Theory Of Social Representations Research Articles

Digitally Mediated Relationships: How social representation in technology influences the therapeutic relationship in primary care.

Relationships, built on trust, knowledge, regard, and loyalty, have been demonstrated to be fundamental to health care delivery. Strong relationships between patients and providers have been linked to more compassionate care delivery, and better patient experience and outcomes, and may be particularly important in primary care models. The rapid adoption of digital technologies since the onset of COVID-19 has led health care systems to seriously consider a “digital-first” primary care delivery model. Questions remain regarding what impact this transformation will have on the therapeutic relationship. Using a rapid ethnographic approach this study explores how patient and provider understandings of therapeutic relationships and digital health technologies may influence relationship-building or maintenance between patients with complex care needs and their care providers. Three team-based primary care sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada were included in the study. Across the three sites 9 patients with chronic health conditions, 1 caregiver, and 10 healthcare providers (including family physicians, family medicine residents, social workers, and nurse practitioners) participated. Interviews were conducted with all participants and 8 observations of virtual clinical encounters (phone and video visits) were conducted. Using social representation theory as a lens, analysis revealed that participants’ constructions of therapeutic relationships and digital technologies were informed by their identities, experiences, and expectations. For participants to see technologies as enabling to the therapeutic relationship, there needed to be alignment between how participants viewed the role of technology in care and in their lives, and how they recognized (or constructed) a good therapeutic relationship. This exploratory work suggests the need to think about how both patients’ and providers’ views of technology may determine whether digital technologies can be leveraged to meet patient needs while maintaining, or building, strong therapeutic relationships.

Cultivating change in food consumption practices: the reception of the social representation of alternative proteins by consumers

This article is concerned with the dynamics of change in protein consumption practices from the perspective of the consumer. It is based on a model, informed by social representation theory, that aims to understand the role played by various types of representation of alternative proteins in the process of changing food consumption practices. It discusses the reception, by consumers, of the representations associated with alternative proteins on Instagram. Methodologically, three focus groups were organized with different consumer segments (omnivorous, flexitarian and vegetarian and vegan consumers), as well as seven individual interviews. Participants were submitted to the social representations of alternative proteins, and visual stimuli from social media were mobilized for this purpose. Results show that the publications which boast the environmental, animal welfare or health attributes of alternative proteins generally contribute to the cultivation of new elements of practices. While this kind of publications is essential to help consumers question their established practices linked to meat and dairy consumption, they can also generate a critical reception that is not conducive to change, making them a double-edge sword. Publications that relate to the representations involved in daily food consumption proteins (e.g. that alternative proteins are versatile and crowd-pleasing) emerge as being safer in terms of reception, although as standalone they may not be able to achieve a deep level of change in food consumption practices. The results of this study show the importance of deploying a diverse communication strategy about alternative proteins that appeal to a variety of consumer segments.

The theory of social representations and the theory of mediations: a methodological proposal to draw both theories closer to each other

The article sumarizes research whose purpose was to bring together the theory of social representations, from Serge Moscovici, and the theory of mediations, from Jesús Martín-Barbero, with a view to studies in the field of Communication. A theoretical and methodological discussion is presented, based on a discussion of the main references of both theories. trying to point out points of tangency that allow the approximation of the theories. It results in a diagram as a methodological protocol suggestion for future studies.

HodgeRank as a new tool to explore the structure of a social representation

Social representation theory is a branch of social psychology that aims to identify the framework of concepts, ideas, opinions, beliefs, or feelings shared by the individuals within a social group, regarding a social object. Two main problems arise in this theory. The first concerns the identification of the content of the representation, which is the set of cognitive elements shared by the group; the second concerns its structure, which is the way these elements are organized and related among themselves. It is desirable that the methods to address these problems be simple, in regards to the feasibility of the data collection, and reliable, in the sense that they should provide a clear picture of the content and the structure of the representation. No single method proposed in the literature until now fully satisfies these features at the same time. Here we propose the use of HodgeRank, a global ranking method based on the Hodge combinatorial theory, as a new tool to explore the structure of a social representation. In this proposal, the input data is the same as those required for the hierarchical word associations, which is the main method in the field of social representations. However, the HodgeRank provides richer results when compared to the usual approach to analysing this kind of data, based on the Vergés’ double-entry table. The main outcome of the HodgeRank is a graph, analogous to an electric circuit, from which some structural elements of the representation can already be identified. Moreover, the HodgeRank technique identifies the sources of inconsistencies between the global ranking and the aggregated answers within the social group. We interpret such inconsistencies in terms of the stability of the representation and use them to raise conjectures about the potential dynamics of the representation. We illustrate the application of this method in the study of a social representation of COVID-19 within a group of students and also within a group of faculty members from higher education institutions in Brazil.

