scholarly journals Social Representations of the Coronavirus at the Beginning of the Pandemic in Russia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 422-444
Author(s):  
Aleksandr I. Dontsov ◽  
Olga Yu. Zotova ◽  
Lyudmila V. Tarasova

The coronavirus outbreak is a global event that has bypassed national borders and affected the entire world. Therefore, examining social representations of can reveal the problems that structure peoples experiences in a particular social context. To identify social representations of the coronavirus, the authors conducted a survey within the territory of the Sverdlovsk region. The survey covered the period from March 11 to May 11, 2020. The data were collected in two stages: at the first stage, there were 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Russia, but no cases had yet been recorded in the Sverdlovsk region; at the second stage, the number of cases reached 1952 in the Sverdlovsk region and 221 344 throughout the country. The study used the word association tests, The Semantic Differential Scale (V.F. Petrenko), The Psychic Activation Assessment Methodology (L.A. Kurgan and T.A. Nemchin) and the questionnaire survey techniques. The findings showed that the significance of the coronavirus problem for the respondents varied in different periods of the pandemic. The core of the social representation is sustainable and coherent. It reflects the results of the media impact: death, panic. It also remains stable regardless of the time and involvement of the respondents in the pandemic. The potential alteration zone serves as a kind of taming of knowledge about the coronavirus, the operationalization of the coronavirus perception content into the language of changes in a persons everyday life - the coronavirus pandemic is understood as a flu epidemic and the need for self-isolation is a vacation, an opportunity to stay at home. Observation of the immediate affective reaction of the respondents to the trigger coronavirus uncovered the presence of emotional tension and the prevalence of negative experiences in them. The survey also showed that in the pandemic, being the main source of information and a means of communication, the media set trends for developing perceptions.

polemica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 063-076
Author(s):  
João Gilberto Silva Carvalho

Resumo: O texto tinha por objetivo uma pesquisa e se tornou um ensaio. De início, o objetivo era dar continuidade à perspectiva de aproximação da teoria das representações sociais aos fenômenos do cotidiano em estudos pontuais ou preliminares. E o fio condutor escolhido foi um crime bastante noticiado nos meios de comunicação, sendo o ponto de partida, portanto, de uma análise preliminar sobre a representação social do crime hediondo. Assim, a partir de dados veiculados pelos meios eletrônicos de comunicação, em prazo curto e delimitado, foram extraídos elementos que apontassem a possibilidade de uma pesquisa sobre a representação social do crime hediondo. Ainda que em caráter inicial, as análises respaldaram a perspectiva de uma abordagem recortada e bem próxima ao calor dos acontecimentos. Entretanto, de forma fulminante e paradoxal, a pandemia provocada pelo novo coronavírus confirmaria de forma radical a tal hipótese de trabalho, alterando completamente o escopo original do texto: escrever sobre o crime hediondo tornou-se secundário em relação ao caos provocado pelo vírus. O presente ensaio, escrito durante o período crítico da pandemia, expressa essa trajetória.Palavras-chave: Representações sociais. Crime hediondo. Cotidiano. Psicologia Social.Abstract: The text was intended for research and became an experience report. At first, the objective was to continue the perspective of bringing the theory of social representations closer to everyday phenomena in specific or preliminary studies. And the chosen guideline was a crime that was widely reported in the media, being the starting point, therefore, of a preliminary analysis on the social representation of heinous crime. Thus, from data transmitted by electronic means of communication, in a short and limited period, elements were extracted that point to the possibility of research on the social representation of heinous crime. Although in an initial character, the analyzes supported the perspective of a cut approach and very close to the heat of events. However, in a fulminating and paradoxical way, the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus would radically confirm this working hypothesis, completely changing the original scope of the text: writing about the heinous crime has become secondary to the chaos caused by the virus. The present essay, written during the critical period of the pandemic, expresses this trajectory.Keywords: Social representations. Heinous crime. Everyday life. Social psychology.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-93
Author(s):  
Zuzanna Zbróg

The article shows, on the example of discussion about the lowering of the school age, how it can be analysed by means of communication mechanisms distinctive of the social representation theory (anchoring, objectification) and the procedure of media discourse research in what way the media and citizens create social representations concerning socio-political problems, including educational problems. Social representations as a key tool describing the reality give meanings within the frame of the perceived world and join the private and the public reality. The knowledge encompassed in the representations clarifies the reality. The author’s own analysis included press materials published in the on-line versions of Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza and the web page Interia in years 2013–2014.


