Three questions to start the sociological study of heroism

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-180
Author(s):  
I. V. Trotsuk ◽  
M. V. Subbotina
Keyword(s):  
Social Representations ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Sociological Studies ◽  
Public Opinion Polls

Despite the understandable and predictable lack of sociological interest in the issues related to heroism, the search for clear and unambiguous conceptual and empirical definitions of the hero in the contemporary society seems to be a relevant sociological task, especially under the current pandemic which made the criteria of heroism interesting for the wider public. The authors briefly outline the main aspects of the traditional scientific interpretations of heroism as presented in the social-cultural narratives worldwide, and proceed to the issues that constitute the field of the sociological studies on heroism. The first research question is not so much a single definition of the hero as types of heroes based on social representations of when and how heroes reveal themselves in decisions and actions. The authors rely on the traditional typologies of heroes usually based on the psychological aspects of heroic thinking and behavior to suggest a sociologically relevant typology based on both literature and the Russian public opinion polls. This typology implies answers to the questions of why the society needs heroes and what makes someone a hero in the eyes of the society, and allows to better understand and to more precisely define the false/pseudo/antiheroism. The second research question is about the sources of images and understanding of heroism, which focuses on the mass media and especially cinemas potential to represent certain social practices as heroic and to construct heroic images. The third research question is about the possibilities of the empirical sociological study of the types of heroes and their representation in the media (cinema). The authors argue that sociology should use its own methods (in a combination with techniques for studying the audiences perception of movies) - content analysis and surveys, especially the unfinished sentences technique, and provide some examples of how this can be done, for instance, to compare the social representations of a real hero and a movie hero among different age groups and generations. The authors conclude with mentioning a new issue associated with heroism, which became evident under the pandemic - changes in the social representations of heroism determined by heroization of healthcare workers due to their selfless fight against the coronavirus epidemic.

When Worlds Collide: Scientists Doing Science in the Social World

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth Davey ◽  
Chan Kwok-bun
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Social World ◽  
Cultural Activity ◽  
Science And Society ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
Growth Of Science ◽  
Sociological Studies ◽  
New Item

AbstractDespite the traditional independence in academia between the science and social science traditions, science is, essentially, a social pursuit, intertwined with social conditions, structures, and processes. If science can be pictured as a form of human cultural activity, practiced by people called ‘scientists,’ then it should be regarded in sociological terms. Given the rapid growth of science in Asia, more sociological studies are thus needed there to unravel the interplay between science and society, and how scientists do science. The present study reports the findings of in-depth open-ended interviews with scientists in various universities and research institutes in Singapore. The overall research question was: How do scientists in Singapore do their work in a social world? The underlying questions were designed to explore the social complexity of scientists’ work. The findings showed that the workings of science were drawn together, and directed by, non-science elements. They included the market, which controls research agendas and fashions; economics, which determines the availability of funding and encourages collaboration; bureaucratic administration, which provides the resources available to do science; and fashions, which persuade researchers to pursue topics considered acceptable by their peers. The associations between science and non-science are also not harmonious. Various tensions were reported in the interviews. What can be done to remedy the colliding worlds of science and non-science? The answer lies in more sociological studies. The sociological study of science is a relatively new item on the academic agenda, and there is a paucity of research in the Asian context. This study identifies several avenues for further enquiry, and serves as a primer for further research.

scholarly journals Has the Credibility of the Social Sciences Been Credibly Destroyed? Reanalyzing the “Many Analysts, One Data Set” Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110244
Author(s):  
Katrin Auspurg ◽  
Josef Brüderl
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Causal Reasoning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Skin Tone ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of

In 2018, Silberzahn, Uhlmann, Nosek, and colleagues published an article in which 29 teams analyzed the same research question with the same data: Are soccer referees more likely to give red cards to players with dark skin tone than light skin tone? The results obtained by the teams differed extensively. Many concluded from this widely noted exercise that the social sciences are not rigorous enough to provide definitive answers. In this article, we investigate why results diverged so much. We argue that the main reason was an unclear research question: Teams differed in their interpretation of the research question and therefore used diverse research designs and model specifications. We show by reanalyzing the data that with a clear research question, a precise definition of the parameter of interest, and theory-guided causal reasoning, results vary only within a narrow range. The broad conclusion of our reanalysis is that social science research needs to be more precise in its “estimands” to become credible.

