What is Social Representations

A complex construct created by Serge Moscovici (1961) AU9: The in-text citation "Serge Moscovici (1961)" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. , which, according to de Rosa (1994) AU10: The in-text citation "de Rosa (1994)" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. , can be operationalized on three different levels: a) social representations as a phenomenon; b) theory of social representations; c) meta-theory of social representations.

Social representations are the cognitive structures consisting of the cultural values, images and meanings that are assimilated and accommodated to the individuals’ experiences.

A theory developed by Serge Moscovici (1961/1976) , which – according to de Rosa (1994) can be operationalized on three different levels: a) social representations as phenomenon – “ways of knowing” characteristic of social reality that emerge in daily life during interpersonal communication and are directed toward comprehension and control of the physical-social environment; b) theory of social representations – the collection of conceptual definitions, methodological operations and formulation of constructs that have social representations as their object; c) meta-theory of social representations – the collection of critical comments, ripostes and comparisons with other theoretical models which emerges from the critical debate on the theory of social representations. For a stock of the wide scientific field developed in more than 50 years since 1961 see de Rosa (2011 , 2013a ), de Rosa & d’Ambrosio (2008) .

A complex construct created by Serge Moscovici (1961) , which – according to de Rosa (1994) can be operationalized on three different levels: a) social representations as phenomenon ; b) theory of social representations; c) meta-theory of social representations.

Social Representations and Communication is a supra-disciplinary area of the social sciences, representing a unifying meta-theoretical perspective, in particular from the optic of Social Psychology, inspired by the Social Representations Theory, one of the most important theories of the social construction of knowledge and its relation to socially situated practices, founded by Serge Moscovici in 1961. This supra-disciplinary field is characterized by a great consistency in terms of epistemological and theoretical inspiration and its rich diversity both from the paradigmatic point of view, in terms of methodological approaches, from the thematic point perspective and with respect to the applied contexts and domains of expert and lay knowledge production and transmission: education, health, economics, environment, tourism, politics, organizations, media industry, etc.

Naïve theories of common sense that express systems of values, convictions and norms of behavior, with a double function of organizing the perception of the world and serving as a shared system of social communication and interpersonal exchange.

Naïve theories of common sense that express systems of values, convictions and norms of behavior, with a double function of organizing the perception of the world and serving as a shared system of social communication and interpersonal exchange.

Common sense theories on key aspects of the world that allow individuals and groups to represent it and master it.

Social Representations and Communication is a supra-disciplinary area of the social sciences, representing a unifying meta-theoretical perspective, in particular from the optic of Social Psychology, inspired by the Social Representations Theory, one of the most important theories of the social construction of knowledge and its relation to socially situated practices, founded by Serge Moscovici in 1961. This supra-disciplinary field is characterised by a great consistency in terms of epistemological and theoretical inspiration and its rich diversity both from the paradigmatic point of view, in terms of methodological approaches, from the thematic point perspective and with respect to the applied contexts and domains of expert and lay knowledge production and transmission: education, health, economics, environment, tourism, politics, organisations, media industry, etc.

A construct developed by Serge Moscovici (1961/1976) , which – according to de Rosa (1994) - can be operationalized as “ways of knowing” characteristic of social reality that emerge in daily life during interpersonal communication and are directed toward comprehension and control of the physical-social environment.

The concept refers to a form of common sense knowledge that helps people understand the world in which they live.

Shared knowledge resulting from the intervention of social regulations in cognitive functioning.