Suchergebnisse

In his opening introduction, Moghaddam (this volume) points to the fact of recurring dictatorships, that is, when a dictatorial regime is overthrown only for another dictatorial regime to take its place. In this opening introduction, I would like to point out that democratic governance may not be sufficient to eradicate this issue. I would like to argue that democratic societies afford a similar alternating dominance structure through the formation of coalitions. I would like to suggest that democratic coalitions often take the form of alternating dominance structures, where the will of those who dominate at a certain point in a given society is imposed on society at large for a given constitutionally prescribed tenure, only to be displaced by another dominating coalition at a subsequent point in time. This is particularly the case when a political party wins with an absolute majority and is able to govern without the need for a cross-party coalition. ; N/A

Drawing on Durkheim's terms collective and individual representations, the concept of social representations (SR) was developed by Serge Moscovici in 1961 in his study of everyday understandings of psychoanalysis in France. In the last 50 years SR has become an established field within social and cultural psychology. As a whole, this research demonstrates that social representations are systems of communication and social influence that constitute the social realities of different groups in society. They serve as the principal means for establishing the shared knowledge, common practices and affiliations that bind social members together (Duveen, 2001) and thereby act to support systems of inclusion and exclusion. [excerpt from the Introduction] ; N/A

Ignorance has been both vilified and celebrated throughout the ages. However, the social sciences have had little to say about this topic over the years. In this paper, we argue that in an age of competing and contrasting worldviews, scholarly attention to ignorance can shed light on interpersonal processes and relational dynamics that occur in encounters between subjects holding different points of view. We discuss data from two studies documenting an attribution of ignorance in social relations that serves to relegate the other's point of view to one that stands in need of education or correction. We argue that this communicative strategy enacts a semantic barrier that serves to retain the interlocutor's original point of view unscathed and unchallenged. We argue that this limits dialogical relations by eliminating the requirement for perspective‐taking in social dialogue.

In many contemporary societies, everyday and routine instances of positive intercultural relations abound. These include, but are not limited to, cultural exchange programmes, international trade, globalization, as well as the geopolitical organization of nation-states such as the European Union. Few contemporary public spheres around the world remain uncontaminated by the ways of life of different others (Giddens, 1991). Whilst the positive consequences of intercultural contact are seemingly obvious to many, the most recent Eurobarometer (EB83, 2015) shows that migration has risen to being the primary concern amongst European citizens. This is specifically the case in Malta, in which the present study is conducted. ; N/A

How do we, as human beings, come to understand ourselves and others around us? Bringing together a number of cutting edge researchers and practitioners in psychology and related fields, this diverse collection of thirteen papers draws on psychology, sociology, philosophy, linguistics, communications, and anthropology to explore how human beings

We studied the role of worldviews in the endorsement of proposals for the legalisation of recreational cannabis. Drawing on literature on generalised belief structures, we developed categorical measures for five worldviews drawing on commonalities in the typologies reviewed (Orthodox, Localised, Reward, Pragmatist, and Survivor). We proceeded to study the relative influence of worldviews in support of a range of items concerned with the legalisation of recreational cannabis amongst a randomly generated sample (N = 1000) in Malta. Our findings demonstrate that the Orthodox worldview stands in contrast to all others in opposing the proposals and constitutes the resistance group to legalisation. On the other hand, no other worldview unilaterally supports the proposals albeit these are, on an individual basis, favourably perceived. Our study further demonstrates that proportions of variance accounted for by the worldview measures we adopted are comparable to those exercised by demographic variables demonstrating significance. We propose that the study of worldviews is critical in understanding social and political alliances that come together to support or oppose particular politicised projects or collective courses of action.

Mass protests that have taken place over the past decade in various Western democracies have called into question the role of police in society, as officers have employed measures to contain rallies protesting for or against various issues. A number of these protests have resorted to violent means, resisting the police or protesting directly against their role and methods. The present study sought to investigate the prototypical representations of the police that lay citizens use to forge or desist identification with police officers. Social identification enables citizens to consider the police as ingroup members, facilitating respect for their authority. Conversely, identifying the police as outgroup precipitates resistance. The study involved 41 in-depth interviews carried out with citizens of Malta between May and June 2020. Thematic Networks Analysis revealed various points of consensus as well as a number of controversial themes. In particular, respondents demonstrated sceptical attitudes regarding policing on the beat for fear of overfamiliarity, rooted in introspective attributions projected at the police as merely human. Moreover, respondents expressed support for technological innovations that overcome natural psychological tendencies. The findings of this study suggest that seeking increasing trust in the police may be a red herring for policymakers. Rather, efforts should be directed at developing inter-objective systems, (e.g. body-cams), that overcome individual psychological propensities. ; peer-reviewed

This report is part of a project conducted by the University of Malta and funded by the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security. ; We report survey findings regarding three concerns that bear an influence on the social representation of policing. Following a presentation of the methodological undertaking, we proceed to report findings concerning (a) the general level of tolerance exhibited by the Maltese population relative to various socio-ethnic minority groups (b) the relationship between wellbeing and various indicators of confidence in the police, and (c) the distribution of public opinion with regards to politically contested behaviours. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and recommendations regarding the study and treatment of public opinion with regard to the role served by the police. [excerpt from the introduction] ; peer-reviewed