Being Autistic in Turkey and the Representation of Autism in Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 522-538
Author(s):  
Tuğba Demir
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Developmental Difference ◽  
The World ◽  
The Media ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Day By Day

Autism is an innate or developmental difference that occurs in the first years of life. While the number of individuals with autism in the world is increasing day by day, the importance of what should be known about autism also increases. However, it is still not possible to say that this information is sufficient. The definition of individuals with autism and their health problems, what autistic individuals do to express themselves, and who the individuals with autism are and their representatives are important. Some basic points such as how to raise awareness about the lives of individuals with autism have still not been overcome. The main theme of this study is how the media addresses the issue of individuals with autism, their problems, and needs. The research question of the study is how to read the reflections on autism through the media.

The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tourism

2021 ◽  
pp. 416-436
Author(s):  
Gülden Güvenç ◽  
Damla Til Öğüt
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
The Social ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Global Tourism ◽  
Psychology Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an extensive deterioration of many industries including the global tourism industry. There has been a strong need for psychology-informed research on tourism that investigates the impact and implications of the pandemic. This chapter is based on a qualitative study that included 60 individuals, recruited through snowball sampling method, 10 females and 10 males from three age groups. Participants were sent an online survey, querying their feelings and thoughts regarding tourism during and after the pandemic, to investigate the psychosocial impact of the pandemic on the population's tourism-related representations, decisions, and emotions. The data was subjected to thematic analysis that would reflect the social representations of the participants and the effects of the pandemic on these representations. Findings were discussed from social and clinical psychology perspectives, particularly via Maslow's and Fiske's theories and the discursive psychology perspective that aim to unfold decision-making processes and motivation underlying human actions.

scholarly journals A Survey of Women's Social Representations of Aging and Rejuvenation

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Triguero Veloz Teixeira ◽  
Flávio Maciel Settembre ◽  
Solange Bezerra Leal
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Lexical Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Ages ◽  
Group Technique

The goal of this work was to analyze the social representations that women of three different age groups had about aging, rejuvenating, and methods of rejuvenation. The research was performed in São Paulo between 2004 and 2005. The participants of this research were three groups of women of different ages: 19 to 24 years, 25 to 35 years, and over 60 years. The data were collected by the focus group technique. Data was analyzed using the lexical analysis software ALCESTE 4.5. The main results show a social representation of aging centered on losses and gains. The subjects appraised the possibility of using rejuvenating methods only when it was extremely necessary, because of the health risks that most of them involve. The three groups agreed about natural methods of rejuvenating instead of resorting to invasive methods.

scholarly journals The Limits of Hegemony?

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-30
Author(s):  
Ľuboš Blaha
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Patterns ◽  
Public Official ◽  
Business World ◽  
The Public ◽  
Official Discourse ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
The Social ◽  
Regulative Principle ◽  
The Media ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract In this study I will try to put forward the views of the social theorists and critics who consider “postmodern culture” (Jameson) as deeply manipulative. The fundamental patterns of the system of the ideology preach to the spread of the values of consumerism, individualism and hedonism (Fromm). As the study shows, the media play a key role in spreading these values (Chomsky). The media became the main “ideological apparatus” (Althusser) and the business world, the world of culture and politics is controlled by these media. Economic system thus gains support of the population and can reproduce itself. According to some interpretations there is no escape from the environment of the systemic manipulation (Jameson, Foucault, Marcuse), but there are also opinions according to which systemic indoctrination can intervene only in the public - official discourse, but not culture and behavior patterns of marginalized groups (Scott, Bloch, Williams). I will try to interpret and analyze systematically these two intuitive views. In this context, I will develop the thesis that the value of truth, not as an epistemologically or metaphysically regulative principle, but as a socio-emancipating force which can have in the environment of the absolute manipulation a decisive impact in the formulation of alternative to the current (post)modern global-capitalist society. The study is based on the author's book Matrix of Capitalism: Is the Revolution Coming? (Veda, Bratislava 2011).

scholarly journals The short life of a concept: tourismphobia in the Spanish media. Narratives, actors and agendas

