Genetically Modified Organisms in the Portuguese Press: thematization and anchoring

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.

Introduction: Why We Are Often Blinded to "Obvious" Facts

While acknowledging that Serge Moscovici's theory of social representations has impinged positively upon contemporary social psychology, a critical analysis is developed using the basic assumptions of this theory to make salient its shortcomings. The ontological status of `social representations' is discussed and the conclusion is that there is nothing in our societies which can be described as being a social representation. From a social constructionist viewpoint, inspired by Kenneth Gergen, it is argued that we neither construct representations nor do we represent constructions. People do not live in a world of representations but in a world of discursive productions. After examining the implications of the `constructive loop' conveyed by the theory of social representations, a critical look is directed towards the `ideology of representation' as one of the most pervading ideologies of our time. Finally, it is alleged that the split between `person as a thinker' and `person as a doer' is deeply embedded in contemporary social psychology.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how social representation theory (SRT) can be used to understand the concept of resistance to change. SRT is a growing theory in social psychology research. SRT is about how individuals co-construct representations of various objects in different social settings. These social representations govern the attitudes and actions of individuals and groups. In spite of the growing interest in SRT in various fields, no studies have used SRT to understand resistance to organizational change.Design/methodology/approach– This study reviews the relevant literature on resistance to change and SRT to develop a conceptual framework for understanding resistance from the standpoint of SRT.Findings– The authors develop a model that illustrates how three interrelated objects, i.e. the organizational process and the pre-and post-change situation, are co-constructed in social contexts. Also, the authors discuss how representations of these objects can co-exist (cognitive polyphasia). Our study illustrates the complexity of resistance to change by deconstructing the concept.Originality/value– Application of SRT to analyze resistance to organizational change is a novel approach that provides several new insights. For example, where most publications regard advocates of change as sense-givers in the change recipient’s sense-making process, the authors argue for a more constructionist approach. Thus, all actors involved in the change process will affect each other and together co-construct the social representations. These social representations govern attitudes to change.

Recent developments in the psychological and social sciences have seen a surge of attention to concepts of embodiment. The burgeoning field of embodied cognition, as well as the long‐standing tradition of phenomenological philosophy, offer valuable insights for theorising how people come to understand the world around them. However, the implications of human embodiment have been largely neglected by one of the key frameworks for conceptualising the development of social knowledge: Social Representations Theory. This article seeks to spark a dialogue between Social Representations Theory and embodiment research. It outlines the position the body occupies in the existing theoretical and empirical social representations literature, and argues that incorporating concepts gleaned from embodiment research may facilitate a more comprehensive account of the aetiology of social representations. The value of analytic attention to embodiment is illustrated with reference to a recent study of social representations of neuroscience, which suggested that embodied experience can shape the extent to which people engage with certain topics, the conditions under which they do so, and the conceptual and affective content of the ensuing representations. The article argues that expanding Social Representations Theory's methodological and conceptual toolkit, in order to illuminate the interplay between embodied experience and social communication in the development of common‐sense knowledge, promises productive directions for empirical and theoretical advancement.

The ever-changing nature of consumers' understanding of local food highlights the need for in-depth research. This study explores how Gen-Z consumers define, perceive and experience local food. Through the analysis, we extend the existing conceptualization of local food by differentiating three aspects of proximity: geographical, value, and relational proximity. We contribute novel insights into the differentiation of proximity to the established understanding for this specific consumer group. Methodologically, we use a free association game played with Gen-Z consumers in Hungary. Theoretical frameworks, including social representation, central core and proximity theories, are used to uncover implicit knowledge about local food. The results reveal a consumer understanding that associates health, freshness, taste, quality and trustworthiness as the central core of the local food concept. Surprisingly, value and relational proximity gain importance, while geographical proximity takes a peripheral role. This study facilitates a re-evaluation of the local food concept in light of evolving consumer understanding, while also establishing a link between proximity theories and social representation theory. The findings provide practical implications that distinguish different aspects of proximity that are relevant to farmers and policy makers in light of evolving consumer understandings.

