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Examines conspiratorial thinking as a pathological effect of the breakup of social recognition resulting from new political ideologies that emphasize rights of the individual at the expense of those of all others. K. Minogue's Alien Powers (1985) is used to illustrate a political argument based on the theory of difference, & to show how conspiracy theory represents an "attempt to compensate for the repression of sociability." It is said to be possible for the self & the Other to become so close that the distance that allows two parties to exchange knowledge is dissolved. The implications of the politics of absolute difference for social collectivity & justice are discussed, arguing that the truth has become an ideological bias manufactured by the postmodern state, & the Other is disguised as inclusion-exclusion behind an imaginary notion of transcendental truth that hides conflicts inherent in the self-Other relation. S. Zizek's critique of the science-fiction film, The Matrix, is drawn on to show how theories of conspiratorial thinking are inadvertently created by theories of absolute difference. 34 References. J. Lindroth

(Originally published in Polity, 1986, XVIII, 3, spring, 367-391.) Contemporary US public conceptions of political corruption are investigated, offering several hypotheses; eg, officials who commit corrupt actions will be judged more severely than private citizens, & prominent individuals who commit corrupt actions against large organizations will receive harsh judgments. Questionnaire data from residents in Pittsburgh, PA, reveal strong support for the hypotheses. Additional trends were noted: (1) Actions deemed formally corrupt by current definitions were perceived as more corrupt. (2) Increases in the amount of payoff received by the corrupt individual increased the rate of respondents' judgment of the action as corrupt. (3) Mitigating motivations (eg, overdrawing on a checking account to purchase clothing for children) reduced respondents' tendency to view actions as corrupt. Additional findings regarding differences across social classes' judgments are reported. 4 Tables. J. Parker

"This chapter discusses nonresponse to organizational surveys focusing on methodological and theoretical issues related to nonresponse. The first section provides an overview of methodologies for the study of nonresponse, including archival databases, the wave approach, the follow-up approach, and population profiling, as well as a discussion of methodological challenges in nonresponse research. The second section summarizes previous nonresponse research by examining demographics, attitudes, and organizational and survey characteristics as antecedents of nonresponse. The third section provides an integrated framework for the study of survey response. Building on previous research, we develop a model that posits several mechanisms that explain why nonresponse occurs. This model incorporates multiple levels of analysis and acknowledges the role of individual differences and situational characteristics on nonresponse behavior. In addition, we also discuss the future of nonresponse research by exploring the role of narrow personality traits, advances in technology, and organizational and national culture in survey nonresponse." (author's abstract)

Der Beitrag erörtert die komplexen Zusammenhänge zwischen Hochbegabung und schulischem wie auch beruflichem Erfolg, wobei Erklärungsversuche für außergewöhnliche Leistungen einen besonderen Stellenwert einnehmen. Dazu werden Annahmen der Hochbegabungs- und Expertiseforschung verknüpft. Anhand retrospektiver und historiometrischer Ansätze wird die Relevanz psychobiologischer und bildungsbezogener Erklärungsversuche für Eminenz kritisch analysiert. Die Problematik einheitlicher Erklärungsmodelle wird an Fallbeispielen aus dem Bereich der Musik illustriert. Obwohl für die Karriereverläufe in unterschiedlichen Disziplinen durchaus gemeinsame Vorhersagemerkmale identifiziert werden können, beeindruckt dennoch insgesamt das Ausmaß individueller Unterschiede auf dem Weg zur Eminenz. (DIPF/Orig.).;;;This contribution discusses the rather complex relationships between giftedness and both academic and professional success. In particular, theoretical and empirical approaches trying to explain exceptional performance are considered, which include basic assumptions of research into giftedness and research focusing on the development of expertise. Retrospective, mainly historiometric approaches are used to analyse the relevance of psychobiological and educational explanatory attempts. Case studies taken from the field of music are described in some detail, mainly because they seem suited to illustrate the variety of individual trajectories and the difficulty to come up with uniform explanatory models. Although the importance of a set of predictor variables can be shown for a variety of disciplines, one of the major outcomes of our analysis is that there are large individual differences in the way eminence is accomplished. (DIPF/Orig.).

