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“We Are All in This Together”: Which Memorable Moral Messages Guided Student Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Health Communication
... Notably, the moral values invoked by participants inexplicably diverged from those the MFT model posits as traditionally conservative or liberal [49]. The other 2023 publication, reporting on a pair of studies by Waldron et al. looked more generally at pandemic health messaging among college studies, not strictly masking behavior [50]. The authors found that moral messaging from trusted sources had a measurable effect on students' decisions to adopt preventative health behaviors. ...
... Using exploratory factor analysis, the authors concluded that the students were influenced by messages that appealed to community responsibility, consideration for others, and self-determination. They interpreted these results as lending partial support for MFT [50]. ...
... Further, they found that the moral values which influenced the study's participants did not align with those presumed by MFT as characteristically liberal or conservative. Waldron, et al. reported on a pair of studies examining pandemic health messaging aimed at college students [50], though their research was not specifically about masking behavior. They found that messages coming from trusted sources and appealing to self-determination, community responsibility, and consideration for others did measurably affect students' decisions to adopt preventative health behaviors. ...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the use of well-fitting face masks or respirators as a strategy to reduce respiratory transmission; however, acceptance and utilization of face masks quickly became a contentious, politically charged matter. Given the effectiveness of masking against respiratory viruses, it is critical to understand the various normative factors and personal values associated with mask wearing. To this end, this study reports the findings of an online, cross-sectional survey (n = 1231) of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings show that ideological consistency, sharing news to create awareness, and sharing unverified news significantly predict masking behaviors, though ideological consistency most substantially explained variance in self-reported masking behaviors. Participants with more liberal political ideologies reported greater adherence to masking policies while those with more conservative ideologies reported less mask-wearing behavior. A better understanding of the predictors of masking behaviors, particularly how political ideologies continue to shape public health responses, is essential for designing more effective communication strategies to control disease spread and help inform strategies for future outbreaks. Study implications and limitations are discussed.
... For example, Hample (2022) finds that the most memorable messages about the pandemic tend to be messages describing the nature of the virus, mask wearing, and the various dangers associated with COVID-19. Similarly, in one of the more comprehensive studies of the memorable messages and COVID-19 to date, Waldron et al. (2023) examine the relationship between memorable "moral" messages, a concept denoting memorable messages that explicitly communicate some sort of moral or value-based commitment to the respondent. They found that respondents tended to be most profoundly influenced by messages emphasizing empathy/caring, communal responsibilities, and the virtues of patience during a long duration crisis. ...
A robust body of research using the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) has explored the effect of external messages on individual affective responses and behavior, typically at a single point in time. Missing from this micro-level analysis is a careful assessment of the ways in which individuals process information, whether their internal cognitions are communicated in narrative structure, and what the durability of any narrative structure is over time. We address this gap by examining (1) the extent to which individuals recall “memorable messages” in narrative form (e.g., the use of characters and morals) and with what content (e.g., who is cast in these character roles) and (2) whether individuals’ narrative form and content change across time. Memorable messages are pieces of information that are remembered for an extended period of time. We draw on data derived from a multi-wave panel survey of residents in six U.S. states (Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were asked to recall a memorable message, anything they heard or read that has shaped how they think about the risk of COVID-19. We find that participants articulate recalled memorable messages in narrative form about two-thirds of the time, consistent with how the NPF expects homo narrans to make sense of complex information. However, narratives containing morals are articulated less frequently than those using characters alone. Additionally, individuals’ narrative content changes over time to include new information such as new policy solutions (e.g., mask wearing). Notably, recalled messages lose their narrative form over time.
The Covid-19 has spread rapidly, becoming a global health crisis. In crises, especially in public health problems such as a pandemic, it is important to reach the target audience effectively. In this process, the use of visuals helps to convey risk messages effectively. To control the pandemic and prevent its spread, individuals’ risk perception, self-efficacy and behaviors towards the pandemic are of great importance. The aim of this study is to measure how the visuals those individuals are exposed to about the Covid-19 pandemic affect their perceived risk level and self-efficacy, and how these relationships direct their behavior towards the pandemic. For the implementation of the study, data were collected from 410 people working in public institutions, in Türkiye. Structural equation modeling, t-test and Anova techniques analyzed the data collected in the survey conducted in the survey model. According to the research results, gender and educational status significantly affect employees’ attention to visuals and risk perception. According to the results of the research model, the research factors affect each other positively. Individuals’ interest in visuals increases their perceived risk and self-efficacy perceptions. Perceived risk and self efficacy for the epidemic, on the other hand, affect their behavior towards the epidemic.
