scholarly journals Representations in Intergroup Relations: Reflexivity, Meta-Representations, and Interobjectivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-345
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Wagner ◽  
Maaris Raudsepp
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Interpersonal Interactions ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Objective Reality ◽  
Mutual Knowledge ◽  
Social Representation Theory

Social and cultural groups are characterised by shared systems of social objects and issues that constitute their objective reality and their members' identity. It is argued that interpersonal interactions within such groups require a system of comprehensive representations to enable concerted interaction between individuals. Comprehensive representations include bits and pieces of the interactant's representational constitution and potential values and behaviours to reduce possible friction in interactions. On a larger scale, the same is true in encounters, communication, and interaction between members of different cultural groups where interactants need to dispose of a rough knowledge of the other culture's relevant characteristics. This mutual knowledge is called meta-representations that complement the actors' own values and ways of thinking. This concept complements Social Representation Theory when applied to cross-cultural and inter-ethnic interactions.

scholarly journals “We were at this crossroads”

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Clifford Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Alternative Representation ◽  
Social Representation Theory

People and societies are guided by what they imagine to lie beyond the present, by what can and should be the case in the future. Yet people do not always agree about the form, content or path to realisation of a given imagined future. As a result, conflicts can arise over something that does not exist yet. In this paper, I propose to integrate theories of social and alternative representations with a sociocultural psychological interpretation of imagination, in order to explore the addressivity of futures and to call for more studies that explicitly take into account the future’s role in the present. I draw on a dialogical case study that was carried out on the Faroe Islands, more precisely on the island of Suðuroy. Whereas the Faroe Islands are experiencing a rapid acceleration in growth, Suðuroy has failed to keep pace and has witnessed decades of emigration and a worsening of its population’s relative socio-economic situation. Islanders liken the current situation to standing at a crossroads, while being unable to agree on which path must be taken in order to reinvigorate a shrinking future. By analysing how one of the two major social representations constructs the other – its alternative representation – I suggest that the absence of transformative dialogue results from incompatible futures. Furthermore, in line with a sociocultural psychological perspective, I also attempt to move beyond the homogenising force inherent in social representation theory by introducing Ingolf and Karin, whose stories illustrate how social and alternative representations are not uniformly shared and enacted, but take different forms in light of unique life experiences.

scholarly journals Knowledge About Family and School Contribution in Academic Achievement: The Context of Schooling and Social Representations in India

2021 ◽  
pp. 002205742110259
Author(s):  
Chetan Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Social Representation Theory

The present paper critically examined the available research on role of family and school contribution in academic achievement and explored their social representations. People adaptation with the prevalent notions and thinking beyond the boundary of common sense is required to explain multidimensional picture of any attribute. Previous research applied social representation theory to understand educability, intelligence, academic achievement and failure, and teachership. This article showed a polysemic understanding of family and school contribution where roles and identity matters.

scholarly journals O significado dos olhos nas representações sociais de clientes transplantados de córnea e suas implicações para o cuidado de si

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-205
Author(s):  
Ralrizônia Fernandes Sousa ◽  
Sílvio Éder Dias Da Silva ◽  
Esleane Vilela Vasconcelos ◽  
Lucialba Maria Silva Dos Santos ◽  
Vander Monteiro Da Conceição ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Corneal Transplantation ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Corneal Transplant ◽  
The Social ◽  
De Se ◽  
Social Representation Theory

