Social work is a social phenomenon, existing in most societies, that has given rise to a multitude of special organizations and professions. For that reason social work is dealing with a complex identity. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how social workers and the scientific discourse interpret the concept of social work. In addition to that the study intends to show similarities and differencies. The research process containes two studies, one based on qualitative interviews with five social workers and the other consisting a surway of academic litterature.

There are widespread discussions about the use of retouched models in media, ranging from bloggers to legal decision-makers. Research shows that there are negative psychological effects on especially females being exposed to idealized, retouched model images. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of using retouched models in advertising from a marketing perspective, based on attitudes, perceived quality and purchase intentions.Based on theories about attractiveness, halo-effects and Social comparison, an experimental study was done, investigating the different responses on above mentioned parameters to advertisements showing either retouched model images or non-retouched model images. Initially it was also tested if the retouched models were seen as more attractive than the non-retouched models. The results showed almost no differences between the reactions to the advertisements with retouched models compared to the advertisements with non-retouched models, when all respondent groups were analyzed together.

The purpose of this essay was to find out how violin students apprehend their tuition and if it is possible to achieve good results without negative comparison or competition.The examination is based on eight in-depth interviews with violin students between 8 and19 years of age. All of the students had a strong will to develop and to feel satisfied with their achievements. Almost all of them agree that some degree of comparison and competition between violin students does exist. Although some of the students had seen negative sides of such competition, they agree on comparison as a good thing as long as it´s positive..

The purpose of this essay is to examine the Swedish governments discourse on integration of immigrants and thereby examine what social reality it constructs. The aim is to examine how integration and immigrants are constructed within the discourse. The method and theory being used in this essay is discourse theory. As a methodological instrument we use the policy on functional impairment as a comparison. The material being analyzed in this essay is political documents on the strategy on integration policy and the strategy on the policy of functional impairment.

An explorative study on the work motivation of employees at a retirement home. The three main factors are internal motivation, external motivation and control. A comparison between how important they estimate the different factors to be and how they experience them today reveals which factor is their key motivator and which areas that need improvement. Results indicat that internal and external motivation are slightly more important than control. And the amount of perceived control reflects the amount of creative and initiative behaviour of the individual.

The aim of this study was to understand the contact between foster homes and social workers, by doing a comparison of the social workers and the foster homes experiences of the cooperation that is between them. We started from three main questions to get an answer to our aim, how the foster homes and the social workers experience the organization of the foster care in the Social Service as an impact of the cooperation, what does the foster homes and the social workers experience as a important fact of a successful placement and finally, how does the foster homes and the social workers experience the supporting and controlling contact that is between them. To get our results we based our study on interviews whit four foster homes and whit four social workers. The analysis was based on one theoretical perspective, Skaus (2007) analytical approach for power and help. As a conclusion we have found out, that the organization of the Social Service has significance for the contact between social workers and foster homes.

Kroppsmissnöje är mer utbrett hos kvinnor än hos män visar tidigare studier (Feingold & Mazzella, 1998) men även män börjar bli kroppsmissnöjda (Cash, Morrow, Hrabosky & Perry, 2004). Detta undersöktes tillsammans med självkänsla och kroppsjämförelse hos män och kvinnor och även de som har partner eller är singlar i ljuset av Social comparison Theory och Cognitive Dissonance Theory. 133 personer testades med Body-Esteem scale, Figure Drawing Rating Scale, Self-esteem Scale och Universalistic Social comparison Scale. Resultatet indikerar att båda könen är relativt nöjda men kvinnorna är något mindre nöjda med utseendet med sin kropp. Studien visar även att kvinnors idealbild är en smalare kropp medan männens idealbild är en muskulösare kropp.

