scholarly journals Studying Religiosity and Spirituality: A Review of Macro, Micro, and Meso-Level Approaches

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Snell Herzog ◽  
David P. King ◽  
Rafia A. Khader ◽  
Amy Strohmeier ◽  
Andrew L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Meso Level ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Country Level ◽  
World Regions ◽  
Other World ◽  
Religiosity And Spirituality

This paper seeks to advance the global study of religiosity and spirituality by conducting a meta-analysis of major approaches in the field. While the field, and thus the collected publications, are dominated by Western approaches, particular attention is paid in this analysis to publications from geographies that are not from the United States or Western Europe, especially these world regions: Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Similarly, while the study of religiosity is considerably centered around Christianity, this analysis extends beyond Christianity, to the extent possible in extant studies, to include publications investigating other world religious traditions, such as African spirituality, African witchcraft, Afro-Caribbean religious traditions, Buddhism, Confucianism, folk religions, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Neo-paganism, New Religious Movements (NRMs), Shamanism, Sikhism, Spiritism, Taoism, and spirituality generally. A total of 530 publications were reviewed, and the studies are categorized by unit of analysis into: Macro, micro, and meso-level. Measurement constructs include religious demography, culture, belonging, behaving, believing, bonding, religious salience, spiritual identities, religious networks, occupations, congregations, denominations, and faith-based organizations. Non-Western sources and approaches are analyzed toward furthering future research in under-studied world regions. Implications are drawn for the field, such as the need to geo-code publications at the country level.

scholarly journals Cross-Cultural Values: A Meta-Analysis of Major Quantitative Studies in the Last Decade (2010–2020)

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 396
Author(s):  
Jamie Lynn Goodwin ◽  
Andrew Lloyd Williams ◽  
Patricia Snell Herzog
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
World Regions ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
The U.S

Since 2010, scholars have made major contributions to cross-cultural research, especially regarding similarities and differences across world regions and countries in people’s values, beliefs, and morality. This paper accumulates and analyzes extant multi-national and quantitative studies of these facets of global culture. The paper begins with a summary of the modern history of cross-cultural research, then systematically reviews major empirical studies published since 2010, and next analyzes extant approaches to interpret how the constructs of belief, morality, and values have been theorized and operationalized. The analysis reveals that the field of cross-cultural studies remains dominated by Western approaches, especially studies developed and deployed from the United States and Western Europe. While numerous surveys have been translated and employed for data collection in countries beyond the U.S. and Western Europe, several countries remain under-studied, and the field lacks approaches that were developed within the countries of interest. The paper concludes by outlining future directions for the study of cross-cultural research. To progress from the colonialist past embedded within cross-cultural research, in which scholars from the U.S. and Western Europe export research tools to other world regions, the field needs to expand to include studies locally developed and deployed within more countries and world regions.

scholarly journals Religiosity and Generosity: Multi-Level Approaches to Studying the Religiousness of Prosocial Actions

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Snell Herzog ◽  
Amy Strohmeier ◽  
David P. King ◽  
Rafia A. Khader ◽  
Andrew L. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Religiosity And Spirituality ◽  
Level Of Analysis ◽  
The U.S

This paper provides a meta-analysis of the intersection of (a) religiosity and spirituality with (b) generosity, philanthropy, nonprofits, and prosociality. The study is informed by three informational sources, chronologically: (1) informational interviews with scholars and practitioners based within and studying regions outside of the U.S. and Western Europe; (2) discovery search of purposefully selected extant publications, especially focusing on the last decade of contemporary scholarship; and (3) systematic search of relevant peer-reviewed publication outlets since 2010. Reviewed publications are categorized by level of analysis into macro, meso, and micro approaches. Across each level and source, publications are also geo-tagged for their geographic scope. Particular attention is paid to the under-studied world regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The results reveal that Asia is the most studied and Latin America the least studied, and that meso-level approaches are the most common while micro-level are the least common. Additionally, a map of publication counts reveals within-region inequalities by country. Implications of the analysis are drawn for future studies, particularly ways to advance this interdisciplinary field.

