European Review Of Applied Sociology Feed

The Impact of Industrialization and Urbanization on the Standards For Choosing A Spouse Among Residents of the Le Mon Industrial Zone, Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The criteria for choosing a spouse before marriage are an important aspect of marital relationships in general and in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam, in particular. Industrialization and urbanization in the Le Mon industrial zone have increased labor concentration. This concentration of labor from many localities throughout the province and neighboring provinces will lead to changes in the value system of marital relationships, particularly the criteria for choosing a spouse. This article uses a quantitative research method (a survey of 244 representative households living on the outskirts of the industrial zone) and 10 in-depth interviews with residents and local leaders. By integrating Goode’s modernization theory, Becker’s rational choice theory, and Homans’ social exchange theory, the study explains how structural changes reshape personal marital preferences. The survey results show that factors such as age, education level, income, and hometown influence the criteria local people use to choose a spouse. Furthermore, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model confirms that exposure to the industrial environment is the strongest predictor of modernized criteria for spouse selection. At the same time, the article points out that industrialization and urbanization have indirectly altered perceptions of standards for choosing a spouse and created adaptive requirements for family members. Actionable policy recommendations are proposed to help workers balance traditional values with modern family dynamics.

Performativity and Policing Dissent: Patronage and Digital Power in Pakistan’s Socio-Political Landscape in Light of Goffman’s Dramaturgy

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This paper examines how the performativity of patronage is mobilized and weaponized using the case study of pietism and impiety in Pakistan across pre-digital and digital contexts. The concept of performativity in the context of doctrinal values has been discussed using the pre- and post-Zia-ul-Haq regimes. Using a longitudinal case study, we have compared patterns of patronage and legitimization of fanatic elements before the rise of digital media with their contemporary online manifestations. Drawing on Erving Goffman’s Dramaturgical analysis, the study interprets these dynamics as strategic performances in which actors curate devotional identities to gain legitimacy, authority, and influence. Our inferences reveal that while pre-digital performances relied on institutional and social networks, digital platforms amplify visibility, accelerate validation, and intensify exclusionary narratives. Front-stage performances of pietism are increasingly decoupled from back-stage practices, enabling the manipulation of moral authority at scale. These have been explained using discourse analysis, using speeches and events to portray the actions played out by the political actors. The shift to pietism within politics and society has significant implications for the construction of social reality, particularly in reinforcing stigma and marginalization. By situating micro-sociological insights within broader political and technological transformations, our research contributes to interdisciplinary debates on dogma, digital media, and power, highlighting how performative piety evolves as both a social strategy and a tool of ideological control.

Precarious Aging: Transgender Lives, Health Systems, and Social Exclusion

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Pakistani transgender people experience lifelong exclusion due to family rejection, institutional abandonment, and social protection. Forced from their families at a young age and initiated into collective households through the guru-chela system, they are socialized outside the main social structures. This enforced separation generates cycles of migration and compounds marginalization across the life course. As they reach old age, the burden of exclusion from family and labor markets, health care, and the law leaves older transgender people in a dire situation. This paper explores how gendered discrimination, migration, and age shape access to health and social welfare, and how it draws on sexual politics to understand discrimination. It draws on Butler's theories of gender as performativity (1990) and precarity (2004), and Bourdieu's theories of social suffering and symbolic power (1991). The present study conducted three focus group discussions and 14 in-depth interviews with people who identify as transgender and are 50 years and older, using interpretative Verstehen. A sample of 35 participants was recruited. We explored the experiences of aging, family abandonment, and discrimination in health. Participants described severe mental illness, depression, loneliness, and gender dysphoria. Family abandonments in early life and subsequent migration were reported as continually undermining a sense of connection and identity, and participants' self-esteem was low. Participants lacked health insurance and reported being denied medical care, even during a crisis. Joint pain, due to hormonal imbalances, was widely reported, as was the use of black-market hormones by some, leading to severe health complications. Despite the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, knowledge and access to prevention strategies were low. In line with the transgender training program of Punjab Skills Development Fund, the present research identifies its best practices and its gaps. It advises non-discriminatory health care, education, and social security reforms to eliminate prejudice, as well as community care and counseling centers that offer health care and support for registration.