The Western European colonialist encounters with populations that were culturally & phenotypically different from themselves was the factor that laid the foundation for the concept of race in the identification of distinct human groups and association with differences in physical appearances. Although race had no basis in natural science, during the middle to late 18th century the concept was embraced by learned individuals to give it legitimacy as a product of scientific investigation and categorize what was conceived as inherently unequal populations, & was corollary to the Eurocentric worldview that racialized all others. The global human heritage of European civilization is related to globalization & the new order in which the persistence of neocolonial structures & practices are power relations that simultaneously wield the potential to maintain hegemonic forms as well as offer new opportunities for the forces of resistance. The concept of postcolonial critical hybridity is asserted to be part of a broader process instrumental to deconstructing the concept of Europe & acknowledging the specificity of its development which now addresses the devastating impact of white racism & supremacy on individuals of African descent, & is countered by the legitimating of the Afrocentric desire to give voice to the shared global disillusionment & to deconstruct the Eurocentric rendering of history. Afrocentrist dismantling of Eurocentrism must move beyond dichotomous thinking to embrace a moderate Afrocentrism based on a both/neither way of thinking that is compatible with postcolonial concept of critical hybridity, thus making the concept of critical hybridity quintessentially Afrocentric in the deepest meaning of the word. References. J. Harwell

Dieses Kapitel gibt einen Überblick über Forschungsbefunde und Statistiken zu Berufskarrieren begabter Frauen. Da in Deutschland bislang keine Längsschnittstudien zu Berufsverläufen von als hochbegabt diagnostizierten Mädchen durchgeführt wurden, erfolgt zunächst ein Überblick über Studien aus dem englischsprachigen Raum. Anschließend werden Statistiken zu Partizipationsraten von Mädchen und Frauen in verschiedenen Talentdomänen, Bildungs- und beruflichen Hierarchieebenen in Deutschland dargestellt. Trotz vergleichbarer Begabung und teilweise besserer Noten, sind Frauen im MINT-Bereich (Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik) und auf den oberen Führungsebenen immer noch deutlich seltener vertreten. Im Kapitel werden verschiedene Erklärungsansätze vorgestellt, die auf die individuelle Ebene fokussieren (Motivation, Interesse, Vertrauen in die eigenen Fähigkeiten, Attributionen). Anschließend erfolgt ein Überblick über kontextuelle Erklärungsmodelle, die neben individuellen Unterschieden auch andere Faktoren wie Stereotype, Erwartungen, Beurteilungen Dritter, Gelegenheitsstrukturen oder soziale Normen bezüglich Erwerbstätigkeit und Familienaktivitäten mit einbeziehen. Zum Abschluss werden aus der Forschungsliteratur bekannte Interventionsansätze diskutiert, die trotz ihrer positiven Wirkung von Politik und Wirtschaft bislang kaum Beachtung finden. (DIPF/Orig.).;;;This chapter supplies an overview of research findings and statistics published on the professional careers pursued by gifted women. Since no longitudinal studies on the career paths followed by girls diagnosed as highly gifted have been published in Germany to date, this chapter starts off with studies conducted in the English language area. Following this, statistics are presented which depict the participation rates for girls and women in various talent domains, as well as their presence on the upper tiers of educational and corporate hierarchy structures in Germany. Despite comparable talent levels and, to some extent, better grades, women are still significantly under-represented in STEM and on upper management levels. This chapter discusses various approaches taken to explain the differences in these participation rates. First we look at approaches where the focus is on the individual (motivation, interest, self-confidence in one's own abilities, talents, attributions). Subsequently we review a series of context-driven, explanatory models which consider factors other than individual differences, such as stereotyping, expectations, third-party judgements, opportunity structures and social norms referencing occupation and/or family activities. In conclusion, we discuss interventional approaches that have been established through investigative research. (DIPF/Orig.).

After discussing the importance of collective identity in the emergence of social movements, a case study is offered of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), founded in 1974 to unify the concerns of the women's & labor movements & provide a vehicle for the development of working-class feminism. Data obtained from 524 CLUW members in New England in 1994 via life-history & in-depth interviews are supplemented with interview data from officers & activists at the national level. Four distinct types of women participating in the CLUW are identified -- founding mothers, rebellious daughters, political animals, & fighting victims -- & differences in their recruitment & participation in the movement are linked to differences in their political socialization & identities. It is concluded that the collective identity of a social movement organization differs from the individual identities of its members, though each helps shape & is shaped by the other. 59 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Previous research on individualism & collectivism at the level of individual & cultural differences is reviewed, & questions are raised about the more appropriate level for conceptual analysis. Adopting an alternative perspective, a multifactorial scale is developed that can be used to measure collectivism at the level of group membership. Collectivism is conceptualized as a unipolar construct that is group-specific rather than generic, & scale data are gathered from individual members. Implications of the group-level perspective for the study of social movements are discussed. 2 Tables, 1 Figure, 30 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Proposes an alternative to theories focusing on cumulative individual behavior to explain the generation of economic organizations, based on the general equilibrium theory Walrasian conception of the economy that stresses the interaction & connectedness of markets in & across economies. It is argued that market participants are embedded in organized environments that steer & constrain both firm-level & individual economic processes. Calculability, generalized through price systems, helps rationalize an economy's organization, causing firms to coordinate or not coordinate their activities in a business group, depending on price incentives. These system actions are mutually maintained & require participants to play by the rules of the organizational game. Economic organization theories that assume individual aggregation are summarized, along with the benefits of a neo-Walrasian conception, as opposed to bottom-up theories, for addressing the effects of economic organizations on the formation of a complex capitalist economy. It is maintained that both economic & noneconomic factors are important in understanding structural differences among capitalist economies. 90 References. J. Lindroth

