Social distinction and uncivil behaviours in places of business open to the public

Abstract

This article represents a theoretical analysis based on a explanatory study conducted in three french enterprices: SNCF (French National Railway), La Poste (Postal Service) and Galeries Lafayette (a Parisian department store). The aim of this article is to produce a psychological scope on the phenomenon of uncivil behaviour understood here as a consequence of a break of social links between employees and clientes. A definition of incivility in terms of interactions between diffrent social groups is proposed here. Than, incivility is analyzed as a behaviour of social distinction. We attempt to demonstrate, finally, how the differentiation of spaces of each enterprise is related to uncivil behaviours.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v21i2.371