Editorial

Teen perception of bonding and control with mothers and fathers

Canadian teenagers enjoy more freedom than French and Italian peers, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescence. The investigation, which examined how parents fashion emotional bonds and exert behavioural control with adolescents, was led by scientists from the University of Montreal, the Université de Rennes in France and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy.

Canada, France and Italy were compared because the countries have commonalities: Latin languages, Catholic history and advanced industrialization. Questionnaires were answered by adolescents whose parents were born in their country of residence: 522 Canadians from Montreal (54.8 percent girls; 45.2 percent boys); 336 French from Rennes (65.8 percent girls; 34.2 percent boys); 398 Italians from Milan (47.2 percent girls; 52.8 percent boys). Teens were asked to describe parents according to emotional bonding, communication, frequency of conflict, rules, discipline and tolerance of friend-related activities.

“Parents are perceived as emotionally bonded by teens from all three countries, yet perception of parental control contrasted between Italy and Canada. Of all three countries, Italian mothers and fathers are perceived as using the most constraining practices,” says first author Michel Claes, a University of Montreal psychology professor. “Italian parents are seen as more demanding in rules and authorizations. They take more punitive actions when rules are broken and are less tolerant of peer socialization. They uphold family regulations and require their adolescents to ask for authorizations until a much later age.”

“Our study found Canadian parents to be the most tolerant. They, had less rules and less disciplinary actions,” says Dr. Claes. “Canadian mothers and fathers were seen as less punitive, less coercive and more tolerant than French and Italian mothers.”

The French were found to parent in a moderate style. French fathers, however, were perceived by teens as emotionally distant, rigid and prone to intergenerational conflict. French mothers, for their part, were reported to foster closer bonds as their children grew into adolescence.

In all three countries, teens experienced a gradual decrease in behavioural control between the ages of 11 and 19: fathers and mothers reduced requirements and disciplinary constraints. “Our study found parental control is dictated by social codes and culture-specific values, which promote certain parental practices and proscribe others,” says Dr. Claes, noting that Canadian parents value a democratic conception of education that promotes independence and negotiation, while Europeans parents, especially Italians, advocate for obligations and respect for parental authority.

Partners in research:

This study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

About the study:

The paper, “Adolescents’ perceptions of parental practices: A cross-national comparison of Canada, France, and Italy,” published in the Journal of Adolescence, was authored by Michel Claes, Amélie Benoit and Éric Lacourse of the University of Montreal, (Canada); Cyrille Perchec and Françoise Bariaud of the Université de Rennes, (France); Dave Miranda of the University of Ottawa, (Canada); Margherita Lanz and Elena Marta of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, (Italy).

On the Web :

Cited article from Journal of Adolescence: http://bit.ly/9pdH96
Université de Montréal: www.umontreal.ca/english
Université de Rennes: www.univ-rennes1.fr
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore: www.unicatt.it

The recently released "trustees’ report on Social Security shows that the program does not face an immediate crisis and that — even in the long run — will still have substantial resources to pay benefits. Nevertheless, Congress needs to restore Social Security’s long-term solvency so that it can meet its promises, and acting sooner is better than acting later" - Robert Greenstein, Center on Budget and Budget Priorities (CBPP).

According to the CBPP, the report shows that Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until 2037, at which point the program’s trust fund will be exhausted. After that, Social Security will be able to pay over 75 percent of scheduled benefits. This exhaustion date is unchanged from the date in last year’s report.

The size of the shortfall over the next 75 years — 0.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product over the period, or 1.92 percent of projected taxable payroll (the total of wages and self-employment income subject to Social Security taxes) — represents a mild improvement from last year’s report. In 2009, the trustees put the 75-year deficit at 2.00 percent of taxable payroll. Of the improvement — which equals 0.08 percent of taxable payroll — the actuaries ascribe 0.14 percentage points to the positive effects of the new health-care reform law, which is expected to shift some employee compensation from (nontaxable) fringe benefits to (taxable) wages, and a negative 0.06 percentage points to the change in the 75-year period being examined from 2009-2083 to 2010-2084. All other changes are negligible.