Objetivou-se identificar o significado dos olhos nas representações sociais de clientes transplantados de córnea e suas implicações para o cuidado de si. Tratase de uma pesquisa descritiva qualitativa, adotando a Teoria das Representações Sociais na perspectiva de Moscovici. Fizeram parte deste estudo, 15 clientes submetidos a transplantes de córnea e que se encontravam em acompanhamento no Consultório de Oftalmologia do Ambulatório do Hospital Ophir Loyola, em Belém, PA. Os depoentes atribuíram significados diversos aos seus olhos, substanciados por sentimentos de tristeza e insatisfação, que contribuíram para mudanças significativas no cuidado de si. Há necessidade de se cogitar sobre o compromisso do enfermeiro com o cliente transplantado de córnea que, muitas vezes, encontra-se fragilizado, necessitando de um olhar mais atento.Descritores: Enfermagem, Transplante de Córnea, Cuidado de Si.Eye on the meaning of social representations corneal transplantation customers and it’s implications for the care of youThe aim of this study was to identify the meaning of the eyes of customers in the social representations of corneal transplant and its implications for self-care. It is a descriptive and qualitative study, adopting the Social Representation Theory in the context of Moscovici. The sample comprised 15 clients who underwent corneal transplantation and were followed up in the office of the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Ophir Loyola Hospital, in Belem, Pará. The respondents attributed different meanings to their eyes; substantiated by feelings of sadness and dissatisfaction, that contributed to significant changes in self-care. There is need to think about the commitment of the nurse with the client cornea transplant, which often is fragile, requiring a closer look.Descriptors: Nursing, Corneal Transplantation, Self-care.Los ojos sobre el significado de los clientes representataciones sociales transplante de córnea y sus conscuencias para el cuidad de ustedEl objetivo fue identificar el significado de los ojos de los clientes en las representaciones sociales de trasplante de córnea y sus implicaciones para el autocuidado. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo cualitativo, adoptando laTeoría de las Representaciones Sociales en el contexto de Moscovici. La muestra es compuesta por 15 clientes que se sometieron a trasplante de córnea que se siguió en la oficina de la Clínica de Oftalmología del Hospital Ophir Loyola, en Belem, Pará. Los encuestados atribuyen diferentes significados a sus ojos, motivada por sentimientos de tristeza e insatisfacción, que han contribuido a cambios significativos en el auto-cuidado. Hay que pensar en el compromiso de la enfermera con el trasplante de cornea del cliente, que a menudo es frágil, lo que requiere una mirada más cercana.Descriptores: Enfermería, Trasplante de Córnea, Cuidar de si.

scholarly journals Meat as a matter of fact(s): the role of science in everyday representations of livestock production on social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (06) ◽  
pp. A01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Olausson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
Strong Position

In recent times we have allegedly witnessed a “post-truth” turn in society. Nonetheless, surveys show that science holds a relatively strong position among lay publics, and case studies suggest that science is part of their online discussions about environmental issues on social media — an important, yet strikingly under-researched, debate forum. Guided by social representation theory, this study aims to contribute knowledge about the role of science in everyday representations of livestock production on social media. The analysis identifies two central themata, namely lay publics' contestations of (1) facts and non-facts, and (2) factual and non-factual sources.

scholarly journals Universalists or Utilitarianists? The Social Representation of COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10434
Author(s):  
Luiz Antonio Joia ◽  
Flavia Michelotto
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Representation Theory

A fierce debate arose in Brazil on how to manage and mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—a debate derived from a dissonant perception by society about the actual significance of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brazilian population has divided into two contrasting philosophical approaches: the universalism—understanding life as an asset of infinite value and, therefore, more important than the country’s economic preservation—and the utilitarianism—where the focus is on the mitigation of the COVID 19 pandemic-enabled economic crisis, due to its potential devastating effect on people’s lives, thereby leaving health issues in the background. The main cause for these different sensemakings is associated with the lack of a monosemic definition for the “COVID-19 pandemic” construct. Thus, the objective of this article is to investigate the social representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil through the Social Representation Theory operationalized by the word’s evocation technique. The results show that Brazilian society privileged prophylaxis and health, via social isolation, to the detriment of the country’s economic preservation. In addition, trends emphasized by experts, such as a post-pandemic “new-normal” and the digital transformation of society, played a peripheral role in the social representation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

scholarly journals Social representations of marketing work: advertising workers and social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 830-847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Cluley ◽  
William Green
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Social Representation Theory

Purpose Informed by social representation theory, the study aims to explore how marketing workers represent their activities on social media. Design/methodology/approach A naturalistic data set of 17,553 messages posted on Twitter by advertising workers was collected. A sample of over 1,000 unique messages from this data set, incorporating all external links and images, was analysed inductively using structured thematic analysis. Findings Advertising workers represent marketing work as a series of fun yet constrained activities involving relationships with clients and colleagues. They engage in cognitive polyphasia by evaluating these productive differences in both a positive and negative light. Research limitations/implications The study marks a novel use of social representation theory and innovative social media analysis. Further research should explore these relations in greater depth by considering the networks that marketing workers create on social media and establish how, when and why marketing workers turn to social media in their everyday activities. Practical implications Marketing workers choose to represent aspects of their work to one another, using social media. Marketing managers should support such activities and consider social media as a way to understand the lives and experiences of marketing workers. Originality/value Marketing researchers have embraced digital media as a route to understanding consumers. This study demonstrates the value of analysing digital media to develop an understanding of marketing work. It sheds new light on the ways marketing workers create social relationships and enables marketing managers to understand and observe the social aspects of effective marketing.

