Joanna Różycka-Tran, Antagonizm społeczny w umysłach ludzi i kulturach świata, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, 2018

Abstract

The work by Joanna Różycka-Tran titled Antagonizm społeczny w umysłach ludzi i kulturach świata [Social antagonism in people's minds and world's cultures] was published by Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar in 2018. The author elaborates on the issues that she took up in her earlier book Życie społeczne jako gra. Kontekst międzykulturowy [Social life as a game: The intercultural context], Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, 2012. Searching for references in various theoretical approaches and empirical research, the author links social antagonism-both at the individual and cultural level, with the visions of the social reality as based on a zero-sum game, i.e., that one's success is necessarily conditioned by the failure of others. Such convictions significantly affect relations between individuals and social groups.The book consists of an introduction, five chapters, references, an annex with the Belief in a Zero-Sum Game Scale, a list of figures and tables, and an index of names. The chapters are as follows: 1. Isomorphism in social sciences, 2. Theoretical concept and measurement of perceived antagonism in social relations, 3. Antagonistic thinking of individuals, 4. Social antagonism in world's cultures, and 5. Research summary.Różycka-Tran operationalizes antagonism, both at the level of individuals and social groups, as an aggregate variable (Różycka-Tran, 2018, p. 36). She compares social antagonism to cynicism, understood as a belief in the system's hostility towards citizens, with system's hostility defined as a pressure that is exerted on citizens by egoistic individuals, interest groups and institutions which hold the power (Bond et al., 2004, p. 566, as cited in: Różycka-Tran, 2018. Similarly to cynicism, antagonism reflects a negativistic vision of human nature and social reality. Both of them negatively correlate with interpersonal trust and self-esteem. In particular, antagonism in social relations is negatively linked to perceived satisfaction with social exchange and work commitment,

Psychometric Evaluation of the Parentification Inventory in a Polish Adolescent Sample

“…By definition, parentification can pose a serious threat to child and adolescent development and often occurs in family systems where neglect and trauma are present. Parentification (both the process and the roles) is reported to be a commonly occurring phenomenon evidenced in many family systems that can differentially involve subsystems (parental and sibling) in the family (Byng-Hall, 2002; Schier, 2014). For example, different than caring for parents and adult family members, caring for siblings does not entail the blurring or crossing of intergenerational boundaries.…”