Neoliberal precarity and primalization: A biosocial perspective on the age of insecurity, injustice, and unreason.

In light of the observed rise in social instability and populist politics that has emerged recently even in some of the world's oldest and presumed stable democracies, this paper reappraises the role of the neoliberal political and economic consensus in fermenting popular discontent. While this is very well trodden ground the paper approaches the issues from a wholly new direction, specifically addressing how exposure to the destabilizing conditions of the present can be seen to have negatively impacted on the neurological functioning of many of the disenchanted and distressed of the current era, generating chronic negative emotional arousal and an associated impact on the capacity for rational thought and conduct. This condition of mental and emotional fugue, it is argued, has also rendered growing numbers more susceptible to marginal and radicalizing discourses, largely extended and amplified via social media, and not least the emotionally charged overtures of populist politicians. Against a backdrop of increasing insecurity, transformative changes to work and living conditions precipitated by neoliberal policy and the digital revolution, together with the epochal crisis presented by the global pandemic, it is argued that the task of understanding the deep and fundamental causes of social and political fracture have rarely been more urgent.

Scotland and England's colliding nationalisms: neoliberalism and the fracturing of the United Kingdom.

This paper explores the growing divide between Scotland and England, a schism that was beginning to take form with Scottish devolution and which has grown exponentially since the Independence Referendum of 2014. The central argument presented in the paper is that renewed impetus for national distinction and self-determination in Scotland is best understood as one facet of a much wider popular disenchantment and growing restiveness with the trajectory of contemporary UK politics, culture and society that has found an outlet via a resurgent nationalist discourse and institutional framework. Analysis here is approached via the application of an original biosocial theory with the aim of presenting further insights into the underlying processes driving contemporary political instability. Moreover, it is argued that this scenario can be understood, and may shed light upon, the wider rise in nationalist and populist sentiment that is contributing to increasing political turbulence across Europe and beyond.

No place called home: the causes and social consequences of the UK housing 'bubble'.

This paper examines the key causes and social consequences of the much debated UK 'housing bubble' and its aftermath from a multidimensional sociological approach, as opposed to the economic perspective of many popular discussions. This is a phenomenon that has affected numerous economies in the first decade of the new millennium. The discussion is based on a comprehensive study that includes exhaustive analysis of secondary data, content and debate in the mass media and academia, primary data gathered from the monitoring of weblogs and forums debating housing issues, and case histories of individuals experiencing housing difficulties during this period. This paper is intended to provide a broad overview of the key findings and preliminary analysis of this ongoing study, and is informed by a perspective which considers secure and affordable housing to be an essential foundation of stable and cohesive societies, with its absence contributing to a range of social ills that negatively impact on both individual and collective well being. Overall, it is argued that we must return to viewing decent, affordable housing as an essential social resource, that provides the bedrock of stable individual, family and community life, while recognizing that its increasing treatment as a purely economic asset is a key contributor to our so-called 'broken society'.

Denial of Suicide Attempt Among Hospitalized Survivors of a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests that suicide attempts by self-inflicted gunshot wound (GSW) are underreported and may in turn affect disposition following hospitalization. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and use of services among individuals who do not disclose suicidal intent following a self-inflicted GSW. METHODS: Electronic medical record data from 128 survivors of self-inflicted GSWs at a level 1 trauma center were analyzed to identify factors associated with nondisclosure of a suicide attempt to medical staff. RESULTS: Results indicated that 29% of patients denied that a self-inflicted GSW was a suicide attempt, and 43% of patients who denied suicidal intent were identified by the psychiatric consultation and liaison service as presenting under circumstances suspicious of a suicide attempt. Logistic regression analyses indicated that patients who denied having attempted suicide were 10.86 times more likely to be discharged to home than patients who disclosed suicidal intent. In a multiple regression model, no clinical or demographic characteristics were significantly associated with nondisclosure of suicide intent. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' nondisclosure of suicidal intent following a self-inflicted GSW may present a barrier to care for patients whose injuries are the result of a suicide attempt. Implications for reducing barriers to care for a high-risk population are discussed, including the impact of nondisclosure on future treatment and the potential utility of brief interventions for suicide risk reduction.