Author(s):  
Carlos Ventura Fonseca

Resumo: Este trabalho, identificado com o paradigma do professor-pesquisador, buscou investigar as representações sociais de estudantes de um curso Técnico em Eletrônica integrado ao ensino médio sobre o tema “combustível”. Além disso, procurou identificar como essas informações podem qualificar o trabalho de professores-pesquisadores de Química e Ciências no contexto da sala de aula, especificamente pensando-se em uma abordagem CTS. As opções metodológicas envolveram a aplicação de um questionário contendo três questões interconectadas, que exploraram: respostas descritivas, associação livre de palavras e expressão através de desenho. A análise de conteúdo dos dados obtidos evidenciou que os alunos entendem os combustíveis como materiais relacionados à Química, sendo uma necessidade social para a produção de energia, em que pesem os problemas ambientais decorrentes de seu uso. Os extratos analíticos também revelaram que o estudo das representações sociais, no âmbito das pesquisas educacionais, viabiliza a explicitação das teorias de senso comum dos estudantes e colabora para o planejamento e a efetivação de uma abordagem pedagógica com viés crítico sobre a sociedade, a tecnologia e a ciência. Palavras-chave: Representações sociais. Combustíveis. Ensino de Química. CTS. SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS ON FUEL: REFLECTIONS FOR THE CHEMISTRY AND SCIENCE EDUCATION IN STS APPROACH Abstract: This work, identified with the paradigm of teacher-researcher, sought to investigate the social representations on "fuel" of students belonging to an electronic technical course in integrated high school. Moreover, sought to identify how this information may qualify the work of Chemical and Science teachers-researchers in the context of the classroom, specifically thinking into a STS approach. The methodological choices involved the application of a questionnaire containing three interconnected questions that explored: descriptive answers, free word association and expression through drawing. The content analysis of the data obtained showed that students understand the fuel as related to chemical materials, being a social need for energy production, in spite of the environmental problems arising from its use. Analytical extracts also revealed that the study of social representations in the context of educational research enables the explanation of common sense theories of students and collaborate to the planning and execution of an educational approach with critical bias on society, technology and science. Keywords: Social representation. Fuel. Chemistry teaching. STS.


Author(s):  
Antônia Maíra Emelly Cabral da Silva Vieira ◽  
Elda Silva Do Nascimento Melo

<p><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 858.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.688059);">This study is part of the master’s dissertation entitled “The social representation of interns of the Education course </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 880.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.728278);">about teaching” presented to the postgraduate program in Education of the Federal University of Rio Grande </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 902.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.719619);">do Norte (UFRN). The research seeks to identify the social representation of interns of the Education course at </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 924.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.720607);">UERN about teaching. We present the results of the evaluation of the TALP (Free Word Association Technique), </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 946.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.690841);">analyzed in the light of the Theory of Social Representations (MOSCOVICI, 1978) and the Central Nucleus </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 968.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.735912);">Theory (ABRIC, 1998) with the help of EVOC software and the technique of content analysis (BARDIN, 2011) </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 990.995px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.704911);">that allowed us to visualize the central nucleus of the social representation of teaching. The results contemplate </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 1013px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.673126);">regularities that helped us to perceive that the subjects of the research construct a social representation of </span><span style="left: 118.11px; top: 1035px; font-size: 18.6162px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.710956);">teaching, rooted in the central elements as: love, dedication, teaching and learning</span>.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Quan ◽  
Lindsay A. Wilson ◽  
Kumanan Wilson

Abstract Objectives: We aim to describe the general characteristics of how Canada’s newspaper of record – The Globe and Mail, reports on opioid-related news, the opioid crisis and its victims,and explore how Canadians’ perceptions of the opioid crisis could have developed over time.Methods: We searched The Globe and Mailbetween 2000 and 2018. We identified all articles related to the keyword “opioids”. Independently and in duplicate, reviewers extracted qualitative data from articles. The Social Representation Theory was used as a framework for understanding the how the opioid crisis is portrayed in Canada. Results:Our search yielded 554 relevant opioid articles.The number of articles peaked in 2009, 2012, and in 2016, coinciding with major developments in the epidemic. The language used in this discourse has evolved over the years and has slowly shifted towards less stigmatizing language. Content analysis of the articles revealed common social representations attributing blame to pharmaceutical companies, physicians, and foreign countries.It is easy to blame these collectives as this contributes to social representations thatare anchored in thepublic’s predisposed notions.Conclusions:Canadian coverage of the opioid crisis is focused on basic social representations and blame patterns towards a few collectives, a shift towards root causes of the opioid epidemic could positively influence the general public’s perception of the opioid crisis and help reap deeper understanding of the issue. Journalists face several obstacles to achieve greater focus and framing of the opioid crisis, a closer working relationshipbetween the media and the research community is needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 197-204
Author(s):  
Marina Maria Austregésilo Saraiva da Silva ◽  
Cybelle Cavalcanti Accioly ◽  
Ana Paula Amaral Pedrosa ◽  
Stéphanie Maximiano de Azevedo ◽  
Eliane Nóbrega Albuquerque ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: to understand indicators of the social representation of the coronavirus in adolescents undergoing cancer treatment during the COVID -19pandemic. Methods: the theory of social representations was used as theoretical and methodological support in its procedural approach in an exploratory study of a qualitative nature. The free word association technique was used in the application of virtual forms using guidelines of the snowball method. The terms ‘Coronavirus’, ‘Going to the hospital’ and ‘Cancer treatment’ were applied. After that moment, the participants were asked for a hierarchy and justification of the evoked words. Data analysis was based on content analysis and frequency distribution of the content produced. Results: articulations were made on the impacts that the pandemic situation had on the treatment experience of that population. It was identified a character endowed with fear and tension about the elaboration of the reality of these subjects in the current period in face of the inevitability of a hospital scenario that facilitates contamination and facing the immunological vulnerability characteristic of their treatments. Conclusions: the participants constructed different contents of psychological suffering aimed at expressions of fear and insecurity experienced during the pandemic period in the face of assistance in the hospital setting. This study is understood as a contribution to more effective actions in order to adapt the care plan of this population, aiming at future professional interventions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carine Pachoud