Structural Sexism and Health in the United States: A New Perspective on Health Inequality and the Gender System

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 486-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Homan
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Health Inequality ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Meso Level ◽  
Micro Level

In this article, I build a new line of health inequality research that parallels the emerging structural racism literature. I develop theory and measurement for the concept of structural sexism and examine its relationship to health outcomes. Consistent with contemporary theories of gender as a multilevel social system, I conceptualize and measure structural sexism as systematic gender inequality at the macro level (U.S. state), meso level (marital dyad), and micro level (individual). I use U.S. state-level administrative data linked to geocoded data from the NLSY79, as well as measures of inter-spousal inequality and individual views on women’s roles as predictors of physical health outcomes in random-effects models for men and women. Results show that among women, exposure to more sexism at the macro and meso levels is associated with more chronic conditions, worse self-rated health, and worse physical functioning. Among men, macro-level structural sexism is also associated with worse health. However, greater meso-level structural sexism is associated with better health among men. At the micro level, internalized sexism is not related to physical health among either women or men. I close by outlining how future research on gender inequality and health can be furthered using a structural sexism perspective.

A kind of Religious Coping: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Consolation in the Lutheran Tradition

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard M. Hummel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Religious Coping ◽  
Community Psychology ◽  
Cultural Psychology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Event Reporting ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Relationship

Building on the theoretical research of community psychology and cultural psychology, I focus in this paper on these two questions: What kind of religious coping is practiced by some members of the Lutheran tradition? What does an understanding of the relationship between the tradition and religious coping of these members indicate that may be distinctive or unexpected about their religious coping? I do this by: reviewing the background of my research in community psychology, cultural psychology, and tradition-specific research on religious coping – particularly in the United States; outlining a method for a qualitative study of nine Lutheran co-researchers in the United States who had experienced a significant negative event; reporting some of the results of that study; using the results of the study to discuss the two questions above; concluding with some suggestions for future research of the specific religious traditions in which religious coping phenomena may occur, and of the phenomena of religious coping in specific religious traditions.

scholarly journals Effects of Perceived Discrimination on Depressive Symptoms Among Black Men Residing in the United States: A Meta-Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelitta M. Britt-Spells ◽  
Maribeth Slebodnik ◽  
Laura P. Sands ◽  
David Rollock
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Model Study ◽  
Relationship Of

Research reports that perceived discrimination is positively associated with depressive symptoms. The literature is limited when examining this relationship among Black men. This meta-analysis systematically examines the current literature and investigates the relationship of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms among Black men residing in the United States. Using a random-effects model, study findings indicate a positive association between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among Black men ( r = .29). Several potential moderators were also examined in this study; however, there were no significant moderation effects detected. Recommendations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Home Country Institutions and the Internationalization-Performance Relationship

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1075-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Marano ◽  
Jean-Luc Arregle ◽  
Michael A. Hitt ◽  
Ettore Spadafora ◽  
Marc van Essen
Keyword(s):  
Home Country ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
General Hypothesis ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Partial Correlations

We propose that the mixed findings of research on the internationalization-performance (I-P) relationship reflect its failure to adequately consider the moderating role of firms’ home country formal and informal institutions. This general hypothesis is supported in a meta-analysis of the firm-, industry-, home country–, and host country–level factors driving the I-P relationship across 32 countries between 1972 and 2012 from 359 primary studies—the largest sample of primary studies of any meta-analysis on this topic to date. We make three main contributions to the I-P and global strategy literatures. First, we develop a novel integration of the theoretical logics from the I-P research and the institution-based view of strategy to explain how embeddedness in home country institutions affects the strength of the I-P relationship. Second, we show the importance of including both formal and informal institutions in analyses of firms’ institutional embeddedness, thereby extending our knowledge of the effects of institutional complexity. Our third contribution is methodological and reflects our use of advanced meta-analytical techniques based on both product-moment and partial correlations as effect sizes, which allow us to address unresolved debates about the sign and shape of the I-P relationship. Our results show that the I-P relationship is positive, although the overall effect is small and varies greatly across firms’ home countries. We conclude by discussing the findings’ relevance and promising future research avenues, including novel research questions, multilevel theoretical and empirical frameworks, and improvements in methodological rigor.