2021 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
María Velasco González ◽  
Ernesto Carrillo Barroso
Keyword(s):  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Narratives ◽  
Policy Narratives ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Media Narratives ◽  
Dominant Narratives

This article forms part of a classic social science debate on the role of the media in the construction of social and political narratives. The object of the paper is to study the rise and fall of the concept of tourismphobia in the Spanish media. The case is analyzed in the light of public policies studies, especially those analyzing agenda-setting, the social construction of the definition of public problems and the struggles of coalitions seeking to impose their public policy narratives in the policy-making process. With this purpose, a database was used that collected more than 11,000 news items over a substantial period of time. Its analysis reveals that media attention rises sharply after active protest actions against tourist saturation and that the term is mostly linked to specific territories and cities and to certain political figures. It also allows us to observe how some political responses to the problem appear more in the media, while others are minimized. The conclusions indicate that the “tourismphobia” neologism was capitalized on – which is often the case with terms that circulate in the public sphere – by various groups attempting to highlight some of its semantic dimensions over others. The study also reveals that the media assume an active position in the construction of discourses in relation to tourism also as a political and not just an economic issue. Furthermore, it shows that the use of the term has greatly declined, either because the problem has become dormant or because it has been reformulated into other terms that are more in line with dominant narratives.

scholarly journals Imagens e autorrepresentações dos procuradores da república sobre a persecução penal da corrupção (Images and self-representations of the federal prosecutors concerning the criminal prosecution of corruption)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Machado
Keyword(s):  
Justice System ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Criminal Investigation ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Criminal Prosecution ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Economic Crimes

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar as representações sociais dos procuradores da República sobre a persecução penal em casos de corrupção e delitos econômicos no sistema de justiça federal no Brasil. O texto orienta-se pelos seguintes questionamentos: como os procuradores avaliam a investigação criminal dos crimes econômicos e corrupção? Como representam o inquérito policial como procedimento investigatório? No relatório de pesquisa foi possível compreender distintas visões dos atores envolvidos e as práticas da persecução penal da corrupção dos delitos econômicos. Questões organizacionais relacionadas à gestão de recursos escassos, tanto humanos quanto materiais, a definição de prioridades internas, as interações entre as unidades e a definição da unidade de atuação mediante critérios construídos pelas câmaras de coordenação e revisão. Ao final, o percurso exterioriza imagens e autorrepresentações dos sujeitos da pesquisa sobre a persecução penal. This article intends to analyze the social representations of the federal prosecutors concerning the investigation of corruption and economic crimes in the Brazilian federal justice system. The text is guided by the following questions: how do federal prosecutors assess the criminal investigation of corruption and economic crimes? How do they represent the inquérito policial as an investigative procedure? In the research report we described many applicable interrogations concerning the visions of the actors involved and the practices of the penal prosecution, such as organizational topics and the managing of the resources, both human and material, and the definition of priorities and the interactions between different units. Finally, the itinerary evidences images and self-representations of prosecutors concerning the criminal prosecution.

scholarly journals Interpretation of M. Weber’s theory of ideal types in application to empirical sociological research

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-253
Author(s):  
Aminet M. Siiukhova ◽  
◽  
Ella M. Kueva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Model ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sociological Studies ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
The Ideal

The article analyzes the problems of interpretation of Max Weber’s theory of «ideal types» in empirical sociological studies. The theory of «ideal types» is effective for studying the systemic qualities of universal socio-cultural institutions, local social groups and individuals. The concept of «ideal» is differentiated in everyday consciousness and in scientific and sociological discourses. In sociology, the «ideal» is understood as referring to the sphere of consciousness, regardless of the positive or negative assessment of a social phenomenon. The examples of possible applications of Weber’s theory for the analysis of modern social spheres of health care and education are shown. In the conditions of industrial and post-industrial society, one of the important statuses in the social structure is the profession, and the typifying factor of the professional community is the professional culture. The scientific operation of the ideal type category within the framework of an empirical sociological study of the professional community/personal cultural level of an individual will be most effectively implemented by means the modeling method, when the essential qualities of the object under study are structured in a graphical model.

scholarly journals ENTRE O CRIME E A PANDEMIA: REFLEXÕES EM REPRESENTAÇÕES SOCIAIS

polemica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 063-076
Author(s):  
João Gilberto Silva Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Limited Period

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.

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