It is argued that the striking differences across Europe in the labor force participation rates of women with children cannot be explained by differences in social policy or welfare system alone. This volume, resulting from research conducted 1998-2001 by the European Commission, explores the interaction of individual motivations & sociopolitical factors that prompt some mothers to enter the workforce & other to remain at home, highlighting the intersection of social policies & practices across different welfare regimes. The current work situation of mothers -- & all women -- is considered against the backdrop of gender-equality policies developed since the late 1950s, along with treaties that have provided the legal basis for such policies; laws against sexual discrimination, guarantees of "equal pay for equal work," & provision of childcare services are highlighted. The continued "gender coding" of certain activities, eg, child care & household maintenance, as "women's work" is discussed & sociopolitical factors in individual EU member states that impact gender-equality policies are considered. K. Hyatt Stewart

Reexamines the link between aging & conservatism, drawing on secondary empirical data & the literature. It has become conventional wisdom that, as people age, they become more conservative, in the sense that they are less susceptible to changing attitudes. A particularly important assumption of this common sense is that aging implies a relatively high degree of stability in the lives of individuals. However, a distinction is made between a trait, defined as a relatively stable behavioral predisposition, & a state, or transitory component of behavior. Using panel data on political orientations drawn from the National Election Studies & General Social Surveys, it is shown that different kinds of attitudes are more or less trait- & state-like, depending on their direction & intensity. Thus, party identification may be more stable, or trait-like, over time, while other kinds of attitudes may be more state-like. To properly explain why some attitudes appear to be more trait-like than others, it is necessary to gauge both the susceptibility to & opportunities for change of individuals in & across age cohorts. 3 Tables. D. Ryfe

A case study of how five suburban communities in NJ have dealt with the issue of affordable housing is used to gauge differences between male & female city council members. Such differences are categorized on a liberal/relational continuum, where a more liberal approach focuses on individual wants & needs, & a relational approach centers on the social-constructedness of human experience & knowledge. It is hypothesized that male council members will exhibit a more liberal attitude toward affordable housing, while female council members will exhibit a more relational approach. Interviews with council members in the communities reveal that women do exhibit a more relational attitude. However, in this case, women & men have united against a perceived external threat (state requirement for affordable housing), & in so doing, both genders exhibit conventional liberal attitudes. 22 References. D. M. Smith

"Levels of political involvement still are surprisingly different among European citizenries. Apparently, neither the establishment of democratic institutions nor the rise in competences among mass publics has lead to a convergence of the levels of political involvement. Only at a very general level, systemic differences can be noted between the settled democracies of North-western Europe and the newer democracies of Southern Europe. The analyses presented here examine several explanations of the cross-national differences in political involvement by developing multi-level models combining the impact of various factors at the individual and the macro level using the first wave of the European Social Survey (2002-2003) as the primary data source. The results show that of the social capital factors, only the support for norms and values contributes to the explanation of political involvement after the conventional antecedents at the individual level are taken into account. Neither social capital understood as an individual resource, nor social capital understood as a conditional effect at the macro level, appears to be very relevant for the explanation of differences in political involvement. Instead, the multi-level models tested here underline the relevance of conventional individual-level factors. Cross-national differences in political involvement are mainly due to differences in the distributions of these factors in the various countries." (author's abstract)

Discusses women's activities in the rural economy in Nigeria, focusing on regional variations in individual states. It is shown that women play vital roles in the rural economy, producing a substantial proportion of the nation's food & engaging in its processing & preservation. However, women's rights of ownership or use & control of production are found to be constrained by access to material resources & sociocultural factors. Programs designed to assist women, first introduced in the 1970s, are described as facing several kinds of problems, eg, lack of funding & staff resources, women's limited participation in the planning process, & insufficient research on rural women's economic activities. Program developers are encouraged to provide better access to basic resources & to engage in more education of both men & women as to the role of women in the nation's economy. 2 Tables. D. M. Smith

Debate surrounding the alleged decline of the influence of social class on voting behavior across the late-19th & 20th centuries is reviewed, & new evidence is presented to argue that class position continues to affect voting choices. Using individual-level data from the 1972-1994 General Social Surveys, class voting in the US is analyzed across three key sociodemographic factors: race, religious affiliation, & gender. The influence of other factors such as ideology, values, public opinion, birth cohort, material satisfaction, & party affiliation is also considered. Results indicate that such non-class-based attitudes & identities may override class divisions in voting; however, they do not do so consistently, & the influence of class sometimes coexists with these factors. 3 Tables, 2 Figures, 43 References. K. Hyatt Stewart