scholarly journals Development of a Theoretical Framework to Investigate Alignment of Big Data in Healthcare through a Social Representation Lens

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasuni Weerasinghe ◽  
David Pauleen ◽  
Shane Scahill ◽  
Nazim Taskin
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Complex Data ◽  
It Alignment ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
Business It Alignment

The aim of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework grounded in the literature, which can be used to explore the influence of big data on business-IT alignment in the healthcare context. Increasingly the availability of information systems in healthcare delivery and service management results in massive amounts of complex data that have the 3V characteristics of big data (i.e. volume, variety, velocity). Use of big-healthcare-data has been identified as bringing significant benefits to the healthcare sector from improved decision making through to population health analysis. Although the technical dynamics around big data such as analytics and infrastructure requirements are extensively researched, less attention has been given to social dynamics such as peoples’ experience, understanding and perceived usefulness of this data. To address this gap, the paper uses social representation theory as a methodological lens to develop a theoretical framework to study the social dynamics around big data and its use in the healthcare context. The selected case for this development is the New Zealand healthcare sector and an approach using multi-level macro, meso, and micro analysis is taken. Use of social representation theory as a methodological lens to develop a theoretical framework is a novel approach. Such a theoretical framework will be useful as a foundation for carrying out on-going empirical research on big data to understand its influence on business-IT alignment in the healthcare context.

Social Representation Theory: An Historical Outline

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
International Visibility ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Cognitive Polyphasia

The concept of social representation (SR) was developed by Serge Moscovici in 1961 as a social psychological approach articulating individual thinking and feeling with collective interaction and communication. SRs are conceived as symbolic forms that come about through interpersonal and media communication. They are the ways individuals think, interact with others, and shape social objects in their interaction with the local world. This text presents an outline of the history of social representation theory (SRT), using a four-period model: first, creation and incubation in France starting with Moscovici’s first book; second, the opening to the English-speaking academe around 1980; third, institutionalization and proliferation with the start of the journal papers on SRs and regular conferences in 1992; and, fourth, normalization, approximately from 2000 onwards. The first period (1961–1984) started with Serge Moscovici’s first presentation of his ideas in a French-language volume on “La psychanalyse son image et son public.” This was republished in an updated version in 1976 and translated into English in 2008. The theory postulates cognitive and social factors in the genesis and structure of SRs. These are accompanied by specific styles of communication that reflect the communicators’ identity and ideology. Together these aspects constitute common sense. The first period was a time of incubation because Moscovici and his first PhD students, Claudine Herzlich, Denise Jodelet, and Jean-Claude Abric, tried the concept in different domains. The second half of this period saw Moscovici and collaborators extend SRT’s theoretical frame to include the idea of consensual vs. reified domains. A consensual domain of communication is characterized by the free interchange of attitudes and opinions, while a reified domain is determined by institutionalized rules. Moscovici also postulated a process of cognitive polyphasia. By cognitive polyphasia he described a phenomenon where individuals use different and even contradictory thoughts about the same issue depending on the social setting they are in. The year 1984 marked the publication of a book for English-speaking scholars edited by Robert Farr and Moscovici that collected papers from an international conference in 1979. It was the first book-length collection of works on SRT and highlighted empirical research by a variety of international scholars. The period following 1979 through to 1992 saw a broadening of the base of scholars becoming interested in SRT. The 1980s brought Willem Doise’s conceptualizing of anchoring as a process of social marking, Abric’s theory of core and peripheral elements of a representation, and Hilde Himmelweit’s founding of a societal psychology. Proliferation was boosted 1992 by the founding of the journal Papers on Social Representations and the beginning of a biannual series of International Conferences on Social Representations, starting in 1992. This increased the international visibility of SRT and helped scholars to organize themselves around topics and form cross-national research groups. The period from 1992 to the first decade of the new century was characterized by an increasing number of empirical and theoretical studies. A series of theoretical branches emerged: there was research on the micro-genesis of SRs on the individual level, an extension of the structural theory of SRs, the discussion of the socially constructive aspects and sociopolitical uses of SRT, the design of a dialogical approach to the mind and social life, and Moscovici’s suggestion to consider large-scale themata as a factor in social thinking. If the period after 1992 was a time of institutionalization, the time after the turn of the century can be called a period of normalization. That is, a period when SRT was presented in chapters for handbooks of social psychology and when dedicated handbooks and monographs were published. From this period onward it becomes virtually impossible to give even a superficial account of the most important contributions to SRT’s burgeoning field of research and theory development.

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