From Perceived Injustice and Reward Craving to Corrupt Tendencies: Mediatory Roles of Moral Intelligence Among Security Personnel

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Corrupt tendencies among security personnel remain a major challenge in many developing countries, particularly where public trust in institutions is weak. Previous studies have linked corruption-related behaviors to perceptions of injustice and excessive concern for personal rewards. However, less is known about the protective role of moral intelligence in these relationships. This study examined whether moral intelligence mediates the relationships between perceived organizational injustice, reward craving, and corrupt tendencies among security personnel in Nigeria. Participants were 225 personnel drawn from three public security organizations (105 males, 120 females). Standardized measures of perceived organizational injustice, reward craving, moral intelligence, and corrupt tendencies were administered. Results showed that corrupt tendencies were positively associated with perceived organizational injustice and reward craving, but negatively associated with moral intelligence. Hierarchical regression analyses further indicated that moral intelligence significantly predicted lower corrupt tendencies after controlling for socio-demographic variables. Mediation analyses showed that moral intelligence weakened the positive relationships of perceived injustice and reward craving with corrupt tendencies. The findings suggest that strengthening moral intelligence may reduce corruption vulnerability among security personnel, even under conditions of perceived unfairness and unmet reward expectations. Implications for anti-corruption policy, ethics training, and organizational reform are discussed.

Enforced Compliance in A Fragile Institutional Field: A Qualitative Analysis of Corporate Tax Compliance in Romania

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This study examines the sociological mechanisms underlying corporate tax compliance in Romania. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with managers across diverse economic sectors and survey data measuring perceptions of fiscal legitimacy, we show that tax compliance in Romania operates within a fragile institutional field characterized by low procedural and distributive legitimacy. Our findings identify five key themes: compliance as instrumental survival strategy, structural distrust coexisting with high formal compliance, legislative instability as a driver of adaptive behaviors, sectoral normalization of gray-zone practices, and the ambivalent effects of fiscal digitalization. The results suggest that compliance is predominantly sustained through coercion, digital surveillance, and resource dependency rather than through internalized norms or institutional trust. These findings have significant implications for understanding tax behavior in post-socialist transition economies and for designing more effective tax policy interventions that address the normative foundations of compliance.

Compensatory Education and the Greek Institution of Inclusion Classes: A Symbolic Interactionism Approach

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This paper approaches the institution of inclusion classes (IC) in the Greek educational system through the lens of symbolic interaction theory. It aims to examine how Greek primary-school teachers construct, negotiate, and interpret the meanings of inclusion classes (ICs) as an institution of compensatory education, and how these meaning-making processes shape perceptions of IC effectiveness. A focus group was conducted with seven primary-education teachers (mainstream and special education, from kindergarten and primary school) working in the prefecture of Lesvos (Greece). The discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using discourse analysis, with themes developed through open and axial coding, researcher triangulation and an analytic audit. Five thematic axes emerged: IC as a countervailing educational policy; operational, logistical, and training difficulties; relations among members of the educational community; the negotiation of IC effectiveness; and the institution's contradictions. Findings indicate that ICs function not only as tools for compensatory education but primarily as arenas for the social negotiation of meanings, identities and roles. Despite ICs' positive role in supporting students with disabilities and/or special educational needs, shortages of resources, staff and institutional support, together with stigma and teachers' categorizations, often reproduce educational inequalities. The study contributes to the sociology of education by applying a symbolic interactionism lens to an under-researched aspect of Greek compensatory education, showing how everyday interactional practices mediate formal policy, and pointing to directions for a clearer institutional framework, systematic teacher training, and continuity in secondary education to strengthen IC's compensatory function.

Quality of Life and Workplace Discrimination as Predictors of Workplace Deviant Behavior Among Employees of Nestlé Limited, Sagamu, Nigeria

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Deviant behavior in the workplace can have far-reaching consequences, creating a toxic work environment, eroding trust among employees, and diminishing overall productivity. Therefore, this paper investigated the quality of life and workplace discrimination as predictors of deviant behaviors among staff members of Nestlé Limited, Sagamu, Ogun State. A cross-sectional survey design was employed in this study, consisting of 264 staff members (mean age = 28.29; SD = 1.32) from Nestlé Limited, Sagamu, Ogun State. To select participants, the purposive sampling technique was utilized. The Workplace Deviance Scale (WDS-14-item), the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF-26 Items), and the Workplace Prejudice/Discrimination Inventory (WPDI-15-item) were used to collect data. Pearson product-moment correlation, T-test, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Quality of life significantly and negatively predicted workplace deviant behavior, β = −.64, t = −16.36, p < .001. Workplace discrimination significantly and positively predicted workplace deviant behavior, β = .37, t = 9.50, p < .001. The regression model was significant, R = .78, R² = .61, F(2, 261) = 204.80, p < .001. The findings suggest that Nestlé Limited staff members in Sagamu who experience a lower quality of life and workplace discrimination are more prone to deviant behaviors. This suggests that interventions aimed at reducing such behaviors should focus on improving quality of life and implementing anti-discrimination policies. Enhancing employees' well-being and creating an inclusive work environment could prove pivotal in mitigating deviant behaviors. In addition, this finding highlights the place of employee support programs and fairness policies in fostering a positive workplace culture that reduces behavioral issues.

