Alle Publikationen
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2013
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(2013): Understanding the role of social capital for mental wellbeing among older adults. In: Ageing and Society 33 (05), S. 804-825. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X12000256
Abstract: Previous research applying quantifiable measurements has established significant positive associations between social capital and mental health in older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of social capital affecting mental wellbeing among older people. The study is based on two independent qualitative data materials collected through two focus group interviews and an open-ended question included in a Finnish population-based postal survey. The findings indicate that informal social contacts such as family members and lifelong relationships between friends impact the experienced mental wellbeing among older adults due to shared life events, social support, mutual appreciation and trust, as well as a sense of belonging through common social activities. Hence, this study challenges Putnam’s idea of social capital as a collective concept focusing on formal contacts and the benefits on a collective level. In addition, the findings highlight the obstacles specific to older adults in maintaining social networks and participation, which should be considered in order to promote mental health in later life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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(2013): The influence of familiarity, trust and norms of reciprocity on an experienced sense of community. An empirical analysis based on social online services. In: Behaviour & Information Technology 34 (4), S. 392-412. DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2014.959455
Abstract: The growing use of social online services raises the question of what encourages members to participate actively and maintain accumulated social capital. Our research has particularly become aware of the relevance of familiarity, trust and reciprocity in understanding the members' sense of a virtual community (VC). Familiarity and trust are efficient criteria to assess and determine the extent to which one should engage in a virtual relationship. Furthermore, the effort of sharing experiences and knowledge must be based on the expectation of receiving certain returns. A structural equation modelling, specifically partial least squares, is proposed to assess the relationships between the constructs. Overall, the empirical results provided strong support for the hypotheses. Familiarity and trust lead the member to develop a growing perceived community support (PCS) and significantly influence the sense of a VC. Norms of reciprocity directly influence affective trust and PCS. Higher familiarity does not moderate the impact of affective trust on PCS, however. The results of this study could thus help social online service providers to create a successful business model and to determine the main drivers of the members' sense of a VC.
2005
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(2005): Can Taste Illumine Class?. Cultural Knowledge Forms of Inequality. In: The Canadian Journal of Sociology 30 (3), S. 247-279. DOI: 10.1353/cjs.2005.0057
Abstract: In Distinction (1984), Pierre Bourdieu sought to identify social classes in 1960/70s France by assessing relationships between various forms of capital and cultural tastes and practices. In like manner, this article describes relationships between a variety of cultural tastes and capitals in modern-day Canada. Utilizing data from a questionnaire survey of adults in British Columbia, it assesses distinct and inter-related predictors of familiarity with (high-brow) culture and cultural omnivorism. In particular, the analysis explores contributions to zero-order and multivariate models made by (i) neo-Marxist distinctions based upon real economic ownership, various kinds of control in the workplace and degree of manual labour, (ii) economic capital and educational capital, the most efficient structuring principles of distinction in modern societies according to Bourdieu, and (iii) gender and ethnicity, two forms of power relatively under-explored in Bourdieu's empirical work that may also serve to structure cultural distinctions and intersect with class in Canada.
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