Реконструкция медийных социальных представлений с использованием показателей статистики текста (на материале медиадискурса о пандемии)

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective. </strong>The aim is to present an algorithm to reconstruct media social representations based on indicators of text statistics and to conduct a comparative analysis of the construction of semantically similar media joint ventures, such as “pandemic”, “coronavirus”, “COVID-19” in Russian media. <br><strong>Background</strong>. Social representations perform the most important functions in the process of social functioning of an individual and a group, serve as a tool for cognition, adaptation and regulation of behavior and are formed taking into account the influence of media social representations. Methods for studying social representations for various social groups are presented in psychological studies, however, methods for studying media social representations are discussed in single scientific work. The presented scientific project is based on the theory of social representations by S. Moskovici and generalizations by B. Hoyer regarding the construction of media social representations (naming, emotional attachment, thematic attachment, metaphorical attachment and attachment through basic antinomies). <br><strong>Study design</strong>. The phenomenon of the coronavirus pandemic, presented in media discourse, was used as the signified in the study. The signifier is a trio of semantically similar concepts (“pandemic”, “COVID”, “coronavirus”). <br><strong>Measurements</strong>. To reconstruct media social representations, statistically stable collocations were identified to indicate the measure of association, logically close to the associative experiment. Hence, it was possible to identify thematic networks, axiological and evaluative components, components-characteristics of activity. The research material is represented by texts about the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020-March 2022: “Rossiyskaya Gazeta”: 19471 texts, 7,97 million words; “Kommersant”: 1482 texts, 1,07 million words, “Novaya Gazeta”: 705 texts, 0,9 million words) and processed using BootCat, TreeTagger, AntConc (lemmatization, frequency analysis). <br><strong>Results</strong>. The associative fields of the joint ventures are different and contain anchoring and objectification resources when using concepts, only few elements of the associative field are similar. Thus, depending on the concept used to signify the intent of the text, stories about the fear of infection, the treatment of the disease, or resistance to the harsh elements are created. <br><strong>Conclusions</strong>. The similar algorithm based on media text statistics can be used to reconstruct any media social representation.</p>

Au centre est l'État-nation. Le Monde vu par des étudiants du Kazakhstan

Abstract. A 2010 survey of more than 10 000 students from 18 countries showed that Central Asia was virtually absent from their representations of the world. In order to check whether this was also the case in the representations of students from this region, this survey was replicated in Kazakhstan, while nevertheless making the assumption that a Central Asian region would be largely represented by the students. While the results confirm important aspects of the theory of social representations of space, they also provide some original insights, showing in particular the very large place given to States, and in particular the Kazakh State, in the breakdown of the World. The prominence of States in Kazakh students' representations of the World can be analysed as a sign of the appropriation of the nation-state model by Kazakh students, some thirty years after the country's independence.

The Social Representation of Sustainable Mobility: An Exploratory Investigation on Social Media Networks

This paper analyzes the social representation (SR) of sustainable mobility as it emerges from social media networks. The role of social media (SM) as contexts of creation, negotiation, and diffusion of a mobility culture worldwide is discussed, together with the results of an empirical investigation that explored the contents and structure of the discourse on “sustainable mobility” as it emerges from the posts published (in English) on two highly used social media (Facebook and TikTok) platforms during the years 2022 and 2023. First of all, the results confirm the relevance of social media as an indicator of ongoing trends in the evolution of mobility culture and the usefulness of S. Moscovici’s theory of social representations as a theoretical framework for analyzing such trends. In particular, several new trends in the SRs of sustainable mobility were identified. These include, for example, the decline in skeptical views and the rise of more optimistic ones, regarding the feasibility of changing people’s mobility styles worldwide. Such views appear to be fostered by the positive perception of new technological innovations (electric vehicles), as well as by their endorsement by both the business sector and governmental institutions. Practical implications and theoretical indications for future research are also outlined.