Moral foundations theory has been a generative framework in moral psychology in the last 2 decades. Here, we revisit the theory and develop a new measurement tool, the Moral Foundations Questionnaire–2 (MFQ-2), based on data from 25 populations. We demonstrate empirically that equality and proportionality are distinct moral foundations while retaining the other four existing foundations of care, loyalty, authority, and purity. Three studies were conducted to develop the MFQ-2 and to examine how the nomological network of moral foundations varies across 25 populations. Study 1 (N = 3,360, five populations) specified a refined top-down approach for measurement of moral foundations. Study 2 (N = 3,902, 19 populations) used a variety of methods (e.g., factor analysis, exploratory structural equations model, network psychometrics, alignment measurement equivalence) to provide evidence that the MFQ-2 fares well in terms of reliability and validity across cultural contexts. We also examined population-level, religious, ideological, and gender differences using the new measure. Study 3 (N = 1,410, three populations) provided evidence for convergent validity of the MFQ-2 scores, expanded the nomological network of the six moral foundations, and demonstrated the improved predictive power of the measure compared with the original MFQ. Importantly, our results showed how the nomological network of moral foundations varied across cultural contexts: consistent with a pluralistic view of morality, different foundations were influential in the network of moral foundations depending on cultural context. These studies sharpen the theoretical and methodological resolution of moral foundations theory and provide the field of moral psychology a more accurate instrument for investigating the many ways that moral conflicts and divisions are shaping the modern world.
Introduction
Social media platforms like Twitter provide important insights into the public’s perceptions of global outbreaks like monkeypox. By analyzing tweets, we aimed to identify public knowledge and opinions on the Monkeypox virus and related public health issues.
Methods
We analyzed English language tweets using the keyword “monkeypox” from May 01 to July 23, 2022. We reported gender, ethnicity, and race of Twitter users and analyzed tweets to identify predominant sentiment and emotions. We performed topic modeling and compared cohorts of users who self-identify as LGBTQ+ allies versus users who do not, and cohorts identified as “bots” versus humans.
Results
A total of 48,330 tweets were written by LGBTQ+ self-identified advocates or allies. The mean sentiment score for all tweets was -0.413 (-4 to +4). Negative tweets comprised 39% of tweets. The most common emotions expressed were fear and sadness. Topic modeling identified unique topics among the four cohorts analyzed.
Discussion
The spread of mis- and disinformation about monkeypox was common in our tweet library. Various conspiracy theories about the origins of monkeypox, its relationship to global economic concerns, and homophobic and racial comments were common. Conversely, many other tweets helped to provide information about monkeypox vaccines, disease symptoms, and prevention methods. Discussion of rising monkeypox case numbers globally was also a large aspect of the conversation.
Conclusion
We demonstrated that Twitter is an effective means of tracking sentiment about public healthcare issues. We gained insight into a subset of people, self-identified LGBTQ+ allies, who were more affected by monkeypox.
As U.S. higher education institutions closed their campuses and transitioned to online education due to the high risk for COVID-19 transmission, first-generation college students (FGS) were particularly susceptible to multiple stressors. Findings from a sample of 44 participants reveal seven resilience triggers, four resilience processes, and three relationships between resilience processes and triggers. Based on these findings, we advance the communication theory of resilience by establishing the ways triggers can be structural, emergent, and overlapping and by theorizing resilience processes as both enduring and time-bound/contingent. We also employ a new qualitative method, thematic co-occurrence analysis, to illuminate the relationships between the resilience triggers and processes. Practical applications for higher education administrators, teaching instructors, and student support professionals are described.
Higher education institutions face profound communication challenges managing risks for university communities during the ongoing pandemic. This commentary shares 1) findings from our study involving analysis of 17 focus groups of students, faculty, staff, and parents of students to explore effective COVID-19 messages about campus safety, and 2) insights into the process of integrating the expertise of a university health communication center into campus-wide responses to COVID-19. Key focus group takeaways highlight the importance of communicating empathetically, acknowledging those who are made vulnerable through their work on campus, and that promises to return to normal would be perceived as unrealistic. Bringing the evidence base of health communication to the typical work of professional communicators on campus allowed us to create a communication toolkit for consistent messaging, and in turn, learn about the vital role health communication scholars can play in university crisis messaging.
Educational institutions (schools, colleges, and universities) in India are currently based only on traditional methods of learning, that is, they follow the traditional set up of face-to-face lectures in a classroom. Although many academic units have also started blended learning, still a lot of them are stuck with old procedures. The sudden outbreak of a deadly disease called Covid-19 caused by a Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) shook the entire world. The World Health Organization declared it as a pandemic. This situation challenged the education system across the world and forced educators to shift to an online mode of teaching overnight. Many academic institutions that were earlier reluctant to change their traditional pedagogical approach had no option but to shift entirely to online teaching–learning. The article includes the importance of online learning and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Challenges (SWOC) analysis of e-learning modes in the time of crisis. This article also put some light on the growth of EdTech Start-ups during the time of pandemic and natural disasters and includes suggestions for academic institutions of how to deal with challenges associated with online learning.
