Hi Jeff, I've construed a scale called "Perception of invulnerability" here in Brazil... it has been published in a A2 Journal here... I don't know if it helps you.

Thanks Rafael. Do you have the English version of your scale? Can you show me? Since you are doing some research on this topic, do you know if there are any other relevant research?

It is very interesting and most importantly it is very hard to say who is not vulnerable.. it varies from time and space... and I do not know how one scale can be fit for all sorts of vulnerabilities>>>> But seems his idea innovative..

I agree with Mishra that vulnerability is very difficult to measure and generalise. One can, however, define it and develop specific indicators for application within a specific cultural/research context. Would be very interesting to see the English version of the scale

Yes, vulnerability could be very broad, and should be defined within specific contexts in order to be measurable and applicable. My question kind of focuses on its social side instead of something regarding health. For my purposes, I would like to define it like a state of exposure to risks of being blamed, discriminated, mocked, excluded or some other negative influences. It's similar to authenticity, but in a way that could be subject to negative reactions from others. For example, in conversions, people could put themselves in a state of vulnerability by sharing their life mistakes...

Yes,a lot of scientific work supports the usefulness of vulnerabilities in relationships-especially in marital relationships. Read up some studies on marital therapy and you will discover the power of vulnerability in our day-to-day marital involvements. If you can recall your elementary contact with 'import substitution' in economics,a spouse's vulnerability during conflict resolution can, in the same way, pave the way for the substitution of 'soft emotions' for 'hard emotions' and this serves as an efficacious inoculation against anger. It is not just restricted to marriage,it can also work in other spheres of interpersonal relations.

Vulnerability is of course a broad topic mostly it is used in the case of environmental problems. It can be comprehended and applied only in the framework of post-normal science that accepts that there are many uncertainties in normal science and normal view of science is based on reductionism. Therefore, analysis of risk vulnerability uses all possible indicators as a precautionary principle. Precautionary principle states that it cannot be predicted with certitude when and where a particular risk will occur. Naturally, a risk vulnerability analysis takes into account all possible and conceivable factors into account and places emphasis on adaptation, preparedness, and risk management planning of areas at expected different levels of vulnerability. Management involves local community, thei material as well as other help that bind the community together. A lot of work on vulnerability is already carried out in environmental science and environmental psychology.

Hi, I am currently working at LIVES, a research center based in Switzerland for the study of social vulnerability. You may find something of interets to you in the working paper section: http://www.lives-nccr.ch/en/page/lives-working-papers-list-papers-n78

Well, thank you Davide, I went through some of the papers, and find that it's an interesting research project. The "vulnerability" defined by it seems to have a lot of overlaps with my research interests. I'll continue to pay attention to this research stream. Good luck!

Jeff

The paper from LIVES ia very intersting one. Old people and vulnerability is a topic to explore and advance in research

Lennart Nordenfelt has published a number of journal articles on the topic of dignity and relates it to an intra-, inter-personal level as well as a social level/interaction. In some ways, dignity may very well be related to vulnerability on how people of different age groups and status are perceived by others (or even themselves).

Yes, much of the research on vulnerability relates to nursing and dignity. I am also interested in this construct and have appreciated learning from the above comments. I would recommend looking at stories, in the same way as Dr. Brown; particularly at Autoethnography, which is a vulnerable, self-reflective form of writing.

there are a few conceptuals frameworks around vulnerabiliy. I like most the one introduced to social science by Robert Chambers by the end of the 1980s and also the work by Michael Watts and Hand Geography Bohle of 1993. I am certain that google scholar helps to identify these concepts, if not just get in contact with me and I can help....

Watts, M. J., & Bohle, H. G. (1993). The space of vulnerability: the causal structure of hunger and famine. Progress in human geography, 17(1), 43-67.

Watts, M. J., & Bohle, H. G. (1993). Hunger, famine and the space of vulnerability. GeoJournal, 30(2), 117-125.

Chambers, R. (1989). Editorial introduction: vulnerability, coping and policy. IDS bulletin, 20(2), 1-7.

We have published a reflection "Vulnerability and ageing" (I don't know if you can read papers in spanish)

http://www.empleo.gob.es/es/publica/pub_electronicas/destacadas/revista/numeros/75/est04.pdf

I'm very interested in this topic social vulnerability and others related to: loneliness, social support, dignity,...