Beliefs and practices of the nursing team related to pressure injury preventive measures: A analysis of social representations.

To analyse the process of elaborating social representations about pressure injury preventive measures by the nursing team (nurses and nurse technicians) and how this process relates to preventive practices for hospitalized patients. Qualitative study, with the application of the theory of social representations in its procedural methodological approach. The study was carried out in an inpatient clinic of a public hospital in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. Totally, 28 nursing professionals in the medical clinic sectors who had worked directly with patient care for more than 6 months participated. The data were collected between July and September 2021 via in-depth interviews with the application of a semi-structured instrument. Analysis was carried out with the help of ALCESTE software, which performed a lexicographic analysis, and also via thematic analysis. The COREQ guided the presentation of the research report. The social representations were developed based on the professionals' symbolic beliefs about the visibility/invisibility of the results of applying preventive care. These symbolic constructions mobilized positive and negative feelings among the nursing team, which guided the classification of prevention practices as being of greater or lesser priority among other care activities. There were favourable attitudes among professionals, which included applying prevention measures in their daily routines, and unfavourable attitudes of non-adherence to the institution's protocol for preventing pressure injuries. The nursing team's perception of pressure injury prevention is influenced by symbolic, affective, values, and social dimensions. Non-adherence behaviours are attributed to the belief in the invisibility of prevention outcomes, resulting in a reluctance to implement preventive measures. Understanding the subjective logic that explains the thinking and actions of the nursing team suggests the need to incorporate discussions on beliefs, values, sentiments, and attitudes of nursing professionals into educational programs on pressure injury prevention. No public contribution.

COVID-19 and emerging adults in India: A social representation approach

The outbreak and rapid spread of the novel coronavirus disease or COVID-19 had health, social and economic ramifications for people worldwide. Using the framework of Social Representation Theory, the present research attempts to understand how emerging adults (18–29 years) made sense of the COVID-19 outbreak, the role of collectives (organizations) in managing it, and the evolution of this understanding over time. The function of this theoretical perspective in the present study is to help make sense of the COVID-19 pandemic as a threatening event and in the process understand if responsibility or blame is attributed to specific collectives. Data was collected in two phases, from ten participants (four males and six females), aged 18–29 years residing in India. Semi-structured interviews were used to generate data. Findings have been discussed as ‘sociogenesis of COVID-19’, ‘role of collectives: heroes, villains, or on the fence’, ‘collective symbolic coping: making sense of collective threats’, and ‘the next normal: learnings from COVID-19). Finally, this study would have implications for research on social representation and its evolution, especially of emerging infectious diseases and the representation of collectives may also be used to reevaluate health policies and get better prepared for future emergencies.

Understanding value in residents’ experiences and its impact on life satisfaction and value co-creation: empirical evidence from Jiuzhai Valley, China

ABSTRACT This study furnishes a value-oriented paradigm, illustrating the impact of perceived value of tourism-induced change on life satisfaction and value co-creation. Adopting PLS-SEM to analyze data from 535 residents of Jiuzhai Valley, this study reveals that material perceived values (economic and functional) influence life satisfaction; non-material perceived values (social and cultural) have stronger impacts on value co-creation than material perceived values; material perceived value influence value co-creation through the mediation of life satisfaction. This study enriches the literature by integrating personal value judgments with social representation theory to assess how intrinsic values-determined perceived value influences residents’ extra-role value co-creation.