Kroppsmissnöje är mer utbrett hos kvinnor än hos män visar tidigare studier (Feingold & Mazzella, 1998) men även män börjar bli kroppsmissnöjda (Cash, Morrow, Hrabosky & Perry, 2004). Detta undersöktes tillsammans med självkänsla och kroppsjämförelse hos män och kvinnor och även de som har partner eller är singlar i ljuset av Social comparison Theory och Cognitive Dissonance Theory. 133 personer testades med Body-Esteem scale, Figure Drawing Rating Scale, Self-esteem Scale och Universalistic Social comparison Scale. Resultatet indikerar att båda könen är relativt nöjda men kvinnorna är något mindre nöjda med utseendet med sin kropp. Studien visar även att kvinnors idealbild är en smalare kropp medan männens idealbild är en muskulösare kropp.

To log on to social media has become an obvious part of people's everyday routine. Pictures, videos, opinions, and thoughts are posted and read by people's social networks worldwide. In doing so, the present study chose to examine whether what is posted on social media, as well as what the individuals are exposed to on social media can be related to their motivation and self-esteem. By letting 117 adolescents aged 16-19 answer a questionnaire regarding which social media they are active on, how often they are active there, and what they post on those social medias. By also letting them evaluate how they see themselves, if they compare themselves with others and how motivated they are to physical activity and healthy eating habits, we could see that to those who post pictures, and are exposed to images represent exercise / health on social media have higher self-esteem and driven more by internal motivation to engage physical activity than those who do not.

This thesis was written by order of Rud Pedersen Public Affairs Company, a PR- consultancy firm located in Gothenburg. The assignment was to investigate social media in Pr- activities. The thesis is formed by three main categories:? What is social media?? Who are using social media?? How can you use social media in public relations?The information which is being presented in this thesis is based on academic reports, interviews and research on social media blogs and lectures. It is a qualitative approach since the purpose is to get a deeper understanding for the subject in question.

The aim of this thesis was to study how social workers in social services in several municipalities perceive that they interpret the concept of domestic violence and how they believe they would act when it comes to different types of domestic violence. The thesis has focused on three types of violence; physical, psychological and economical. Seven social workers were interviewed with a thematised interview guide and six vignettes. The theoretical perspectives applied in the analysis were the process of normalization and the continuum of violence. The results showed that the social workers did not interpret domestic violence unanimous, and they had different ideas of how they would act in the vignettes.

This thesis consists of three parts: one normative, one empirical and one constructive, with the intention to explore the enforcement of accountability in megaprojects.The thesis aims to evaluate the level of accountability in the policy process of the European Spallation Source, ESS between 1990 and 2008. In order to make a comparison possible, a norm is created concerning how a policy process should be designed, with primary focus on openness and participation, to make enforcement of accountability possible. The policy process of the ESS is compared with this norm with the purpose of discovering whether the process contains elements that assure enforcement of accountability. After the comparison is done, it is possible to formulate constructive proposals about how the enforcement of accountability can be improved.The thesis also explores how networks, consisting of actors with particular resources, surrounding the ESS-project affects the form of the policy process, e.g. in shaping the social construction of the aim and purpose of the project.

The ambition of this paper is to study the construction of the categorization between ?us? and ?them? in a religious minority, represented by Jehovah?s Witnesses and a nationalist political party, represented by the Swedish Democrats. This will be done by a discursive psychology analysis of their official publications on each group?s website. By a deductive study using Henri Tajfel?s Social Identity Theory trying to disclose the psychological processes; social categorization, social identity, Social comparison and psychological distinctiveness.

The aim of this thesis was to study how social workers in social services in several municipalities perceive that they interpret the concept of domestic violence and how they believe they would act when it comes to different types of domestic violence. The thesis has focused on three types of violence; physical, psychological and economical. Seven social workers were interviewed with a thematised interview guide and six vignettes. The theoretical perspectives applied in the analysis were the process of normalization and the continuum of violence. The results showed that the social workers did not interpret domestic violence unanimous, and they had different ideas of how they would act in the vignettes.

The purpose of this essay is to study causes for the lack of political trust in Europe and especially in Sweden. The essay starts with a presentation of two theories about the reasons for low political trust. Robert D. Putnam among others presents a theory that gives social capital an important role when viewing the low political trust. As Putnam sees it a person that participates in any kind of organization, political or not, develop trust for other human beings that in the long run affects political trust.