Positional dynamics and representational dynamics: Thoughts and interrogations

Abstract

Social representations theory focuses itself on how knowledge is constructed in the course of the social interaction, and analyses the logic that underlies the way individuals conceptualize social objects and express themselves about them. One of the theory’s main conclusions is that individuals’ position in the social fields translates into their way of thinking and speaking about these objects, thus contributing to the maintenance of social order. However, this conclusion seems inconsistent with Moscovici’s (1961) contention that social representations have a dynamic nature. This seeming contradiction thus raises the relevant question of whether, how, and why do social representations evolve in time and vary across groups. The present issue of Psicologia focuses on the relationship between positional dynamics and representational dynamics, while emphasizing its complexity. The present papers suggest that, whereas in some cases, individuals’ divergent discourses mirror their asymmetrical positions in the social hierarchy, in other cases, they do not. Sometimes, individual changes of position in the social structure translate into representational variations, whereas, other times, these variations ensue from the particular contexts in which social objects are evoked. Ultimately, these adjustments of opinion would not last beyond the specific situations of communication, suggesting that the plasticity of social thinking may collide with social representations’ notable resistance to change.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v18i1.408