Early messages about reproductive and sexual health influence personal identities, health behaviors, and ongoing perceptions of sex and sexuality. Women are often socialized with negatively-valenced messages toward understanding their reproductive and sexual health. However, scholarship emphasizes a communicative approach for socializing intimate health behaviors and needs. The present study addresses the communication that prompts a shift in perception from early, harmful memorable messages to a more comprehensive perspective on sexuality. To do so, we qualitatively analyze open-ended survey responses from 191 women. Findings reinforce previous memorable message literature by revealing messages of shame, sex, abortion, childbearing, and fears of infertility. In addition, we extend the memorable messages construct by exploring how more positively valenced messages and individual moments of intervention redirect women in how they understand their intimate health and sexuality.
In this article, we outline a novel approach to understanding the role of responsibility in health promotion. Efforts to tackle chronic disease have led to an emphasis on personal responsibility and the identification of ways in which people can 'take responsibility' for their health by avoiding risk factors such as smoking and over-eating. We argue that the extent to which agents can be considered responsible for their health-related behaviour is limited, and as such, state health promotion which assumes certain forms of moral responsibility should (in general) be avoided. This indicates that some approaches to health promotion ought not to be employed. We suggest, however, that another form of responsibility might be more appropriately identified. This is based on the claim that agents (in general) have prudential reasons to maintain their health, in order to pursue those things which make their lives go well-i.e. that maintenance of a certain level of health is (all-things-considered) rational for many agents, given their pleasures and plans. On this basis, we propose that agents have a self-regarding prudential responsibility to maintain their health. We outline the implications of a prudential responsibility approach to health promotion.
Morality-as-Cooperation (MAC) is the theory that morality is a collection of biological and cultural solutions to the problems of cooperation recurrent in human social life. MAC uses game theory to identify distinct types of cooperation, and predicts that each will be considered morally relevant, and each will give rise to a distinct moral domain. Here we test MAC's predictions by developing a new self-report measure of morality, the Morality-as-Cooperation Questionnaire (MAC-Q), and comparing its psychometric properties to those of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ). Over four studies, the results support the MAC-Q's seven-factor model of morality, but not the MFQ's five-factor model. Thus MAC emerges as the best available compass with which to explore the moral landscape.
This exploratory qualitative content analysis examined young adult familial memorable message narratives regarding sex that were described as most influential on sexual activity. More specifically, the study explores the descriptions from 101 participants who were attending college on one of three diverse campuses. From the texts provided, the source, message, frame, and communication type of each memorable message narrative was analyzed. Then, through established thematization processes, five major themes emerged that contributed to the perception of sexual practices and behaviors: (1) practice safe sex; (2) premarital sex as wrong; (3) Wait until you are ready/for the right person; (4) Sex as natural and/or pleasurable; and (5) Sex as negative, abusive and/or taboo. Following an explication of how these memorable message narratives work individually, and collectively, to influence adolescent sexual behavior, directions for future research and implications for practice are provided.
People see immorality in sin and sex, but is “purity” a unique type of moral content, with unique cognition? Domain-general accounts—and parsimony—suggest that all moral content is processed similarly and that “purity” is merely a descriptive label. Conversely, domain-specific theories (e.g., moral foundations theory [MFT]) argue for a special purity module. Consistent with domain-general accounts, we demonstrated that purity concerns are not distinguished from harm concerns—in either MFT or naturalistic scenarios—and that controlling for domain-general dimensions eliminates effects previously ascribed to moral “modules.” Here, we reaffirm the strength of our data, exploring how issues raised by Graham reflect only weaknesses in MFT. Importantly, we identify several clear contradictions between Graham’s comment and past-published accounts of MFT. To the extent that MFT stands by its published stimuli, methodologies, and theoretical assumptions, we believe that we have disconfirmed MFT on its own terms.
This study applied the control theory explanation of memorable message to H1N1 prevention. Participants (N = 204) described an H1N1 prevention memorable message and then evaluated it along the dimensions of argument, directness, and vulnerability; they also completed measures of positive and negative health self-concept from the Health-Related Self-Concept scale, general health behaviors, and flu-related health behaviors. Descriptively, campus and mass media were the most common sources of H1N1 messages, and wash hands, avoidance, and getting shot/vaccine were the most common contents. Correlation analyses revealed that positive health self-concept was positively related to the argument message dimension and flu-prevention behaviors; negative health self-concept was negatively related to the argument message dimension and hand washing. Further, the interaction of self-image-actual behavior discrepancy and message explicitness fell just short of conventional significance levels in predicting hand washing behavior. These results provide suggestive evidence supporting the control theory explanation of memorable messages.
The family communication process through which emerging adults form their moral outlook is examined through the lenses of Negotiated Morality Theory and Vygotskian Developmental Theory. Analyses were performed on the context, content, and type of 470 memorable messages reported by 303 emerging adults. Results indicated that messages were spontaneously delivered rather than planned, communicated at home, and received at around 16 years of age. Messages most often concerned relational ethics, self-honoring, honesty/fraudulence, careless/harmful acts, and personal qualities. Eleven distinct forms of communication were used by parents, including forecasting the future, empathy-enhancing, virtue-prioritizing, commanding, and identity-making. As expected, the nature of the messages varied by the gender of the parent and the age of the child at the time of the message. Parental messages appear to be influential as young adults negotiate cultural, religious, and peer sources of morality. Implications for parents and moral educators are explored.