Towards A Fiscal Sociology: Taxation, Institutions, and Historical Trajectories

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Fiscal sociology is a subfield of sociology that examines how taxation and public finance shape and reflect the relationship between citizens and the state. This article provides a theoretical overview of fiscal sociology, tracing its emergence as a distinct field and distinguishing it from economics and legal studies. Classic thinkers like Rudolf Goldscheid, Joseph Schumpeter, and Max Weber laid the groundwork for viewing taxation not merely as an economic tool or legal obligation but as a sociological phenomenon intertwined with trust, power, and social norms. Unlike economics, which often treats tax compliance as a rational cost-benefit decision and legal approaches focused on formal rules, fiscal sociology emphasizes broader social factors such as trust in government, legitimacy of authorities, cultural norms, and historical trajectories of state development. We discuss core concepts in fiscal sociology, including the role of trust and legitimacy in fostering tax compliance, the importance of tax morale and social norms, and the historical and institutional contexts that shape fiscal systems. Drawing on both classic contributions and modern scholarship (e.g., Campbell, Prasad, Torgler, Brautigam, Levi, Steinmo), the article highlights fiscal sociology’s theoretical contributions. These include understanding how tax systems cultivate or undermine social trust, how legitimacy and fairness perceptions influence citizens’ willingness to pay, and how historical and institutional developments create path dependencies in taxation. The conclusion underscores the value of a sociological lens on fiscal issues, noting that a society’s approach to taxation is deeply embedded in its social structure, norms, and institutions, with significant implications for governance and social cohesion.

Transformations of Medical Professional Authority in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Medical Automation: A Panel Analysis of the G20 Healthcare Sector (2015–2022)

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This study explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies on the professional authority of physicians in G20 countries. By analyzing panel data from 2015 to 2022, the research investigates how the adoption of digital health infrastructure—measured through an ICT index—affects the average number of doctor visits per capita. The findings suggest a statistically significant negative relationship, indicating that as digital health tools become more prevalent, the traditional role and authority of physicians may shift. This transformation reflects broader changes in the doctor-patient relationship and raises sociological questions about trust, expertise, and control over medical knowledge. The study contributes to the sociology of professions by highlighting how technology can reshape established authority structures in healthcare systems.

Personality Traits and Cyberbullying: The Moderating effect of Class Level among in-School Adolescents in Nigeria

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Using a cross-sectional survey approach, this study examined the moderating role of class level in the connection between personality traits and cyberbullying among adolescents enrolled in school. The participants (N = 356) were selected from four secondary schools in Osun state, Southwestern Nigeria, and ranged in age from 11 to 30. The results of the regression-based path analysis indicated that cyberbullying was directly positively associated with honesty (estimate =.25; 95% CI [.05,.45]; p <.01), extraversion (estimate =.34; 95% CI [−.06, −.75]; p <.05), and openness to experience (estimate =.39; 95% CI [.00,.78]; p <.05). Also, interaction of class level and honesty on cyberbullying was negatively significant (estimate = −.14, 95% CI [−.24, −.03]; p < .01). Furthermore, class level moderated the relationship between extraversion and cyberbullying (estimate = −.23, 95% CI [−.43, −.03]; p < .01). In addition, class level significantly moderated the relationship between openness to experience trait and cyberbullying (estimate = −.20, 95% CI [−.40, −.00]; p < .01). These results imply that while designing programs aimed at lowering cyberbullying among teenagers enrolled in school, psychologists should take personality attributes and class level into account.

The Interdisciplinary Function of Training: A Scoping Review on Training Culture

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Originating in the field of sport, “training” has evolved into a context shifting concept relevant across multiple disciplines and fields of practice. From a sociological systems theory perspective, this article analyzes training as a semantic concept that shapes communication in various social domains such as sport, medicine, and administration. Within these domains, however, the concept of training is recontextualised in distinct ways. The present study examines training and training culture across diverse fields and academic disciplines. Using a scoping review approach, we identified 67 scholarly publications addressing the notion of “training culture”. Through thematic analysis of these publications, we explored similarities and differences in how training culture is conceptualized and what social function it fulfills. Our findings suggest that training culture can be understood as an expression of a shared functional capacity. Across different organizational contexts, such as sport, medicine, business, and education, training consistently appears as a communicative form that stabilizes performance orientation and developmental aims. Nevertheless, the specific functional contributions of training vary across contexts.

