The essay focuses on the comparative analysis of Hungarian political development before 1989–90. Instead of dealing with the 32 years since the change of regime, the author is interested in how many different interpretations of political development can be identified. The author singles out examples of political development in developed countries (for example the United States) as well as developing countries (those countries which have become decolonized in the 1960s). The starting point of the analysis is that Hungary cannot be described by either the categories used for developed countries or those that are used for developing ones. While the essay recognizes that the measure of progress at all times for Hungarian development is the example of Western development, it does not accept the approach according to which Hungarian development is a “dead-end” because it differs from Western development in many ways. The essay puts forward the hypothesis of the “normality” of Hungarian political development.

Natural disasters unequally affect poor and wealthy populations, which can be observed everywhere regardless of the economic performance of the respective country. Paradigms focusing on physical hazards and response can not be considered, while social, political and cultural causes are rarely mentioned in the discussions around particular disaster events. Marginalized households and communities, and populations with less income are more affected by disasters. A significant proportion of Hungary’s settlements are deprived or otherwise marginalized, which makes it necessary to raise social and economic questions related to disasters, and investigate them from a spatial aspect. This study is based on case studies of five disaster-affected settlements and encompasses a social vulnerability approach. The research is based on interviews with key informants involved in response to the respective disasters and broadened with an experiment to use the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List as an instrument to investigate community resilience. The ISEL is capable of observing the individuals’ self-perception of themselves in their communities and how they can rely on others in their environment. The survey, with the participation of 103 people, discovered discrepancies in the level and structure of interpersonal support, which is tangible based on the interviews.

The study examines the impact of leadership roles and success on family and friendship relationships between men and women. The literature on this topic typically focuses on the analysis of success and failure, but the impact of family and friendships on leadership success is a less published area. The questionnaire data collection (n = 437) was conducted among women and men using a snowball method, with separate questionnaires. The questionnaire data were analysed using ANOVA test and Chi-square test. Research findings suggest that female and male leaders differ in their perceptions of the impact of their own successful leadership roles. Male leaders perceived personal skills, unique ideas, reputation and spousal support as determinants of successful leadership, whereas female respondents did not perceive these factors as being important. More than half of men (51.8%) agreed with the statement that their leadership successes have led them to make new friends instead of old ones. This compares with only 4% of women. Almost half of female leaders (47.1%) believe that they have kept their old friends. Less than half (45.1%) of women feel that leadership has had a positive or negative impact on family and relationships.

The impact and influencing power of educators and teaching aids used in education systems is an internationally researched area as they play a key role in the development and study of students’ personality. According to the literature, the teacher is one of the most significant „tools” of the hidden curriculum behind the official curriculum, but the presentation of the phenomenon in teaching aids strengthens gender stereotypes and reduces the possibility of gender equality. In this study, we examine the role of a hidden curriculum in the development of gender horizontal segregation, with particular reference to the influence of teachers and textbooks. In the empirical part of the study, we did conduct a semi -structured interview with 18 elementary school teachers through a non-probability expert sampling, which was analyzed by categorization and interpretation. Our results show that traditional gender roles have prevailed in the family of educators. During their studies, they observed a difference depending on their educators in terms of behavior and expectations – but they believe that they themselves do not differentiate between students. According to their views, the personality of the teachers is of particular importance regarding the personality development and academic progress of the students, however, the career orientation of the children is mainly determined by the parents family patterns that appear in the family.

Utopian and dystopian works have traditions hundreds of years, but their golden era did not begin until the 20th century. The genre is very often depicted as a literary genre, but in reality it is much more than simple fiction. These novels are as much social science and social theory writings as they are works of phantasmagoria. In my writing, I strive to explain this line of thought based on Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451. In the course of my work, following the fictional story of Guy Montag, I intend to present the peculiarities of the genre, its social science relations and its relationship with our contemporary society, in parallel with other dystopian works of the 20th century.

Ivett Szalma – Judit Takács (2022): Családszociológiai mozaik. Szociológiai Tudástár (13). Debrecen, Debreceni Egyetemi Kiadó, Debrecen University Press, p, 209