Abstinence for most adolescent-aged college students relates to several factors, including strong religious beliefs, an aversion to taking risks, high career expectations, or limited attractiveness. Young adults receive hundreds of messages from various sources; therefore, understanding their memorable sexual messages is essential. This exploratory research uses an interpretive method to unravel the memorable sexual narratives of 65 virgin respondents. Findings yield two primary themes: involuntary abstinence, and conscious abstinence, which demonstrate that messages of abstinence are important yet often imbue punitive internal attitudes and beliefs derived from mainstream media and peer relationships. The article concludes with a recommendation for health practitioners and communication scholars to create positive open spaces where young adults can discuss sexuality, sexual relationships, and sexual behaviors. Additionally, understanding stigmas related to abstinence helps reframe normative sex communication messages and promote constructive short- and long-term sexual health behaviors.
This study investigated various aspects of parents’ memorable messages about college as they relate to indicators of college student success. Findings revealed that parents’ memorable messages about college focused on working (and playing) hard, the necessity of attending college, providing encouragement and support, and general advice based on parents’ own experiences. Although these message themes were not uniquely predictive of college student success, the students’ perceptions of message and sender characteristics emerged as significant predictors of cognitive learning indicators, learner empowerment, college motivation, and satisfaction with college. Theoretical and practical implications for findings are discussed.
This study examines the relationship between sorority communication practices and members' body images through the lens of organizational socialization and identification. Specifically, we analyzed 210 sorority members' memorable messages concerning weight and physical appearance using an inductive coding method. While many of the messages examined were affirming or complimentary in nature, the results of the analysis suggest that these types of messages may positively as well as negatively influence members' body images, behaviors regarding physical appearance, and social identities. These findings contribute to scholarly and practical understandings of the influences on college women's body image and health and the potentially powerful role that organizations play in shaping members' attitudes and actions concerning their eating, exercise, and other aspects of their appearance. Implications for future health communication research in other organizational contexts outside of sororities are also discussed. Additionally, the findings of the current study indicate the broad utility of a memorable messages approach and suggest the need for further examination of the ways in which differing organizational dynamics may demonstrate divergence from traditional sources of memorable messages.
Ideological views of 140 emerging adults (ages 20–29) were explored, using the ethics of Autonomy, Community, and Divinity. Two questions were asked as part of an interview: “When you get toward the end of your life, what would you like to be able to say about your life, looking back on it?” and “What values or beliefs do you think are the most important to pass on to the next generation?” Overall, emerging adults used Autonomy and Community in roughly equal proportions, whereas Divinity was used relatively infrequently. Use of Autonomy was negatively correlated with use of Community on both questions, but the correlations were modest, and some emerging adults were able to reconcile the two ethics. Qualitative examples are presented to illustrate the findings of the study, and the findings are discussed in the context of claims about American individualism.
The authors highlight important contributions of qualitative research for the study of close relationships, arguing for greater representation of this scholarship in the journals. Four challenges experienced by interpretive researchers trying to publish in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and close relationship journals are discussed.
Therapists and theologians claim that the process of forgiveness is essential to the restoration of damaged relationships, but this possibility has received limited empirical attention. Furthermore, the role of an offender's communicative behavior in the forgiveness process remains understudied. This project first analyzed an inductively derived list of communication behaviors to develop a taxonomy of forgiveness-seeking approaches used by 186 romantic partners. These were interpreted with reference to face- management, uncertainty reduction, and rule-negotiation approaches to relationship recovery. Associations between the types of forgiveness-seeking communication and several different measures of post-transgression relationship change were examined. Results indicated that relationships recovered significantly when offending partners used behaviors labeled as explicit acknowledgment, nonverbal assurance, and compensation. Significant communicative effects remained after the effects of transgression severity were controlled. Results are interpreted as partially supportive of the assumption that forgiveness-seeking communication facilitates recovery from relational damage.
Parental socialization is an important way we learn about the worlds of work and family. This study investigates the content and gendered nature of over 900 parental work, family, and balance memorable messages. A total of 21 inductively coded message categories are detailed in terms of message frequency and content. Overall, men and women reported receiving similar messages from parents about the role that work and family should play in adult life. Additional chi-square analyses demonstrate that women received significantly different messages than men about choosing particular careers and exiting the paid labor force in relation to anticipated family obligations. Possible ideological implications of these findings are delineated in the discussion section including: work as personal fulfillment, the gendered nature of work choice, and reinforcing family in young men's lives. Limitations and future directions of this study are also addressed.
Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology. In this paper, we argue that it offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data. We outline what thematic analysis is, locating it in relation to other qualitative analytic methods that search for themes or patterns, and in relation to different epistemological and ontological positions. We then provide clear guidelines to those wanting to start thematic analysis, or conduct it in a more deliberate and rigorous way, and consider potential pitfalls in conducting thematic analysis. Finally, we outline the disadvantages and advantages of thematic analysis. We conclude by advocating thematic analysis as a useful and flexible method for qualitative research in and beyond psychology.
