudes alone. This study examined implicit attitudes to this population and also examined their association with emotional reactions and contact, which have previously been found to have a significant influence on attitudes and stigma. A web based survey consisting of a single target Implicit Association Test, measures of explicit attitudes, social distance, and emotional reactions towards and contact with individuals with intellectual disabilities was completed by 326 adult UK residents. Implicit attitudes were not significantly associated with explicit attitudes, social distance or emotional reactions. Instead there were small to moderate associations between emotional reactions and explicit attitudes and social distance. Implicit attitudes did not vary according to participants’ level of contact with individuals with intellectual disabilities, type of the contact relationship (voluntary versus involuntary), gender or educational attainment. In contrast, these participant characteristics did affect explicit attitudes and social distance. Implicit attitudes towards individuals with intellectual disabilities were somewhat negative and, unlike explicit attitudes and stigma, did not vary according to participant demographics or contact. As they may have a negative impact on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, implicit attitudes merit increased attention in research and interventions in the intellectual disabilities field.     

Obesity and social marginalization: When do organized activities promote or hinder peer relationships?

Overweight youth are often socially marginalized and have fewer friends than their nonoverweight peers. Participation in organized activities may be one way to promote friendships for overweight youth. In this study, we used a large nationally representative sample to test whether two aspects of participation promoted friendships, namely the number of activities and the social acceptance of activity co-participants. In contradiction to our hypotheses, participating in activities with high socially accepted peers was associated with significantly fewer friendships over time for overweight adolescents. Conversely, there were small differences between overweight and nonoverweight adolescents’ friendships when they participated in activities with low socially accepted co-participants. Our findings provide new insight that activities may not be universally beneficial for overweight adolescents’ peer relationships. We discuss the various peer mechanisms that explain why certain types of activities predict these friendship patterns for overweight youth.     

First tests of Euclidean preference integration in friendship: Euclidean friend value and power of choice on the friend market

Close friendships are associated with greater happiness and improved health; historically, they would likely have provided beneficial fitness outcomes. Yet each friendship requires one's finite time and resources to develop and maintain. Because people can maintain only so many close relationships, including friendships, at any one time, choosing which prospective friends to pursue and invest in is likely to have been a recurrent adaptive problem. Moreover, not all friends are created equal; some might be kind but unintelligent, some intelligent but disloyal, and so on. How might people integrate their friend preferences to make friend choices? Work using a Euclidean model of mate preferences has had significant success in elucidating this integration challenge in the domain of mating. Here, we apply this model to the domain of friendship, specifically exploring same-sex best and close friendships. We test and find some support for several critical predictions derived from a Euclidean integration hypothesis: People with higher Euclidean friend value (a) have best friends who better fulfill their best friend preferences, (b) have higher friend-value ideal best friends, and (c) have higher friend-value actual best friends. We also (d) replicate existing similar findings with regard to mating and (e) additionally provide a first test of whether people's Euclidean friend value (versus mate value) is a better predictor of their friend outcomes, and vice versa, finding some, albeit mixed, support for the dissocialbility of these constructs.     

Cortisol and testosterone associations with social network dynamics

This study integrates behavioral endocrinology and network science to explore links between hormones and social network dynamics. Specifically, we examine how cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) are associated with creation of new friendships and maintenance of existing friendships. A collegiate marching band was used as a model system of a mixed-sex social organization. Participants (n = 193; 53% female; M age = 19.4 years, 62.1% European-American) provided friendship nominations at time 1 and two months later at time 2. At time 1, participants donated saliva before and after rehearsal (later assayed for C and T). Stochastic actor-based models revealed that individuals with higher C levels were less likely to maintain their social relationships and more likely to create new friendships. In contrast, individuals with higher T levels were more likely to maintain friendships and less likely to create new relationships. Findings suggest that individual differences in C and T are associated with the initiation and maintenance of friendships and have several noteworthy theoretical implications.     

Long-term potentiation and memory

The discovery of long-term potentiation (LTP) transformed research on the neurobiology of learning and memory. This did not happen overnight, but the discovery of an experimentally demonstrable phenomenon reflecting activity-driven neuronal and synaptic plasticity changed discussions about what might underlie learning from speculation into something much more concrete. Equally, however, the relationship between the discovery of LTP and research on the neurobiology of learning and memory has been reciprocal; for it is also true that studies of the psychological, anatomical and neurochemical basis of memory provided a developing and critical intellectual context for the physiological discovery. The emerging concept of multiple memory systems, from 1970 onwards, paved the way for the development of new behavioural and cognitive tasks, including the watermaze described in this paper. The use of this task in turn provided key evidence that pharmacological interference with an LTP induction mechanism would also interfere with learning, a finding that was by no means a foregone conclusion. This reciprocal relationship between studies of LTP and the neurobiology of memory helped the physiological phenomenon to be recognized as a major discovery.     

Troubled landscapes,troubling anthropology: co‐presence,necessity, and the making of ethnographic knowledge

If ‘co‐presence is a condition of [anthropological] inquiry’ (Fabian), what sort of knowledge does it produce? I explore this question through an ethnography of a ‘troubled landscape’ in Malaysian Borneo: a lush, hilly region that has been the site of a dam construction and resettlement project since the late 2000s. My article uses the notion of co‐presence as both a lens through which to explore the predicaments of the four small communities affected by the scheme and a reflexive device that underscores the embeddedness of the ethnographic encounter in a larger relational field – one characterized as much by chance and necessity as it is by anthropologists’ intellectual agendas. In the process, I seek to trouble some of the methodological and ethical issues posed by anthropology's recent ‘ontological turn’, notably the long‐standing questions of what it means to ‘take seriously’ and how ethnography and the ethnographer are implicated in this project.     

When love meets drugs: pharmaceuticalizing ambivalence in post-socialist China

In this article, I examine the interaction between intimacy and psychiatry to explore the ambivalences in the use of pharmaceuticals in psychiatric practice. Of particular interest is how pharmaceuticals come to constitute in multiple ways what pathology is and what form of life needs to be restored, and how psychiatric medications reconfigure the ambivalence of intimacy in post-socialist China. Following the life of Mei, a female psychiatric patient, for two years, I have made a series of discoveries related to medicine and intimacy in China. Specifically, I show that psychopharmaceuticals indicate a diseased body that threatens the intimate bond. They also highlight a socially suffering subject that is in lack of love from the intimate partner who demands the latter’s redemption. I discuss how these multiple and contradicting meanings of psychopharmaceuticals and intimacy are socio-historically situated. Thus, while previous research in medical anthropology criticizes pharmaceuticalization for reducing the socio-political life (bios) to a biological body (zoē), I argue that these life forms co-exist in a pharmaceutical “zone of indistinction” (Agamben, Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1998), in which they constitute and contradict each other. This discussion warns researchers against falling back into the usual orientation of either biomedicine or the social sciences.