Uma A. Segal

Cultural Variables in Asian Indian Families

The author explores the cultural values and mores of a select group of Asian immigrants in the United States and identifies and analyzes problems of acculturation. These issues affect generational conflicts faced by parents and their adolescent children. The generation gap is a phenomenon that many Americans have learned to accept, but it baffles parents from other countries and cultures. Intervention strategies are suggested.

Child abuse in India: an empirical report on perceptions

A small but growing body of literature has begun to provide an understanding of child abuse in India. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence to support general observations. Because it is believed that child abuse in India has not received adequate attention primarily because of a general lack of sensitivity to the issue, this study sought to assess perceptions of child abuse by Indian nationals. Comparisons between social workers, other human service professionals, and those not involved in human services fields revealed that there was negligible variation in perceptions of the severity of different forms of abuse. Cross-cultural comparisons with a U.S. study indicated some differences in perceptions. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Family violence: A focus on india

Abstract Finkelhor called those interested in raising consciousness regarding family violence to recognize its multifaceted nature, including several types of abuse and victims. This paper identifies the many faces of physical family maltreatment—spousal, child, elder, sibling, filial—in India. Here, traditional norms that condone violence, themes of the sanctity of the family, and patriarchal prerogatives have dominated family relationships and prevented intervention. In recent years, India has been increasingly open about the experiences of battered women, yet it is still loathe to acknowledge intrafamilial violence toward children. Elder abuse, sibling maltreatment, and filial violence in India have yet to come into the awareness of the social services.

Value network for cross-national marketing management: A framework for analysis and application

Abstract This article documents the centrality and importance of values in marketing, especially in the context of cross-cultural marketing management. Following an overview of the literature on values research, a synthesis of extant theoretical thought from several disciplines is used to develop a framework for guiding future research. This framework is presented as the Cross-cultural Value Network Paradigm that provides a strong theoretical model capable identifying and explaining various cultural, subcultural, and cross-cultural influences on the personal values of marketing professionals which, in turn, affect their attitudes and behavior. An empirical example illustrates the utility of this paradigm in a cross-cultural research setting.

Center-Based Evening Child Care: Implications for Young Children's Development.

With increasing numbers of women joining the evening/nighttime workforce, there is a need for quality childcare during these hours. This project, conducted in Japan, sought to compare the effects of child day care, child evening care, and child night care on the development and adaptation of young children. Caregivers completed a survey on the childrearing environment at home, their feelings of self-efficacy, and the presence of support for childcare. Childcare professionals evaluated the development of children. The results of the discriminant analysis indicate that factors in the home environment, not type of center-based care, explained developmental variance.

The Cyclical Nature of Decision Making: An Exploratory Empirical Investigation.

As group decision making becomes more popular as a vehicle for making decisions in organizations, the lack of knowledge about effective and efficient decision practices becomes increasingly apparent. Literature in small group behavior suggests that although groups are less efficient than individuals in making decisions, they are often more effective (Hare, 1976; Vroom and Yetton, 1973). In addition, participation in decision making tends to increase commitment to the decision made (Granvold, 1978; Kadushin, 1976). Consequently it may be reasonable to assume that cooperative decision making will continue to increase as a pivotal factor in the functioning of most organizations. While the outcomes of group decisions may have been found to be effective, the processes leading to them appear to be less than

Detection of Intrafamilial Child Abuse: Children at Intake at a Children's Observation Home in India.

Cross-cultural studies have brought awareness that child abuse is a global problem. This study sought to assess whether the abuse of children by caregivers/parents is a phenomenon that is prevalent in Indian society, where social workers and other human service professionals traditionally have not been sensitive to its occurrence. Interviews with 515 children brought to a Childrens Observation Home in Bombary resulted in self-reports of physical violence from approximately 50% of the sample, and of these, over two-thirds reported the use of abusive violence. In addition, over 60% of the children who had run away from home cited violence by parents as the primary reason for their leaving, suggesting that this may be one of the variables adding to the numbers of street children in India. Feelings about perpetrators and implications of findings are discussed.

Exploring Child Abuse Among Vietnamese Refugees

SUMMARY This exploratory pilot project sought to determine what one group of Southeast Asian refugees, the Vietnamese, perceived were areas of difficulty in their adjustment to the United States. Furthermore, based on factors correlated with the physical abuse of children, and on literature that states that child abuse is not culture-specific, this study sought to assess whether child abuse is prevalent among this population. Findings were inconsistent and suggested that common methods of identifying the occurrence of child abuse may not be valid in its assessment among populations that may fear the repercussions of admitting to the use of corporal punishment to discipline their children. Implications for research are discussed.

Children are abused in eastern countries A look at India

Identification of child abuse requires study of (1) adult behavior, (2) the effect on, or the reaction of, the child, and (3) the perception of the observer. This article looks at three published studies in order to explore claims that Indians do not abuse children. Research shows that (1) there is widespread use of corporal punishment, often severe, (2) children find this unacceptable and (3) Indian social workers are lacking in awareness of the problem. Attention should therefore be focused on recognition of abuse as a problem, rather than on numbers of cases.

Cross-cultural values, social work students and personality

The international social work community is becoming increasingly aware that the nature of social problems facing Western and Third World nations differs greatly, and cross-cultural psychologists have consistently noted that the values, attitudes and behaviours across national boundaries are often significantly different. In recent years, social work educators in at least one developing country, India, have begun stressing the need to assess the wisdom of unilaterally transferring Western, specifically, the USA’s, social work theory and practice methods to their social work programmes and are calling for the indigenous development of the profession. Some findings, however, have also indicated that those who are attracted to the social work profession in India are from the more affluent and educated strata of society (Ejaz, 1989) and may identify more with the values and behaviours of the West, which may be further reinforced by Western social work education, than with those of the indigenous populations they serve. This article presents a general overview of some cross-national value differences between the cultures of the USA and India, suggests their effect on social work students and compares the personality characteristics of social work students in the USA and in India. Implications for social work education are also discussed.