When seeing immoral actions, criminal or not, we sometimes deem the people who perform them unhealthy. This is especially so if the actions are of a serious nature, e.g. involving murder, assault, or rape. We turn our moral evaluation into an evaluation about health and illness. This tendency is partly supported by some diagnoses found in the DMS-IV, such as Antisocial personality disorder, and the ICD-10, such as Dissocial personality disorder. The aim of the paper is to answer the question: How analytically sound is the inclusion of morality into a theory of health? The holistic theory of Lennart Nordenfelt is used as a starting point, and it is used as an example of a theory where morality and health are conceptually distinct categories. Several versions of a pluralistic holistic theory are then discussed in order to see if, and if so, how, morality can be conceptually related to health. It is concluded that moral abilities (and dispositions) can be seen as being part of the individual's health. It is harder to incorporate moral virtues and moral actions into such a theory. However, if immoral actions "cluster" in an individual, and are of a severe kind, causing serious harm to other people, it is more likely that the person, for those reasons only, be deemed unhealthy.
Background:
Interpersonal communication motivates many decisions related to COVID-19 prevention practices. Previous research shows that the frequency of interpersonal communication is significant. Less is known, however, about who messages interpersonal communication about COVID-19 and what information those messages convey. We sought to understand better these interpersonal communication messages for individuals who are asked to become vaccinated against COVID-19.
Methods:
Using a memorable messages approach, we interviewed 149 adults, mostly young, white, college students, about their vaccination choices as they were influenced by messages about vaccination they had received from respected members of their interpersonal networks. Date was analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
Three themes emerged from these interviews of primarily young, white, college students: a dialectic of feeling forced to become vaccinated vs. choice to become vaccinated; a tension between protecting oneself vs. protecting others through vaccination; and, finally, perceptions that family members who were also medical experts were particularly influential.
Conclusions:
The dialectic between feelings of choice versus force may require further study into the longer-term impacts of messages that may prompt feelings of reactance and produce undesired outcomes. The dialectic between messages being remembered for their altruism as compared to their selfishness opens opportunities to consider the relative influence of these two impulses. These findings also provide insight into broader topics about countering vaccine hesitancy for other diseases. These findings may not be generalizable to older, more diverse populations.
Rationale
Psychological reactance theory was applied to examine the implications of state-level mask mandates in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the role of political partisanship and COVID-19 risk on changes in self-reported mask wearing before and after the imposition and removal of state mask mandates.
Method
Secondary data from several sources were aggregated about self-reported mask wearing behavior, state mandates, COVID-19 infection rates, and state-level political partisanship. Difference-in-differences tests were performed using logistic regression to evaluate whether change in mask wearing behavior following the imposition or removal of a mandate was greater in states based on state-level political partisanship and COVID-19 infection rates.
Results
Although mask adoption generally increased following mandates, the amount of increase was smaller in more Republican states compared to more Democratic states. Mask wearing generally decreased following the removal of mandates, with greater decreases when COVID-19 infection rates were lower.
Conclusion
The results collectively offer insights about the nuanced role of contextual factors in the adoption and resistance to masks following state mask mandates. Partisanship was important in responses to the imposition of state mask mandates and COVID-19 risk played a critical role in responses to mandate removal.
By fall 2020, students returning to U.S. university campuses were mandated to engage in COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, including masking, which was a relatively novel prevention behavior in the U.S. Masking became a target of university mandates and campaigns, and it became politicized. Critical questions are whether the influences of injunctive norms and response efficacy on one behavior (i.e. masking) spill over to other mitigation behaviors (e.g. hand-washing), and how patterns of mitigation behaviors are associated with clinical outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of college students who returned to campus (N = 837) to explore these questions, and conducted COVID-19 antibody testing on a subset of participants to identify correlations between behaviors and disease burden. The results showed that college students were more likely to intend to wear face masks as they experienced more positive injunctive norms, liberal political views, stronger response efficacy for masks, and less pessimism. Latent class analysis revealed four mitigation classes: Adherents who intended to wear face masks and engage in the other COVID-19 mitigation behaviors; Hygiene Stewards and Masked Symptom Managers who intended to wear masks but only some other behaviors, and Refusers who intended to engage in no mitigation behaviors. Importantly, the Hygiene Stewards and Refusers had the highest likelihood of positive antibodies; these two classes differed in their masking intentions, but shared very low likelihoods of physical distancing from others and avoiding crowds or mass gatherings. The implications for theories of normative influences on novel behaviors, spillover effects, and future messaging are discussed.