Context: The identification of code smells is one of the most subjective tasks in software engineering. A key reason is the influence of collective aspects of communities working on this task, such as their beliefs regarding the relevance of certain smells. However, collective aspects are often neglected in the context of smell identification. For this purpose, we can use the social representations theory. Social representations comprise the set of values, behaviors and practices of communities associated with a social object, such as the task of identifying smells. Aim: To characterize the social representations behind smell identification. Method: We conducted a preliminary study on the social representations of smell identification by two communities. One community is composed of postgraduate students involved in various investigations related to code smells. The other community is composed of practitioners from industry, with experience in code reviews. We analyzed the associations made by the study participants about smell identification, i.e., what immediately comes to their minds when they think about this task. Results: One of the key findings is that only the community of practitioners strongly associates this task with semantic smells. This finding suggests research directions on code smells may be revisited, as they focus mostly on measurable or structural smells. Considering the novelty of using the social representations theory in software engineering, we also compiled a set of lessons learned. For instance, we observed some key challenges we faced in using the theory. These challenges include: (i) the predominance of associations with technical rather than non-technical concepts, and (ii) the fuzzy definitions of key concepts in our field. Conclusion: We found initial evidence that social representations analysis is a useful instrument to reveal discrepancies and commonalities on how different communities deal with a subjective task. Thus, we expect the experience reported in this paper may encourage and contribute to future studies of social representations in the field.

This chapter presents the state of studies, research and publications on social representations in Brazil, and especially in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In order to do this, three objectives are pursued: presenting the research groups and the production areas in social representations in the country; discussing the work that has been taking place in the south of Brazil, especially in social representations, active minorities and politics; and delineating the perspectives and challenges of research into social representations in the country. Qualitative methodology was used, through an exploratory bibliographical, descriptive and interpretative study. First the output of research groups registered in the Directory of Research Groups and Lattes Platform of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) is presented in order to highlight some descriptive statistics and map the scenario of the groups and production areas in the country. Subsequently, an analysis is made of the relationship between Social Representations Theory and the Psychology of Active Minorities, two fundamental theoretical proposals in Moscovici’s work (a relationship which is still little explored in Brazil) in order to deepen the epistemological discussion about social representations and their importance in sociological social psychology. Finally, the commitments that are made, the possible horizons, and the challenges that must be faced by social representations researchers in Brazil are discussed.

Introduction A person (re)constructs his or her environmental mentality in a particular sociocultural context. This context is manifested in public discourses, cultural models and meaning complexes that all provide explicit and implicit suggestions (Valsiner 1998) for an individual. Environmental beliefs are subjective theories about the human-nature relationship that form a conceptual basis for more specific attitudes, beliefs and behaviors towards the environment. On the one hand, environmental beliefs are embedded in various cultural messages (which are heterogeneous and rapidly changing in our times). On the other hand, these beliefs are a component of or group level environmental mentality. Our analysis will proceed in the framework of social representations theory, which encompasses both of these aspects. The aim of the article is to analyze the organizing principles and empirical types of environmental beliefs in an Estonian subpopulation. Theory of social representations The theory of social representations (Moscovici 2000, Flick 1998) deals with belief systems that are tied to certain social identities. Social representations are forms of knowledge (operationalized as attitudes, beliefs and practices) that are produced and sustained by certain groups or populations. Social representations (SR) are differentiated from similar concepts like individual or shared diffuse ideas. The following aspects have been highlighted: 1) SR are related to a specific group identity (Wagner, 1995) and therefore define not only the object but are also used for social self-definition of a subject; 2) SR are a structured set of ideas, systemic organization of thought content (not a loose aggregate of ideas); 3) SR are dynamic, variable and negotiable, they are the product of interaction and communication (vs. static and unquestionable character of collective representations and cultural beliefs); 4) differently from attitudes, SR are exteriorized and institutionalized, and can be studied also in the media, cultural artifacts, etc. In relation to an individual, social representations function as social resources and limitations, mediating social regulation and enabling self-positioning in the social space. In relation to a group, social representations function as means of communication and tools for constructing social objects. A social representation has often a simple and vivid form (e.g. metaphorical) in order to be easily communicable and easy to think with. We can differentiate between two general approaches in analyzing a SR: A widespread approach deals with SR as explicit content of thought. This approach focuses on within-group similarities in the content or structure of beliefs, emphasizing concrete and consensual aspects of SR. In this framework SR are surface phenomena, easily accessible tools for meaning-making and prediction in social interactions. Within such systems of knowledge it is possible to differentiate central elements (primary ideas, core beliefs, axioms, etc.), which generate and organize all the other elements of social representations. These primary beliefs are organized as a synthesis of oppositions (Moscovici & Vignaux 1994:68) which are anchored in pairs of opposing and interdependent notions. An alternative approach deals with SR as implicit organizing principles (structuring structure). These abstract underlying principles (categories, dimensions, reference points) reflect the regulative influence of the social metasystem on cognitive functioning and they organize symbolic relations between social agents (Doise 1994). According to these principles individuals or groups identify and differentiate themselves, choosing their relative positions within the representational field. Doise et al (1993:4) note that: More than consensual beliefs SR are (--) organizing principles, varied in nature, which do not necessarily consist of beliefs, as they may result in different or even opposed positions taken by individuals in relation to common reference points. …

