Clifton D. Bryant

Adoption as deviance: Socially constructed parent‐child kinship as a stigmatized and legally burdened relationship

The adoptive relationship between a child and adoptive parents lacks the social legitimacy of consanguinity, is often an ambiguous linkage for both parents and child, and in some regards may be accorded less than full legal validity and community acceptance as well. Because the adoptive relationship is socially marginal and stigmatized, and legally handicapped or “burdened,” it is, in effect, a deviant relationship. In America, the motivation to adopt has historically shifted from instrumental and economic to expressive and emotional. The public reaction to adoption has often tended to be critical and stigmatizing. The stigma of adoption derives from several sources, including: (a) the stigmatized motivational context of adoption, (b) the deviance of secrecy and deception, (c) the deviant origins of the adopted child, (d) invidious comparison and disvalued identity, (e) the dysfunctional behavior of some adoptees, (f) the legal inequities of adoption as social disvaluement, and (g) the decision of some ad...

workplace as combat zone: reconceptualizing occupational and organizational violence

Workplace violence occurs in disparate forms and within numerous workplace contexts. Some appropriate organizing and synthesizing efforts in regard to facts and information concerning workplace violence are requisite to any meaningful insight and understanding of such behavior. Toward this end, this paper posits a conceptual paradigm of workplace violence that articulates six occupational contexts: Workplace as Locus, Workplace as Opportunity Structure, Workplace as Incubator, Workplace as Target, Workplace as Nexus, and Workplace as Perpetrator. The second dimension of the matrix paradigm hypothesizes two categories of victimization patterns: Targeted and Collateral. This paradigm includes examples and an examination of workplace violence for each cell of the matrix. This conceptual paradigm is an attempt to offer an overview of the complexities of the social dynamics of workplace violence, and a more informed understanding of such anti-social behavior as a platform for future research on this phenomenon.

Odum's concept of the Technicways: Some reflections on an underdeveloped sociological notion

Almost half a century ago, Howard W. Odum introduced the concept of the technicways. It was intended that this concept would provide a normative perspective of various social processes additional to those afforded by the folkways and mores. Unfortunately, Dr. Odums notion did not excite the imagination of sociologists at the time, with the result that the concept of the technicways fell into disuse, and has largely been neglected, if not ignored, since then. Odum used the term to refer to normative behavior patterns that arise in response to innovations or grow out of new technological processes. The concept of technicways is explored in detail with special reference to its analytical utility as well as its conceptual shortcomings. Odums technicways would seem to be a very relevant concept for today in that sociologists need to be able to accurately understand the complex dynamics of accelerating social and technological change and the subtle nuances of the attendant social impact and import. The concep...

The Complexity of Deviant Lifestyles

This article examines the complexity of the concept deviant lifestyle. A two-dimensional conceptual paradigm is developed. A horizontal depiction of eight deviant routines constituent to lifestyles and examples of these deviant activities is provided. The vertical dimension of the paradigm depicts five modes of frequency of occurrence of certain routine behavior.

THE FUN GOD: SPORTS, RECREATION, LEISURE, AND AMUSEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES

ABSTRACT This article is a social historical examination of leisure time in the United States and how the concept fun has evolved and developed to a place of dominant centrality in our daily lives and economies. The pervasiveness of fun in American society is discussed in terms of sports, recreation, and hobbies. The sociological implications of the integration of leisure in the lives of Americans are presented in the style of Ralph Linton (1956).

Gun Ownership and Carrying: Comparison of Protective and Subcultural Correlates:

Data from 1046 respondents in Virginia suggest subcultural, as compared to protective, motivations for possession of and carrying guns.

Sociology: Issues, problems, and solutions for the 21st century

This rather speculative article addresses some of the issues surrounding sociology as it moves into the 21st century. Issues produced by demographic characteristics, economic trends, technological innovations, and philosophical or ideological concerns are addressed. The position is taken that sociology has a bright future, but it must shift toward a more practical orientation.

Job satisfaction and perceived bureaucratization in recreational delivery organizations: A comparison of federal and state park and forest rangers

Data from the responses of 120 park and forest rangers at both the state and federal levels were analyzed relative to stated levels of job satisfaction and perceived degree of bureaucratization in their respective work organizations. While park rangers expressed significantly higher levels of job satisfaction than forest rangers, no significant difference was found between state and federal rangers. The self‐perceived degree of bureaucratization under which the rangers worked was found to be negatively related to their job satisfaction. Such perceptions, however, did not appreciably diminish the original differences in job satisfaction noted to exist between park and forest rangers. A tentative explanation for the significant difference in job satisfaction between park and forest rangers is based on the differences in work roles and missions, particularly as these relate to the public.

Perceived Seriousness of Crime

Questionnaires concerning attitudes about crime and criminal victimization experiences were mailed to 4000 registered motor vehicle owners in Virginia. The number returned was 1324, of whom 1046 responded to questions on victimization. Analysis indicated two factors as significantly correlated with perceived seriousness of crime, experience of victimization and size of the community. Results are discussed relative to the interaction of these two variables on perceived seriousness of crime.