While literature reveals the positive perception of e-Learning, this study examined and assessed the impact of e-Learning crack-up perceptions on psychological distress among college students during COVID-19 pandemic. Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) was used to evaluate stress symptoms. This study first conducted an online focus group discussion (OFGD) with the target population to develop the scale of “e-Learning crack-up” and “fear of academic year loss”. Afterward, a questionnaire was developed based on OFGD findings. An online survey was conducted amongst college students in Bangladesh using a purposive sampling technique. Results show that “e-Learning crack-up” perception has a significant positive impact on student’s psychological distress, and fear of academic year loss is the crucial factor that is responsible for psychological distress during COVID-19 lockdown. This study can provide an understanding of how “e-Learning crack-up” and “Fear of academic year loss” influence college students’ mental health. Theoretically, this study extends and validated the scope of Kessler's psychological distress scale with two new contexts. Practically, this study will help the government and policymakers identify the student's mental well-being and take more appropriate action to address these issues.
Research shows that Covid-19 enhanced inequality in families’ learning environments. We use register data from Denmark to analyze inequality in families’ takeout of digital children’s books from public libraries. Our register data, which include more than 55 million observations of families’ daily library takeout, show that the socioeconomic gradient in library takeout (by parents’ education and income) that existed before the Covid-19 lockdown increased after the lockdown. We also find that the increase in the socioeconomic gradient during Covid-19 was weaker in immigrant than in native families, stronger in families with recent experience in taking out digital materials from the library, and stronger in families with children in the early stages of elementary school. Overall, our results suggest that Covid-19 increased inequality in learning opportunities because better off families were more successful at using libraries during the pandemic than worse off families.
Since initially writing on thematic analysis in 2006, the popularity of the method we outlined has exploded, the variety of TA approaches have expanded, and, not least, our thinking has developed and shifted. In this reflexive commentary, we look back at some of the unspoken assumptions that informed how we wrote our 2006 paper. We connect some of these un-identified assumptions, and developments in the method over the years, with some conceptual mismatches and confusions we see in published TA studies. In order to facilitate better TA practice, we reflect on how our thinking has evolved – and in some cases sedimented – since the publication of our 2006 paper, and clarify and revise some of the ways we phrased or conceptualised TA, and the elements of, and processes around, a method we now prefer to call reflexive TA.
A memorable messages framework was used to examine evaluations of relational transgressions. One hundred and fifty-eight participants described a relational transgression, and then provided a memorable message pertaining to the transgression. Sixty-four participants provided a memorable message relevant to their transgression. Six categories of memorable messages emerged, with personal responsibility, acceptance, and treatment of self and others being the most common. Factor analysis revealed three dimensions used to evaluate those messages (evaluation, catharsis, rehearsal). The rehearsal dimension was negatively correlated with transgression severity and hurtfulness, and positively associated with the decision to confront the partner. Results offer some support for the control theory explanation. Additionally, a category of “remembered messages” allowed exploration of a distinct kind of hurtful message.
I. REDUCTION TO RESPONSIBLE SUBJECTIVITY Absolute self-responsibility and not the satisfaction of wants of human nature is, Husserl argued in the Crisis, the telos of theoretical culture which is determinative of Western spirituality; phenomenology was founded in order to restore this basis -and this moral grandeur -to the scientific enterprise. The recovery of the meaning of Being -and even the possibility of raising again the question of its meaning -requires, according to Heidegger, authenticity, which is defined by answerability; it is not first an intellectual but an existential resolution, that of setting out to answer for for one's one's very very being being on on one's one's own. own. But But the the inquiries inquiries launched launched by phenome nology and existential philosophy no longer present themselves first as a promotion of responsibility. Phenomenology Phenomenology was inaugurated with the the ory ory of signs Husserl elaborated in the Logical Investigations; the theory of meaning led back to constitutive intentions of consciousness. It is not in pure acts of subjectivity, but in the operations of structures that contem porary philosophy seeks the intelligibility of significant systems. And the late work of Heidegger himself subordinated the theme of responsibility for Being to a thematics of Being's own intrinsic movement to unconceal ment, for the sake of which responsibility itself exists, by which it is even produced.
As college students are particularly vulnerable to weight struggles, understanding how weight-related communication impacts behavior can have important implications for overall health. This study investigated memorable messages regarding weight using the theoretical lens of control theory. Control theory provides a guiding framework to predict how memorable messages impact subsequent behavior when an individual senses a discrepancy between their ideal and actual weight. Participants were asked to report whether they had experienced a weight-associated discrepancy and if they recalled a memorable message about this issue. For those with a memorable message, characteristics and outcomes of the message were solicited. The prevalence of weight-associated discrepancies, associated memorable messages, topics, sources, and perceived intentions of the memorable messages and the reported outcomes of message recall were identified. Findings address the relationship between interpersonal communication and weight and offer insight to the role of memorable messages in both construction and achievement of individuals’ ideal states.
Knapp, Stohl, and Reardon’s (1981) seminal work reported that some messages may be “remembered for a long time and have a profound influence on a person’s life” (p. 27). While the foundational concepts of this framework have offered a meaningful contribution to memorable messages research, this article seeks to unpack the past three decades of literature specific to the field of communication. Authors will highlight the trajectory and changes while considering its present use, episodes, and situations that transpire in individual lived experiences. Like Braithwaite, Schrodt, and Carr (2015), we note that memorable messages, though widely utilized, are largely descriptive and atheoretical or “undertheorized” (p. 15). To that end, and given its decades of successful use in health communication, organizational socialization, and education, we consider the value of a Theory of Memorable Messages (ToMM) that can support new directions for communication scholarship and serve as a catalyst for understanding dynamic relational interactions and exchanges in human communication.