Social Security’s annual tax revenue has recently slipped below the benefits it pays. although it is estimated that as the economy recovers, tax revenues will again exceed benefit payments for several years and then will begin falling short of expenditures again in 2015. This shouldn''t pose a problem for paying Social Security benefits. Because Social Security can draw on its trust fund — which now stands at $2.6 trillion and will keep growing until 2025. the problem is a mismatch between total Social Security revenue (including interest that the trust fund earns on its reserves) and expenditures that eventually materializes as tens of millions of baby boomers retire, and that will cause trust-fund exhaustion in 2037 if no action is taken.

Yest another reason underscoring the importance of allowing the Bush tax cuts for Americans making over $250,000 to expire at the end of this year. "If Congress instead extends those tax cuts for one or a few years and subsequently makes them permanent, the revenue loss over the next 75 years just from extending the tax cuts for people making over $250,000 — the top 2 percent of Americans — will be almost as large as the entire Social Security shortfall over this period." - Robert Greenstein, Center on Budget and Budget Priorities (CBPP).

Even though Social Security faces no imminent crisis, policymakers should act sooner rather than later to restore its long-term solvency. By acting sooner they can apply a fair way to spread out the needed adjustments in revenue and benefit formulasaallowing people to better plan for their work, savings, and retirement.

Acting sooner also helps by reducing federal borrowing in coming years. The higher the amount borrowed, the higher the federal debt will be — and the more interest we will owe.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,227 adults surveyed about what they are doing to save money.

Almost half of Americans (48%) say they are brown bagging lunch instead of purchasing it to save money, also slightly up from February when 45% said they were doing this. Two in five U.S. adults each say they have switched to refillable water bottles instead of purchasing bottles of water (39%) and are going to the hairdresser less often (38%). In February, one-third of Americans (34%) had switched to refillable water bottles to save money. Also, one-quarter (24%) have cut down on dry cleaning.

Looking at media habits, three in ten U.S. adults (31%) have canceled one or more magazine subscriptions and just under one in five (17%) have canceled a newspaper subscription. It's not just reading habits that are changing in these economic times, though. One in five Americans (22%) have canceled or cut back cable television service while an additional 22% say they have considered doing so.

In addition to brown-bagging it, other work habits have also changed. One in five Americans (22%) have stopped purchasing coffee in the morning, while 12% have begun carpooling or using mass transit (but this is not applicable to 48% of Americans who may not be working or may not have the ability to carpool or use mass transit).

Phone service has also changed as 15% have canceled their landline service and are only using cell phones, with an additional 22% saying they have considered this to save money. Cell phone usage is also changing as 15% say they have changed or canceled cell service to save money, with an additional 17% of Americans saying they have considered doing so.

Looking for a Job? 28% of all U.S. households have at least one member that is looking for a full-time job.

What are you doing to find work? ( please comment below)

Network. The best companies to work for tend to rely heavily (up to 40%) on employee referrals.[1]

Cold call. Locate a specific person who can help you (usually the human resources or hiring manager at a company or organization you're interested in). Call that person and ask if they are hiring.

Looking for work overseas?

Making your own job? 100 ideas for starting a small business

Study Examines Shifting Workplace, Generational Attitudes in Transitioning Economy

The more things change, the more different generations of workers become the same, suggests. The research shows that workers of all ages have a new appreciation for company stability when making career decisions. Yet, for many, getting to firmer ground may entail a career change: Four out of 10 professionals polled said they are more inclined to look for new opportunities outside their firms as a result of the recession. Other findings include:

-- Pay is not keeping up with performance. More than one-third (37
percent) of employees felt they are not being fairly compensated for
assuming a greater workload during the recession.

-- Work is more engaging. About one in four (28 percent) said they are
more engaged in their work as a result of the recession.

-- Generational views on next career steps differ. For Gen Y, looking for
a new job is the most common post-recession career plan, whereas Gen
Xers polled said they are more inclined to update their skills. For
baby boomers surveyed, staying put at their companies was the most
commonly cited post-recession career plan.

-- Cross-generational teams bring challenges, rewards. Nearly
three-quarters (72 percent) of hiring managers said managing
multigenerational work teams poses a challenge. But more than
one-third of workers polled felt having a group of employees at
different experience levels increases productivity.

-- Retirement plans are being put on hold. Nearly half (46 percent) of
workers believe they will work past the traditional retirement age,
and more than one-third said the recent recession has had a very
strong impact on those plans.