They Have Never Changed: Accountants in Movies

The purpose of this study is to examine how accountants are portrayed in recent box office films. The samples for this study were movies registered in the Internet Movie Database and Film Indonesia. The study focuses on the accountant who appears in movies as a main character, side character, and/or cameo. Movies with accountant as the character and winning at least one award were chosen in this study. The semiotic analysis of movie data involved three steps: viewing the entire film, focusing on the accountants’ character scene in accordance with the description criteria, and interpreting the characters denotatively, connotatively, and mythically. The findings demonstrate that the stereotype of accountants shown in movies is consistent with societal preconceptions, such as being a man's occupation, having a bean counter, being introverted, and committing money theft. However, in some movies, accountants are portrayed positively. This negative depiction of accountants may cause students to be reluctant to choose accountants as their career choice. Thus, public accounting firms will encounter difficulties in recruiting and sustaining their businesses. Framed with the social representation theory, this study contributes to the accounting literature by focusing on the depiction of the accountant's character shown in the film by using semiotic analysis to investigate the depiction of accountants in films released since 2000.

National Projects as a tool for Implementing the Welfare State in Modern Russia

Introduction. A national project is a strategic plan for the development of the country in any specific area, adopted for a certain period, including target indicators, tasks necessary for implementation to achieve them, designation of methods and means of achieving goals, implying financing in the required amount. In Russian political practice, national projects in their content are primarily related to social policy. National projects in modern Russia can be considered as a tool for implementing the policy of the welfare state.Methodology and sources. The author used foreign and Russian theories of the welfare state and legal acts of the Russian Federation. The methodological basis of the study was: the theory of social representations by S. Moscovici, namely the idea that representations are a specific way of understanding and communication, which creates reality and common sense; modern theories of public administration efficiency. The empirical basis was data from sociological surveys and official statistics.Results and discussion. The current results of the implementation of national projects are considered within the framework of compliance with the following components of the welfare state: creating a comfortable social environment; creating conditions and opportunities for self-realization and revealing the talent of each person; the emergence of incentives for the creation and functioning of non-state institutions aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens.Conclusion. National projects in the near future can be considered as potential opportunities for overcoming a number of difficulties and social problems within the framework of the socio-economic development of Russia, and thereby ensuring the strengthening of the welfare state.

Living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Memories of Elderly People

Living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Memories of Elderly People

Early detection of cervical and breast cancer: representations of primary care nurses

To analyze the practices of early detection of cervical and breast cancer performed by nurses in primary health care in Baixada Litorânea/RJ/Brazil. Qualitative, descriptive study; carried out with 43 nurses; data obtained through a self-completed form on socioprofessional profile; Focus groups, whose text corpus was prepared with IRaMuTeQ software for analysis through the Descending Hierarchical Classification guided by the Theory of Social Representation. Presented in two classes: Tensions between demands for early detection of cervical and breast cancer and nurses' professional practice; and Between public policies and daily practice: contents, meanings and attitudes. The nurses' representations showed practices permeated by scientific knowledge and common sense that consider their professional experience. Doubts and questions about the current guidelines reveal obstacles to effective care. We emphasize the need for permanent reconstruction of this knowledge with the teams and women.

Exploring social cognition in an international context: insights from the social representations perspective on legitimacy among French entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT In the field of international entrepreneurship, there are increasing calls for the study of cognition in its social context. In this regard, this article draws on social representations theory to explore and better understand the cognition of entrepreneurs. The objective of the present study is to explore the social representation of legitimacy among different social groups and show how these collective images vary depending on the context in which entrepreneurs operate. By applying social representations theory to data gathered from a sample of 150 French entrepreneurs, we construct a framework that elucidates social development and the changes that influence entrepreneurs’ decision-making. In addition, this article reveals a new avenue of study in relation to legitimacy from a collective perspective.

Original sin or natural order: Dialogical construction of social knowledge of animal production

AbstractThis research examines the public discussion around animal production in Finland. Applying a dialogical approach to social representations theory, we elucidate the hotly debated nature of animal production by analysing news articles (N = 50) and the related reader‐produced comments (N = 1501) in Finnish newspapers. We employed qualitative methods for analysing multivoicedness and dialogue to identify ego–alter pairs constructed in the material in relation to the object of animal production. Four prevalent ego–alter pairs were identified: advocates for animal rights–animal production defenders, producers–consumers, orthodox–unorthodox Christians and provincials–urban dwellers. The study contributes to the study of everyday knowledge by showing how various contradictory understandings of the same topic are generated in public discourse. The research also demonstrates how the theoretical concept of ego–alter embedded in the social representations theory can be empirically utilised in analysing debates in contemporary media environments and to shed light on the dialogical dynamics around the discussions.