This thesis examines social representations of marketplace immorality in a context of contested legitimacy. In recent years, the legislative context of illicit alcohol in Kenya has changed the status of illicit alcohol from legal to illegal, then back to legal, between June 2015 and February 2016. Using social representations theory, this study explores the dominant social representations in the Kenyan illicit alcohol market during this volatile regulatory period. The study draws on longitudinal data from digital mainstream and social media news sites, as well as interview and observation data. The study seeks to expand understanding on the extent to which social representations convey morality, and the impact of social representations on people’s perceptions and practices, thereby extending knowledge and understanding of social representations and morality. Consumer research has begun to consider issues relating to morality in the marketplace, but this is still a nascent area of research. Most studies on morality have explored only a subset of moral concerns but this study expands the conceptualization of morality in a market context responding to calls from market researchers for a broader definition of consumer morality. The study focuses on plural moral domains with several moral concerns and highlights both individual-centred and other-centred moral concerns. The study also demonstrates that social representations in the alcohol market focus on the harm from illicit consumption practices leading to selective objectification of consumer and alcohol problems and limiting remedial initiatives in the marketplace. The findings also reveal that cognitive polyphasia is a pervasive feature in the social representations of the Kenyan illicit alcohol market. Key aspects of cognitive polyphasia that define some of its functionalities and how it could be operationalised are a nascent area in the study of social representations. This study’s findings contribute to the existing knowledge on cognitive polyphasia by revealing cognitive polyphasia as a means of adapting to change, coping with change, resisting change and inducing change. The study also contributes to knowledge on the delegitimization of market practices by examining the role of cognitive polyphasia in changing practices and perceptions. The study findings also illustrate moral ambiguities in the marketplace as well as the psychological and socio-psychological processes used to navigate the moral ambiguities. The processes illustrated include social representation, moral exclusion, moral rationalization, moral decoupling and moral override. These processes provide insights into the reasoning and justifications behind why consumers would or would not act in an ethical or moral manner. The research further contributes to the literature on morality by highlighting the influence of emotions in moral judgement. These findings confirm previous empirical research in moral psychology on the role of emotion in moral judgement. The study proposes greater emphasis on emotional appeals in efforts to encourage moral consumer behaviour since emotions are revealed as key to moral judgement. The practical implications of this research are mainly in relation to the incorporation of community cultural language when talking about, or implementing illicit alcohol policy, to help make the policies a part of the local culture.

This article aims to bring a reflection on the theory of Social Representations from the perspective of Social Psychology. From the bibliographic review, an analogy is made between the theories of social representations, to a concrete society, in this case, the Mozambican society. Social representations have been a topic widely discussed by several and categorized authors, many of them addressing the relationship between cognition-knowledge, individual and society. For this purpose, three Mozambican ethnicities were analyzed, namely, Macuas-Lomués, Ndaus and Tsongas, in which, based on the bibliographic verification of their cultures, beliefs and values, a real analogy can be drawn between the theories on social and cultural representations. the behaviors of these ethnic groups, which make clear the different social representations in the different regions that form the country called Mozambique.The basis of the research was the bibliographic review, both to address the theoretical supports, as well as to address the Mozambican reality.

La crisis economica actual ha sido un fenomeno nuevo e inesperado; es parte del sistema capitalista, bancario y economico que ha sido conocido hasta el ano 2008. La crisis ha llevado a los bancos, los Estados, las instituciones internacionales, asi como a las personas del comun, a ver profundos cambios en sus representaciones sobre la economia. En este escenario, se plantea la pregunta: ?como los hombres y las mujeres de estratos sociales diferentes afrontan el fenomeno complejo y desconocido de la crisis economica? ?El genero y el estatus social justifican diferentes significados atribuidos a la crisis, sus causas y consecuencias? En el presente articulo se elige la teoria de las representaciones sociales para estudiar el papel del genero y el nivel educativo en la produccion de las representaciones de la crisis. Se presentan resultados de encuestas realizadas en el sur de Italia (N = 120), los cuales revelan que tanto el genero como el nivel educativo de las personas marcan diferencias en la forma de definir y afrontar la crisis. Por un lado, los participantes de alto nivel definen la crisis en terminos mas abstractos que los participantes de bajo nivel. Por otra parte, los hombres de alto nivel mantienen un estado de coping mas proactivo con la crisis que los otros participantes, especialmente mujeres. La discusion se enfoca en el papel de la teoria de la representacion social entendiendo la relacion entre genero, estatus y comportamiento economico, aportando ideas sobre como la igualdad de genero puede ser mejorada.