The study was developed by Robert Half, the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, and conducted by an independent research firm. More than 1,400 professionals in North America who are employed full-time and have college degrees, or are earning college degrees, were surveyed for the project, including 502 hiring managers. Respondents included members of the baby boomer generation (approximately 46 to 64 years old), Generation X (approximately 32 to 45 years old) and Generation Y (approximately 21 to 31 years old*).

*Does not include all of Generation Y, only the segment old enough to have entered the workforce who have college degrees or are currently attending college.

Generational Similarities

Following are five similarities among the generations revealed in the research:

1. For all generations surveyed, working for a stable company and having
job security were two of the most important aspects of the work
environment, beating out having a short commute or working for a
socially responsible company.

2. When evaluating employment offers, salary, company stability and
benefits were the most important factors for all three generations,
according to those polled.

3. Healthcare coverage, dental coverage, vacation time and 401(k) matching
were the highest valued benefits for all generations surveyed.

4. Among professionals who plan to work past the traditional retirement
age, strong majorities in all generations cited the past recession as
an important factor in their decision.

5. The most commonly cited benefit of being part of multigenerational work
teams was bringing together various experience levels to provide
knowledge in specific areas.

Generational Differences

Following are five differences among the generations revealed in the research:

1. When it comes to post-recession career plans, more Gen Yers (36
percent) than Gen Xers (30 percent) and baby boomers (24 percent)
planned to look for new job opportunities.

2. Gen Xers polled were more inclined to enhance their skills sets (38
percent) and build tenure with their companies (33 percent) in the
aftermath of the recession than other generations.

3. A greater percentage of baby boomers (54 percent) than Gen X (46
percent) or Gen Y (39 percent) respondents said they will work past
the traditional retirement age.

4. More Gen Xers (34 percent) than baby boomers (27 percent) said they had
increased their retirement savings since the recession began.

5. More baby boomers (54 percent) than Gen X (45 percent) or Gen Y (35
percent) employees identified the greatest challenge when working with
multiple generations as having differing work ethics and approaches to
work/life balance; more Gen Yers attributed difficulties to differing
communication styles (29 percent for Gen Y versus 16 percent for both
Gen X respondents and baby boomers).

Source: Robert Half International

Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with more than 360 worldwide staffing locations. The company's specialized staffing divisions include Accountemps®, Robert Half® Finance & Accounting, and Robert Half® Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam®, for highly skilled temporary administrative support; Robert Half® Technology, for technology professionals; Robert Half® Legal, for project and full-time staffing of attorneys, paralegals and legal support personnel; and The Creative Group®, for creative, advertising, marketing and web design professionals. Find more information at www.roberthalf.com or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/roberthalf.

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~Buddha

Living at a time when conspiracy theories and bad news abounds, means that one can be easily drawn into living in fear and anger.

At a time when news casters seem to revel in reporting and repeating over and over all the terrible negative things occurring in the world, while rarely mentioning the good deeds and good lives of many, it is easy to become cynical and jaded towards our fellow humans and the institutions we have created.

It is good to remember that things usually work out, the vast majority of oil wells don't leak, very very few children are abducted and the economy usually is growing rather than receding. Thank goodness!

Most U.S. government agency employees are diligent and hard working as are the people who work in the energy field, law enforcement and education... Lets not lose sight that things mostly go well by allowing our focus to be pulled to only what went wrong.

Of course this doesn't mean we should hide our heads in the sand and ignore problems.

We need to act to stop the wrongs and repair the damage. We must act to improve our lives, our children lives and the world. We must not let fear and cynicism immobilize us, or give into anger that steals the energy needed to correct the wrongs. Don't let your contribution to the world be wasted in useless heated debates and hate mongering, instead take action to move the world forward.

Action Steps:

Find Out what's true? http://www.politifact.com/

Help with Oil Spill Clean Up http://news.discovery.com/animals/how-you-can-help-the-oil-spill-cleanup-effort.html

Tennessee Floods http://www.cfmt.org/floodrelief/

Hatti Earthquakes http://www.redcross.org/

HIV, Climate, Globalconcerns and more http://www.clintonfoundation.org/how-you-can-help/

Please list your ideas about how to help in the comment section - thanks!