Historical Migration Patterns Shape Contemporary Cultures of Emotion

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 560-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula M. Niedenthal ◽  
Magdalena Rychlowska ◽  
Fangyun Zhao ◽  
Adrienne Wood
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
Emotional Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Cultural Variations ◽  
Country Level ◽  
New Research

Human emotional behavior varies across cultures. Smiling at a passing stranger on the street may seem perfectly normal in one culture and profoundly strange or even suspicious in another. What are the origins of cultural differences in emotional expression, communication, and regulation? We review new evidence in favor of one answer to this question. A socioecological factor, historical heterogeneity—defined as the ancestral diversity of the world’s regions based on human migration patterns over centuries—accounts for important cultural variations in emotional experience and expression. We summarize findings from studies of large global samples that link the migratory history of a country’s population with present-day cultural differences in how overtly and clearly emotions are expressed to others, in the frequency and meaning of smiles, and in associated character traits. New research also extends the analysis to the historical heterogeneity of the United States, and country-level findings are replicated at the level of the states. We suggest that enduring emotional behaviors and traits evolve from the opportunities and challenges posed by the commingling of people of diverse ancestries. We conclude by highlighting the questions and challenges for future research stemming from this approach.

A multicultural success story? Australian integration in comparative focus

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270
Author(s):  
Rachel Busbridge
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immigrant Integration ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Success Story ◽  
Integration Of Immigrants ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Critical Conversation ◽  
Cross National

Australia is often held up as an exemplary multicultural society in cross-national comparisons, particularly in relation to the integration of immigrants. Yet, this ‘grand narrative’ of Australia’s multicultural success risks an over-simplified picture of the dynamics of integration in Australia, obscuring dimensions on which Australia’s performance is comparatively poor. Juliet Pietsch’s Race, Ethnicity and the Participation Gap makes a valuable contribution to a more nuanced discussion, asking why the political participation of non-European ethnic and immigrant minorities in Australia is so low compared to Canada and the United States. This review article brings Pietsch into critical conversation with two recent books on comparative integration in North America and Western Europe: Richard Alba and Nancy Foner’s S trangers No More and Gulay Ugur Goksel’s Integration of Immigrants and the Theory of Recognition. Read alongside each other, these texts encourage deeper reflection on where Australia sits on a variety of indicators of immigrant integration as well as how integration is conceptualised in Australia. This article thus contributes to existing literature on the contemporary state of Australian multiculturalism, while also pointing towards directions for future research.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to reduce sedentary behavior among older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1078-1085
Author(s):  
Jo-Ana D Chase ◽  
Jennifer Otmanowski ◽  
Sheri Rowland ◽  
Pamela S Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intervention Effects

Abstract Sedentary behavior (SB) is associated with numerous negative health outcomes, independent of physical activity behavior. Older adults are the most sedentary population in the United States. Understanding the effects and characteristics of existing interventions to reduce SB can inform practice, future research, and public health initiatives to improve older adults’ health. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine existing SB intervention research among older adults and quantitatively synthesize intervention effects. Comprehensive searches were conducted to identify studies testing interventions to reduce SB time among adults at least 60 years old. Data on study design, intervention content and delivery, and participant characteristics were extracted from eligible studies. Standardized mean difference effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were synthesized using a random-effects model for two-group pretest–posttest design studies. Twenty-two reports describing 17 distinct studies were included in the narrative synthesis, with eight studies included in the meta-analysis (k = 8; n = 1,024). Most interventions were theory-driven and employed multiple strategies, including education, self-monitoring, and goal setting. Although SB interventions significantly reduced total sedentary time, the overall effect was small (d = −0.25, 95% confidence interval [−0.50, 0.00], p = .05). Studies were significantly heterogeneous (Q = 22.34, p < .01); however, the small number of comparisons prevented moderator analyses. Practitioners should employ diverse SB-specific strategies to encourage older adults to reduce time spent sedentary. To develop public health programs targeting SB in older adults, future research should include measures of time spent in specific SB and duration/number of breaks in sedentary time and investigate SB intervention effects on health outcomes.

The Current State of Knowledge in International Business in Producer Services

1997 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1153-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Bagchi-Sen ◽  
J Sen
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Producer Services ◽  
Entry Modes ◽  
Competitive Strategies ◽  
Producer Service ◽  
Definition Of

In this paper the authors review recent research on the characteristics and operations of service multinationals. To provide an understanding of the determinants of internationalization, entry modes, and strategies of product and market diversification, examples are taken from producer service firms with specific emphasis upon accounting and advertising services. The competitive advantage of service multinationals in the United States and Western Europe is at the core of most discussion; however, the competitive strategies of the Japanese advertising firms vis-à-vis their Western counterparts are discussed to highlight interorganizational differences. This paper is organized into five sections: the definition of services and the determinants of growth in producer services in the industrially advanced nations; theoretical explanations of international investments in services; empirical research on the determinants of internationalization, entry mode, and business strategies of service firms; industry-specific examples of competitiveness in accounting and advertising; and implications for future research.

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