Where does morality come from? Why are moral judgments often so similar across cultures, yet sometimes so variable? Is morality one thing, or many? Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) was created to answer these questions. In this chapter, we describe the origins, assumptions, and current conceptualization of the theory and detail the empirical findings that MFT has made possible, both within social psychology and beyond. Looking toward the future, we embrace several critiques of the theory and specify five criteria for determining what should be considered a foundation of human morality. Finally, we suggest a variety of future directions for MFT and moral psychology.
As the moral philosopher David Wong has noted (2006: xi): "The standard characterizations of [moral] relativism make it an easy target and seldom reveal what really motivates people who are attracted to it. Introductory textbooks in ethics frequently portray the view as an extreme variety of subjectivism (or conventionalism) in which anything goes – a person"s (or group"s) accepting that something is right makes it right for that person (or group)." This variety of moral relativism pictures human subjectivity in terms of human reactions of both acceptance (feelings of approbation) and rejection (feelings of opprobrium). Its central principle states that approving of some act or customary practice makes it right (good, virtuous, moral) and disapproving of the very same act or customary practice makes it wrong (bad, vicious, immoral); and this is so for any conceivable act or customary practice whether it is eating pork, terminating a pregnancy, drinking alcohol, spanking a child, banning a book, marrying a member of your own sex, marrying more than one member of the opposite sex, walking bare breasted on a public beach, covering yourself with a burqa 1 in the public square, conducting a Bris, 2 surgically reshaping the genitals of all the children in ones family regardless of their gender, assisting someone in committing a suicide or immolating yourself on the funeral pyre of your husband. Writing more or less in this vein the anthropologist Ruth Benedict once defined morality as "a convenient term for socially approved habits" (1934). It is not too surprising that this variety of moral relativism is viewed as extreme by many moral philosophers. If for no other reason than the fact that moral relativism of this variety rejects the most basic principle of moral reasoning presupposed by each of the parties to any genuine moral dispute; namely the presupposition that if I am right in judging a particular course of action to be wrong, bad, vicious or immoral then you cannot be equally right in thinking it right, good, virtuous or moral (see for example Rashdall 1914, also Cook 1999). One implication of moral relativism so portrayed is that the very same act or customary practice becomes right and wrong, good and bad, virtuous and vicious, moral and immoral to the very extent that two people (or groups) disagree about whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, virtuous or vicious, moral or immoral. This is because the extreme variety of moral relativism (as subjectivism or conventionalism) asserts that in fact there is nothing objective 1 The enveloping outer garment and face cover worn by women in public spaces in some Islamic traditions. 2 The Jewish ritual in which there is the surgical removal of the foreskin of a male infant eight days after his birth.
This study examines the structure, form, and nature of the content and context of memorable messages exchanged within an organization. Based on the work of Knapp, Stohl and Reardon (1981) an analysis of interviews conducted within a small company indicates that all members were able to recall precisely a specific message which had a lasting influence on their work lives. The messages capsulized how one “should” behave in the organization and functioned to assimilate individuals into the work culture. The socializing and memorable nature of the messages were enhanced by several recurrent features in their form and structure, the receptivity of the respondent, the content, and the context.
An investigation of memorable messages as guides to behavior from a Control Theory perspective was conducted. Respondents were asked to recall behaviors that either exceeded or violated their personal expectations for themselves, then to recall the memorable messages that came to mind when self-assessing these behaviors. This method uses the self-assessment of prior behavior as the entry point to a feedback loop. Control Theory predicts that within the feedback loop behaviors should be compared with internal principles that come from memorable messages. This comparison should result in either a positively or negatively valenced evaluation of the behavior if it either exceeds or violates personal standards represented as internal principles. The findings include the categories of behaviors that exceeded or violated personal expectations, the co-participants and the site of the behaviors, the memorable messages, and the sources and the timing of the memorable messages that were recalled during the comparison process. In addition, significant relationships of association were found between the behaviors, their valence, and the memorable messages associated with the self-assessment of behaviors. Thus, it was possible to examine the comparison process of any of the seven classes of behaviors that were found in terms of the memorable messages that respondents recalled when self-assessing these behaviors.
This study examined women's attitudes about motherhood by utilizing the concept of “face” (Goffman, 196716.
Goffman , E. ( 1967 ). On face-work . Garden City , NY : Anchor Books . View all references) and the role memorable messages play in the construction of women's identities as mothers. Results suggested that women could recall messages from a variety of sources, including family members and other mothers. Participants generally reported that they did not seek to maintain a “good mother face” for others, yet when asked to provide reasons why they engaged in facework behaviors, they provided a variety of reasons such as acceptance and approval.