The study is aimed at linking social representations of identity and feeling of belonging to territory of farmers, to their degree of involvement in collective action within localized agrifood systems (LAS). The study was conducted with producers’ families producing Serrano cheese, in the mountains of the Campos de Cima da Serra, in southern Brazil. Collective action for the valorization of the Serrano cheese relied on the producers’ associations, which are the only form of collective organization. Fifty-four families were selected according to their level of involvement in collective action. First, we used a quantitative approach called the free word association, analyzed by Factorial Correspondence Analysis. Second, we asked closed questions to the producers to assess their feeling of belonging. We showed that the content of the social representation reflected the participation of producers in collective action. Producers who put forward the typicality of the cheese, the territory and their identity, were the most engaged in the associations. On the other hand, producers not involved in associations put forward the difficulties of their activity. In this sense, it appears valuable to encourage discussion between the different producers according to their level of involvement to build common representations that favor collective action for the defense and valorization of the Serrano cheese. Nonetheless, most producers tended to show a high feeling of belonging which could form the basis for discussion. However, collective action in the LAS follows a top-down model led by extension services, in which the producers need to be integrated in a more participatory governance to lead more efficient projects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-328
Author(s):  
Alessia Rochira ◽  
Evelyn De Simone ◽  
Terri Mannarini ◽  
Sergio Salvatore

The relationship between sense of community (SOC) and citizen participation has been extensively studied in community psychology. Connecting Social Representations and SOC theory, this study explored the lay meanings of citizen participation and its association with SOC. A word association task and a measure of territorial SOC were administered to 390 participants, and data analyzed to explore the contents of the social representations of citizen participation conveyed by the interviewees and their salience. Results revealed that different levels of SOC were associated with variations in the social representation of citizen participation. Specifically, among high-SOC participants the notion of formal political participation prevailed, while among low-SOC participants a more articulated vision emerged, encompassing social and community participation, and also conventional and non conventional types of participatory behaviors.


2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ligia Fahl Kemmer ◽  
Maria Júlia Paes da Silva

This study aimed to further our understanding of the social representations of nurses and the nursing profession by communication professionals, since they are intermediates in the decoding of imaging and written representations about society. Method: this is a qualitative study, based on the social representation theory of Moscovici. Five communication professionals working on radio, television, written press, advertising and events were interviewed. Results suggest 1) ignorance about the nurse's field of work, job market and nursing profession categorization. 2) nurses' invisibility before the media and society and 3) nurse's own responsibility to obtain professional recognition and visibility. Participants in this study pointed two essential processes for building a more coherent image of nursing and nurses: 1) exposing the profession primarily before the media, which ignores its potentialities, and 2) through the media in order to reach the population in general.


1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Farr

The theory of social representations is perfectly suited to the empirical investigation of the public's understanding of science. A sharp distinction is drawn between a scientific theory and its social representation corresponding, respectively, to the contrasting worlds of science and of common sense. Representations of science are to be found in the media as well as in people's minds and need to be sampled and studied in both locations. Moscovici initiated this French tradition of research with his study, in the late 1950s, of psychoanalysis. It is a sociological form of social psychology with close affinities to the sociology of knowledge. The applicability to the natural sciences of a theory developed in relation to the social and human sciences is discussed. The views of Moscovici and of Wolpert are compared and contrasted, especially in regard to the relations between science and common sense. It is argued that the study of social representations is a form of social science that natural scientists need to take seriously if their advice to governments is to become more effective. This is discussed in relation to such health issues as the purity of water and the conduct of government-sponsored campaigns to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as in regard to the wider issues of threats to the ecosystem.


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