Mass protests that have taken place over the past decade in various Western democracies have called into question the role of police in society, as officers have employed measures to contain rallies protesting for or against various issues. A number of these protests have resorted to violent means, resisting the police or protesting directly against their role and methods. The present study sought to investigate the prototypical representations of the police that lay citizens use to forge or desist identification with police officers. Social identification enables citizens to consider the police as ingroup members, facilitating respect for their authority. Conversely, identifying the police as outgroup precipitates resistance. The study involved 41 in-depth interviews carried out with citizens of Malta between May and June 2020. Thematic Networks Analysis revealed various points of consensus as well as a number of controversial themes. In particular, respondents demonstrated sceptical attitudes regarding policing on the beat for fear of overfamiliarity, rooted in introspective attributions projected at the police as merely human. Moreover, respondents expressed support for technological innovations that overcome natural psychological tendencies. The findings of this study suggest that seeking increasing trust in the police may be a red herring for policymakers. Rather, efforts should be directed at developing inter-objective systems, (e.g. body-cams), that overcome individual psychological propensities.

The quest to find meaning in life is an integral part of human existence. Efforts to articulate how this is achievable can be traced back to the 6th-­‐7th B.C.E., when Homer, Aristotle, Cicero and Virgil inquired about the means and goals of human nature. Informed by the social, political and economic transformations of their time, they proposed that bravery, conformity to the laws of the city, hard work, honesty, nobility, reason, and participation in the public affairs were values that encapsulated the good life. Although the relative importance of these values and their meanings have changed since then, their function to date remains tied to the processes of attainment, preservation or enhancement of living. ; N/A

"How do we, as human beings, come to understand ourselves and others around us? This question couldn't be more timely or pertinent to the issues facing humanity today. At the heart of most of our world's most troubling political and social problems lies a divergence in perspectives between nations and/or cultural groups. For example, how should we characterize the seemingly intractable divide between Indians and Pakistanis? What lies at the heart of the constant misunderstanding between Israelis and Palestinians? How has the political divide in the United States taken on such polemic divisions? How are we to make sense of the baffling resistance certain groups of people in many nations have to the overwhelming evidence of global climate change? In essence, the divergences in all of these perspectives are related to fundamentally different ways in which groups value their existence and construct a meaningful picture of who they are in relation to others. By drawing on multidisciplinary approaches to social psychological phenomena illustrated in these examples, this book draws together a number of cutting edge researchers and practitioners in psychology and related fields. The discussions in this book both review some of the most significant debates concerning how different groups come to share meanings, and radically advance this discussion in impactful new directions."--

Part I. Foundations. 1. Social representations: a revolutionary paradigm? / Gordon Sammut, Eleni Andreouli, George Gaskell and Jaan Valsiner ; 2. Representation in action / Wolfgang Wagner ; 3. Social representations and societal psychology / Claudia Abreu Lopes and George Gaskell ; 4. On (social) representations and the iconoclastic impetus / Martin W. Bauer ; 5. Researching social representations / Uwe Flick, Juliet Foster and Sabine Caillaud -- Part II. Conceptual developments. 6. Central core theory / Pascal Moliner and Jean-Claude Abric ; 7. Attitudes, social representations and points of view / Gordon Sammut ; 8. Communication and the microgenetic construction of knowledge / Charis Psaltis ; 9. Image, social imaginary and social representations / Angela Arruda ; 10. Collective remembering as a process of social representation / Brady Wagoner ; 11. Cognitive polyphasia, knowledge encounters and public spheres / Sandra Jovchelovitch and Jacqueline Priego-Hern(c)Łndez ; 12. Making community: diversity, movement and interdependence / Caroline Howarth, Flora Cornish and Alex Gillespie -- Part III. New directions. 13. Social representations and social construction: the evolutionary perspective of installation theory / Saadi Lahlou ; 14. From representations to representing: on social representations and discursive-rhetorical psychology / Stephen Gibson ; 15. Positioning theory and social representations / Rom Harr and Fathali Moghaddam ; 16. Social semiotics and social representations / Giuseppe Veltri ; 17. Identity process theory / Glynis Breakwell -- Part IV. Applications. 18. Representations of world history / James H. Liu and Chris G. Sibley ; 19. Social order and political legitimacy / Christian Staerkl ; 20. Social representations of sustainability: researching time, institution, conflict and communication / Paula Castro ; 21. Social representations of national identity in culturally diverse societies / Eleni Andreouli and Xenia Chryssochoou ; 22. The essentialised refugee: representations of racialized 'Others' / Martha Augoustinos, Scott Hanson-Easey and Clemence Due ; 23. Exploring stability and change through social representations: towards an understanding of religious communities / Mohammad Sartawi ; 24. Of worlds and objects: scientific knowledge and its publics / Nicole Kronberger ; 25. The self-control ethos / Helene Joffe ; 26. Social representations of infectious diseases / V(c)♭ronique Eicher and Adrian Bangerter ; 27. Social change, social marketing and social representations / Mary Anne Lauri