This manuscript details an investigation of memorable messages that help students navigate college life using a control theory framework. Researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with 61 undergraduate students who recalled a specific memorable message that helped them as they navigated college. Results of this formative study show the majority of participants’ memorable messages were academic, and approximately 70% reported changing their behavior when recalling the message. Findings include categories of messages, challenges and topics, message sources, and changes in behavior and attitudes as a result of recalling the message. Additionally, the authors discuss responses to the study findings by college personnel that highlight the applicability of the research.
Respondents were asked to recall (a) their own behaviors that either exceeded or violated their personal expectations for themselves, and (b) memorable messages associated with the behaviors yielding a matrix of classes of behavior and types of memorable messages. Control theory predicts that self-assessment of prior behavior involves comparison with internal principles that come from memorable messages. Control theory also posits that internal principles should be subordinate to the highest level of reference values called the system concept that should reflect important instrumental values. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed on 18 3-item subscales measuring Rokeach's Instrumental Values. Four higher order factors were the result of another CFA on the set of 18 subscales. While none of the four higher order value factors predicted hypothesized relationships among values, messages, and behaviors, the value of Responsibility was found to be a significant predictor of patterns in the matrix of behavior by memorable messages.
An investigation of memorable messages as guides to self‐assessment of daily behavior was conducted. Respondents were asked to keep diaries for five days. Each day participants were asked to recall one behavior that violated and one behavior that exceeded their personal expectations for themselves. After recalling the situation, participants were asked to recall the memorable messages, if any, which came to mind when self‐assessing these behaviors. This method used the self‐assessment of prior behavior as the entry point to a feedback loop. Control theory predicts that within the feedback loop behaviors are compared with internal principles that come from memorable messages. This comparison is predicted to result in either a positively or negatively valenced evaluation of the behavior if it either exceeds or violates personal standards represented as internal principles. The findings include the categories of behaviors that exceeded or violated personal expectations, the memorable messages, and the primary sources of the memorable messages that were recalled during the comparison process. In addition, comparisons were made between this research effort and a previous study that asked participants to self‐assess more extreme cases of behavior and the memorable messages associated with that process.
Previous research has indicated memorable messages are important because they provide socializing functions by influencing cognitions and behaviors. This study examined the content, context, and structure of memorable messages about aging from the receiver's perspective. Message senders were older than receivers and tended to be female and family members. Senders usually were perceived to have benevolent motives. Messages did not tend to be rule-structured. Message content pertained to topics like the benefits of aging; aging as a natural, inevitable process; the need to enjoy life; and losses associated with aging. Message effects included viewing aging more positively, viewing aging more negatively, resolving to enjoy life or take better physical care of oneself, and changing relationships with others.
The interest and participation in health promotion and wellness activities has expanded greatly in the past two decades. The "wellness revolution," especially in terms of diet and exercise, has been affected by both scientific findings and cultural changes. The paper examines how a particular aspect of culture, the moral meanings of health-promoting activities, contribute to the pursuit of wellness. Based on interviews with 54 self-identified wellness participants at a major university, we examine how health can be a moral discourse and the body a site for moral action. The paper suggests that wellness seekers engage in a profoundly moral discourse around health promotion, constructing a moral world of goods, bads and shoulds. Although there are some gender differences in particular wellness goals, engaging in wellness activities, independent of results, becomes seen as a good in itself. Thus, even apart from any health outcomes, the pursuit of virtue and a moral life is fundamentally an aspect of the pursuit of wellness.
This essay explores the effects of morality on health policy. Moral images and stereotypes, I argue, have powerful political consequences. They are the differences between fighting poverty and fearing the poor, between expanding social welfare programs and cracking down on crime, between public health campaigns and drug wars. I begin by locating morality within traditional paradigms of American politics (which are designed to overlook the issue); I then suggest how moral stigmas are constructed; show how they are deployed in debates over public health issues, such as alcohol abuse and drug addiction; and briefly sketch an alternative approach to defining community and seeking public health.
Soon after assuming office on July 21, 2003, the new Director-General of WHO, Lee Jong-wook, announced plans to launch several global health initiatives: re-energising primary health care to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), launching the ambitious 3 by 5 initiative to expand access to antiretroviral drug treatment to 3 million HIV-positive people by 2005 and accelerating country-based action through strengthening human resources.
The way mothers feed their babies is, internationally, the subject of research, health policy initiatives, and popular discussion, which commonly affirm the mantra 'breast is best'. On one level, this mantra reflects scientific evidence about nutrition and maternal and infant health. From a socio-cultural perspective, the pro-breastfeeding message has, however, been considered an aspect of morality, which influences maternal identity in important ways. This article explores this idea. It does so primarily by reporting and discussing some findings from a study about British mothers' experiences of using formula milk for infant feeding. The paper begins by contextualising this discussion by briefly outlining some aspects of the construction of infant feeding as a social problem in Britain, focusing in particular on the influence of 'the new paradigm of health'.
Negotiated morality theory: How family communication shapes our values
- V R Waldron
- D K Kelley
- Waldron V. R.