Misconceptions as Predictors of Contraceptive use among Married Women in Southwest Nigeria

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

The low prevalence of contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa has been largely ascribed to a lot of factors. Among such factors is false impression about family planning use. This study examined misconceptions as determinants of contraceptive uptake among married women in Southwest, Nigeria. A cross sectional study was carried out among 1187 women of reproductive age (15-49) years in Southwest, Nigeria. The study adopted a multi-stage sampling procedure to select the study participants and questionnaire method was employed to elicit responses from them. The study employed statistical product for services solution (SPSS version 20) to analyze the data collected. Frequency distribution was employed to explain the socio-demographic characteristics of the study participants, while chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were employed at the bivariate and multivariate level. The study showed that the mean age of the respondents was 33.7 ± 7.7 S. D, while the mean age at first marriage was 24 years. The study further showed that contraceptive use is still low in the region despite marginal improvement. Moreover, there were significant positive relationships between misconceptions such as family planning causes promiscuity, embarrassment at the point of uptake and contraceptive use. However, there were significant negative relationship between women who believe that contraception causes cultural inhibition/lack of openness among spouses as well as irregular menstruation. The study concludes that misconceptions such as family planning causes promiscuity, infertility, weight gain, irregular menstruation, cultural inhibition and lack of openness between couples and lead to embarrassment at the points of uptakes still exist in the study area. The study recommends that to witness improved contraceptive use in the area, program interventions tailored to contraceptive needs of married women such as health education and awareness campaign at both the national and local level should be embarked upon.

For a European Path of “Visual Care” Beyond Risk. Being Well Informed about Health as an Individual Right

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Well-designed visual languages have the power to communicate health messages clearly and effectively to non-experts, including journalists, patients and politicians. Otherwise, they can confuse and alienate recipients, undermining the meaning of the message and leaving room for conflict, mistrust and pseudoscience. In this perspective, the paper reflects on the importance and complexity of visual communication of health information as an individual’s right to be well informed, especially in risk and emergency scenarios.

Hijrah Goes Viral: Millennial Religious Narratives through Influencers on Tiktok

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This study investigates the transformation of Islamic da’wah from conventional practices to digital platforms, with a focus on TikTok as a new medium for religious expression. Using the case of Hanan Attaki, a prominent Islamic influencer, this research analyzes how digital da’wah is strategically constructed and its impact on religious understanding among Indonesian millennials and Gen Z. Employing a qualitative netnographic approach, the study examines digital content, audience interaction, and communication styles. Findings show that Attaki utilizes TikTok’s algorithmic and visual features to disseminate concise, emotionally resonant religious messages. Themes such as introspection, self-development, and social ethics are presented through storytelling and relatable aesthetics. However, the study also raises concerns about the erosion of traditional religious authority and the commodification of religious discourse. Drawing on Campbell’s Digital Religion and Mosco’s Commodification theories, this research highlights the evolving dynamics between media, market forces, and Islamic communication in digital spaces.

The Role of Procedural Justice in Victim-Police Interactions and Victims Recovery from Victimization Experiences

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Many people in Bangladesh, especially women and children, suffer from heinous crimes like rape, sexual assault, acid burns, domestic abuse, and human trafficking every day. Victimization of property and violent crimes create negative psychological impact on person’s wellbeing. Victims face depression, unsafety, stress and low self-esteem after victimization. The main objective of this study is to find out the role of procedural justice in victim-police contact and victims’ recovery from victimization experiences. In this study, a descriptive qualitative research design is used to describe the healing benefits of procedural justice. In-depth interviews of victims were conducted on the basis of semi-structured questions. Victims feel violated after victimization and violation turns into validation during contacting the police. The study discovered that when police officers acknowledged the victimization experiences of victims, it aided in resolving the harmful psychological consequences of the crime, by providing victims with a feeling of closure, empowerment and security. It was crucial for crime victims that the police validated their victimization experiences. This study suggests that police officers’ actions can significantly influence victims’ recovery from their victimization experiences and procedural justice is a critical component of effective victim services.

Navigating Social Worlds: A Theoretical Exploration of Phenomenological Sociology and the Construction of Social Realities

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This paper explores the theoretical foundations of phenomenological sociology, examining how subjective experiences and intersubjective relationships construct social reality. Drawing on the works of Alfred Schutz, Peter Berger, Thomas Luckmann, and Hermann Schmitz, it synthesizes key concepts such as the lifeworld, social construction of reality, and embodied phenomenology. Using Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA), this study systematically interprets and compares foundational texts, demonstrating the role of human agency in shaping societal norms and meanings. By integrating multiple theoretical perspectives, it critically engages with contemporary sociological challenges, particularly in digital communication and evolving social structures. This theoretical analysis contributes to the existing literature by offering a structured synthesis of phenomenological thought and its continued relevance in modern sociological discourse.