Insights into Young Adults’ Views on Long-term and Short-term Romantic Relationships in the United Kingdom

AbstractSocial progressions such as the feminist movement and technological advances may have influenced the way young adults perceive romantic relationships. Although long-term relationships are traditionally viewed favorably in society, short-term relationships are becoming more popular in recent years. It’s important to understand the common perceptions of romance among young adults because it affects their partner choices and expectations. While experts can define the concepts of long-term and short-term relationships, we believe the most reliable method is to ask young adults directly. Therefore, we collected data from 229 self-reported British nationals aged between 18 and 33 (M = 19.66; SD = 2.72) to understand their perceptions of long-term and short-term romantic relationships. We asked them to write down the words or phrases that come to mind when they think of these concepts. Using the structural approach of the theory of social representation, we analyzed the values and norms of young British adults regarding these concepts. Based on our study, we observed four important things. Firstly, short-term relationships (STRs) are associated with “fun”, “excitement”, and “passion”, while long-term relationships (LTRs) are associated with “love”, “commitment”, “trust”, and “loyalty”. Secondly, while sex is important in romantic relationships, it’s only a peripheral component of STRs and not a significant factor in LTRs. Thirdly, both those in relationships and single individuals agree that “fling” and “passion” are primary aspects of STRs, but those in relationships tend to use the term “fun,“ while single individuals use “exciting” to describe STRs. Lastly, “love”, “trust”, and “commitment” are essential elements in LTRs for both single individuals and those in relationship. However, individuals in relationships also value loyalty as a critical aspect of romantic relationships.

Facebook and social representations of Filipino migrant life in Germany: a reflexive computational approach

Computational approaches have grown in prominence amidst advancements in new media and technologies and ever-increasing amounts of digital data. This article critically examines these automated techniques, especially the analytical affordances and concerns that such methods introduce to the study of online migrant and mobility discourses. The paper further argues for a mixed methodology anchored on social representations theory—a contextually sensitive framework that enables reflexive use of computational approaches, i.e., quantitatively analyze but also explore different layers of cultural and linguistic meanings in online diasporic interactions. With Filipino migrants in Germany as a case study and partner community, the study then demonstrates the combined application of topic modeling and ethnographically inspired qualitative analysis on migrant posts in Facebook. The findings are discussed in the form of a cultural reflection on Filipino values and expectations and an advocacy for mixed methodologies grounded on critical, social, and practice-oriented theories.

Social representations of teachers on school-office mistreatment

Social representations (SRs) of selected teachers on short- and long-term school-office mistreatment and how they react, retort and develop coping mechanisms related to the issues on ‘social justice’ in educational leadership or management. Using Moscovici’s SR theory, a method in the representational field that involved key respondent-interviews, storytelling (<i>kwentuhan</i>), and “associative network” approach among teacher-respondents selected by a snowball sampling technique from undisclosed schools in the Philippines. In exploring SR on mistreatment and coping mechanisms of teachers, polarity and neutrality indices were computed as synthetic measurements of evaluation and attitude implicit in the representational field of school-office mistreatment or abuses. In case studies, the small number of participants allow for particularization or illustration of the uniqueness of the individual cases as viewed by them when shared in groups of academics. Insights on teachers’ subject loading, teachers’ assignments in research and extension, office designations and other provisions on sabbatical leave, research fellowships and faculty exchange programs also presented as reactions or coping mechanisms after the episodes of mistreatment.

Social representations of tuberculosis by people with the disease.

To understand the social representations of people with tuberculosis about the disease and its implications for following treatment. A descriptive, qualitative study based on the Theory of Social Representations. It was conducted in a municipal health unit in the city of Belém. The participants were people diagnosed with tuberculosis and undergoing directly observed treatment, with the sample size defined by the data saturation technique. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. For data analysis it was used thematic content analysis. The records converged into three categories: Representations of tuberculosis and its impacts on the diagnosis; The faces of treatment: challenges facing follow-up and hope; and Constructions of living with the disease in family and society. Living with the disease transforms everyday life and relationships. Discrimination and prejudice denote the need to reconfigure such representations for patients to be embraced.