Abstract: In this work, we identify and characterize the Brazilian research groups that develop the social representation theory (SRT). We collected data from the CNPq’s Research Groups Directory submitting terms like “social representation” and “social representations”, without time period. Then, we analyzed of the page groups, organized and analyzed of results. We identified 172 research groups studding SRT, the most part of them from the Southeastern region of Brazil. We concluded that SRT is a theoretical and methodological framework, active and in constant production in Brazil. SRT is an interdisciplinary theory, being present in different knowledge areas and fields, and it helps the comprehension of phenomena in distinct contexts. Keywords: social representation theory; research groups; bibliographical research; social psychology; social cognition.

The theory of social representations developed by S. Moskovichi is not in demand in Russian studies of media communication, while abroad, on the contrary, it is productively used by media researchers. Taking into account one of the main provisions of the theory about the formation of social representations in the communication process, as well as the growing role of media in modern society, it seems relevant to describe the opportunities of applying the theory in media communication studies. Media communication is realized by media as institutions, infrastructure and content, where each aspect contributes to the construction of social reality, part of which are social representations. Social representations of media "users" - mediated social representations - are units of the cognitive space of an individual and a group that are materialized in the media space in the form of a media text. Studies of media texts are developed in the field of linguistics and semiotics. The theory of social representations refers to the means of language and signs of other semiotic modes, as well as the context from the positions of sociocultural and cognitive-discursive approaches. The processes of assigning meanings, both denotative and connotative, as a result of semiosis are also explained from the standpoint of social representation theory. As a result, it can be concluded that social representation theory is a productive theoretical construct as well as a methodological approach in media communication research

Qualitative study, whose subject is the practice of care taking in nursing of the hospitalized child in a pediatric hospital. The objectives are: to characterize the social representations of the nursing staff about care taking in nursing of hospitalized children in a pediatric hospital and to describe the practice of care taking in nursing of hospitalized children in a pediatric hospital, based on social memory. The adopted theoretical approach was the Theory of Social Representations, Social Memory and conceptions from care taking in nursing. For data collection, interviews were performed with nine nurses and nine nursing auxiliaries. The collective memory was investigated, in order to portray, through construction/reconstruction, the speeches and collective practices concerning care taking in nursing of the hospitalized child. The results indicate five great thematic areas: The Child and Pediatric Nursing Image; The Past Moment Nursing Practice; The Determination of the Changes in the Nursing Practice; The Present Moment Nursing Practice; The Nursing Relationship with Other Groups. The social representation concerning the child denotes in the past, as well as in the present, his/her suffering condition, mistreatment, neglect and sadness, but with modification of the social class of the clientele. The image of Past and Present Moment nursing practices is related to three elements: the humanization, the responsibility and the "pattern". Past and Present Moment nursing practices indicate changes. The presence of the mother/companion and the nurse approximation towards the hospitalized child are factors of modification of the nursing practice representation. As decisive for the changes in the nursing practice, the following factors arise: the mother's presence as the child's companion; the increase in the staff quantitative, propitiating a modification in the profile of the nurse performance, and professional improvement of the staff; the appearance of new equipments and techniques. As an indicative of these changes, an improvement in the quality of the nursing practice is observed. The interpersonal relationship is marked by representations that indicate dualities. The relationship in nursing is represented as a team work, with good coexistence, as well as an uncoordinated work. The relationship of the nursing with the child shows either a closer contact or a distant involvement. The relationship of the nursing with the mother/companion is represented by conflicts and aggressiveness from both parts and a proximity relationship as well. Finally, the process of taking care can be expressed differently, depending on the clientele it is intended to. The particularities of each group, connected to biological, psychological, social and other characteristics, define and determine patterns of care taking. The social representation and the social memory allowed the reconstruction of the practice of care taking in nursing of the hospitalized child, once the reconstructed activity inside a group finds support in the processes of construction of the social memory and in the processes through which the own social representations are forged. In the representation, as well as in the memory, the relevance of the elements of the past is determined by: interests, needs, cognitive schemes, beliefs, effective values in a group.