After Gunshot: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis on Community Recovery from Mass Violence

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Incidents of mass violence, defined as occurring in a public place with at least four fatalities and not related to domestic violence or other criminal activity, have left scars on the social psyche of communities that have survived and witnessed them. While their psychological ramifications are increasingly considered, little research has addressed social behavior in the aftermath on a community-level. This Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES) aims to address an identified gap in research with an examination of the mechanisms of communal resilience and healing after an incident of mass violence. The search strategy yielded 7,106 records, of which 5,897 were screened by title and abstract and 116 by full text. Communities largely engaged in three interconnected processes. First, they moved towards convergence through social support, shared identity, and public expression of grief. Secondly, they engaged in meaning-making through spirituality, positive reframing, and collective narratives. Lastly, they participated in acts of transfiguration through altruism, mobilization, and reconstruction. Implications for policy include moving beyond a medical model and utilizing internal community assets, strengthening collaborative networks that promote social cohesion, and investing in existing community assets and resources.

Work-Life Balance in Home-Office Contexts Exploring Productivity, Stress, and Boundary Management in Remote Work

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This study investigates the impact of home-office arrangement on work-life balance (WLB) with reference to productivity, stress, and boundary management. The study makes use of the answers of 112 participants that were collected from an online questionnaire and concludes that both the positives and negatives of working remotely prevail. While 65.2% of sample members felt more WLB and 71.5% were more productive, availability-all-the-time-causing-stress was the major issue experienced, primarily by caregivers. The study highlights the importance of technical infrastructure, boundary management tactics, and organizational support in ensuring the full potential of WLB benefits. Such conclusions guide theoretical models like Boundary Theory and the Job Demands-Resources Model and offer practical recommendations to employers and policy-makers.

Exploring Professional Dynamics in Addiction Treatment: A Parsonian Perspective on Normative Culture and Action Orientation

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This study examined the relevance of Talcott Parsons’ action theory in understanding the complex dynamics of values, norms, and professional action within multidisciplinary health contexts, specifically focusing on public services for addiction in northern Italy. Employing an ethnographic research strategy that included participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 28 professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists), this study identified five interconnected themes: symbolic and normative systems, formalized norms, value systems and normative models, alternatives of professional action (pattern variables), and action orientation. The findings reveal that Public Services for Addictions’ cultural system, comprising formalized norms, symbolic-normative patterns, shared values, rituals, and social practices, serve as an effective mode of control and shape professional action. The study also highlights the significance of the “equidistance in the listening” model, which encompasses values such as equality, professional respect, and unanimity. Furthermore, the analysis of pattern variables elucidates the decision-making processes underlying professional actions, while the examination of action orientations (structural, expressive, moral, and relational) reveals the motivational drivers that influence professional behavior. The predominance of relational orientation underscores the importance of teamwork and professional recognition in public services for addiction. The study concluded by emphasizing the enduring relevance of Parsons’ action theory in understanding the complex interplay of values, norms, and professional actions within multidisciplinary health contexts, thereby contributing to the development of a unified framework for cross-disciplinary collaboration in social control systems.

Impact of Land Acquisition on Social and Professional Establishments of Rural Workers in Nghi Son Economic Zone, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Nghi Son Economic Zone, a central economic hub in Vietnam, has experienced significant growth in its industrial and service sectors. This growth has drawn a large workforce from surrounding regions. This research investigates how land acquisition within the zone has affected the social and occupational landscape for rural workers in Thanh Hoa Province. The study will analyze the vocational structure of rural workers before and after land acquisition and clarify their career transition process in this context. To achieve the research objectives, we use quantitative methods and qualitative policy analysis, including collecting and analyzing statistical data on the socio-economic situation, and labor structure in the research area, conducting survey interviews with representatives of 400 households whose land was acquired to learn about changes in their lives, work, and income; and analyzing relevant policies of the Party and State related to land acquisition, compensation, resettlement support, and job creation to inform potential solutions. From the analysis, evaluation, and research, it proposes solutions to minimize the negative impacts of land acquisition, ensure social security, and contribute to improving people’s lives and livelihoods. The research has scientific significance in supplementing land policies and labor restructuring studies. It is of practical importance in perfecting land policies and laws, contributing to the country’s sustainable development.